Sir Alex
Ferguson’s statement on Wednesday morning, announcing his retirement from
football and stepping down as Manchester United manager (1,498 matches, 894 wins,
337 draws and 267 losses) after 26 and a half years of a glorious career.
In life, timing
is everything so after winning 38 trophies at Manchester United and 49 in total
(his first in 1976-77 at St Mirren) the most successful manager in British
football history (watch http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22446264)
is bowing out on top.Many column inches have been written about the man who joined Manchester United on 6th November 1986 (watch http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/15580808) but I’m going to look back at my favourite moments from Mr. Hairdryer himself. It could be questioning the integrity of Italians or disposing of Liverpool as the dominate force in English football, Sir Alex has always provided entertainment....
“If ever there was one player, anywhere in the world, that was made for Manchester United, it was Cantona. He swaggered in, stuck his chest out, raised his head and surveyed everything as though he were asking: ‘I’m Cantona. How big are you? Are you big enough for me?’”
Discussing Eric Cantona signing for United in 1992.
“The first time I saw him, he was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of paper in the wind.”
On his first impression of Ryan
Giggs.
“I can’t understand the Leeds
players. I’m absolutely in support of their manager (Howard Wilkinson). He
doesn’t deserve his players. If they had played like that all season they’d be
near the top. They raised their game because they were playing Manchester
United. It was pathetic. I think we can accept any club coming here and trying
their hardest, so long as they do it every week.”
The comments that sparked Kevin Keegan’s infamous “I’d
LOVE it!” rant on Sky Sports in 1996.
“They say he’s an intelligent man, right? Speaks five languages! I’ve got a
15-year old boy from Ivory Coast who speaks five languages.”
After
demoralizing Kevin Keegan, Fergie wasted no time in letting new comer Arsene
Wenger know that he is not easily impressed in 1996.
“He’s a novice, he should keep his opinion to Japanese football.”
On
Wenger again, April 1997.
“When
an Italian tells me it’s pasta on the plate, I check under the sauce to make
sure. They are the inventors of the smokescreen.”
Before playing Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-final, 1999.
Before playing Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-final, 1999.
“That lad must have been born offside.”
On Filippo Inzaghi's goal poaching attempts in 1999.
“At the end of this game, the European Cup will be only six feet away from
you, and you’ll not even able to touch it if we lose. And for many of you, that
will be the closest you will ever get. Don’t you dare come back in here without
giving your all.”
His half-time
team-talk during the 1999 European Cup final with Bayern Munich."I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Football. Bloody hell.”
After winning the Champions League against on May 26th, 1999.
“My greatest challenge is not what’s happening
at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their
******* perch. And you can print that.”
Sir Alex speaking in 2002, after reconsidering his retirement.
Sir Alex speaking in 2002, after reconsidering his retirement.
“It’s getting
tickly now, squeaky-bum time I call it.”
During the climax to the 2002-03 title race between Arsenal and United.
During the climax to the 2002-03 title race between Arsenal and United.
“Myths
grow all the time. If I was to listen to the number of times I've thrown
teacups then we’ve gone through some crockery in this place. It’s completely
exaggerated, but I don't like people arguing back with me.”
On the notorious ‘hairdryer’ treatment.
“It was a freakish
incident. If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn’t happen again. If I
could I would have carried on playing!”
Explaining how he kicked a boot in the United dressing room that hit David
Beckham in the face in 2003.
“After we played Sporting last week the lads in the dressing room talked about him constantly, and on the plane back from the game they urged me to sign him. That’s how highly they rated him!"
“After we played Sporting last week the lads in the dressing room talked about him constantly, and on the plane back from the game they urged me to sign him. That’s how highly they rated him!"
On
Cristiano Ronaldo after he destroyed United in a pre-season friendly in 2003,
Fergie signed him three months later.
“I think he was an angry man. He must have been disturbed
for some reason. I think you have got to cut through the venom of it and
hopefully he'll reflect and understand what he said was absolutely ridiculous.”
Responding to Rafael Benitez ‘facts’
interview in 2008.
“Do you think I would enter into a contract with that mob? Absolutely no chance. I would not sell them a virus. That is a ‘No’ by the way. There is no agreement whatsoever between the clubs.”
“Do you think I would enter into a contract with that mob? Absolutely no chance. I would not sell them a virus. That is a ‘No’ by the way. There is no agreement whatsoever between the clubs.”
Making it crystal clear in 2008 that he wasn’t
going to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.
“It’s City isn’t
it? They are a small club, with a small mentality. All they can talk about is
Manchester United, that’s all they've done and they can’t get away from it.”
Fergie stokes up the cross-town rivalry with Manchester City and after they disply an 'Welcome to Manchester' Carlos Tevez poster in 2009.
“Sometimes
you have a noisy neighbor and have to live with it. You can’t do anything about
that. They will always be noisy. You just have to get on with life, put your
television on and turn it up a bit louder.”
On the threat posed by Manchester City in 2010.
“Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it's a better cow than the one you've got in your own field. It’s a fact. Right? And it never really works out that way.”
On the Wayne Rooney contract saga in 2010.
“It’s not so much passing
Liverpool. It's more important that United are the best team in the country in
terms of winning titles.”
After clinching the club’s 19th title in 2011, one more than Liverpool.
“I just don’t
think about retirement any more. When you’ve been on the treadmill for so long,
25 years in my case, and my health is good at the moment, it’s just a matter of
looking forward to being the manager of Manchester United, rather than worrying
about Alex Ferguson.”
Sir Alex Speaking about retirement in 2011.
Sir Alex Speaking about retirement in 2011.
“I will be leaving Manchester
United at the end of the season and that is it!”
Announcing his retirement in 2002, I guess the last 11 years have just been 'Fergie time'.Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest manager off ALL time. The football world salutes you, boss!!!
Manchester United Then and Now:
1986
|
Now
|
|
7
|
League Titles
|
20
|
6
|
Domestic Cups
|
15
|
1
|
European Cups
|
3
|
9
|
Other Trophies
|
24
|
58,000
|
Capacity
|
75,765
|
19th
|
League Position
|
Champions
|
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Trophies:
St. Mirren
Scottish First Division: 1976–77
Aberdeen
Scottish Premier Division : 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85 ; Scottish Cup
: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86 ; Scottish League Cup : 1985–86 ; UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup : 1982–83 ; UEFA Super
Cup : 1983
Manchester United
Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996,
1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013; FA Cup:
1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004; League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010; Uefa
Champions League: 1999, 2008; Fifa Club World Cup: 2008; Uefa
Super Cup: 1992; Uefa Cup Winners Cup: 1991; Inter-Continental
Cup: 1999; FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994,
1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011
Sir Alex Ferguson’s magic Manchester United moments:
