Fergie: the man who made the impossible possible
It is a particularly apt description of what Ferguson has done for a club that had gone 19 years without a league title when he first arrived from Aberdeen on November 6, 1986 declaring he wanted to “knock Liverpool off their perch”.
His time in Manchester may have begun with a miserable 2-0 away defeat at Oxford United but since then Ferguson has delivered 37 trophies including 12 Premier League titles to leave United 19-18 ahead of their old rivals in the list of all-time champions; so no wonder he has become such an icon.
Two Facebook groups are now calling for a statue of Fergie to be positioned at Old Trafford alongside that of the legendary Matt Busy, with almost 12,000 fans having signed up to the campaign so far; and the never-ending stream of tributes from players, supporters, pundits and managers is quite remarkable.
Manchester United will tomorrow unveil a micro-site on their official website dedicated entirely to Ferguson’s silver jubilee while ESPN, the BBC and Sky are already running tribute documentaries and a string of books have been released to mark the occasion – from an official tome to more quirky efforts such as “How to be Ferocious like Sir Alex Ferguson” and “Squeaky bum time.”
Moreover, the University of Manchester has offered the city’s most famous Scotsman an honorary degree and players such as Ryan Giggs, who has worked under Ferguson for 20 years, have attempted to paint a picture of what makes the great man tick.
The only person who hasn’t commented extensively so far, of course, is the man himself who describes his extended stay at the club as ‘a fairytale’ but recently turned on a reporter who dared to ask him about his 25-year highlights, saying: “Don’t ask me about the last 25 years. I’ll talk about the next 25 years, all right!”
Far from being the tetchy response of an irascible old man, however, that comment sheds light on why Ferguson, who is never satisfied to stand still and look backwards, has been able to remain at the top for so long.
Former United defender Gary Pallister, now working as an analyst with ESPN, gave an illuminating description of his former manager by saying: “He’s got old fashioned values. He picked up the best pieces from people he worked under as a player and brought them into his management — but he moves with the times as well.
“He was one of the first with the diets, fitness coaches, working on peripheral vision. He’s not blinkered about things like that; he’s flexible with what he learns and what he’s picked up over the years and he puts that all together in the package that is Alex Ferguson. For instance his man-management is second to none. Look at how he handled Eric Cantona. You know, I don’t think he ever suffered the hairdryer — he was the only player that never did! But we’re all different and the manager knew that.
“Eric, after the Crystal Palace episode, decided he was walking away from football and the gaffer went out to France, found him, spoke to him and managed to change his mind. To be honest, if he hadn’t done that, I’ve no doubt Eric would’ve walked away from football. But at that exact period of time somebody needed to put an arm around his shoulder and say, ‘Let’s get through this’.”
It’s an interesting story from Pallister because the media image of Ferguson as a ferocious, red-faced bellowing Scot striking fear into players and journalists alike is one that has helped keep him at the top; but ask those close to him and you can also uncover further evidence of a much softer side.
Ask the reporter who received a personal message from Sir Alex when he was ill, for instance; ask every lower division manager who received a call from Old Trafford on their first day in the job; ask the fellow manager who collected an unexpected bunch of flowers from an old foe when his wife was ill. All these are examples of a man who cares not just about the game but about people – no matter what his public image may be.
United defender Jonny Evans, who has worked under Ferguson all his professional career, knew from the very start what kind of manager he was dealing with.
“The first time I ever met him I was only 10 years old,” he said. “I came over with my dad for a trial and the manager turned up to shake my hand and say hello. Can you imagine how many kids come over for trials but he made that effort. It says so much about him.”
Ferguson’s interest in young players and his determination to bring them through has, of course, been the backbone of the club’s incredible success and it may well be what saves them from collapse when one day, eventually, he steps down. But that prospect remains a long way away.
“It’s hard to even imagine that,” admitted Evans. “You just can’t picture anyone else sitting in the dug-out at Old Trafford. He owns that seat, doesn’t he?”
Metaphorically-speaking, of course, he does. In fact he owns far more than that. He owns the copyright to the very image of the modern Manchester United – because he was the man that made it.
He is, as the Stretford End will acknowledge today, the man who made the impossible possible.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
