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| Sir Alex Ferguson: the key moments of his Manchester United career | Sir Alex Ferguson: the key moments of his Manchester United career |
| (4 months later) | |
| 9 November 1986 | 9 November 1986 |
| The honeymoon is soon over for new manager Fergie as he loses his first match: Bob Houston is at the Manor Ground for Manchester United's 2-0 defeat by Oxford United | The honeymoon is soon over for new manager Fergie as he loses his first match: Bob Houston is at the Manor Ground for Manchester United's 2-0 defeat by Oxford United |
| Such is Manchester United's plight that when Alex Ferguson chose to leave behind the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen for the flickering flame of Old Trafford he was certainly under no illusions as to the magnitude of the task on hand. | Such is Manchester United's plight that when Alex Ferguson chose to leave behind the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen for the flickering flame of Old Trafford he was certainly under no illusions as to the magnitude of the task on hand. |
| When the Manor Ground's biggest crowd of the season had cheered their local heroes off after a well-deserved victory, Ferguson's task had certainly not been diminished. | When the Manor Ground's biggest crowd of the season had cheered their local heroes off after a well-deserved victory, Ferguson's task had certainly not been diminished. |
| The moments of cheer for the new man were few. And all of them came in a second half spell when Blackmore hit the bar and shaved the wrong side of the Parks' post with a 20-yarder. The introduction of Olsen in place of the sad and utterly disorientated McGrath for the last 15 minutes provided no answers as Oxford's willingness and determination to push wide down the flanks where Phillips was always a source of mischief only served to underline the frailty to United's current defensive framework. | The moments of cheer for the new man were few. And all of them came in a second half spell when Blackmore hit the bar and shaved the wrong side of the Parks' post with a 20-yarder. The introduction of Olsen in place of the sad and utterly disorientated McGrath for the last 15 minutes provided no answers as Oxford's willingness and determination to push wide down the flanks where Phillips was always a source of mischief only served to underline the frailty to United's current defensive framework. |
| If far from ashen-faced and tight- lipped after the match, it was a far from happy Mr Ferguson who found himself having to adjust to the pace of the English press. He'd expected it to be a difficult game at Oxford, he was happy with the way his strikers, Stapleton and Davenport, had always made themselves available, but he wasn't too happy with the way the goals were lost. | If far from ashen-faced and tight- lipped after the match, it was a far from happy Mr Ferguson who found himself having to adjust to the pace of the English press. He'd expected it to be a difficult game at Oxford, he was happy with the way his strikers, Stapleton and Davenport, had always made themselves available, but he wasn't too happy with the way the goals were lost. |
| Obviously he must feel that some of the money lashed out for forwards during his predecessor's reign might have been wiser spent on some class defenders, something which United are not overburdened with currently. | Obviously he must feel that some of the money lashed out for forwards during his predecessor's reign might have been wiser spent on some class defenders, something which United are not overburdened with currently. |
| He'd be going back to Scotland but he'd be there at Old Trafford for training on Monday morning. No doubt more than a few cards will be firmly marked then. | He'd be going back to Scotland but he'd be there at Old Trafford for training on Monday morning. No doubt more than a few cards will be firmly marked then. |
| 1 October 1989 | 1 October 1989 |
| Hugh McIlvanney encounters deep feelings in the United manager and finds him defiant amid calls for him to go following a 5-1 defeat to Manchester City | Hugh McIlvanney encounters deep feelings in the United manager and finds him defiant amid calls for him to go following a 5-1 defeat to Manchester City |
| There is no sense of bunker about Alex Ferguson's pleasant, spacious house out in the tranquil greenery of Cheshire. But being there for several hours of conversation with the Manchester United manager confirmed anew just how severely professional sport can put a strong man's spirit under siege. | There is no sense of bunker about Alex Ferguson's pleasant, spacious house out in the tranquil greenery of Cheshire. But being there for several hours of conversation with the Manchester United manager confirmed anew just how severely professional sport can put a strong man's spirit under siege. |
| Talking nearly a week after a 5-1 humiliation by Manchester City shovelled salt into the widening wound created by a lack of success during the two-and-three-quarter years he has been running Britain's most famous football team, Ferguson seemed awed by the depth of his own feelings. | Talking nearly a week after a 5-1 humiliation by Manchester City shovelled salt into the widening wound created by a lack of success during the two-and-three-quarter years he has been running Britain's most famous football team, Ferguson seemed awed by the depth of his own feelings. |
| "Believe me, what I have felt in the last week you wouldn't think should happen in football," he said. "Every time somebody looks at me I feel I have betrayed that man. After such a result, you feel as if you have to sneak round corners, feel as if you are some kind of criminal. | "Believe me, what I have felt in the last week you wouldn't think should happen in football," he said. "Every time somebody looks at me I feel I have betrayed that man. After such a result, you feel as if you have to sneak round corners, feel as if you are some kind of criminal. |
| "But that's only because you care, care about the people who support you. At Manchester United you become one of them, you think like a supporter, suffer like a supporter. They have been waiting 22 years for a league championship. I've been waiting less than three but in terms of frustration it seems like 22 already. | "But that's only because you care, care about the people who support you. At Manchester United you become one of them, you think like a supporter, suffer like a supporter. They have been waiting 22 years for a league championship. I've been waiting less than three but in terms of frustration it seems like 22 already. |
| "There's been a lot of speculation in certain papers over the last few days about my position at Old Trafford, some of it going as far to link Howard Kendall with my job. At the very least it's been unsettling and at its worst it's been really mischievous. But I mean to be here, making a success of things, three years from now. I know I have the courage to deal with all the sniping but you worry about the effects on your family." | "There's been a lot of speculation in certain papers over the last few days about my position at Old Trafford, some of it going as far to link Howard Kendall with my job. At the very least it's been unsettling and at its worst it's been really mischievous. But I mean to be here, making a success of things, three years from now. I know I have the courage to deal with all the sniping but you worry about the effects on your family." |
| 27 March 1994 | 27 March 1994 |
| Patrick Barclay looks at the strengths and weaknesses of Alex Ferguson's managerial style and says Manchester United's governor needs to acquire some of the late Sir Matt Busby's diplomacy | Patrick Barclay looks at the strengths and weaknesses of Alex Ferguson's managerial style and says Manchester United's governor needs to acquire some of the late Sir Matt Busby's diplomacy |
| A third of last season had passed, with United no higher than fifth because they still scored at too modest a rate, when Ferguson was tipped off by a French friend that Eric Cantona wanted to leave Leeds. He bought the temperamental Marseillaise, and United have never looked back except in the anger that now jeopardises their hopes of a unique treble. | A third of last season had passed, with United no higher than fifth because they still scored at too modest a rate, when Ferguson was tipped off by a French friend that Eric Cantona wanted to leave Leeds. He bought the temperamental Marseillaise, and United have never looked back except in the anger that now jeopardises their hopes of a unique treble. |
| But the mantle of greatness cannot be easily removed from their manager. Many have brought success to a single club. Ferguson apart, one can think of only two – Herbert Chapman and Brian Clough – who have achieved more with separate clubs. And Ferguson has done it in separate countries. To argue that he was lucky to land Cantona would be to ignore the quality of the squad into which the catalyst was tossed. Drinkers and shirkers had been weeded out. The youth policy was mass-producing gems. Ferguson had delivered everything United envisaged when they brought him south. He had built another empire. | But the mantle of greatness cannot be easily removed from their manager. Many have brought success to a single club. Ferguson apart, one can think of only two – Herbert Chapman and Brian Clough – who have achieved more with separate clubs. And Ferguson has done it in separate countries. To argue that he was lucky to land Cantona would be to ignore the quality of the squad into which the catalyst was tossed. Drinkers and shirkers had been weeded out. The youth policy was mass-producing gems. Ferguson had delivered everything United envisaged when they brought him south. He had built another empire. |
| 30 May 1999 | 30 May 1999 |
| Martin Amis witnesses United's triumph in the Champions League Final at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, with two goals in injury time securing a 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich | Martin Amis witnesses United's triumph in the Champions League Final at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, with two goals in injury time securing a 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich |
| Yes, I Was There for the fairytale, glory night on the magic field of impossible dreams. And, true, apart from the odd rumble over the forged tickets, it was a volatile but unviolent occasion (because we won) and the tabloids got their shots of sombreroed lads cavorting on Las Ramblas. For me, though, as I posed as an average United fan, the evening amounted to 90 seconds of incredulous euphoria sandwiched by 30 hours of torment. A few more experiences of that order and I would be down on the high street stoving in the shop windows, and sieving the internet (the herd's new playground) for lots more about Combat 18. | Yes, I Was There for the fairytale, glory night on the magic field of impossible dreams. And, true, apart from the odd rumble over the forged tickets, it was a volatile but unviolent occasion (because we won) and the tabloids got their shots of sombreroed lads cavorting on Las Ramblas. For me, though, as I posed as an average United fan, the evening amounted to 90 seconds of incredulous euphoria sandwiched by 30 hours of torment. A few more experiences of that order and I would be down on the high street stoving in the shop windows, and sieving the internet (the herd's new playground) for lots more about Combat 18. |
| Every time it strikes me, with all the freshness of revelation: going to a football match to watch a football match is the worst way to watch a football match. I had a good seat and a lucky one, not up there in the realms of nosebleed and brain haemorrhage, but down in the corner from which all three goals were fashioned and scored. Still, it's not, or not only, that the more distant action is hopelessly flattened and foreshortened. Whenever anything happens anywhere, everyone stands up, and you're obliged to rubberneck through a shifting collage of hair frizz and earring. But no matter. | Every time it strikes me, with all the freshness of revelation: going to a football match to watch a football match is the worst way to watch a football match. I had a good seat and a lucky one, not up there in the realms of nosebleed and brain haemorrhage, but down in the corner from which all three goals were fashioned and scored. Still, it's not, or not only, that the more distant action is hopelessly flattened and foreshortened. Whenever anything happens anywhere, everyone stands up, and you're obliged to rubberneck through a shifting collage of hair frizz and earring. But no matter. |
| The crowd is the engine of this experience. It is asking something of you: the surrender of your identity. And it will not be opposed. It cannot be opposed. The crowd is a wraparound millipede of rage and yearning, with the body heat of 180,000 torched armpits, with its ear-hurting roars, and that incensed whistling like a billion babies joined in one desperate scream. | The crowd is the engine of this experience. It is asking something of you: the surrender of your identity. And it will not be opposed. It cannot be opposed. The crowd is a wraparound millipede of rage and yearning, with the body heat of 180,000 torched armpits, with its ear-hurting roars, and that incensed whistling like a billion babies joined in one desperate scream. |
| Five minutes from time a fat red shirt stalked past making the tosser sign and, for emphasis, yelling: "Fucking wankers!" No one followed him. And how unforgettable it was, in those last minutes, to be caught up in the fabulous lurch of emotion, when hatred and despair became their opposites. Stranger turned to stranger with love and triumph. All were lost in the great red sea. | Five minutes from time a fat red shirt stalked past making the tosser sign and, for emphasis, yelling: "Fucking wankers!" No one followed him. And how unforgettable it was, in those last minutes, to be caught up in the fabulous lurch of emotion, when hatred and despair became their opposites. Stranger turned to stranger with love and triumph. All were lost in the great red sea. |
| 3 December 2000 | 3 December 2000 |
| John Carlin found Sir Alex Ferguson to be full of surprises when he interviewed him for Observer Sport Monthly in the wake of United's treble win in 1999 | John Carlin found Sir Alex Ferguson to be full of surprises when he interviewed him for Observer Sport Monthly in the wake of United's treble win in 1999 |
| The first factor over which a manager can exercise some control which Ferguson mentions as key to his success, especially in that Treble season, is team spirit. "You could sense that we were not going to lose games because of that team spirit. They've," (he searches for the word, he often pauses to search for the right word) "they've enshrined that team spirit. It's a marvellous thing for a manager because that is what you try to create, because you're always looking for signs of a player's motivation, how they are reacting under pressure. Everyone was up." | The first factor over which a manager can exercise some control which Ferguson mentions as key to his success, especially in that Treble season, is team spirit. "You could sense that we were not going to lose games because of that team spirit. They've," (he searches for the word, he often pauses to search for the right word) "they've enshrined that team spirit. It's a marvellous thing for a manager because that is what you try to create, because you're always looking for signs of a player's motivation, how they are reacting under pressure. Everyone was up." |
| Signs? What signs, precisely, did he look for? | Signs? What signs, precisely, did he look for? |
| "You have to be alert to players' behaviour patterns. How they come in every morning, how they behave with each other. Especially with the pressure on, especially in March and April. What I have to look for is if all of a sudden the atmosphere is too quiet and players, perhaps irrationally, lose their tempers, or have an argument about nothing in particular. Or players who keep going to the toilet, things like that." | "You have to be alert to players' behaviour patterns. How they come in every morning, how they behave with each other. Especially with the pressure on, especially in March and April. What I have to look for is if all of a sudden the atmosphere is too quiet and players, perhaps irrationally, lose their tempers, or have an argument about nothing in particular. Or players who keep going to the toilet, things like that." |
| Going to the toilet? "Well, yes, but then you have to know your players' habits. Some players, actually, like Steve Bruce would always go to the toilet before a game. Just before a game. It came naturally to him. I mean, it was sort of like his superstition, because all players are always superstitious. What you have to look for is a change in the patterns and if you detect that you have to step in and make things smoother." | Going to the toilet? "Well, yes, but then you have to know your players' habits. Some players, actually, like Steve Bruce would always go to the toilet before a game. Just before a game. It came naturally to him. I mean, it was sort of like his superstition, because all players are always superstitious. What you have to look for is a change in the patterns and if you detect that you have to step in and make things smoother." |
| Ferguson has this reputation for playing mind games, for psyching out opponents. Whether it is deserved or not what becomes very clear very early into the conversation is that understanding and shaping his players' psychology – each and every player's psychology – is a very big part indeed of his notion of what the manager's job should be. Maybe, more than tactics or anything, the principal part. | Ferguson has this reputation for playing mind games, for psyching out opponents. Whether it is deserved or not what becomes very clear very early into the conversation is that understanding and shaping his players' psychology – each and every player's psychology – is a very big part indeed of his notion of what the manager's job should be. Maybe, more than tactics or anything, the principal part. |
| So, if he saw a player behaving strangely under pressure would he go and engage him in a one to one? "Aye, aye. But you have to gauge things just right. Sometimes the excitement and tension is good for them. Sometimes it's too much. That depends on the personality. It varies from player to player. You have to observe, to know, to judge." | So, if he saw a player behaving strangely under pressure would he go and engage him in a one to one? "Aye, aye. But you have to gauge things just right. Sometimes the excitement and tension is good for them. Sometimes it's too much. That depends on the personality. It varies from player to player. You have to observe, to know, to judge." |
| And when, having filtered the question through his refined thought processes, he decides to take a player aside for a chat, what does he say? Ferguson pauses to weigh up the question. Pondering, how much to give away no doubt; but also mindful, as he says, of the perception the players have of him, how some fear him, how some – as he acknowledges with what appears to be an element of sincere surprise – are "frightened to death" of him. | And when, having filtered the question through his refined thought processes, he decides to take a player aside for a chat, what does he say? Ferguson pauses to weigh up the question. Pondering, how much to give away no doubt; but also mindful, as he says, of the perception the players have of him, how some fear him, how some – as he acknowledges with what appears to be an element of sincere surprise – are "frightened to death" of him. |
| "Well, now, if I am in a situation where I have to go to a player," he says, indicating that this is something he does not do often and, therefore, cannot be taken lightly, "then I would try not to overwhelm him. I would probably say, 'Look', in a general sense, 'look: trust yourself'." | "Well, now, if I am in a situation where I have to go to a player," he says, indicating that this is something he does not do often and, therefore, cannot be taken lightly, "then I would try not to overwhelm him. I would probably say, 'Look', in a general sense, 'look: trust yourself'." |
| 21 February 2010 | 21 February 2010 |
| The United manager talks to Paul Hayward about Rooney, the Glazers and the loss of Ronaldo | The United manager talks to Paul Hayward about Rooney, the Glazers and the loss of Ronaldo |
| Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney play a game at the Manchester United training ground. Ferguson says: "He's the best at coming up to me and asking: 'What's the team?' I say: 'You're not playing.' He says: 'Come on, give me your team.' I say: 'No, I won't, I'm still thinking about it.' | Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney play a game at the Manchester United training ground. Ferguson says: "He's the best at coming up to me and asking: 'What's the team?' I say: 'You're not playing.' He says: 'Come on, give me your team.' I say: 'No, I won't, I'm still thinking about it.' |
| "Then he says: 'I'll give you my team.' And he gives me his team. He's brilliant at it. He's never far wrong. He thinks about it, you see. He knows the game." | "Then he says: 'I'll give you my team.' And he gives me his team. He's brilliant at it. He's never far wrong. He thinks about it, you see. He knows the game." |
| This is Ferguson in his element, larking about with a world-class footballer whose development he has overseen from the star's late teenage years. Rooney is the great individual delight in a season of immense challenges for the manager, who is hunting down a record fourth consecutive English league title, and a 19th in all for the club, in a season beset by mounting disquiet among supporters over the £700m-plus of debt loaded on to United by the Glazer family's borrowings. | This is Ferguson in his element, larking about with a world-class footballer whose development he has overseen from the star's late teenage years. Rooney is the great individual delight in a season of immense challenges for the manager, who is hunting down a record fourth consecutive English league title, and a 19th in all for the club, in a season beset by mounting disquiet among supporters over the £700m-plus of debt loaded on to United by the Glazer family's borrowings. |
| The secret of his durability in the face of Liverpool, Arsène Wenger's Arsenal, Roman Abramovich's Chelsea and now oil-rich City is strategic wisdom, a talent for controlling change. There has been no greater setback since Cantona abruptly retired than Ronaldo's move for £80m to Real Madrid, which has at least allowed Rooney to shine in that void. Ferguson maintains that United fans should not confuse Ronaldo's sale with the £67m paid by the club in interest last year or the Glazers' frantic search for £500m in new bond loans to soften crushing interest fees, though the supporters themselves say the big issue is where most of the £80m went subsequently: to a transfer fund or to the banks. | The secret of his durability in the face of Liverpool, Arsène Wenger's Arsenal, Roman Abramovich's Chelsea and now oil-rich City is strategic wisdom, a talent for controlling change. There has been no greater setback since Cantona abruptly retired than Ronaldo's move for £80m to Real Madrid, which has at least allowed Rooney to shine in that void. Ferguson maintains that United fans should not confuse Ronaldo's sale with the £67m paid by the club in interest last year or the Glazers' frantic search for £500m in new bond loans to soften crushing interest fees, though the supporters themselves say the big issue is where most of the £80m went subsequently: to a transfer fund or to the banks. |
| "Ronaldo was sold simply because the boy wanted to leave. I did well to keep him another year. When we sat down, you could see it in his eyes. He said: 'Boss, I just want to play for Real Madrid, it's nothing against Manchester United. I'm going to go because it will be an experience for me.' The only reason he was sold was because the boy fervently wanted to leave. He played that extra season, did fantastically for us, and after the Cup final [the Champions League loss to Barcelona] came to me and said: 'Boss, I want to leave.' I said: 'Right, you've done another year, let me consider it.' The next day an offer came in for £80m." | "Ronaldo was sold simply because the boy wanted to leave. I did well to keep him another year. When we sat down, you could see it in his eyes. He said: 'Boss, I just want to play for Real Madrid, it's nothing against Manchester United. I'm going to go because it will be an experience for me.' The only reason he was sold was because the boy fervently wanted to leave. He played that extra season, did fantastically for us, and after the Cup final [the Champions League loss to Barcelona] came to me and said: 'Boss, I want to leave.' I said: 'Right, you've done another year, let me consider it.' The next day an offer came in for £80m." |
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