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Twenty-five
years is a long time. 1,057
managers have left English clubs since November 6, 1986 – the day that Sir Alex
Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United.
For
anyone born either shortly before or anytime after that date, English football will,
largely, seem as if it has always been dominated by the red side of Manchester.
When Ferguson retires, the Premier League will be missing a manager that has,
as said on BBC Radio 5Live on Thursday night, become something of a reference
point.
The
argument over who is the greatest British manager of all time serves no purpose
and is hugely demeaning to the greats over the years. There have been many fantastic
football managers - Clough, Paisley, Shankly, Busby – and they were all great
in their own, mostly unique ways. How is it possible to determine who is the greatest?
But
Ferguson is one of the greatest. The domination that he and Manchester United
have had over English and at, at certain points, European football is just
staggering, looking back. From the twelve Premier League titles to twice
winning the Champions League, Ferguson could either be loved or hated depending
on club loyalties – but always respected and admired.
This
past week, everyone has been having their say, from former players to journalists
who have had run-ins with the manager. They’ve all mentioned his fierce tongue
but added caveats such as his dedication to knowing every little detail about
his players, the fact that his door is always open for a chat and, of course,
his determination to not only win in the present, but win in the future too.
The
mere thought of Ferguson not being in complete control of a situation is alien
to someone who was born just under six years into Fergie’s reign. It has got to
the stage now where “it won’t happen, because Fergie won’t let it happen” is almost
considered a well-reasoned phrase.
I
don’t see the signings of Massimo Taibi, the selling of Jaap Stam or his
various rants at the press as mistakes. They are examples of Ferguson giving other
contenders a chance, or thinking they've got a chance – before yanking the chance back again and, most probably,
laughing at everyone in the process.
The
Scot is always in control. He not only controls the playing staff, but also the
staff at the club as a whole. He can even control other managers at times: his
mind games are as notorious as they are effective, sometimes simply putting a
seed of doubt into his opponent’s mind to force them to reconsider their own
side’s set-up. Sometimes
he goes one better and gets a destabilising reaction.
One
of the things that I admire most about Sir Alex Ferguson is his ability to come
back from a defeat. He is
a bad loser, but then all the best winners are. Ferguson doesn’t see a
defeat as a one-off and then moves on as if nothing has happened: losing means there are improvements to
be made. Whether it’s a sound-beating
in a Champions League final or a thrashing
in the derby, Ferguson’s sides always come back.
You
can take a dislike to his general demeanour in dealing with the press and match
officials, you can be jealous of his success: but you cannot but admire and appreciate
what Sir Alex Ferguson has done for football in this country.
His
ability to protect his players when he needs to is commendable while his ruthless
awareness of the right time for a player to leave the club is astonishing in an
era of overpaid, arrogant stars. He maybe does have his flaws, but they are
inconsequential.
Sometimes
journalists do need a good
telling off. The same goes for referees
and football
officials. I’m sure even David Beckham would agree that to hit
someone in the face with a boot with one swish of the foot shows nothing
other than supreme talent. I can even look past the fact that, after almost 53
years in football, the man
still cannot celebrate without looking incredibly awkward.
Like
with all the footballing greats in times gone by, you must be thankful for
living in an era of one of the greatest football managers of all time. You’ve
lived in Fergie Time. Lucky you.
