Kevin Keegan thinks the Premier League is getting boring — see our latest Vlog on the Pitch — but, not for the first time, Sir Alex Ferguson sees things a bit differently.

“The League is murder for me and Avram Grant and nerve-racking for fans and players,” Ferguson said. “It would be impossible to make the Premier League any more exciting.”

Perhaps Ferguson has a point. The top two are heading into the final day level on points, and a glance at Mike Collett’s piece here will show you how rare that is.

But look at this phrase of Ferguson’s, as quoted in the Daily Telegraph.

“Domination is not a word that will get used again with Everton and Aston Villa getting better,” Ferguson was quoted as saying.

Yet the fact remains, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton will all face a battle from the big four just to maintain their star players this summer.

Gareth Barry and Dimitar Berbatov have been strongly linked with moves to Liverpool and Manchester United, meaning Villa and Spurs could be weakened before they can try to add to their squads.

So what’s the answer? A salary cap? It would at least stop the likes of Chelsea and United adding all the top players to already bulging squads and allow the smaller clubs to compete.  

One league that does use this method is Rugby’s English Premiership, where six of the 12 teams were in contention to win this year’s title with two games to go.

Something has to be done, certainly. Whether Keegan is right or not, the truth is that the top four clubs get pretty much all the top players  in the end. Carlos Tevez, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Carrick are examples of this.

In the debate over who might finally achieve the seemingly impossible — become a successful manager of Newcastle United — Osvaldo Ardiles has been overlooked.

This is understandable at first glance, given the perception of the Argentine as a manager in England — quite different from his immeasurable impact as a player.

In light, however, of the failure of Kevin Keegan to work his magic again , what price Ossie?

Newcastle fans might consider why Keegan should have been thought of as such a sure-fire choice to revive their fortunes, having confessed on leaving the England job in 2000 that international tactics were beyond him.

With the foreign influence now huge in the Premier League, much greater than when Keegan came close to inspiring Newcastle to the title more than 10 years ago, perhaps Ardiles might not be such a bad choice.

Ardiles had limited success as a manager in England, notably with Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur, the club he graced as a player, leaky defences undermining the neatness of his teams’
build-up.

But he did well in his two stints back home in Argentina, even if the second with former club Huracan ended prematurely in December over differences with the directors on non-playing
issues.

On the field, his Huracan side finished the Apertura championship strongly. Perhaps English scouts should not just be considering Argentine players — and there is, of course, no language barrier.

Ardiles also fell just short of qualifying for the Libertadores Cup, South America’s Champions League, with Racing Club in the 2003-04 season.

In a recent interview with Reuters , he said: “I would love to come back and work in England again but to be honest I don’t think my chances are very good. I left Tottenham as manager in 1994 and it’s a long time…it’s very difficult to come back.

“England is, today, the place to play and to coach. It’s really great. The football is very well organised,” the 55-year-old said. “I’m open to any offer. The first that comes, I’ll look at it and if I like it I’ll take it.”

FILE PHOTO: Ardiles rubs his eye during a news conference at White Hart Lane, November 1, 1994, following his sacking as Tottenham coach. REUTERS/Russell Boyce