Manager Profile: Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson is the most decorated manager in the history of English football. The current manager of Manchester United has seen football evolve in front of his very own eyes given that he has been in top level management since 1978. He has been managing Manchester United since the past 24 years.
Ferguson was born in Glasgow, Scotland where he lived in a lower middle class working environment. He played his first football game as a player for Queen’s park. After spending three years with Queen’s Park and scoring fifteen goals from them in thirty-one appearances, he moved to St. Johnstone.
Despite scoring frequently for St. Johnstone he didn’t achieve a regular starting place in their line-up because of these circumstances he requested a transfer away from the club but was awarded a surprise start against Rangers. Ferguson also known as “Fergie” scored a shock hatrick against them and was then signed up by Dunfermline.
With Dunfermline, Fergie performed admirably and scored 66 times in 89 games. He then moved onto Rangers for sixty-five thousand pounds and left the club in 1969 after differences with the management. Ferguson ended his playing career with Ayr United where he scored big 9 times in 24 games.
Ferguson’s first real top level management job came with Aberdeen, where he took the team to the semi-finals of the Scottish F.A Cup and the final of the League Cup in his first season. Next year in 1979, Aberdeen lost the League Cup final again to Dundee United.
In the 1980-1981 season, Aberdeen won their first league title since 1955. Ferguson managed to snatch the league away from the Glasgow clubs for the first time in fifteen years. In 1983, Aberdeen won their first ever European competition when they defeated Real Madrid in the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup. In 1984, Aberdeen again won the Scottish league and also retained the League Cup. In 1986, Fergie left Aberdeen and took over at Manchester United.
Manchester United was suffering from despairing league form and there was a culture of heavy drinking and indiscipline at the club. Ferguson who was famous for his discipline and no nonsense methods changed the way the players acted at the club. He imposed curfews on them and also limited their drinking habits to a great extent; players who opposed his methods and didn’t obey his curfews were transferred to other clubs.
Ferguson’s early years at United were plagued by a lack of success, the fans turned against him and he was almost fired from his position at the club. His first silverware at United came in 1990 as they defeated Crystal Palace in the final of the F.A Cup by one goal to nil.
In the 1990-1991 season, Manchester United won European Cup Winners' Cup after defeating Barcelona in the final by two goals to one. They also lost the league cup final to Sheffield Wednesday by one goal to nil. The season was hopeful for United and the success meant that fans were shifting towards Fergie’s side but the League title still remained out of Manchester United’s grasp. Ferguson promised the fans that Manchester United will win the league next season no matter what.
In the next season, Fergie again failed to win the league title but won the UEFA Super Cup and the League Cup. In the 1992-1993 season, Manchester United’s squad was reinforced by the signing of Eric Cantona from Leeds United. They won the league the same season by a ten point margin over Aston Villa. For the 1993-1994 season, Manchester United bought Roy Keane from Nottingham forest. Roy Keane was an energetic and aggressive midfielder who Ferguson groomed quickly to replace the club captain Bryan Robson. This move by Fergie soon reaped rewards as Manchester United again won the League and added an F.A Cup title to their silverware collection as well.
In the 1994-1995 season, United failed to win the league again after they drew with West Ham United on the last day of the league year. The following year Manchester United won the league again regardless of the fact that they sold their top players and brought him youth from the academy in the summer transfer window. In the 1996-1997 season, United reached the semi-finals of the European Cup only to lose to Borrusia Dortmund. However they were successful in winning the league yet again.
In the 1997-1998, Ferguson failed to win any trophies again. In 1998-1999 season, Manchester United’s youth finally matured and won an unprecedented treble. Ferguson led his team to win the European Cup, F.A Cup and the League title. Securing three championships in one year was a remarkable feat. From 1999-2003, United won the English league three times in a row and in doing so they scored a hatrick of Premier League titles. In the year 2004, United surprisingly failed to win any trophies.
Manchester United again under Ferguson won three titles in a row from the year 2006-2009. During that time, Ferguson also won the European Cup for the second time with United as they defeated Chelsea in the final of the competition after a tense penalty shoot-out. In the summer of 2009, Manchester United sold their star player Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £ 80 million. The following year they failed to win the league again as Chelsea won it on the last day of the season by a single point.
Ferguson remains to be the most decorated manager in the history of English football and continues to guide Manchester United till this date, he might be getting old but Ferguson’s desire for success is not fading away. Recently the United manager said that he had no thoughts of retiring just yet.
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