Ferguson speaks up for under-fire McClaren

Sir Alex Ferguson has leapt to the defence of beleaguered England boss Steve McClaren and warned a demanding public they will regret it if they drive his former assistant out of a job.

McClaren has been lambasted in the wake of Wednesday's dismal friendly defeat to Spain, with many pundits claiming he will be axed should the the national team suffer another failure in their next Euro 2008 qualifier in Israel next month.

Although McClaren has continued to insist he is the right man for the job, the boos ringing around Old Trafford as he headed down the tunnel suggest not many supporters share his belief. Ferguson, who worked with McClaren for two and a half years after luring him to the Red Devils from Derby during the 1999 treble-winning campaign, has no doubt about the former Middlesbrough manager's capacity to deliver.

However, he is concerned media pressure and the weight of public opinion could drive him from office before McClaren has a chance to realise his full potential on the international stage. 'Steve won't be enjoying what is happening to him because nobody enjoys being criticised,' said Ferguson. 'But I have no doubts about his ability, absolutely none.

'The FA have given the job to a man with great potential and he should be supported because it would be a shame if that potential was not realised. 'The way the media in particular are reacting has created a situation where the England players are fearing bad performances. That in itself has a detrimental effect. 'Steve does not have a great deal of experience in terms of top management. But he has the experience of being Sven-Goran Eriksson's assistant and he also has fantastic potential.

'I don't see any how the way the media are handling this situation can elicit any kind of positive response. But you might regret it 10 years time because Steve could go back into club football and do exceptionally well because he will have more experience.'

In launching his own defence of McClaren, Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson claimed England were being let down by its top clubs, Arsenal and Liverpool in particular, because of their failure to give young home-grown talent a chance.

Ferguson though feels the problem goes much deeper, and yet again pointed the finger at the FA's academy system and the lack of players produced since its inception eight years ago. 'I really believe it must be a worry that the FA started the academy system eight years ago and there are no signs of anything,' he reflected.

Chelsea closes the gap

Chelsea closed to within three points of Premiership leaders Manchester United - but they were made to work for their 1-0 win at relegation-battlers Charlton.

Frank Lampard's fine long-range effort midway through the first half - an eighth goal in as many matches for the England midfielder - proved enough to settle matters at The Valley. While the Blues were good value for their second Premiership win of the week, Alan Pardew's men had spells of dominance.

However, without injured leading marksman Darren Bent - set to return later this month - they lacked the class to really trouble Petr Cech, who twice saved well from Amady Faye in the second half. The late appearance of England captain John Terry after being sidelined since mid-December with a back injury will have given the Blues renewed hope for a title race which looks set to go to the wire, with United at Tottenham tomorrow.

Chelsea had started well, and after a brief rally by the home side, the champions slowly upped the tempo.Charlton defender Hermann Hreidarsson mistimed his jump to clear a high ball, which saw possession break for Andriy Shevchenko on the right side of the penalty area.The Ukrainian striker rifled in an angled drive, which England squad keeper Scott Carson turned away magnificently from point-blank range.

German midfielder Michael Ballack then saw his diving header fly wide following a left-wing cross from Wayne Bridge.The goal eventually came on 18 minutes.Charlton again failed to clear on the edge of their own box and Shevchenko out-muscled Faye and tapped the ball back to Lampard.The England midfielder set himself before unleashing a stunning drive across Carson into the bottom left corner.

It could have been 2-0 soon after when Shevchenko headed over another good cross from Bridge.Chelsea were in complete control now, the atmosphere inside The Valley subdued.Didier Drogba sent in a low strike from 30 yards, which Carson saved at his left-hand post.On 23 minutes, though, Blues keeper Cech had to back-pedal to touch over a looping ball into the area from Talal El Karkouri.Cech then had to soon scramble down to his right to collect a low, 25-yard free-kick from Addicks skipper Matt Holland.

With winger Dennis Rommedahl pushed up into attack, the home side were at least seeing more possession now, if without making the most of some positive build-up.Chelsea, though, still looked dangerous, Drogba lashing an angled drive high into the stands.In stoppage time, Carson had to beat away Lampard's fiercely-hit long range free-kick.Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - who left Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2004 to join Middlesbrough - replaced Rommedahl for the second half.

Despite the change in formation from Charlton, the visitors continued to look in control when play resumed.And when the hosts slowly started to mount a sustained period of pressure, just as in the first half, they lacked a telling pass in the final third.As the hour mark passed, The Valley faithful were in full voice.Winger Jerome Thomas was dangerous down the left, but again could not deliver a decent ball in from the flank.Chelsea were awarded a free-kick 35 yards out when Faye was adjudged to have bundled over Shevchenko.

This time Lampard's effort flew well wide.Charlton full-back Ben Thatcher had to hack clear from in front of his own goal when the England midfielder sent over a low cross with 26 minutes left.Charlton were now enjoying their best spell of the game, but yet without really troubling the visitors' defence.Suddenly Faye burst into the penalty area and sent a first-time shot towards the top-right corner - which somehow Cech managed to finger-tip over.

Midfielder Faye - who scored at Portsmouth last week - was put in down the right, with Cech standing up well at his near post to make the save.Chelsea substitute Salomon Kalou almost made it 2-0 immediately after coming on with 16 minutes to go when his shot came back of the post following Drogba's cross from the left.Carson then saved well low from fellow Blues replacement Shaun Wright-Phillips.Hasselbaink sent a 25-yard free-kick over, and Charlton saw their mini revival come to an end - with Carson making another fine save late on to deny Wright-Phillips.Terry replaced Claude Makelele for the closing moments - much to the delight of the Chelsea fans.

Mourinho welcomes Terry's return

Jose Mourinho feels the return of captain John Terry can galvanise Chelsea for the battles ahead over the final months of the campaign. The England skipper had been sidelined since mid-December with a back problem, and during his absence the Barclays Premiership champions did not look the same solid defensive unit. However, Terry came on to a rousing reception from the travelling fans for the closing minutes of this afternoon's 1-0 win at Charlton.

Mourinho is in no doubt of the impact the return of his talisman captain can have on the rest of the squad. 'It is the same as when we got [goalkeeper] Petr Cech back. We need JT as a player and as a person,' the Chelsea manager said. 'We had a great leader in Frank Lampard, who set a very good example, but it is still good to have JT back and put Michael Essien back into midfield.'

The Chelsea manager added: 'I think now that opponents have to forget what teams have done to us over the last couple of months because now we have our defensive security back. 'I hope this was the last game Michael Essien played as a central defender.' A 25-yard effort from Lampard midway through the first half proved enough to settle matters for the Blues, who cut the deficit on leaders Manchester United down to three points.

Mourinho said: 'We fought really hard for this - I just feel that we had moments where we could have killed the game and we did not. 'But this makes it more comfortable in terms of being seven points away from Liverpool.' Whatever United's result at Tottenham tomorrow, Mourinho feels his team are ready for the crucial phase of the campaign.

He said: 'There is always a natural pressure and it should make you feel good. 'I told my players that we have five finals in February in the Premiership, the FA Cup and Champions League - but good players should react to that pressure in a good way and be comfortable with it. 'Tomorrow, the gap to Manchester United could be three points, it could be four points or it could be six points, but it cannot be more than six.' Mourinho once again had to fend off questions about his own future, as speculation continues he will leave Stamford Bridge in the summer - Real Madrid the reported destination.

He said: 'I will not play this game. If someone does not respect Chelsea or myself then that is their problem - I will not get involved. 'I respect Real Madrid and Fabio Capello and, for sure, I spoke with nobody and nobody spoke with me. 'I do not think a big club like Real or a big coach like Fabio deserve this sort of thing. 'I will not play this game. If others want to, that is up to them. But it is important that I send this message to Fabio because I respect him a lot.'

Mourinho added: 'There are apparently 12 on the list - some confirm, some close their mouths, some are happy to see their names in the light but that is their problem. It is not my problem.' Charlton produced a determined display, but just did not have the class to find a finish to plenty of positive build-up. Goalkeeper Petr Cech was forced into two good saves, both from midfielder Amady Faye in the second half.