ALEX FERGUSON: SUCH A SENTIMENTAL SOUL BEHIND THAT GRUFF IMAGE

SIR ALEX FERGUSON lived up to his public image as a man of blunt words and fierce disregard for niceties when he was asked to reflect on the incredible milestone of 25 years as manager of Manchester United.

“I’m nae going to get into all that,” he said in immediate riposte to the assembled throng.

He wished us to believe there isn’t a sentimental bone in his body, and that he was sternly unwilling to stroll down the longest memory lane in sport.

You can understand why Sir Alex is reticent about history. Which of a million compelling stories should he tell? Which of a thousand players should get a happy mention? Which of 37 trophy triumphs was the most profound? It was pure bluff, of course.

Sir Alex did engage the subject of his silver anniversary at Old Trafford without too much persuasion when the matter came up last week.

He spoke of his ‘fairytale’ life this past quarter of a century, and he reminisced about the good times and the great stars of his several champion United teams.

I’m nae going to get into all that

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson

You cannot be a football manager for so long without vast enthusiasm for the game and its people.

You cannot continue to work with endless fervour at the age of 69 if you are a cynic rather than a sentimental man at heart.

The best story of all about Ferguson reveals his essential nature. It was a few years before he arrived at Old Trafford, when he guided Aberdeen to the final of the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup against Real Madrid.

His right-back Stuart Kennedy had been grievously hurt during the semi-final, an injury that meant he would never play again. Sir Alex, nevertheless, selected him as one of five substitutes for the final, even though the defender was on crutches and would be unable to take part.

Naming a player who couldn’t play was a risk,” recalled Ferguson. “But I felt that Stuart deserved no less, and it was one of my best ever decisions in management.” Sentiment played a part. So did Ferguson’s magnificent ability to make a dramatic decision that fostered the right, roaring atmosphere for a side going into a major match.

Aberdeen defeated Real Madrid in that memorable final, one of the early triumphs that persuaded Manchester United he was the man to take charge on November 6, 1986, after Ron Atkinson had been sacked – exactly 25 years ago today. It was, without question, the most inspired appointment in the history of football.

Twenty-five years later the tributes have been many and generous, from friends and rivals. A recurring theme among men of football has been admiration for the intelligence of Sir Alex Ferguson, a clear contrast to the public perception of him as a fierce, obsessive and sometimes downright rude manager.

Walter Smith, the long-time Rangers and Scotland boss, said: “He is very well read and a really interesting character with a wide range of subjects he can talk about with great knowledge. It makes him good to be around.” This is the picture of the man the world doesn’t see. The gruff image is only part of the story.

Intelligence is the key to his success – more so than the anger which creates fear among players, more so than the ‘us-against-the world’ mentality he can foster, which often gets Sir Alex into disciplinary trouble with referees and the football authorities.

Intelligence is the prerequisite of all the finest modern managers from Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola to David Moyes and Jose Mourinho.

You have to think smart in the age of millionaire players, meddling agents and media clamour.

Many years ago another highly intelligent and driven football man, the opera-loving Stan Cullis, declared there to be a holy trinity of management. For success, he said, you needed the correct spirit, fitness and tactics. The story of Stuart Kennedy is a classic example of Ferguson’s desire for team spirit, togetherness and hunger for the fray.

An insistence on supreme fitness, on simply being able to outrun the opposition, has always been the Ferguson credo – at Aberdeen and then at Manchester United.

His instant attack on the destructive booze culture he discovered at Old Trafford in November 1986 is evidence of that. So is his endless appetite to learn new tricks in this area of sport, to apply the latest medical science.

It was instructive, also, to hear Sir Alex say last week that one of the greatest advances in football in the past 25 years has been the improvement in quality of pitches. The slick, modern surfaces suit his teams – his tactics based on a philosophy of attacking for goals and entertaining the supporters. Ferguson’s teams have always been good to watch, and there is no way he would still be at Old Trafford if that were not the case.

Sir Alex Ferguson is not without fault. Serious and severe criticism has been warranted through the many years of tumult and shouting. But, to borrow his favourite phrase, we’re ‘nae going to get into all that today’. It is not the moment. Today we should celebrate the most remarkable of football men.

He is the only manager to win the English league title three years in succession – and he has done so twice. His team have not been out of the top three for the last 20 years.

It is a record of unparalleled success, achieved with style, and inspired by a football manager who loves good play, who loves the game, and who still bounds into work before 8am every morning full of the joys of spring.

Source : Express Sport