Alex Ferguson must take a great deal of responsibility for the latest Roy Keane book which was written primarily to settle old scores, according to John Giles.

Extracts of Keane's book, The Second Half. Have been leaked all week with ahead of the official launch tomorrow and it has re-opened old wounds with Ferguson and some former team-mates.

Giles says he is saddened by the latest chapter in the feud between the former Manchester United captain and manager and insists the Scot has a lot to answer for.

"Alex Ferguson is the only manager numbered among the greats that chose to write a book which heavily criticised some of his best players," he wrote in his Herald column today. "I have no idea why he did it."

"I just don't see the point of it. It was a betrayal of people he worked with on a daily basis for many years and who delivered great success to his doorstep."

"As a result, we now have another book from Roy Keane which perpetuates the whole, sorry mess and in my opinion, cheapens the game we all love."

"So if there is blame to be doled out, I think Ferguson is the one who should shoulder the lion's share."

The RTE pundit says the feud between two football legends "saddens" him greatly, but is sure that Keane would not have added fuel to the fire were it not for Ferguson's barbed comments about the Cork native in his book last year.

"I have no doubt that Keane would not have bothered to write a second book if he didn't feel the need to respond to Ferguson's ill-timed publication of a year ago."

"It would have been the wise thing to do to ignore what Ferguson said and rise above it. History will remember Keane as a great footballer one way or other but his reputation will become indelibly linked with this feud if he is not careful."

Read John Giles' full column only in The Herald.

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