The sports story of the day on this side of the Atlantic, particularly for those who have any interest in the English Premier League (which is most people in the UAE) — was the press conference involving Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United, and his second autobiography.

Ferguson is known for having plenty of opinions, and for not being shy in expressing them, and his book was looked forward to with trepidation (among his many enemies) and delight (among his many fans).

And what did Day 1 of the book’s exposure (the formal release is tomorrow) bring?

What the Brits would call … a damp squib. Or what the Yanks would call, a dud.

No less than Arsene Wenger, coach of Arsenal and now the longest-serving coach in the Premier League, had a few days ago suggested everyone in the league was on pins and needles, fearing Ferguson might attack them. He was only partly joking.

But those with early access to the book, who fully expected that some bombshells, or at least fairly sizable grenades, would be lobbed, were generally disappointed.

Take a look at our quick scan of Ferguson’s verbiage, in this story in The National, and see if you come across more than one or two quotes that seem anything but harmless, or mild opinion.

Hmm, he finds Rafa Benitez’s coaching methods distasteful. You could knock me over with a feather.

Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia did not play well in the Champions League final versus ManU in 2011. Anyone watching the game knew that.

A second pass through the book came up with one fairly tart observation about David Beckham, brought up with United, later feted and fetishized after stint at Real Madrid and the L.A. Galaxy and AC Milan.

Quoth Fergie: “David had a fine career. He gave me 12 to 15 goals a season, worked [hard]. He never attained the top level where you would say: that is an absolutely top player.”

Some critical words from the “gaffer” for Becks. But, of course, Beckham was never a great player. Before his latter years with the Galaxy, when he became more of a team player and at times even the focal point for the offense, he had never been known as much more than a one-trick pony — one of the greatest dead-ball shooters/passers in modern football. He was much more important as a celebrity/pop star.

So, much ado about not at all much.

As our correspondent notes, the book is sure to do well with Manchester United’s hordes of fans, but it seems fairly obvious the average soccer follower can give it a miss.