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| Football immortality |
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| With 26 major trophies
in as many years,
Sir Alex Ferguson can
claim to be the most
successful football
manager the British
game has ever seen.
Jim Griffin profiles his
life and achievements |
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On 26 May 1999, Alex Ferguson achieved his lifetime ambition
when his team, Manchester United, won the European
Champions League. Having already won both the English
Premiership and the FA Cup in the previous two weeks, this
third trophy clinched an unprecedented 'Treble', guaranteeing
him and his team football immortality. Ferguson had finally
reached his 'Holy Grail'. In recognition of his services to British
football, he received a knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen. |
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| Humble beginnings |
All this was a long way from his humble beginnings as a
young boy growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, during the 1940s.
Originally an apprentice tool-worker in the shipyards of the
River Clyde, it wasn't until the age of 23 that Ferguson signed
professional terms with Dunfermline Athletic and became a
full-time footballer. After three years playing centre forward,
Ferguson attracted the attentions of his boyhood favourites,
Rangers, who he joined for a then record £65,000.
Ferguson experienced mixed fortunes with the Glasgow club
and found himself publicly criticised after a 4-0 loss in the
Scottish Cup Final to rivals Celtic. After two and a half years,
Ferguson moved on to Falkirk having learnt a valuable
managerial lesson. As he remarked to Goal magazine: 'My job is
not to criticise my players publicly.When a manager makes a
public criticism, he's affecting the emotional stability of a
player and that cannot be the professional thing to do.'
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| First managerial step |
At Falkirk, Ferguson added coaching to his playing duties and
took his first step on the managerial ladder. Falkirk was also
to be his last club as a player. Ferguson called time on a solid
playing career and began a new one that would ultimately see
him cement his place in the annals of football history.
Ferguson began his managerial career at St Mirren. During
his three seasons with the club, they won the Scottish First
Division title to gain promotion to the Premier League.
Ferguson's success did not go
unnoticed and it was not long
before the larger Scottish clubs
were showing an interest. In
1978, Ferguson became the
new Manager of Aberdeen
Football Club.
Scottish football had long been
dominated by the two biggest
clubs in the country, Rangers and
Celtic. In fact, between them,
they had won the League every
year since 1965 and had won the Scottish FA Cup every year
since 1970. It is a testament to Ferguson's management skills
that during an eight-year period with Aberdeen, he guided the
club to three Premier League titles, four Scottish Cups and a
League Cup victory. In 1980s Scotland, Aberdeen were the team
to beat. By defeating the mighty Real Madrid in the European
Cup Winners Cup, they became the last Scottish side to win a
European trophy.
This unprecedented success caught the attention of the big
clubs in England and Europe. The opportunity to manage one of
the most famous clubs in the world proved too good to miss
and in 1986, Ferguson became Manager of Manchester United.
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| Leading by example |
Upon arrival at Old Trafford, Ferguson was confronted with a
dispirited and underachieving team that had not won the league
for 20 years. As he explained in Professional Football magazine,
'When I arrived, I thought it was
all going to happen the next
day… I thought I was going to be
successful just because of the
name of Manchester United. It
was only when I looked at why
they hadn't won the league for 20
years that I realised history's no
good to you.'
Ferguson tackled the situation
with typical gusto, leading by
example. Regularly working an
18-hour day, he revamped the club from the bottom up,
restructuring the youth policy and updating the scouting system.
It still took four years to start turning the club around.
Ferguson was rumoured to be on the verge of losing his job
when a glorious run in the 1990 FA Cup saw Manchester United
beat Crystal Palace. Since that victory, United, under Ferguson,
have continued to grow and apart from 1995, 1998 and 2002,
have won at least one trophy every year.
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| French maverick |
In 1990/91 there was success in Europe as Manchester United
beat Barcelona 2-1 to win the European Cup Winners Cup. The
following season, Manchester United came close to winning
the League but Leeds pipped them to the post. There were,
however, more cup successes as Manchester United claimed
first the League Cup and also the European Super Cup.
It was the signing of one player in the 1992/93 season that
provided the catalyst for a dominance that would last for the
next 10 years. Eric Cantona, the brilliant French maverick, was
brought in to play midfield and soon became the focal point of
the side. Fending off all challengers, Manchester United finished
top of the League for the first time in 26 years. The next season
they were on winning form once again. Regaining the League
title 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Manchester United
also won the FA Cup to complete the 'Double'.
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| Decade of dominance |
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The next season was anticlimactic with United losing their grip
on both trophies. The following season saw the start of phase
two of the decade of dominance. Ferguson chose the 1995/96
season to introduce the products of the improved youth
system. The foundation of the Manchester team, and in future
years the England national team, would be the then unknown
David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky
Butt, not forgetting the already established talent of the young
Ryan Giggs.With five players under the age of 21, Manchester
United swept all aside to complete a second double in two
years, again winning the Premier League and FA Cup.
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| A unique situation |
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1996/97 brought a fourth Championship in five seasons and
Ferguson's attention was now turning to the European
Champions League.The competition was becoming an obsession
for Ferguson - the one area his team had so far failed in.The next
season wasn't to be the one for Manchester United as Arsenal
claimed the 'Double', taking both the Premier League and the FA
Cup back to London. Determined to succeed in the 1998/99
season, United played their most free flowing and attacking
football to date. Cutting a swathe through the opposition, the
club, by May, found themselves top of the Premiership and in the
finals of the FA Cup and the European Champions League. This
was a unique situation to be in, as no team had ever triumphed
on all three fronts in one season before.
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| One last, glorious night |
Clinching the first part of the 'Treble', Ferguson's side beat
Tottenham 2-1 to reclaim the Premier League title. A week later,
they completed their third 'Double' in five years by beating
Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup final. The Champions League,
however, was the one Ferguson really wanted. Playing German
side, Bayern Munich, United were 1-0 down for most of the game
until two injury-time goals capped one of the greatest sporting
comebacks of all time. Ferguson had achieved his dream and in
the process accomplished something no team is likely to repeat.
Since that extraordinary season, Ferguson has won three
further trophies. Scheduled to retire at the end of the 2001/02
season, Ferguson couldn't resist the lure of the club that has been
his life for the past 16 years, deciding to stay on for another three
seasons.With this year's Champions League Final being held at
Old Trafford, maybe there is time for one last, glorious night
before the most successful manager in the history of the British
game finally decides to call it a day. |
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| Roll of Honours Management |
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| Name |
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson |
| Born |
31 December 1941 |
| Birthplace |
Glasgow, Scotland |
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| With St Mirren |
| 1977 Scottish First Division Championship - Winner |
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| With Aberdeen |
| 1980 Scottish Premier League - Winner |
| 1982 Scottish League Cup - Winner |
| 1982 Scottish FA Cup - Winner |
| 1983 Scottish FA Cup - Winner |
| 1983 European Cup Winners Cup - Winner |
| 1984 Scottish FA Cup - Winner |
| 1984 Scottish Premier League - Winner |
| 1985 Scottish Premier League - Winner |
| 1986 Scottish FA Cup - Winner |
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| With Manchester United |
| 1990 FA Cup - Winner |
| 1991 European Cup Winners Cup - Winner |
| 1991 European Super Cup - Winner |
| 1992 League Cup - Winner |
| 1993 FA Premier League - Winner |
| 1994 FA Premier League - Winner |
| 1994 FA Cup - Winner |
| 1996 FA Premier League - Winner |
| 1996 FA Cup - Winner |
| 1997 FA Premier League - Winner |
| 1999 FA Premier League - Winner |
| 1999 FA Cup - Winner |
| 1999 European Champions League - Winner |
| 1999 Intercontinental Cup - Winner |
| 2000 FA Premier League - Winner |
| 2001 FA Premier League - Winner |
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| Web links |
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| There is no official Sir Alex Ferguson
website but you might want to have
a look at these football links: |
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Manchester United FC
www.manutd.com
The official Manchester United website |
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The Football Association
www.the-fa.org
The official site for the England football team |
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Man United Zone
www.manutdzone.com
An unofficial site looking at all things Manchester United |
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League Managers Association
www.leaguemanagers.com
The official website of working managers throughout England |
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The FA Premier League
www.premierleague.com
The Premier League website with news and links to all clubs |
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