Fergie eyes winning finale
Yesterday morning, Alex Ferguson held his final press conference at the multi-million euro training ground that would not be even in place had it not been for his incredible reign as manager of Manchester United.
His weekly musings have always been up and down affairs. There is always a sense of anxiety among even the most experienced and weathered journalists about which Ferguson will show up.
Those who have been on the patch from the beginning in 1986 tell tales of having his phone number and visiting the Cliff, the club’s old training ground, on an almost daily basis for a few words. It has been very different over the last 10 years as Ferguson battles with the 24-hour rolling news machine, where the hunger for copy and sound bites never ceases.
It may be his final hurrah on Sunday at West Brom but that desire to win that was clear from his first-ever press conference in November, 1986, was still there to see yesterday as Ferguson spoke in a bright and bubbly manner.
“So my last game. God, 1,500 matches is quite incredible,” said Ferguson. “It couldn’t get more difficult. West Brom have done fantastically.
“They are a good strong side and I think every team wants to win their last home game, that’s a fact of life. Obviously I want to win this one more than last week even. Hopefully we can do that.”
Over the years, Ferguson has given journalists the chance to travel the country and world covering the 13 Premier League successes, two European Cup triumphs, five FA Cup wins and four League Cup glories.
There have been moans and groans about his bans, blasts and bum steers on team news and transfer market activity, but he was not only the master of the mind games, he was the best at trying to keep the press off his tail.
Ferguson revealed his team news and that Anders Lindegaard will start in goal and Jonny Evans and Phil Jones will start at the back as he gives some younger players a chance but do not bet on it.
“When we realised we’d won the league I thought you needed 10 appearances to get a medal and I said to Anders that he’d definitely play in two of the last games,” he said. “The Premier League have changed that rule but I’ll stand by my word and he will be in goal.
“I want to play Jones and Evans at centre-back because they could be the future. Vidic and Ferdinand will have to make do with a place on the bench to protect their age.”
Moyes will now replace Ferguson for the weekly press conferences and the outgoing boss believes his replacement will have to adjust to life under the microscope which is much greater at Carrington than it is at Finch Farm, Everton’s training ground.
“I think the biggest thing he will have to get used to is the enormity of the club, he will soon realise that anyways,” said Ferguson. “The global brand and number of sponsors we have, he has to fit into that.
“I don’t think that’s an issue though and the most important thing is the team. He’s got a good squad of players and will want to add to that I’m sure himself, he will have his own ideas and that’s good. He will be fine.
“The priority is the football team, without that they would not have all the sponsorships. That is the priority. We all know that here.”
Ferguson will also hope that Moyes will give Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs a place in his coaching set-up to ensure continuation at the club and the imprint he has left, with the class of 1992, remains.
“The planning has been in place for a long time in that to have Scholes, Giggs, Nicky Butt as part of the coaching structure here,” he added.
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