Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
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Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the greatest coaches in football history and probably without him, Manchester United wouldn't be now such a glorious team.Of course Manchester United was a big team before SAF era, but the Scottish coach made history and won a huge amount of trophies with the "Red Devils".
Those are the trophies won by Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson's arrival at the club in 6 November, 1986:
He has a unique personality, he is full of charisma and a very good psychologist.I wish him all the best!
Those are the trophies won by Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson's arrival at the club in 6 November, 1986:
He has a unique personality, he is full of charisma and a very good psychologist.I wish him all the best!
Last edited by vlafy on Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:30 am; edited 1 time in total
Vlad the Impaler- First Team
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
What happened to signing Rodriguez?
FalcaoPunch- First Team
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the xcx- Banned (Decade)
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the most frustrating thing is that your still going to challenge for the titile
fatman123- Fan Favorite
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Fergie needs to retire ffs ....then I wanna see how United will do without him
McAgger- Ballon d'Or Contender
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Manchester United will probably replace Sir Alex Ferguson with Mourinho, Guradiola or other top class coach.You don't have to worry for us, but thanks .
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Jibers
That said an admin should change the title of the post.
That said an admin should change the title of the post.
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
vlafy wrote:Manchester United will probably replace Sir Alex Ferguson with Mourinho, Guradiola or other top class coach.You don't have to worry for us, but thanks .
haha can you please give me the lottery numbers for tomorrow, since you seem to have some magic ball that tells you the future??
McAgger- Ballon d'Or Contender
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Messiah "Aggerswagger" wrote:Fergie needs to retire ffs ....then I wanna see how United will do without him
United would probably finish mid table.
Yeah the players have been shit since the beginning of this year. If the form continues, it's safe to say that United's standard has dropped considerably.
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Messiah "Aggerswagger" wrote:haha can you please give me the lottery numbers for tomorrow, since you seem to have some magic ball that tells you the future??
It's easy. I said the Ferguson will be replaced by a top class coach, it's that hard to guess?Ferguson went to New York last week to discuss with Guardiola about the future of Man United.It's obviously that he wants to see that his work at the team will not be destroyed by a coach without experience.
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Love the new name!
Kick- Admin
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Kick wrote:Love the new name!
Yes, i asked rwo power politely if she can make us a favour by changing the title of the thread.She made us a favour and changed the title of the topic, thanks rwo power !
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Glad to be of service *bows*
If you want I can also edit out the useless stuff from the first page (the brb things)
If you want I can also edit out the useless stuff from the first page (the brb things)
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Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
rwo power wrote:Glad to be of service *bows*
If you want I can also edit out the useless stuff from the first page (the brb things)
I really want you to clean this thread.All the brb stuff and useless posts.
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
So. Now you have a proper thread for SAF! Have fun with it
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footballs Jack Gibson
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who is he :I?fatman123 wrote:footballs Jack Gibson
vizkosity- First Team
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WTF happened to my thread? Why not just create a new one ffs!
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Sir Alex Ferguson blasted the officials after seeing his team pegged back by Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Manchester United looked to be heading for three Premier League points when Robin van Persie scored before the break but Clint Dempsey found a stoppage-time equaliser to deny Ferguson's men.
And the United boss was not only convinced that Wayne Rooney was denied a second-half penalty but also blamed the assistant referee for not giving anything his side's way.
"The stand-side linesman never gave us a thing all day," Ferguson told Sky Sports. "For me, it was a poor performance by him.
"Why he never saw the penalty kick on Wayne Rooney and some of the other decisions...
"We remember him well from the Chelsea game (in 2010) when (Didier) Drogba was three yards offside and he gave him onside.
"I think he had a shocking game today. I'm disappointed in his performance, I really am. I think he had a bad game."
But Ferguson did reserve some praise for Spurs as the home team bombarded the United goal after the break.
"You're 1-0 up with a minute to go and we're comfortable at that stage," he added.
"But Tottenham have worked their socks off and you have to give them credit. You can't deny them a point because they've worked ever so hard for it.
"We'd got used to them pumping balls into the box. You'd have thought we'd have dealt with it better.
"And on the counter attack we should have finished them off. It was the final ball letting us down and we should have been better than that."
Skysports
Manchester United looked to be heading for three Premier League points when Robin van Persie scored before the break but Clint Dempsey found a stoppage-time equaliser to deny Ferguson's men.
And the United boss was not only convinced that Wayne Rooney was denied a second-half penalty but also blamed the assistant referee for not giving anything his side's way.
"The stand-side linesman never gave us a thing all day," Ferguson told Sky Sports. "For me, it was a poor performance by him.
"Why he never saw the penalty kick on Wayne Rooney and some of the other decisions...
"We remember him well from the Chelsea game (in 2010) when (Didier) Drogba was three yards offside and he gave him onside.
"I think he had a shocking game today. I'm disappointed in his performance, I really am. I think he had a bad game."
But Ferguson did reserve some praise for Spurs as the home team bombarded the United goal after the break.
"You're 1-0 up with a minute to go and we're comfortable at that stage," he added.
"But Tottenham have worked their socks off and you have to give them credit. You can't deny them a point because they've worked ever so hard for it.
"We'd got used to them pumping balls into the box. You'd have thought we'd have dealt with it better.
"And on the counter attack we should have finished them off. It was the final ball letting us down and we should have been better than that."
Skysports
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Sir Alex sees positives
Sir Alex Ferguson was disappointed United hadn't secured a win by the time Clint Dempsey struck Tottenham's late equaliser, but the boss is taking the positives from a point gained in one of the season's hardest away games.
The Reds remain five points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League table and a draw away at Spurs is far from disastrous. It was just the manner of it that was difficult to take.
“We had the opportunity to kill them off on the counter attack but our final ball let us down,” the boss told MUTV. “We worked really hard, as did Tottenham. It was a really difficult, gruelling game but we dealt with everything they did.
"They kept pumping that ball in the box and we kept heading it out. Unfortunately we didn’t get that last one that really mattered, the last kick of the game. It’s not an easy place to come to. They are a very aggressive, committed team. There was a good quality to the match in terms of the commitment of both sets of players. It was a difficult game but unfortunately we didn’t hold on for that extra minute.”
Robin van Persie’s first-half header was his 22nd goal of the season and Sir Alex was as pleased with the approach play as he was with yet another strike from his in-form front man. “It was a good build up from Danny to Tom," the boss said, "and Robin did what he has been doing all season and got another goal for us.”
The Dutchman's strike looked for so long like it would settle the match, then Dempsey struck in injury time. “I thought we looked quite comfortable in that last part of the game,” Sir Alex added. “I actually thought Rafael was fouled in the build-up. It was a clear foul and we didn’t get it. But I didn’t think we were going to get a decision from the linesman,that’s for sure.”
An earlier foul on Wayne Rooney inside the penalty area went undetected, of which Sir Alex opined: “It was a clear penalty and he was definitely brought down. He put his leg in and the linesman was right there facing it. I thought the linesman had a very poor game. I thought he was disappointing.”
Those frustrations aside, Sir Alex remains content with a five-point cushion at the Barclays Premier League’s summit with arguably the hardest away trips on the fixture list now all completed.
“We’ve been to all the top teams’ grounds now, we’ve just got Arsenal left,” added the manager. “I think we can be pleased with the outcome and the points total in all of them. It’s another game out of the road and I wanted the game to be on today [after a pitch inspection] because we don’t want a backlog of matches.”
Source: ManUTD.com
Sir Alex Ferguson was disappointed United hadn't secured a win by the time Clint Dempsey struck Tottenham's late equaliser, but the boss is taking the positives from a point gained in one of the season's hardest away games.
The Reds remain five points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League table and a draw away at Spurs is far from disastrous. It was just the manner of it that was difficult to take.
“We had the opportunity to kill them off on the counter attack but our final ball let us down,” the boss told MUTV. “We worked really hard, as did Tottenham. It was a really difficult, gruelling game but we dealt with everything they did.
"They kept pumping that ball in the box and we kept heading it out. Unfortunately we didn’t get that last one that really mattered, the last kick of the game. It’s not an easy place to come to. They are a very aggressive, committed team. There was a good quality to the match in terms of the commitment of both sets of players. It was a difficult game but unfortunately we didn’t hold on for that extra minute.”
Robin van Persie’s first-half header was his 22nd goal of the season and Sir Alex was as pleased with the approach play as he was with yet another strike from his in-form front man. “It was a good build up from Danny to Tom," the boss said, "and Robin did what he has been doing all season and got another goal for us.”
The Dutchman's strike looked for so long like it would settle the match, then Dempsey struck in injury time. “I thought we looked quite comfortable in that last part of the game,” Sir Alex added. “I actually thought Rafael was fouled in the build-up. It was a clear foul and we didn’t get it. But I didn’t think we were going to get a decision from the linesman,that’s for sure.”
An earlier foul on Wayne Rooney inside the penalty area went undetected, of which Sir Alex opined: “It was a clear penalty and he was definitely brought down. He put his leg in and the linesman was right there facing it. I thought the linesman had a very poor game. I thought he was disappointing.”
Those frustrations aside, Sir Alex remains content with a five-point cushion at the Barclays Premier League’s summit with arguably the hardest away trips on the fixture list now all completed.
“We’ve been to all the top teams’ grounds now, we’ve just got Arsenal left,” added the manager. “I think we can be pleased with the outcome and the points total in all of them. It’s another game out of the road and I wanted the game to be on today [after a pitch inspection] because we don’t want a backlog of matches.”
Source: ManUTD.com
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid a warm tribute to former Celtic player and coach Sean Fallon at his funeral on Wednesday.
Fallon died at the age of 90 last week, leaving a legacy which included his time as assistant manager to Jock Stein when the club became the first British team to lift the European Cup in 1967.
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral service at the Church of Christ the King in Glasgow, including Ferguson, Celtic manager Neil Lennon and a host of current and former players.
Ferguson said: "I think it's very difficult for people who are successful to remain humble, it's a touch of greatness. Sean always had that greatness.
"Through his background, his upbringing, his Irishness, that breeds humility and also loyalty, he would never let you down."
Although Ferguson had built strong ties with Rangers, he formed a life-long friendship with Fallon as he built his career as a coach and a manager.
"Over these years he became a great friend of mine and a great supporter of me," he continued. "He had great observation, which I must say only (his wife) Cathy's got.
"He said he could tell, watching me on the telly, when I'm angry and when I'm happy. I thought I was always angry. What a fantastic man and it's a privilege for me to be here."
Fallon's grandchildren also paid fulsome tributes, with one saying: "Our papa said he realised his dreams. He'd a family he loved, a job he loved. May we all be so blessed."
Fifa president Sepp Blatter praised the work Fallon had done in setting up Celtic's youth system, somethiong he says they are still benefitting from today.
He told Celtic's official website: "In addition to a successful career as a player for Celtic, Mr Fallon will also be remembered for his great technical knowledge as assistant manager of Celtic during the Jock Stein era, fulfilling a role that is of such vital importance to the game, namely identifying and nurturing young talent.
"Youth development work such as that carried out by Mr Fallon to such good effect continues to be important to this day, and he will have been pleased to note the emergence of several young talents in recent years, who have most certainly played their part in Celtic's recent success, most notably in the Champions League.
"On behalf of the members of the international football family, I should be extremely grateful if you could extend our deepest condolences to Mr Fallon's family, friends and loved ones."
Source: Skysports
Fallon died at the age of 90 last week, leaving a legacy which included his time as assistant manager to Jock Stein when the club became the first British team to lift the European Cup in 1967.
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral service at the Church of Christ the King in Glasgow, including Ferguson, Celtic manager Neil Lennon and a host of current and former players.
Ferguson said: "I think it's very difficult for people who are successful to remain humble, it's a touch of greatness. Sean always had that greatness.
"Through his background, his upbringing, his Irishness, that breeds humility and also loyalty, he would never let you down."
Although Ferguson had built strong ties with Rangers, he formed a life-long friendship with Fallon as he built his career as a coach and a manager.
"Over these years he became a great friend of mine and a great supporter of me," he continued. "He had great observation, which I must say only (his wife) Cathy's got.
"He said he could tell, watching me on the telly, when I'm angry and when I'm happy. I thought I was always angry. What a fantastic man and it's a privilege for me to be here."
Fallon's grandchildren also paid fulsome tributes, with one saying: "Our papa said he realised his dreams. He'd a family he loved, a job he loved. May we all be so blessed."
Fifa president Sepp Blatter praised the work Fallon had done in setting up Celtic's youth system, somethiong he says they are still benefitting from today.
He told Celtic's official website: "In addition to a successful career as a player for Celtic, Mr Fallon will also be remembered for his great technical knowledge as assistant manager of Celtic during the Jock Stein era, fulfilling a role that is of such vital importance to the game, namely identifying and nurturing young talent.
"Youth development work such as that carried out by Mr Fallon to such good effect continues to be important to this day, and he will have been pleased to note the emergence of several young talents in recent years, who have most certainly played their part in Celtic's recent success, most notably in the Champions League.
"On behalf of the members of the international football family, I should be extremely grateful if you could extend our deepest condolences to Mr Fallon's family, friends and loved ones."
Source: Skysports
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
Ferguson said: "It was a good performance. I think we respected Fulham because we played a very strong team today.
"The FA Cup's an important trophy for us this season. We haven't won it for almost 10 years, so we really need to have a big performance this year.
"Rio Ferdinand's never won an FA Cup medal - so we really need to do something about that."
Giggs got the ball rolling with a third-minute penalty. Twenty years and three days after his first FA Cup goal, Giggs' strike was his 12th in the competition, and the Welshman echoed his manager's view that victory in the cup is long overdue.
"It means a lot," said Giggs. "We've not done as well as we should have done in the last eight, nine years.
"There's a lot of players desperate to win it. With the history we've got in the competition, we should be there, we should be getting to finals, so hopefully this will be the year."
Ferguson also confirmed that Giggs taking United's penalties would not be a long-term thing, just that he had been given a break from his normal duties.
He added: "With Wayne missing the penalties he has, it was time to give him a break. But he will come back it.
"The one thing about Wayne is that it doesn't faze him if he misses one. He has a fantastic temperament."
"The FA Cup's an important trophy for us this season. We haven't won it for almost 10 years, so we really need to have a big performance this year.
"Rio Ferdinand's never won an FA Cup medal - so we really need to do something about that."
Giggs got the ball rolling with a third-minute penalty. Twenty years and three days after his first FA Cup goal, Giggs' strike was his 12th in the competition, and the Welshman echoed his manager's view that victory in the cup is long overdue.
"It means a lot," said Giggs. "We've not done as well as we should have done in the last eight, nine years.
"There's a lot of players desperate to win it. With the history we've got in the competition, we should be there, we should be getting to finals, so hopefully this will be the year."
Ferguson also confirmed that Giggs taking United's penalties would not be a long-term thing, just that he had been given a break from his normal duties.
He added: "With Wayne missing the penalties he has, it was time to give him a break. But he will come back it.
"The one thing about Wayne is that it doesn't faze him if he misses one. He has a fantastic temperament."
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/10/alex-ferguson-manchester-united-blueprint
Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson gives blueprint for success
The former manager at Old Trafford reveals his secret in a series of interviews with a Harvard Business School professor.
Ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave his blueprint for success to a Harvard professor
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson went into detail about the key elements of his job to a Harvard professor.
Sir Alex Ferguson has unveiled his managerial blueprint – while admitting the conditions that allowed him to be so successful at Manchester United are unlikely ever to be replicated.
Over a series of interviews with the Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse in 2012, Ferguson went into detail about what he believed to be the eight key elements of his job.
In doing so, Ferguson said he did not believe a manager would be given four years to achieve success, as he was at United, and that the manager should always remain in control of the dressing room, a situation that does not apply at all clubs.
He also outlined his natural instinct for taking risks, which led to so many dramatic late victories and, in direct contrast to his successor David Moyes, said he felt observing training sessions, rather than running them, was essential to his own managerial ability.
This is an edited version of his theories, which appear in full in the October edition of the Harvard Business Review.
1 Start with the foundation
"From the moment I got to Manchester United, I thought of only one thing: building a football club. I wanted to build right from the bottom. The first thought of 99% of newly appointed managers is to make sure they win – to survive. They bring experienced players in. At some clubs, you need only to lose three games in a row and you're fired. In today's football world, with a new breed of directors and owners, I am not sure any club would have the patience to wait for a manager to build a team over a four-year period. Winning a game is only a short-term gain – you can lose the next game. Building a club brings stability and consistency."
2 Dare to rebuild your team
"We identified three levels of players: 30 and older, 23 to 30, and the younger ones. The idea was that the younger players were developing and would meet the standards the older ones had set. I believe that the cycle of a successful team lasts maybe four years and then some change is needed. So we tried to visualise the team three or four years ahead and make decisions accordingly. Because I was at United for such a long time, I could afford to plan ahead. I was very fortunate in that respect. The hardest thing is to let go of a player who has been a great guy – but all the evidence is on the field."
3 Set high standards – and hold everyone to them
"Everything we did was about maintaining the standards we had set as a football club – this applied to all my team building, my team preparation, motivational talks and tactical talks. I had to lift players' expectations. They should never give in. I said to them all the time: 'If you give in once, you'll give in twice'. I used to be the first to arrive in the morning. In my later years, a lot of my staff members would already be there when I got in at 7am.
"I expected even more from the star players. Superstars with egos are not the problem some people may think. They need to be winners because that massages their egos, so they will do what it takes to win. I used to see Ronaldo, Beckham, Giggs, Scholes practising for hours. They realised that being a Manchester United player is not an easy job."
4 Never, ever cede control
"If the day came that the manager of Manchester United was controlled by the players – if the players decided how the training should be, what days they should have off, what the discipline should be and what the tactics should be – then Manchester United would not be the Manchester United we know. I wasn't going to allow anyone to be stronger than I was. Your personality has to be bigger than theirs. There are occasions when you have to ask yourself whether certain players are affecting the dressing-room atmosphere, the performance of the team and your control of the players and staff. If they are, you have to cut the cord. There is absolutely no other way. It doesn't matter if the person is the best player in the world. Some English clubs have changed managers so many times that it creates power for the players in the dressing room. That is very dangerous. If the coach has no control, he will not last."
5 Match the message to the moment
"No one likes to be criticised. Most respond to encouragement. For any human being – there is nothing better than hearing 'Well done'. Those are the two best words ever invented. At the same time you need to point out mistakes when players don't meet expectations. That is when reprimands are important. I would do it right after the game. I wouldn't wait until Monday and then it was finished. My pre-game talks were about our expectations, the players' belief in themselves and their trust in one another. In half-time talks, you have maybe eight minutes to deliver your message, so it is vital to use the time well. Everything is easier when you are winning. When you are losing, you have to make an impact. Fear has to come into it. But you can be too hard; if players are fearful all the time, they won't perform well. You play different roles at different times. Sometimes you have to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a father."
6 Prepare to win
"Winning is in my nature. There is no other option for me. Even if five of the most important players were injured, I expected to win. I am a risk taker and you can see that in how we played in the late stages of matches. If we were still down with 15 minutes to go, I was ready to take more risks. I was perfectly happy to lose 3-1 if it meant we'd given ourselves a good chance to draw or win. So in those last 15 minutes, we'd go for it. We'd put in an extra attacking player and worry less about defence. We knew that if we ended up winning 3-2, it would be a fantastic feeling. And if we lost 3-1, we'd been losing anyway. All my teams had perseverance – they never gave in. It's a fantastic characteristic to have."
7 Rely on the power of observation
"Observation is the final part of my management structure. One afternoon at Aberdeen I had a conversation with my assistant manager and another coach who pointed out I could benefit from not always having to lead the training. At first I said no but deep down I knew he was right. So I delegated training. It was the best thing I ever did. It didn't take away my control. My presence and ability to supervise were always there and what you can pick up by watching is incredibly valuable. Seeing a change in a player's habits or a sudden dip in his enthusiasm allowed me to go further with him."Sometimes I could even tell that a player was injured when he thought he was fine."
8 Never stop adapting
"When I started, there were no agents and although games were televised, the media did not elevate players to the level of film stars and constantly look for new stories about them. Stadiums have improved, pitches are in perfect condition now and sports science has a strong influence on how we prepare for the season. Owners from Russia, the Middle East and other regions have poured a lot of money into the game and are putting pressure on managers. And players have led more sheltered lives, so they are much more fragile than players were 25 years ago."
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
The road near Old Trafford stadium from Waters Reach will be renamed as Sir Alex Ferguson Way.
The road is opposite Sir Matt Busby’s Way towards Salford Quays with the formalities taking place during a meeting of councillors on 14 October.
The road is opposite Sir Matt Busby’s Way towards Salford Quays with the formalities taking place during a meeting of councillors on 14 October.
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Re: Sir Alex Ferguson appreciation thread
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24626840
Sir Alex Ferguson book: The best bits from Beckham to Ronaldo
Ferguson on David Beckham
In his final season with us, we were aware that David's work-rate was dropping and we had heard rumours of a flirtation between Real Madrid and David's camp. The main issue was that his application level had dropped from its traditionally stratospheric level.
The confrontation between us that caused so much excitement around the game was an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Arsenal at Old Trafford in February 2003, which we lost 2-0.
David's offence in that particular game was that he neglected to track back for the second Arsenal goal, scored by Sylvain Wiltord. He merely jogged. The boy just kept on running away from him. At the end I got on to him. As usual, with David at that time, he was dismissive of my criticism. It's possible that he was starting to think he no longer needed to track back and chase, which were the very qualities that had made him what he was.
He was around 12 feet from me. Between us on the floor lay a row of boots. David swore. I moved towards him, and as I approached I kicked a boot. It hit him right above the eye. Of course he rose to have a go at me and the players stopped him. 'Sit down,' I said. 'You've let your team down. You can argue as much as you like.'
I called him in the next day to go through the video and he still would not accept his mistake. As he sat listening to me, he didn't say a word. Not a word. 'Do you understand what we're talking about, why we got on to you?' I asked. He didn't even answer me.
The next day the story was in the press. In public an Alice band highlighted the damage inflicted by the boot. It was in those days that I told the board David had to go. My message would have been familiar to board members who knew me. The minute a Manchester United player thought he was bigger than the manager, he had to go. I used to say: 'The moment the manager loses his authority, you don't have a club. The players will be running it, and then you're in trouble.'
David thought he was bigger than Alex Ferguson. There is no doubt about that in my mind. It doesn't matter whether it's Alex Ferguson or Pete the Plumber. The name of the manager is irrelevant. The authority is what counts. You cannot have a player taking over the dressing room. Many tried. The focus of authority at Manchester United is the manager's office. That was the death knell for him.
Ferguson on Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano was the most gifted player I managed. He surpassed all the other great ones I coached at United - and I had many.
The only ones who could be placed near him would be a couple of the home-produced players, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, because they contributed so prodigiously to Manchester United for two decades.
Real Madrid paid £80m in cash for him [in 2009] and do you know why? It was a way for Florentino Perez, their president, to say to the world: 'We are Real Madrid, we are the biggest of the lot.'
Sir Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrate Champions League success.
Ramon Calderon, Perez's predecessor, had claimed the previous year that Cristiano would one day be a Real Madrid player.
I went to [assistant manager] Carlos Queiroz's house in Portugal to find the boy expressing an urge to go to Real Madrid, and told him: 'You can't go this year, not after the way Calderon has approached this issue'. I said: 'I know you want to go to Real Madrid but I'd rather shoot you than sell you to that guy now. If you perform, don't mess us about, and someone comes and offers a world record fee, then we will let you go.'
I did well to calm him down. I told him the reason I was refusing to sell him that year was because of Calderon.
I said: 'If I do that, my honour's gone, everything's gone for me, and I don't care if you have to sit in the stands. I know it won't come to that, but I just have to tell you I will not let you leave this year.'
Ferguson on Arsenal pizza fight
My recollection of that fabled incident is that when [United striker] Ruud van Nistelrooy came into the dressing room, he complained that [Arsenal manager] Arsene Wenger had been giving him stick as he left the pitch. Right away I rushed out to say to Arsene: 'You leave my players alone.' He was incensed at losing the game. That was the reason for his combative behaviour.
Arsenal v Manchester United at Old Trafford
'You should attend to your own players,' I told him. He was livid. His fists were clenched. I was in control, I knew it. The next thing I knew I had pizza all over me. We put food into the away dressing room after every game. Pizza, chicken. Most clubs do it. Arsenal's food was the best.
They say it was [then Arsenal midfielder] Cesc Fabregas who threw the pizza at me but, to this day, I have no idea who the culprit was. The corridor outside the dressing room turned into a rabble. Arsenal had been defending a 49-game unbeaten record and had been hoping to make it 50 on our turf. It seemed to me that losing the game scrambled Arsene's brain.
That day created a division between us, without doubt, and that rift extended to [assistant manager] Pat Rice, who stopped coming in for a drink after games. The wound was not fully healed until the Champions League semi-final in 2009, when Arsene invited us into his room after the game and congratulated us. When we played them at Old Trafford a few weeks later, Arsene came in with Pat, just for a few minutes.
Ferguson on Rafael Benitez
The mistake he made was to turn our rivalry personal. Once you made it personal, you had no chance, because I could wait. I had success on my side. Benitez was striving for trophies while also taking me on. That was unwise.
On the day he produced his famous list of 'facts' detailing my influence over referees, we received a tip-off that Liverpool would stage manage a question that would enable Benitez to go on the attack. That's not unusual in football. I had been known to plant a question myself.
The media loved it, even though the facts were inaccurate. They were hoping that it would start a war, that I would launch a rocket back. In fact, all I said in reply was that Rafa was obviously bitter about something and that I was at a loss to explain what that might be. That was me saying to him: 'Look, you're a silly man.' You should never make it personal.
Ferguson on Wayne Rooney
He has great qualities about him but they could be swallowed up a lack of fitness.
Wayne had a gift for producing great moments in games. In my final year, when he was left out a few times, and replaced in games, I felt he was struggling to get by people and had lost some of his old thrust. As time wore on, I felt he struggled more and more to do it for 90 minutes, and he seemed to tire in games.
He came into my office the day after we won the [2012-13] Premier League and asked away. He wasn't happy with being left out for some games and subbed in others. His agent, Paul Stretford, phoned David Gill with the same message.
I left him to discuss his future with [new United manager] David Moyes, hoping to see many more great performances from him at Old Trafford.
Ferguson on Roy Keane
The hardest part of Roy's body is his tongue. He has the most savage tongue you can imagine. He can debilitate the most confident person in the world in seconds.
On one occasion, as I came in to the dressing room, Roy and Ruud van Nistelrooy were at it, hammer and tongs. They had to be pulled apart by the players. At least Van Nistelrooy had the courage to stand up to Roy, because not everyone did. He was an intimidating, ferocious individual. His mode when angry was to attack, lay into people.
He was a player constructed around his own passions. In the season prior to the fall-out, he was beginning to show physical signs of weakness in terms of getting back to fulfil his defensive duties.
It became transparent to us that we were no longer dealing with the same Roy Keane. Deep down, I believe, he knew that better than anyone. He simply could not bring himself to abandon his old talismanic role.
That was the long-term context to the confrontation that ended with him leaving the club and joining Celtic. He thought he was Peter Pan. Nobody is.
Ferguson on referees
By the end, I felt we hadn't had a really top Premier League referee for a long time. I know Graham Poll had that arrogant streak, but he was the best decision-maker. He was the best judge of an incident over my time at Manchester United.
When a referee is working in front of 44,000 at Anfield, or 76,000 at Old Trafford, and he gives a goal that goes against the home team, and the crowd scream, it does affect a lot of them. That's another distinction: the ability to make decisions against the tide, against the roar of the crowd. The old saying that a referee was 'a homer' does apply. It's not to say a ref is cheating, more that they are influenced by the force of emotion in the crowd.
Anfield was probably the hardest place for a match official to be objective, because it was such a closed-in, volatile environment. There is an intimidation factor, from fans to referees, not just at Liverpool but across the game.
Forty years ago, crowds were not frenzied the way they are today. Now perhaps it would serve a higher purpose for the referee to attend a press conference with his supervisor alongside him and explain how he saw it. For instance, I would have found it interesting to hear from the Turkish referee who handled the Champions League tie against Real Madrid at Old Trafford in March 2013, and listen to what he had to say about Nani's sending-off, which was appalling.
A brief referee's press conference might have been a step forward. You can't stop progress.
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