Sir Alex Ferguson, 25 years young and counting: A compilation

Twenty Five years, twenty five bloody years!

6th of November 1986, when Sir Alexander Chapman “Alex” Ferguson took over 2nd from bottom placed Manchester United. Rest they indeed say is history.

Here’s a few things we tried to sum up which was trust me, which was a Herculean task:

1986: Takes over from Ron Atkinson as United’s manager from Aberdeen. Loses his first match 2-0 to Oxford United.

1989: “Three years of excuses and it’s still crap … ta-ra Fergie” : A banner at Old Trafford.

1990: Wins his first FA Cup.

1991: Ryan Giggs makes debut for United. Rest is history.Sir Alex on Ryan Giggs: “I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.”

1992: Signs Eric Cantona from bitter rivals Leeds United for £1.2m. Rest is history.

1993: United win their first Premier League in 26 years. Ferguson receives the first Premier League manager of the month award.

1994: Ferguson wins his first league and Cup double in English football.

“Come back when you’ve won 18″: A Liverpool banner at Anfield. Rest is history.

1995: “You can’t win anything with kids.” ranted Alan Hansen. Fergie’s Fledgings came up and delivered. Enough said.

1999: The treble. Premier League, FA Cup and his first European Cup, United’s second.

“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”. : Alex Ferguson’s half time team talk during the 1999 European Cup Final.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Football. Bloody hell.”: Fergie, after the European Cup final.

FA Cup semi-final win: The famous and memorable Ryan Giggs run from the half line to score against Arsenal.

Same year, just like Sir Matt Busby, he was knighted for his services to football just after the European cup triumph.

2002: Signs a new contract extension of 3 years despite claiming retirement. HUNGER!“My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their fucking perch. And you can print that.” responds to Alan Hansen questioning Sir Alex Ferguson’s future as Manchester United manager in September 2002 in the Guardian.

2003: Notable Hairdryer treatment gets ugly. Throws a boot at David Beckham, gets 3 stitches over his eye.“Just fucking patch him up” to a club physio after the incident.

“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!” to the media after the incident.

Note: We won’t even try to defend Sir Alex, but what you do when players themselves have no remorse of what happened. Beckham for example claimed just the day before that Fergie is a father figure for him. Sigh!

The same year, sells the prolific Beckham and signs 18 year old Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon.

2005: The Glazer family buy Manchester United. Ferguson is criticised by some fans, for being seen to endorse the takeover.Following a 4-1 defeat by Middlesbrough, the inspirational captain Roy Keane takes several team?mates to task in an interview with MUTV. The Irishman leaves the club two weeks later. But Alas! No remorse either side. Still they maintain a healthy and decent relationship.

On Roy Keane after the European Cup semi-final in the 1999: “I don’t think I could have a higher opinion of any footballer than I already had of the Irishman, but he rose even further in my estimation at the Stadio Delle Alpi. The minute he was booked and out of the final he seemed to redouble his efforts to get the team there. It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player.”

2008: United win the Premier League and 2nd Champions League trophy under Sir Alex. A double!

2009: Equals Liverpool’s record of 18 Premier League titles.

And needless to say, United fans went berserk, and returned the favor with a fitting banner.

2010: Ferguson breaks Sir Matt Busby’s record and becomes the longest?serving Manchester United manager.

“I’m privileged to have followed Sir Matt because all you have to do is to try and maintain the standards that he set so many years ago.” after the achievement.

2011: Finally knocks off Liverpool of their perch. 19 league titles. Who would have thought.. And gave the fans to visit Anfield holding their heads high.

Of course, United fans had already shown the banners a number of times at Anfield by now.

Meanwhile, today he’s busy making Fergie’s Fledgings 2.0 with youngsters in the ranks like Hernandez, Jones, Welbeck, Cleverly, Anderson to name a few. Time will tell..

Here’s a slideshow of the great man over the years(in pics): In order 1986 onwards left to right from the top row.

OTHER MEMORABLE QUOTES:

“What the fuck are you lot playing at? That is the biggest load of shite I’ve ever seen. Not one of you can look me in the eye, because not one of you deserves to have a say. I can’t believe you’ve come here and decided to toss it off like that crap you’re playing out there.” : Half-time at Sheffield Wednesday, 1998.

“Sometimes we can get too emotional as a club with things that are happening. But we’re both of a common denominator – we don’t want the club to be in anyone else’s hands.”

“I have always tried to be the bridge between the club and the fans and I have tried to support the fans in a lot of their pleas and causes.”

On Arsene Wenger: “They say he’s an intelligent man, right? Speaks five languages! I’ve got a 15-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast who speaks five languages!”

On Rafael Benítez, reacting to the Spaniard’s infamous ‘facts’ press conference “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.”

On Jose Mourinho: “He was certainly full of it, calling me Boss and Big Man when we had our post-match drink after the first leg. But it would help if his greetings were accompanied by a decent glass of wine. What he gave me was paint-stripper.”

On David Beckham: “David Beckham is Britain’s finest striker of a football not because of God-given talent but because he practises with a relentless application that the vast majority of less gifted players wouldn’t contemplate.”

On Peter Schmeichel: “At his best, I don’t believe a better goalkeeper than Peter Schmeichel has played the game. He is a giant figure in the history of Manchester United and our debt to him will never be forgotten.”

On Wayne Rooney: “When we signed him at 18, everyone said ‘what will he be like at 21?’ Now he’s 21, people are saying ‘what will he be like at 25?’ It was always destined to be that way”

On Cristiano Ronaldo: “I bet him he wouldn’t get 15 league goals and I’m going to have to change my bet with him. If he gets to 15 I can change it and I am allowed to do that because I’m the manager. I’m going to make it 150 now”

We might have missed many, like on other notable players, other managers, the FA, FIFA etc which tickles you. But as we said, a Herculean task.

IN NUMBERS:

37 major trophies.12 Premier League titles.2 Champions League titles.5 FA Cups.4 League Cups.10 Community Shields.1 each of UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup.45 United’s longest unbeaten run in all competitions.9-0 Manchester United’s biggest win under Ferguson, against Ipswich Town at Old Trafford in 1995.1-6 Ferguson’s heaviest defeat, a few weeks ago at home to Manchester City.17 Games missed by Ferguson due to touchline bans.7 Years without giving interviews to the BBC after a controversial Panorama investigation into his son Jason.26 Premier League manager of the month awards.10 Premier League manager of the year awards.

Last but not the least, 25 glorious years.

His mission was to knock Liverpool, he did. Two Champions League defeats to Barcelona hurts. Manchester City’s fire power is to be noticed after that 1-6 humiliating defeat. Retirement? No way. In his own words, “I’ll leave a legacy of players who will continue to perform at United even when I go.”

With that, we wish Sir Alex A Very Happy 25 years and wish for another 25 years.

With love and respect, Manchester United fans indebted to you.

Pictures courtesy: hamishbrown.com, dailymail.co.uk and of course google.com