Sir Alex Ferguson Tribute.

“The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time”.

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 6^th 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.

“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 26^th, 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.

“It’s getting tickly now, squeaky-bum time I call it.”
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!"

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.”

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.

“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:

(watch http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22458617)

10 Years of 50 Cent

“Go shorty, it’s your birthday, we gonna party like it’s your birthday”….

It is indeed the tenth birthday (February 6^th 2003) of 50 Cent’s first official album release ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’’. After flooding the underground mixtape scene with material such as ‘Power of the Dollar’ and ‘50 Cent is the Future’ this was Curtis Jackson’s first shot a mainstream fame.

He already created a buzz for himself with songs like ‘How to Rob’, ‘Wanksta’ and ‘Ghetto Qu’ran’ as Colombia Records, who he was signed to in 2000 dropped him after he was shot nine times outside his Grandmothers house in South Jamaica Queens.

Overcoming adversity was nothing new to 50, his mother was killed when he was eight-years-old and his mentor Jam Master Jay was murdered in 2002. Even though 50 lost the two closes people to him he surrounded himself in the streets with a group initially known as the ‘134 All-Stars’ later 'G-Unit'.

After being shot, 50 stopped selling drug and focused all his attention on succeeding in the Rap game and as soon as he recovered from the shooting (with a new flow due to being shot in the mouth) he was straight back on his grind. 50 somehow managed to get a copy of his ‘Guess Who’s Back?’ mixtape to Eminem who then introduced him to Dr. Dre and the three headed monster was born.

Impressed by his dedication and perseverance (50’s mixtape campaign was unprecedented at the time) Dr. Dre, Eminem and Jimmy Iovine signed him to Shady/Aftermath/Interscope in 2002 for one million dollars and a five album deal.

While the majority of 50’s tracks were all about the struggle and tales from the hood, his first single from GRODT ‘In Da Club’ was a celebration of life and a became 50’s first number one single. The song also won Best Rap Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards and 50 also won the award for Best New Artist. The hit single spent eight weeks on top of the Billboard charts and remained in the charts for 100 weeks. Other album cuts such as '21 Questions' (also a number one single) showed a different side to 50 not seen in his previous releases.

To keep his hardcore audience happy 50 included gritty tracks on the album such as ‘Many Men’, ‘Back Down’ and ‘P.I.M.P’. The album was an instant hit, selling 872,000 copies in it’s first week and debuted in the Billboard charts at number one. The album went on to sell 12 million copies world wide, nominated for two Grammy’s (Best Rap solo performance and Best Rap song) and in 2009 Billboard magazine rated it at number 12 in the top 200 albums of the decade.

A new star was born. The best compliment that can be given to 50 is that GRODT can be spoken in the same breath as legendary debut albums such as Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die' and Nas's ‘Illmatic’. Those album all had reply value and you could listen to them years later without skipping a track GRODT was in that category.

After the success of his GRODT 50 was granted his own label G-Unit Records in 2003, he signed Tony Yayo, Lloyd Bank$ and Young Buck. The group’s first album ‘Beg for Mercy’ sold 3.5 million records, another triumph for 50, everything he touch turned to gold (well platinum actually). All three members of G-Unit released solo albums with one going gold and the other two going platinum, between 2002-2005 was truly the G-Unit era. 50 later signed Mobb Deep, The Game (who also went platinum in 05), M.O.P., Spider Loc, Olivia, Kidd Kidd, Governor, DJ Pauly D,  Precious Paris and Hot Rod.

Not satisfied with conquering the music industry 50 created G-Unit clothing, games, his own website (ThisIs50.com), books and starred in his own film ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’’(the soundtrack to the film also went double platinum). He knew music wouldn’t last forever and planned for his future after he hung up the microphone.

On March 3rd 2005 50’s second album ‘The Massacre’ was released, this album had a more commercial sound to it with songs like ‘Candy Shop’, ‘Disco Inferno’ and ‘Just a Lil Bit’. Nevertheless ‘The Massacre’ sold a million copies in it’s first week, became the number one album three different countries and went platinum nine times. It was also nominated for Grammy Award for Best Album at the 48^th Grammys.

50 next two albums ‘Curtis’ in 2007 and ‘Before I Self Destruct’ in 2009 were less critically acclaimed (however both went platinum) but included standout singles such as club banger ‘I Get Money’ (Curtis) and ‘Baby by Me’ (BISD).

50 also worked with Glacéau to create a vitamin water drink called Formula 50. In 2007, Coca-Cola purchased Glacéau for 4.1 billion dollars. Forbes estimated 50, who owed a stake in the company earned 100 million dollars from the deal.

After his two previous album were released speculation mounted that 50 wasn’t focused on music anymore, this could be attributed to the fact that he had created a energy drink (Street King, with every purchase, a portion of the sales went to providing a daily meal to an underprivileged child around the world), SMS Audio (headphones) and became a boxing promoter (signing 2004 Olympic gold medallist Yuriorkis Gamboa).

However even though 50 is now a one man conglomerate he never forgot what brought him to the dance, mixtapes. While other rappers such as Jay-Z, Nas and Kayne West abandoned the mixtapes 50 has released six in the past five years.

His last album obligation to Shady/Aftermath/Interscope ‘Street King Immortal’ is due out in spring this year and the singles so far indicate 50 is far from finished. He wants to leave the label the same way he entered with a bang.

Throughout all his rap beefs with Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Fat Joe, D-Block, Nas, Diddy, The Game and Rick Ross, 50 always remained focused and relevant, most importantly for him he has never back down from a challenge or confrontation.

From his death bed to Hollywood, from mug shots to Forbes magazine 50’s journey to the top is a remarkable story, an inspiration! His mission in life was to ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and from where I’m standing it’s mission accomplished without the dying.