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What has happened to the dynamic of managerial mind games?
There was a time when the concept dominated football, with title battles influenced by the turn of the psychological screw.
Managers broke down on live television, others cracked up in their quest for facts, while one was even labelled a 'voyeur'.
Ferguson, Dalglish, Keegan, Benitez, Wenger, Mourinho; there have been some fascinating feuds over the years, through intentional provocation or reluctant involvement. But recently the landscape has changed, and no longer is the mental assault waged across the Premier League parapet.
Before the Manchester derby in October, Alex Ferguson wrote in his programme notes of his admiration for Roberto Mancini's "masterclass in management" in the Italian's handling of Carlos Tevez. There was no ulterior motive, no attempt to undermine Mancini's authority; it was a genuine managerial back-slap, credit where credit is due.
It seemed odd. Ferguson isn't renowned for dishing out the compliments, especially not before such a significant fixture. Why wasn't the old fox forcing Mancini to doubt himself, to question his control over his players?
The Manchester City manager responded in kind: "I can say thank you to him because I have big respect for him...he is a teacher and I learn from him."
It had moved from odd to downright disturbing. Why were these two managers, from two of the fiercest rivals in the country, in one of the closest title battles for years, suddenly deciding on a mutual show of veneration?
The answer is that the enemy has changed.
In the past, the media was used as a vehicle through which pressure could be applied to rivals. Ferguson, by nature of United's success, has been involved in the most memorable spats, but even managers in the lower echelons of the league would try and gain a psychological advantage during the course of the season.
A gradual transition has occurred. Whereas the media was once a device to deflect pressure, it is now seen as being the pressure, and the combination of 24-hour coverage and social media appears to have exasperated some managers. Indeed, several of them are more prickly with the press this season than has been known before.
Barely an interview goes by in which the reporter isn't taken to task over their line of questioning. Following Chelsea's 3-3 draw with Manchester United, when it was put to Andre Villas-Boas that the Champions had largely been the better side, his response was "Says you?" This closed, defensive style is becoming a familiar theme.
Dalglish is notoriously ornery, while Ferguson is famous for his tantrums. The United boss has had almost as many journalists banned from press conferences as he's won trophies. On occasion his actions have made him look foolish - video footage of Ferguson walking out of a press conference earlier this season when it was suggested that his team were struggling in the Champions League has been given frequent airing since the club's elimination.
There has also been a notable increase in individuals taking issue with comments from media pundits. Ferguson reacted furiously to Alan Hansen's claim that United haven't played well for 18 months and Villas-Boas was similarly incensed by Gary Neville's view that David Luiz looks like a player being controlled by a 10-year-old using a Playstation.
Not many would agree with either Hansen or Neville in their assessments and why should such opinions rile managers to this extent? It's understandable to want to protect the players, but the notion of a siege mentality has gone too far.
The idea that the media are now turning the screw is only half-true. When Dalglish was asked about Andy Carroll in December his reaction was to criticise the attention. "I think you yourselves have a bigger problem with Andy Carroll than anybody else," he told the press. But the fascination with Carroll is not just a press pack pastime - there are football fans around the world who remain in a head-scratching state since the striker's move and want to know how the story ends.
The same can be said for Torres at Chelsea, Manchester United's urgent need for a new midfielder and the antics of Mario Balotelli. People are interested in these issues and it's the media's role to question managers and report their views. To close doors to reporters is to do the same to the fans, and this only results in further intrigue or obsession.
There is surely a balance to be found and the sooner it can be reached the better. When managers were focused on mind games and football rivalry, it was an entertaining feature of the Premier League. Refusing to answer a simple question about a football match is not.
Matthew Stanger - he's on the Twitter
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