The Guv'nor from Govan: The departure of Sir Alex Ferguson

The Guv’nor from Govan: Sir Alex Ferguson (Getty Images)

Football, bloody hell.

For 27 years, the gaffer graced the Theatre of Dreams, silently chewing through a piece of gum as stubborn as his mentality, watching game after game unfold in front of his eyes. His early years were wrought with disappointment and many called for his head on the day Manchester United lined-up to face Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup.

Mark Robins scored the only game of the game and the reign of Alex Ferguson officially began.

United went on to win the FA Cup that year and two years later clinched their first Premier league title in over 20 years. Many will remember that year as the year Steve Bruce scored two against Sheffield in the dying minutes, to stage a remarkable comeback, something that has become a trademark in the culture of Manchester United.

Whilst joining United, Ferguson was quoted saying that he moved to Manchester to “knock Liverpool off their perch.”

27 years later, United sit with 20 league titles compared to Liverpool’s 18 and that infamous banner that read “Comeback when you’ve won 18? has long since been put to bed.

Rain clouds over Old Trafford on the day Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement as club manager on May 8, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)

In the years Sir Alex has spent as manager of Manchester United, clubs in the English Premier League have seen countless managers come and go. He has watched as titans of the game such as Leeds United fell to depths unimaginable to their supporters when they were in their prime. He has weathered the storm, and as always, he has come out on top.

Gambles have played a significant part in the reign of the Glaswegian. They haven’t always paid dividends (Bebe, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Juan Sebastian Veron to name a few), but when they have, they’ve paid off handsomely.

In the summer of ’94, Manchester United was in the middle of a massive clearout with the likes of Bruce and Mark Hughes exiting the club’s doors. Others would’ve looked outside the club for options, but not Fergie. He saw something in the youth players, that let him take the biggest gamble of his career.

And thus, the class of ’92 was written into the history books.

From it emerged, the ageless Ryan Giggs, the deadly Paul Scholes, the Neville Brothers – Phil and Gary, Nicky Butt, Robbie Savage and not to forget the brand that is David Beckham. All of them went on to establish a name for themselves in the game, if not for the same club.

It was also the year that United lost the opening game of the season against Aston Villa to which Alan Hansen famously remarked, “You can’t win anything with kids.”

So Fergie turned to Eric Cantona.

You can’t win anything with kids: Sir Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes of Manchester United recreate the famous Class of ’92 photo from 1992 ahead of Gary Neville’s testimonial. (Getty Images)

Cantona was the footballing equivalent of Qui-Gon Jinn, leading the young team through various trials, emerging as winners more often than not. When he left, United were a force to be reckoned with, not only in England, but all over Europe. That team possessed a leader par excellence in the form of Roy Keane, the hawk-eye precision passing of Scholes, the sheer pace of Giggs and Beckham on the wing, supported by the Neville brothers on either side along with Denis Irwin. And up front a deadly partnership between Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke.

And who could ever forget the baby faced assassin Ole Solskjaer?

The season of 1999 saw Manchester United become the only English team to clinch the Holy Grail that was The Treble. Throughout the season, United pulled themselves back from the brink, making astonishing comebacks to win games. Fans will point out games against Liverpool and that game against Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp as examples, but let’s not forget the game against Juventus that saw them rescue a game from 2-0 down to win 3-2, thanks to the brilliance of Sir A, and the performance of the original Captain Fantastic, Keane that saw him miss the final. But it was enough. United went onto clinch the Champions League in dramatic fashion, scoring twice in the dying minutes via Teddy Sheringham and Solsjkaer. Pictures of Ferguson going mental down on the touchline were forever etched in the memory of United fans, as Peter Schmeichel lifted the trophy after 40 years, with tears streaming down his face.

United’s dominance continued, even though they went through a change in personal in the team. Cole, Yorke, Schmeichel and Beckham all left the club as Le Profeseur’s Arsenal slowly began to grow in stature. Not that it mattered to Sir Alex. He knew he was short in the striker’s department and waited patiently for over a year for a man named Ruud van Nistelrooy to overcome his injury.

Treble Winners: Manchester United with manager Alex Ferguson celebrate with the trophy following their dramatic win over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final. (Getty Images)

150 goals in six years for the club. The swivel and that the thunderous volley. Sir Alex had pulled off a wonderful master stroke, yet again.

But on the wing, United were having serious problems. With the departure of Beckham, Ferguson turned to a young boy from Madeira who at the time was plying his trade for Sporting Lisbon. Arsenal were hovering over the player, but Ferguson swooped in quickly. The 17-year-old wanted the number 28 shirt. But Sir Alex insisted he wore the legendary no. 7. . Selfish, skilful but no end product. That’s how he was best described but Ferguson believed in him.

Every Real Madrid fan today should thank Sir Alex for the phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the year following the signing of Ronaldo, Ferguson prized another 17-year-old from Everton called Wayne Rooney.

Despite their altercation in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the pair were close friends and that translated onto the football pitch much like Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. Their link-up play was almost telepathic with Wayne helping Cristiano reach the 40 goal mark in the 2007-2008 season, drawing comparisons with the legendary George Best. Ferguson signed Carlos Tevez, the hardworking Owen Hargreaves in the coming years; players who have all since left the club for varied reasons. United went on to win the title and the Champions League on penalties against Chelsea on a Red night in Russia in 2008 after an impressive campaign in Europe, with Edwin van der Sar establishing himself as one of the greatest goalkeepers United have ever had.

Father Figure: Cristiano Ronaldo (R) of Real Madrid embraces Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, at the end of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 13, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Getty Images)

Ronaldo left in the year 2009 for a whopping fee of 80 million, and Ferguson just as he always did, began to rebuild. He signed Michael Owen on a free transfer, who wrote himself into United lore with that late, late winner against Manchester City in the derby. Injuries plagued his career at Old Trafford, just as it had throughout his career, so Sir Alex looked for further alternatives as United narrowly missed out on the title to Chelsea and the following season. Sir Alex brought in a little known Mexican named Javier Hernandez. The striker went onto score 20+ goals in his debut season, helping United win that coveted 19th League title, finally knocking Liverpool off their perch. Cries of “Are you watching Merseyside” rang throughout Old Trafford as Ferguson and side lifted the trophy that established them as the most successful English club.

Ferguson has had his fair share of rivals throughout the years and he has seemingly dispatched them with unerring efficiency. Be it Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger or the erratic Jose Mourinho, Rafa Benitez, and the more recently Roberto Mancini, Ferguson has emerged from the scrap with a couple of battle scars, but ultimately a winner. Even after losing the league to that wonderful goal from Sergio Aguero last year, Ferguson refused to give up. He went back during the summer and pulled Robin van Persie out of Arsenal and from under Mancini’s nose.

The Dutchman has now scored 24 goals this season, including that dramatic winner at the Etihad in December, and is almost guaranteed the Golden Boot thanks to the rather peculiar appetite of Liverpool’s Luis Suarez.

Sir Alex still continues to defy critics with his selection. A year ago David De Gea was unsuited for English football. He made the PFA Team of the Year this year. Michael Carrick was considered overrated. Now comparisons are being drawn with Paul Scholes. Young Rafael Da Silva, who’s temperament was called into question, has now established himself alongside Pablo Zabaleta as one of the best right-backs in the English League.

Knocking them off their perch: Sir Alex Ferguson takes a bow after securing a record 19th title in 2011. Getty Images)

The 20th title is coming to Old Trafford, but as of the morning of May the 8th, 2013, it would not be as happy an affair as it should be. The announcement of Sir Alex’s retirement from the world of football is still sending shockwaves through all forms of media, leaving fans and players, both current and former in tears.

David Moyes has been personally hand-picked to succeed Ferguson as he prepares to take his seat next to Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley as one of the greatest managers in the world, let alone The British Isles, to have ever graced the game.

On a personal note, I don’t want a Moyes or any other manager at Old Trafford. I want Sir Alex to stay, for there is no one who could ever fill his shoes.

Because, he is Sir Alex Ferguson. He is Manchester United.