A fond trip down memory lane in new Ferguson documentary

The two-part BBC series is available from Boxing Day.

Former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson. Pic: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.

A new documentary has been released offering insight into Alex Ferguson’s character and his transformational impact at Manchester United as the club continues to struggle 11 years after his exit.

Ruben Amorim recently became the Red Devils’ seventh coach since the Scot retired in 2013, with the Portuguese agreeing to take over after they recorded their lowest points tally after 10 matches since 1986-87.

The poor start to that campaign also resulted in a change of manager as Ferguson replaced Ron Atkinson, beginning what would prove to be a masterful reign at Old Trafford.

The highs, lows and heartbreaks before and during his time at United are chronicled in a new two-part BBC series titled Sir Alex released on Boxing Day.

It is not as revelatory as the Never Give In documentary, produced by son Jason Ferguson, which was released in 2021 and featured some emotional first-hand accounts.

Mention of Ferguson’s 2018 brain haemorrhage was conspicuous by its absence in a documentary that complemented archive footage with the views of former players, coaches and journalists.

The documentary offers insight into the man behind the manager, reflecting on his childhood, family, playing days and influences, as well as touching upon controversies like the Glazers’ takeover and the row over racehorse Rock of Gibraltar.

Ferguson’s time at United takes up the bulk of the documentary but there is also time to reflect on Jock Stein’s impact on him and how he stepped in as Scotland boss after the latter’s shock death in the dugout.

The Scot’s outrageous success at Aberdeen, culminating in 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup glory against almighty Real Madrid, receives important prominence.

Back then former right-back Stuart Kennedy remembers Ferguson’s hairdryer as a “blast furnace”, with Mark McGhee likening it to a “volcano” with the destructive power of Pompeii.

Nobody was too big for a dressing down by Ferguson, including up-and-coming star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand said: “He hadn’t played well, and the manager ripped into Cristiano.

“‘Who do you think you are? You’re coming here trying to prove to everybody who you think you are, you think you’re a superstar’.

“I remember Cristiano in tears and I was like, ‘This manager don’t care, man. He doesn’t care who you are’.” 

Ronaldo ended up leaving United as one of the world’s best players and calling Ferguson a father figure, underlining the genius of a manager whose uncomfortable start at United is not skirted over.

The 1990 FA Cup win kept Ferguson in the job and ultimately opened the floodgates – he retired as a Premier League champion in 2013 having collected a 38th trophy of his 26-year reign.

The 1999 and 2008 Champions League triumphs were the highlights and moments where the players’ love, and Ferguson’s mentality, came through in the documentary.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the man whose goal sealed the treble in 1999, said: “I’ve got a framed photo of me and Sir Alex.

“He’s with a bottle of champagne and we look at each other in the eye and I can still remember what I was thinking. I was thinking ‘you deserve this because this is what you wanted’.

“But he was one of the first that went to bed. ‘OK, we’ve done this now – it’s about what do we do next’. The end of the episode.” 

Ferdinand said “winning and a sustained level of excellence” embodied Ferguson, while fellow 2008 Champions League winner Wayne Rooney says “the club is still trying to get over (his) leaving at this moment”.

Football fans are likely to enjoy this latest walk down memory lane and insight into what made this one-of-a-kind boss tick.

As for United fans, it is a reminder that a special manager can, with patience, help turn around a club that has become a byword for mediocrity.