Like so many of football's top managers, Alexander Chapman
Ferguson emerged from humble beginnings.
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| Aberdeen manager
Alex Ferguson celebrates victory over Real Madrid with
Archie Knox. (PeterRobinson/Empics) |
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The feisty Scot made a living as an apprentice tool-worker in
Clyde's shipyards during his youth, whilst breaking into
football with amateur club Queens Park. He made his league debut
as a centre-forward for Second Division side Stranraer in 1957,
moved to St Johnstone on a part-time basis in 1960 and
eventually turned professional with Dunfermline in 1964.
His exploits with the Pars, including a European excursion,
attracted the attention of Ferguson's boy-hood favourites
Glasgow Rangers and three-years after joining Dunfermline he
secured a then record £65,000 move to the city of his birth.
However, the Ibrox dream turned sour as Ferguson failed to make
the required impact on the pitch and he was sold to Falkirk in
1969, where he also obtained a taste for coaching, before
returning to part-time football with Ayr United in 1973.
Ayr turned out to be the crossroads in Ferguson's career and
after flirting with a number of business ideas the 32-year-old
decided to call time on his playing days and take the plunge
into management with East Stirling in July 1974.
The man from Govan quickly made a name for himself in
Stirlingshire and secured a move to First Division side St
Mirren in October of the same year. He promptly guided the
Paisley club to the championship in 1976/77 and despite doing so
on limited resources Ferguson was sacked three years into his
tenure after a disagreement with the club's chairman.
St Mirren's loss turned into Aberdeen's gain and after
rejecting interest from a number of Scotland's larger clubs
Fergie eventually signed for the Dons in August 1978.
He transformed an average side into the form team of the 1980's,
breaking The Old Firm (Rangers and Celtic) stranglehold on
Scottish football, and led the Granite City club to three league
titles, four Scottish Cups and a League Cup in eight seasons.
But despite the domestic haul of silverware, Ferguson's
greatest achievement with the Pittodrie club came in 1983 when
he led Aberdeen to a 2-1 victory over the mighty Real Madrid in
the European Cup Winners' Cup - to date the last time a Scottish
team has lifted a European trophy.
His exploits attracted covetous glances from the football world
and after taking temporary control of Scotland for the Mexico
1986 World Cup, due to the death of manager Jock Stein, he
rejected lucrative offers from Barcelona, Arsenal, Rangers and
Tottenham to take control of Manchester United on November 7,
1986.
Ferguson's intention to leave an Old Trafford legacy got of
to a slow start as his attempts to rescue United from the
troubled state Ron Atkinson had left the club in faltered.
Ferguson initially appeared to have left his success in Scotland
and after three years in the job, despite finishing second
behind Liverpool in 1988, chants of 'Fergie out' could be heard
emanating from the Old Trafford terraces.
But behind the scenes Ferguson was rebuilding the club in
minute detail. He had revamped the youth system, a move that
would pay huge dividends a few years down the line, and he had
stamped out the drinking culture at Old Trafford by shipping out
many of the crowd's favourites.
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| United manager
Sir Alex Ferguson (AdamDavy/Empics) |
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The loss of these boozy players had a detrimental effect on the
pitch and in January 1990, with United languishing at the wrong
end of the table after losing 5-1 to arch-rivals Manchester
City, Fergie's job was on the line as United went into a Third
Round FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest.
If United lost it would mean the end for Ferguson, although
chairman Martin Edwards has always denied it, but with things
looking bleak for the Scot and time ticking away Mark Robins
came off the substitutes bench to give United a narrow 1-0 win
and save Fergie's skin.
That victory marked a turning point in fortunes for Ferguson and
the Red Devils went on a winning streak that saw them lift the
FA Cup with a 1-0 replay victory over Crystal Palace.
The following season United satisfied their taste for triumph
by winning the European Cup Winners' Cup with a 2-1 victory over
Barcelona as Mark Hughes scored the winner against his former
club.
However, the League Championship, which United had last won in
1967, remained elusive and as Leeds United beat the Red Devils
into second place Ferguson's side had to console themselves with
the 1992 League Cup.
The following year saw the Premier League break away from the
century old Football League to form the Premiership and the
launch of the new look league coincided with an era of
Manchester United dominance under the stewardship of Ferguson.
After an average start to the 1992/93 campaign, November saw the
unexpected arrival of Eric Cantona at Old Trafford from Leeds
and the Frenchman's enigmatic play proved to be the final piece
of the Ferguson jigsaw. United finally won the Championship,
ahead of nearest rivals Aston Villa, and ended a 26-year
drought.
The 1993/94 season saw the £3.5million arrival of Roy Keane
at Old Trafford and also saw United stamp their authority on
English football as Ferguson claimed his first Double - beating
Blackburn Rovers to the League Championship and crushing Chelsea
4-0 in the FA Cup final.
The following term saw Blackburn Rovers bounce back to narrowly
beat the Red Devils to the Championship, leaving Ferguson and Co
trophyless. With United seemingly smarting from defeat they
charged through the 1995/96 season to grab another Double and
narrowly miss out on an unprecedented treble with defeat in the
League Cup final.
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“ |
You'll win nothing with kids ” |
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Alan Hansen |
The manager had introduced 'Fergie's Fledglings' - David
Beckham, the Neville Brothers, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Ryan
Giggs - to replace experienced players such as Mark Hughes, Paul
Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis at the start of the campaign to much
raising of eyebrows.
Defeat on the opening day of the season prompted TV pundit Alan
Hansen's to say: 'you'll win nothing with kids', but those words
came back to haunt him as 'Fergie's Fledglings' helped United
overhaul Newcastle United's 14 point lead at the top of the
table.
A fourth League Championship in five season's followed during
the 1996/97 season and with Champions League football becoming a
consistent feature, Ferguson's infamous hunger had set it's
sights on the lifting the 'Holy Grail' - the European Cup.
The Red Devils had already reached the semi-finals but where
knocked out by Borrussia Dortmund and the following year AS
Monaco dumped United out of Europe while domestically Arsene
Weneger's Arsenal claimed the Premiership title and the FA Cup.
Defeat prompted Ferguson to part with £23million for defender
Jaap Stam and Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke to strengthen his
squad for the 1998/99 season. The latter combined with strike
partner Andy Cole to produce what was dubbed 'calypso football'
and helped fire United to another League Championship, a 2-1 FA
Cup final victory over Newcastle and a European Championship Cup
final.
In the final, Bayern Munich took a 1-0 lead inside Barcelona's
Nou Camp stadium but as the match entered injury time super-subs
Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored a goal apiece
in injury time to make Fergie's side Champions of Europe with a
dramatic 2-1 comeback victory.
Fergie was subsequently knighted and became Sir Alex Ferguson
in the Queen's birthday honours list as a reward for his
services to British football.
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| Champions once
again in 2003 (GaryMPrior/GettyImages) |
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The following year Ferguson announced he would retire at the end
of the 2002 season - just as the FA Cup holders controversially
withdrew from the competition to take part in FIFA's World Club
Championship in Brazil.
United didn't do very well in the Brazilian sunshine but the
break proved to be just the tonic for Sir Alex's side, who
romped to another Premiership title - beating rivals Arsenal by
18 clear points.
The 2000/01 season saw United cruise to another title, this time
wrapping it up in mid-April, as Ferguson became the first
manager to win three English League titles in a row to become
the most successful manager in the history of English football.
To prepare for his final season at Old Trafford Ferguson
splashed out nearly £50million on striker Ruud van Nistelrooy
and midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron but the big money signings
couldn't prevent Arsenal from stealing the domestic silverware
of the Premiership title and FA Cup.
In Europe, United drew both legs of their Champions League
semi-final with Bayer Leverkusen, crushing Ferguson's dream of
ending his tenure with a European Cup final in his home city of
Glasgow, and the Reds ended the season trophyless.
The setback stung Ferguson into postponing his retirement, he
signed a new three-year deal, and the Scot appointed former
Portugal and South Africa coach Carlos Queiroz as his new
assistant at Old Trafford. He also smashed the British transfer
record to land defender Rio Ferdinand from Leeds for the 2002/03
season.
With the 2002/03 Champions League final set to be played at Old
Trafford, United and Ferguson set their sights on European glory
once more but after cruising to the quarter-finals they drew
Real Madrid and crashed out of the competition with a 6-5
aggregate loss.
The defeat sparked rumours of a Manchester United shake-up
for the 2003/04 season and a number of players were tipped for
moves abroad. David Beckham was linked with a £35million move to
Real Madrid, Ryan Giggs was linked with Inter Milan while Fabien
Barthez and Juan Veron were also named in the transfer
speculation..
Domestically the Red Devils were dumped out of the FA Cup in the
Fifth Round by rivals Arsenal but with only weeks of the season
left United had the last laugh after destroying the Gunners'
nine point lead at the top of the league to lift their eighth
title in 11 years.
Sir Alex Ferguson's desire and hunger will remain
undiminished until at least 2005 and his Manchester United side
will always be there, or thereabouts.
Arsenal regained the crown in 2003/04 as United suffered
defensive problems - especially with Rio Ferdinand's eight-month
ban for a missed drugs test.
United won the FA Cup, with a 3-0 final victory over Millwall,
but it failed to mask a poor victory - which included a
Champions League exit to FC Porto. It left much work to do for
2004/05.
