All Fergie’s children, but he’ll never be our club’s true father

“He has spoken admiringly of the way Cantona timed and executed his departure; and one also recalls Alex himself speaking of the self knowledge he has, that he will know when he is no longer up to scratch.”

TWENTY years! I don’t know about Fergie, but that certainly makes me feel old. For my generation of late thirtysomethings, it’s a moment to reflect upon; we have known no other manager in our adult Reds lives and are all, in a sense, Fergie’s children.

And like kids growing up, we’ve moved from a childhood of feeling complete trust and unconditional love for him to, um, a more nuanced position, if I may put it delicately.