Sir Alex shocked at Scolari exit

Sir Alex Ferguson is shocked by Chelsea's decision to sack Luis Felipe Scolari but says it's "a sign of the times."

Speaking live on MUTV from Malta, the United manager said: "I'm very surprised. It's a shock that one. He only took the job seven months ago.

"Scolari's a man of great experience. He took Brazil to the World Cup final and won it and he was the obvious choice to replace Avram Grant seven months ago.

"Really it's a sign of the times, I'm afraid. There's absolutely no patience in the world now.

"Football seems more volatile now. You can't always blame the press but they play a part. The way tabloid journalism is today, they're competing against the internet and competing against Sky News so therefore there is sensationalism every time there's a bad result. We've all been subjected to that over the years.

"Having lost the European Cup final, there were still expectations for Chelsea to do well this year. It's really only in the last month that they've had a bad spell. So I feel the judgement [to sack Scolari] is really based on the last month, not the previous six months. It is a surprise."

Sir Alex Ferguson is in Malta to help fans there celebrate the 50th anniversary of their supporters' club. Look out for more special programmes on MUTV throughout this week.