Wow!at long last, I finally find the courage and zeal to write this piece on SUCCESS's greatest custodian and an epitome of managerial ingenuity. I started writing sports and other related articles since I was 7, but never, I mean NEVER have I found it difficult to give a caption to any of the thousands of write-ups, until now. The reason is not far fetched. I mean how do you describe in a few words the unmatched accomplishments of the man dubbed the 'Scottish Wizard'. Hardly can I find words to exemplify the startling run of a certain MYTH called Alex Ferguson OBE CBE. But like all others before me, I will try my utmost.
Not many people know that I was once an Arsenal fan. Perhaps it will come as a huge surprise to those who know me as one of the most passionate MUFC fans who ever lived-----don't slate me just yet. There is an explanation for every action a man takes, however foolish or unconvincing it might sound or seem to be.
I am a Nigerian, born , bred and buttered and Kanu Nwankwo, who in my opinion is the greatest footballer to come out of the most populous black nation of the World, is one of my idols. Those who know the 2 time (96 & 99) African footballer of the year's rise to fame and rare ability to overcome a career and life threatening heart defect will of course share my sentiments. It was little surprise when after the recovery, he signed for London giants, Arsenal in February 1999, then I was already an Arsenal fan of 3 years standing, but Kanu's arrival even made my love for the club wax stronger. I also supported AC Milan and Real Madrid at that time, but the gunners topped the bill for me. To cut the long story short, I switched allegiance to Manchester United after watching video clips of Fergie's 13 years in charge just when he was being knighted in June 1999, then something struck me. Believe me, not even the recordings of my Parents' wedding was as captivating and spell binding as the phenomenal rise from grass to grace of the Manchester Club in just a short space of time. I didn't need any more convincing to join the band wagon of people singing the praises of the now knighted Alex Ferguson.
Now back to why we are here...... Scotland has produced some of the most talked about mangers in World football.----Shankly, Stein, Dalglish, Busby etc The Country has contributed at least 5 of the best managers in the history of football, but none can be compared to SIR ALEX FERGUSON. A friend of mine came up to me some days ago and asked why it is so special that this immensely gifted walking talking success story is so celebrated and revered and also that other managers have spent more years at various club sides in the world.....then came my question----who can spend such an amount of time at an ILLUSTRIOUS FOOTBALL TEAM like MANCHESTER UNITED??????he was tongue-tied. Then I concluded that he had found the answers to his questions.
Tomorrow, the Legends' Legend will clock 25 years as Captain of the Manchester United ship. Not all those years have been plain sailing, but you must agree with me that the better part of these unforgettable years has been filled with glory, passion and unrivaled eminence. From that fateful day in November 86 to this present time, it has been one victory or the other, one record breaking moment, one great player to another and indeed one great man. Ferguson has been the chief orchestrator and master tactician of different sets of players who have gone on to rewrite the history books and etch their names on the sands of time.
According to the MIRROR, the Messiah from Glasgow has signed a total of 100 players and by my reckoning, at least 70 of them have contributed in no small measure to the success that embodies the record English champions today.
We can decide to go into all what he has achieved as manager of MUFC. He has won just 37 trophies in his 25 years at the helm.JUST i said, well maybe I am being ungrateful, but on the contrary, it is a sarcastic statement of how he has performed in all of these years. A record 12 EPL Titles, 2 Champions League crowns, 5 F.A Cups, 4 League cups, 1 FIFA World Club trophy, 1 intercontinental cup, I European Cup Winners Cup, etc Perhaps his only regret till this very day will be that he hasn't equalled or eclipsed the European cup success of the late coaching spectacle, Bob Paisley. Whatever his weaknesses may be, his strengths and astonishing capabilities considerably outweigh them in all ramification. From the 750, 000 quid shrewd acquisition of Peter Schmeichel to the 19 Million pound signing of new Number one, David De Gea, Sir Alex has seen it all and done just about everything.
Like every other human being, he has made a few mistakes.....Massimo Taibi, the Italian who unfortunately is now a reference point when howlers and unforgivable mistakes are made not only by goalkeepers, but outfield players, is one of such noteworthy errors. When the indispensable Dane-Peter Schmeichel left just after the unprecedented and yet to be matched treble winning 98-99 season, SAF sought the apparent goal keeping dexterity of the then Venezia safe hands. It was one he would come to rue, as the dude was a complete shame, making only 4 league appearances for the treble winners......the last being the 5-0 whitewash by Chelsea in which of course he was the main culprit. Perhaps Sir Alex was trifled because he initially kept Milan's goal for a one year period. There were others like Juan Sebastian Veron who cost more than 25 million pounds from SS Lazio, but couldn't just become the player Fergie expected him to be, although he occasionally showed flashes of the unarguable quality he possessed, he never really lived up to expectation. Liam Miller, David Bellion, Eric Djemba-Djemba (who the supporters jeered with songs like he is so f*cked that they named him twice, in direct opposite of the Nigerian midfield maestro, Austin JAY JAY Okocha, who was praised for being named twice as a result of his immeasurable talent.)-----he played for, and captained Bolton Wanderers in that same period.- and a few others are examples of the rare loop holes in his celebrated 25 year reign.
He has also made some astute signings- rare gems like Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Andre Kanchelskis, Jaap Stam, Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Javier Chicharito Hernandez, Fabian Barthez, Wayne Rooney, etc are some of the exceptional purchases he has made. Add that to his very well talked about 'FERGIE FLEDGLINGS' comprising of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, the Neville brothers, Nicky Butt, and the unmistakable David Beckham. One memorable accomplishment of the youngsters was when they went on to overturn Newcastle's seemingly unreachable lead of 14 points to win the 95-96 EPL Title and FA Cup, making it even more impressive. What made it all the more fantastic was that the team was dismissed as kids by former Liverpool defence stalwart and MOTD (Match of the day) pundit, Alan Hansen who quickly sent a firing shot at the youthful Manchester United team after only the first match of the season where they lost 3-1 at Villa Park----little did he know that it was a learning process.
The sobriquet 'Fergie Fledglings', coined by the media, was seen as a re-incarnation of some sort, of the 'Busby babes'.(of which 8 members painfully lost their lives in the infamous Munich air disaster in 1958)
It is very uncommon these days to find your enemies or rivals eulogize your sterling endowments even if they were/are as glaring as Gervinho's forehead. But just like his impeccable Mancunian journey, the praises and tributes have been flying in from different areas of the World. Coaches, former players of the club, active players, football association bosses...just mention it, have all contributed their views as regards this significant day in the life of the Scot, Manchester United and the World of Sports in general. Arsene Wenger argued that SAF's record is remarkable and will be very difficult, if at all possible to match. Today's opposing manager (we play Sunderland later today) and former captain, Steve Bruce was always going to offer kind words in respect of his former manager and a man he still calls BOSS. He said Fergie has been a mainstay and a colossus and that he often used anger to get the best out of his players. He also added that his attitude and passion for the job is unparalleled. In his words, 'how can you just describe a man who had a champions league game the previous night and is back at work at 7.40 am in the morning?' I would say Divine. El Tel (Terry Venables) wasn't left out in admiration of the British knight. He put him above the likes of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and others and called him the PERFECT MANAGER. Even old foe, Kenny Dalglish could not hold back his adulation of the most successful British manager living or dead....calling him all the nice things on planet . Players like Javier Hernandez, Ryan Giggs etc, also made their voices heard in appreciation of what Fergie has done in the past 25 years. Although Chicharito Hernandez was not even conceived when SAF took over from Ron Atkinson, the period he has spent with him is enough to adore the veteran coach. Even David Beckham who perhaps bore the worst brunt of Fergie's fearsome rage (famously called the hairdryer treatment) in 2003, when after an F.A Cup 4th Round loss to Arsenal, the great Scot kicked a boot which hit the former England skipper just above his left eye and required stitches, never hides his love and admiration for the Sir of Carrington. At any given opportunity, he says very wonderful things about the man who everyone can't help but revere.He was again full of encomiums for his former manager when asked about what he felt concerning his forthcoming SILVER JUBILEE, calling him a great man and one of the few people (alongside his parents) who made him the SUPERSTAR he is today.
Aston Villa great, Dion Dublin has also laid claim to the fact that he is the reason why Fergie is so successful. He pointed out that had he not been injured, Fergie wouldn't have signed Eric Cantona from Leeds United. A few people might have agreed with him, but majority are of the view that a certain Mark Robbins,scorer of the late winner against Nottingham Forest in the 1990 Fa Cup third round clash, was the man who saved Fergie's job and now the rest is history.
Journalists and sportswriters also had their say in glowing admiration of the man who has defied logic and cemented his status as one of the greatest sportsmen who has ever lived. Perhaps, amongst all the people who said very esteemed things about Sir Alex, one person's statement of fact stands out in unequivocal terms. His son and now Peterborough manager, Darren Ferguson who was also under his tutelage as a player, was of the opinion that his father wouldn't have accumulated all these many titles if not for his mother, Lady Cathy Ferguson. I totally agree with him. It was SAF's wife who persuaded him to have a change of heart when he decided to resign his position as manager of the most successful club side in England (in terms of domestic titles won) at the end of the 2001-2002 season in which the team came 3rd behind Liverpool and champions, Arsenal (won the EPL AND FA CUP double). Nine years on, it has been a jolly good ride and he will continually thank his wife for convincing him to continue as he immediately claimed back the title in the very next season 02-03 after upturning the 10 point lead Arsene's Arsenal enjoyed 3 months to the end of the season. Ruud Van Nistelrooy being the main catalyst with 25 league goals (44 in total). From that time to this day he has added 5 EPL Titles, 1 FA Cup,I UCL, I FIFA World Club trophy among others. Such has been the devastatingly unbelievable run of Manchester United that all other clubs have been left in its wake, except recently, FC Barcelona. In that same year, after going back on his decision to abandon his managerial commitments with the red army, he made it categorically clear that his main priority was to 'KNOCK LIVERPOOL OF THEIR PERCH'. True to type, he has finally done that this year and he is in no mood to stop as Manchester City and Barcelona have brought upon him an entirely new, intense and very uphill challenge which he intends to rise to and be victorious before he finally calls time on his DISTINGUISHED AND OUTSTANDING CAREER. Who can bet against him??? I wouldn't even waste a penny.
This is my IDEA of FERGIE's FINEST XI---
Van Der Sar, G.Neville, Vidic, Bruce, Irwin, Keane, Scholes, Beckham, Giggs, Ronaldo, RVN (Ruud Van Nistelrooy)
Subs- Schmeichel, Stam, R.Ferdinand, Evra, Butt, Kanchelskis, Rooney, OGS(Ole Gunnar Solskjaer)
Honourable mentions- Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Jesper Blonqvist, Mark Hughes, Gary Pallister, Paul McGrath, Bryan Robson.
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