 |
| Alex Ferguson unveiled as Man United's manager on 01 November 1986 |
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE
(born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish football manager and former player who
has managed Manchester United since 1986. His tenure has seen the club go
through an era of success and dominance both in England and in Europe, giving
Ferguson a reputation as one of the most admired and respected managers in the
history of the game.
Ferguson previously managed East Stirlingshire and St.
Mirren, before a highly successful period as manager of Aberdeen. After a brief
stint as manager of the Scotland national team following the death of Jock
Stein, he was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986.
With 25 years as manager of Manchester United, he is the
longest serving manager in their history after overtaking Sir Matt Busby's
record on 19 December 2010. His tenure is also the longest of all the current
League managers. During this time, Ferguson has won many awards and holds many
records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football
history. In 2008, he became the third British manager to win the European Cup
on more than one occasion, after Brian Clough and Bob Paisley.
Sir Alex is the most successful manager in British
football history – winning more than 30 trophies during his time in charge of
the Reds. Yet despite more than two decades at the United helm he remains
focused on increasing that tally, bringing yet more silverware to Old Trafford.
The Reds boss enjoyed a playing career north of the
border that saw him take in spells with Queen's Park, St Johnstone,
Dunfermline, Glasgow Rangers, Falkirk and Ayr United. But it is not for his
playing of the game that Sir Alex was to become a success.
Following a spell out of the game he moved into coaching,
taking up the role of manager of East Stirlingshire, St Mirren then
Aberdeen. It was his time at Pittodrie where he earned his reputation as a top
coach. He broke the Glasgow dominance of Scottish football to lead Aberdeen to
three Scottish titles, four Scottish cups, one League Cup and one European Cup
Winners’ Cup.
Following the sacking of Ron Atkinson as manager of
Manchester United, the Old Trafford hierarchy moved quickly for his services.
They got their man on 6 November 1986.
Ferguson inherited a dispirited team of underachievers
who had consistently, to their supporters’ discontent, failed to break
Liverpool’s domination. Stuck in the bottom four of the Division One table,
Ferguson immediately set about attempting to stave off the very real threat of
relegation. Without resorting to the transfer market, he guided United up the
table to an eleventh place finish.
By now it was clear to Ferguson that he faced a major job
in turning the club around. United were an entertaining side but one that
seemed unable to cope with the more physical aspects of League football. In his
second season the Reds fared better finishing second behind Liverpool, but the
position painted a false picture. The turning point came in the 1989/90 season.
Following a run of games in which the Reds were drawn
away in every round, United picked up their first silverware of the Ferguson
era. Lee Martin scoring the only goal in a final replay against Crystal Palace
to in the FA Cup.
This first trophy opened the flood gates. The European
Cup Winners’ Cup was won the following season in Rotterdam, Barcelona defeated
2-1 thanks to a brace from Mark Hughes. Then in 1991/02 the League Cup was
added to United’s list of honours.
Sadly the title remained elusive. It was the Holy Grail
to United fans, the 26 championships free years being exacerbated by
Liverpool’s dominance of the domestic and European game.
In 1992/93 the long wait for the League championship came
to an end. The Reds, inspired by £1m signing Eric Cantona, pipping Aston Villa
in the final weeks of the season.
The shackles were broken: the double followed in 1993/94,
the double-Double (with ‘kids’) in 1995/96, and another title in 1997. Finally
United were matching off-field might with on-field success. Liverpool’s
dominance was well and truly over.
Sir Alex’s greatest achievement came in 1998/99. No side
before or since has achieved a treble haul of Premiership title, FA Cup and
European Cup. On an unforgettable night in Barcelona his decision to throw on
substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer assured history was made.
The pair scored injury-time goals to win the Champions League and complete the
treble.
Ferguson was knighted in 1999 for his services to the game following that success and some
suggested he should retire, believing his desire would wane following the
realisation of a dream. Not a bit of it. Another title followed in 1999/2000
and he made it three-in-row in 2000/01. His eighth Premiership duly arrived in
2002/03; his fifth FA Cup came a year later, against Millwall in Cardiff.
The Reds had by now entered a period of rebuilding. The side of homegrown players he’d first
put together in 1995/96 was now breaking up and he’d recruited new stars like
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo to spark a new era of success.
The rebuilding paid off with victory in the Carling Cup
in 2005/06 and a ninth Premier League trophy in 2006/07. In May 2007 Sir Alex
swooped for three players - Anderson, Nani and Owen Hargreaves - to bolster an
already strong squad. This evolving team claimed more glory in 2007/08,
defending the Premier League title and securing Sir Alex's second Champions
League triumph.
United followed European success by winning the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in December
2008. The Reds then claimed the Carling Cup in March 2009 by beating Tottenham
on penalties in the final.
On 16 May 2009, United achieved what had seemed an
impossible mission when Sir Alex arrived in 1986, equalling Liverpool's
long-standing record of 18 league championships. Beating Liverpool to the
2008/09 crown - Sir Alex's 11th title in 17 seasons - made the feat even
sweeter.
His statue, named Sir alex Ferguson, was unveiled by Lady Cathy -his wife- at Old Trafford, Manchester on November 23, 2012
So, as my all time manager (Even though, I've been a fan on Man United since I was too young to know why -Daddy's girl issues...lols- I never knew anything about Sir Matt Busby, I went in search of some of his quotable lines, enjoy them below;
On those exacting early days
“What youth policy? He’s left me a shower of shit.”
-- When asked, in 1986, what he had inherited from Ron Atkinson
“I am not kidding. This isn’t just a job to me. It’s a mission. I am deadly serious about it…we will get there.
Believe me. And when it happens, life will change for Liverpool and everybody else, dramatically.”
On the glory years
“At our club, you tend to accept that somewhere deep down in the make-up, there’s something that seems suicidal at times. The players can thrill you and exasperate you at the same time. You’re never safe even if you’re winning two or three nil…they will take you right to the wire. They will wait until the last minute while I’m on the bench having three heart attacks and contorted with stomach pains.”
-- On the United way, 1997
“I can’t believe it. Football, eh? Bloody hell. It’s been the greatest night of my life.”
-- Summing up the feelings of every United supporter after winning the Champions League in 1999On opponents
“Rival United? Arsenal? Never! They will need three stadiums and 33 teams to rival us as a club. Nobody is as big as Manchester United. Nobody ever will be either.”
-- 2006
“You know when you’ve got a noisy neighbour and they keep the radio on all the time? What can you do? You can complain to the council, you can bang on their wall, but they still keep their music on. So what do you do? You get used to it.”
-- On Manchester City, 2010
On players
“It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen…as if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose…I felt it was such an honour to be associated with such a player.”
-- Ferguson salutes Roy Keane’s starring role in helping United come from two goals down to beat Juventus 3-2 to reach the 1999 Champions League final.
“He is the most precious, skill-blessed player I have ever had in almost 20 years in management…the greatest talent I have ever been asked to manage.”
-- On Ryan Giggs, 1993
“Some believe the greatest courage in football is the courage to win the ball. The other kind of courage – and it’s a moral courage – is the courage to keep the ball. That’s what Cristiano Ronaldo has. All the great players had it. Best had it, Charlton had it, Cantona: ’I’ll take the kick. I’ll take the injury. But I will keep the ball. I’ll beat the bully’.”
-- 2008
On himself
“If someone argues with me, I have to win the argument…that’s where the hairdryer comes in… The manager can never lose an argument.”
-- 2003
“If I lose control of these multi-millionaires in the dressing room, then I’m dead. So I never lose control. And if anyone steps out of my control, that’s them dead.”
-- 2010
“I’ll continue for as long as I feel healthy enough to do the job.”
– Sir Alex Ferguson, 03 November 2011.
Credits: http://www.manutd.com, http://en.wikipedia.org, http://soccerpedia.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment