Alex ferguson biography pdf directory

He went on to play for Queen's Park and five other professional football clubs including the idols of his boyhood, Rangers. Needless to say he was known as a hard and awkward opponent on the field as well as off it. Intelligent and quick-witted, Alex Ferguson followed his father's lead as a deeply committed socialist. Van Nistelrooy. The Class of.

It appears your browser does not have it turned on. Please see your browser settings for this feature. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! There are no reviews yet. There were others of the old school who were survivors because they had a work ethic you had to admire. If I went to a reserve game, John Rudge and Lennie Lawrence would be there, along with one of the big personalities of the game whose Oldham teams brought a freshness that would never be replaced.

I mean big Joe Royle. Oldham gave us some scary moments. Harry Redknapp and Tony Pulis are other great characters of my generation. I was blessed to have had wonderful, loyal staff at United. Some of them worked for me for over 20 years. Lyn Laffin, has followed me into retirement and is still my P. Kath Phipps on reception, who also ran my after-match lounge at Old Trafford, has worked at United for over 40 years.

Jim Ryan, who has now retired, my brother Martin who scouted abroad for 17 years a very difficult job , and Brian McClair. Norman Davies: what a man. A loyal friend who passed away a few years ago. His replacement as kit man, Albert Morgan, is also a big personality who never wavered in his loyalty. Our doctor, Steve McNally, our head physio Rob Swire and all his staff, Tony Strudwick and his energetic bunch of sports scientists, our laundry girls, all the kitchen staff; the general office of John Alexander, Anne Wylie and all the girls.

Jim Lawlor and all his scouting staff. Eric Steele, goalkeeping coach. Simon Wells and Steve Brown of the video analysis team. Our ground staff, led by Joe Pemberton and Tony Sinclair. Our maintenance team, with Stuart, Graham and Tony: all hard-working men. Assistants and coaches helped me greatly down the years. Steve McClaren, a very innovative and energetic coach.

The foundation of my longevity lies with Bobby Charlton and Martin Edwards. Their biggest gift to me was the time to build a football club, rather than a football team. Their support was followed by the great bond I had with David Gill over the last decade. Beckham 6. Rio 7. Lean Times 8. Ronaldo 9. Keane Outside Interests Van Nistelrooy Competing with Wenger Liverpool — A Great Tradition A World of Talent One Night in Moscow Psychology Barcelona —11 — Small Is Beautiful The Media Man City — Champions Family Rooney Paul Hayward was remarkably easy to work with and a real professional.

He kept me on track and I feel he has done a great job of collecting my thoughts and presenting them in a way that I am more than happy with. Photographer Sean Pollock captured a number of images over a four year period, and has done a fantastic job. His laidback manner and discretion ensured that he got what he wanted without being intrusive in any way.

Les Dalgarno, my lawyer, gave sound guidance over the course of producing the content; he is the most trusted and loyal of advisers and a great friend. Overall, there were a large number of people who put in many hours in order to get to this point. Their efforts have been much appreciated by me and it has been a pleasure to have had such a talented team behind me.

It was always my plan to assemble a story that people inside and outside the game would find interesting. So, although my retirement took the industry by surprise, this autobiography has been in my head for many years. It complements Managing My Life, an earlier volume. And therefore, while briefly reflecting on my youth in Glasgow and life-long friends made in Aberdeen, it focuses on my magical years in Manchester.

An avid reader myself, I was eager to write a book that explained some of the mysteries in my line of work. In my early years at Aberdeen and Manchester United, I decided right away that in order to build trust and loyalty with the players, I had to give it to them first. That is the starting point for the bond on which great institutions thrive.

I was helped by my ability to observe. Ron Atkinson showed no bitterness after leaving the club and had nothing but praise for us. Jim Smith is a fantastic character and a good friend. His hospitality would keep you there all night. When I did get home, my shirt would be speckled with cigar ash. Big John Sillett, who managed Coventry City, was another great companion, and I can never forget the late John Lyall, who guided me through my early years and was so generous with his time.

Sheer class, and his valued friendship was never forgotten. He was a big loss to our lives. There were others of the old school who were survivors because they had a work ethic you had to admire. If I went to a reserve game, John Rudge and Lennie Lawrence would be there, along with one of the big personalities of the game whose Oldham teams brought a freshness that would never be replaced.

Simon Wells and Steve Brown of the video analysis team. Our ground staff, led by Joe Pemberton and Tony Sinclair. Our maintenance team, with Stuart, Graham and Tony: all hard-working men. Assistants and coaches helped me greatly down the years. Steve McClaren, a very innovative and energetic coach. The foundation of my longevity lies with Bobby Charlton and Martin Edwards.

Their biggest gift to me was the time to build a football club, rather than a football team. Their support was followed by the great bond I had with David Gill over the last decade. There was plenty of ground to cover in this book. I hope you enjoy retracing the steps with me. N three decades before this moment, I had walked through that tunnel and onto the pitch for my first home game, feeling nervous and exposed.

Now, I strode onto the same pitch, full of confidence, to say goodbye. The control I was able to exert over Manchester United was a privilege few managers will be lucky enough to know. However sure I felt of my abilities on the move south from Aberdeen in the autumn of , there could have been no way of knowing it would turn out this well. After the farewell in May , the pivotal moments filled my thoughts: winning that FA Cup thirdround tie against Nottingham Forest in January , in which a Mark Robins goal sent us on our way to the final when my job was supposedly on the line; going through a whole month without winning a game, which gnawed away at my confidence.

Without the FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace nearly four years after my arrival, grave doubts would have been raised about my suitability for the job. We will never know how close I was to being sacked, because the decision was never forced on the United board. But without that triumph at Wembley, the crowds would have shrivelled. Disaffection might have swept the club.

Bobby Charlton would have opposed any move to dismiss me. He knew the work I was doing, the ground we were making up on the youth development side, the graft I was putting in, the hours I spent reforming the football operation. The chairman Martin Edwards knew it too, and it reflects well on those two men that they had the courage to stick by me in those dark days.

Martin would have received plenty of angry letters demanding that I be cast aside. Winning the FA Cup allowed us breathing space and deepened my sense that this was a wonderful club with which to win trophies. To win the FA Cup at Wembley made the good times roll. West Bromwich Albion 5 Manchester United 5. If you were on your way to watch Manchester United you were in for goals and drama.

Your heart was in for a test. I could have no complaints about us throwing away a 5—2 lead against West Brom within nine minutes. I still went through the motions of expressing my annoyance but the players could see right through it. My work was done. It was one of those days that unfold like a dream. West Brom handled it with real class and looked after me perfectly.

Later they sent me the team-sheets signed by both sets of players. Most of my family were with me: three sons, eight grandchildren and one or two close friends. It was a joy to me to have them there, and for us all to experience this final instalment together. Our family marched out as one. It was not hard for me to let go because I knew the time was right.

The night before the game the players let it be known that they wanted to make a presentation to mark my retirement. Their most special gift was a beautiful Rolex from the year I was born, with the time set at 3. They also handed me a book of photographs encapsulating my time at United, with the grandchildren and family on the centre-spread.

Rio Ferdinand, a watch enthusiast, was behind the main gift idea. Some had known no other manager but me. There was still one game to play and I wanted it to be handled properly. We were three—nil up within half an hour but West Brom were in no mood to give me an easy send-off. John Sivebaek scored the first United goal of my time in charge, on 22 November At 5—2 to us it could have finished 20—2 in our favour.

At 5—5 we might have lost 20—5. Defensively we were a shambles. West Brom scored three goals in five minutes, with Romelu Lukaku running up a hat-trick. Despite the late avalanche on our goal, it was all light-hearted in the dressing room. Giggsy pushed me forward and all the players held back. I was alone in front of a mosaic of happy faces.

Our fans spent the entire day singing and chanting and bouncing. I would love to have won 5—2 but in a way 5—5 was a fitting signoff. It was the first 5—5 draw in Premier League history and the first of my career: one last slice of history in my final 90 minutes. Back in Manchester a deluge of post landed in my office. Another present arrived from Ajax and one from Edwin van der Sar.

Lyn, my P. For the home game against Swansea City the previous weekend, my last at Old Trafford, I had no idea what to expect, beyond a guard of honour. By then we were at the end of an intense week of telling family, friends, players and staff that I had chosen to move on to a new phase of my life. The seeds of my decision to step down had been planted in the winter of It would be a great ending.

Her take was that if I wanted to do other things with my life I would still be young enough. Contractually I was obliged to notify the club by 31 March if I was going to stand down that summer. By coincidence David Gill had called me one Sunday in February and asked if he could come to see me at home. A Sunday afternoon? And I told him that I had reached the same decision.

In the days that followed, David rang to tell me to expect a call from the Glazers. When it came I assured Joel Glazer that my decision had nothing to do with David relinquishing day-to-day control. My mind had been made up over Christmas, I told him. I explained the reasons. Cathy felt isolated. Joel understood. We agreed to meet in New York, where he tried to talk me out of retiring.

I told him I appreciated the effort he was making and thanked him for his support.

Alex ferguson biography pdf directory

He expressed his gratitude for all my work. With no prospect of a change in my thinking, the discussion turned to who might replace me. There was a unanimous agreement — David Moyes was the man. David came over to the house to discuss his potential availability. It was important to the Glazers that there was no long period of speculation when my retirement became official.

They wanted the new man in place within days. A lot of Scots have a dourness about them: a strong will. When they leave Scotland it tends to be for one reason only. To be successful. They move away to better themselves. You see it all over the world, in America and Canada especially. Leaving the homeland creates a certain resolution.

The Scottish dourness others talk about sometimes applied to me as well. David Moyes is not short of wit. I knew his family background. His father was a coach at Drumchapel, where I played as a lad. David Moyes senior. They have a good family feel about them. I left Drumchapel in when David senior would have been a young boy, so there was no direct crossover, but I knew their story.

The Glazers liked David. Right away they were impressed by him. The first point they will have noticed is that he is a straight-talker. After 27 years as manager, why would I want to involve myself on the football side? This was my time to leave that part of my life behind. Equally David would have no trouble embracing our traditions. He was a fine judge of talent and laid on some marvellous football at Everton when he was allowed to sign a higher class of player.

I told myself I would have no regrets about retiring. But I was busy from the moment I stepped aside, taking on projects in America and beyond. There was no risk of me lapsing into idleness. I was looking for new challenges. One great difficulty, in the days around the announcement, was telling the staff at Carrington, our training ground. I felt a real jab of sentiment.

Rumours had begun circulating the day before the official statement. At that point I had still to tell my brother Martin. It was a difficult process to manage, especially from the New York Stock Exchange point of view, so the partial leaking of the news compromised me in relation to some of the people I wanted to confide in. On the Wednesday morning, 8 May, I had all the football staff in the video analysis room, the main staff in the canteen and the players in their dressing room.

The moment I walked into the dressing room to tell the squad we made the announcement via the club website. No mobile phones were allowed. With the rumours, though, they knew something big was coming. Also, I want to go out a winner. And everyone knew that. It was part of the plan. Then I went upstairs to the football staff and told them.

They all applauded. Of the two main groups the players were the more dumbstruck. Will I still be here next season? I had decided in advance to go straight home because I knew there would be a seismic reaction in the media. At home I locked myself in. Jason, my lawyer and Lyn sent texts simultaneously at the point the announcement was made.

Lyn would have been sending texts consecutively for 15 minutes. Apparently 38 newspapers in the world carried the news on the front page, including the New York Times. There were and page supplements in the British papers. The range and depth of that coverage was flattering. I had my run-ins with the written press down the years but I never held grudges.

I know journalists are under a lot of pressure. They have to try to beat television, the internet, Facebook, Twitter, many things, and they may have an editor on top of them all the time. The coverage proved also that the media held no grudges against me, despite all our conflicts. They recognised the value of my career and what I had brought to press conferences.

They even made a presentation: a cake with a hairdryer on top and a lovely bottle of wine. It was well received. We won it the way we did so many of the matches in which my teams prevailed: with a late goal, in the 87th minute, from Rio Ferdinand. My speech on the pitch was all off the cuff. I had no script. All I knew was that I was not going to praise any individual.

It was not about the directors, the supporters or the players: it was about Manchester United Football Club. I urged the crowd to get behind the next manager, David Moyes. All my staff stood by me. The players stood by me. So your job now is to stand by our new manager. That is important. The club has to keep on winning. That was the wish that bound us all.

I want the success to go on as much as anyone. Now I can enjoy games the way Bobby Charlton has been able to since he retired. He loves it. I want that. In the event I found myself picking out Paul Scholes. Paul was retiring as well. I also wished Darren Fletcher all the best in his recovery from a colonic illness, which few picked up on. Typical Ferguson, the author wrote.

I enjoyed that piece. That was how I saw my time in charge of United and I was proud to see it described that way. I told him that if he kept my staff I would be delighted, but it was not for me to interfere or prevent him bringing in his own assistants. Jimmy Lumsden had been with David a long time. I knew him from my Glasgow days. Jimmy was born about a mile from me, in the next district along from Govan.

He is a good wee lad and a fine football man. It was just a disappointment that good men lost their jobs, which happens in football. But it was handled well. I told the three of them how sorry I was that they would not be staying. Mick, who was with me for 20 years, told me I had nothing to apologise for, and thanked me for all the great times we had shared together.

As I looked back I focused not only on the triumphs but also the defeats. And two European Cup finals to Barcelona. That is part of the tapestry of Manchester United too: the recovery. I always kept in mind that it was not all victories and open-top parades. They were a special group of lads. Losing football matches at Manchester United resonates with you.

Mulling it over for a while and then carrying on in the same old way was never an option for me. When you lose a final it affects you deeply, especially if you have 23 shots on goal and the opposition have two, or you end up losing a penalty shoot-out. It was an asset for me to be able to make quick calculations when it would have been easier just to be disheartened.

Sometimes defeats are the best outcomes. To react to adversity is a quality. Even in your lowest periods you are showing strength. In other words fighting back was part of our existence. If you are lackadaisical about defeats you can be sure there will be more to come. Often we would drop two points in a game by the opposition equalising with the last kick of the ball and then go on a six- or seven-game winning run.

It was no coincidence. You promised me entertainment. I did not get entertainment on Sunday. Is there any club in the world that can give you more heart-stopping moments than Manchester United? You could finish up in the Manchester Royal Infirmary. I hope no one will disagree when I say: nobody was short-changed. It was never dull. HE That optimism served me well through 39 years in football management.

Over that time, from East Stirlingshire for four brief months in , to Manchester United in , I saw beyond adversity to the success on the other side. The act of controlling vast change year after year was sustained by a belief that we would prevail over any challenger. Origins should never be a barrier to success. A modest start in life can be a help more than a hindrance.

On the contrary, often it was part of the reason they excelled. I have a letter on file from a chap who said that in —60 he worked in the dry docks in Govan and used to visit a particular pub.