#4 Sir Alex Ferguson
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Since the Scott bid farewell to his beloved Red Devils in 2013, Manchester United have struggled to maintain the sensational success that was so commonplace during Ferguson’s reign, spending big, going through managers like running water and, ultimately, failing to emulate their former heroics.
Ferguson’s success arose from great man management, tactical genius and a raw hatred of failure. In his career with United, Ferguson transformed the club from one of mediocrity in the the mid-1980s to a team that hoovered up trophies, including thirteen Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns. Arguably the most Romantic aspect of Ferguson’s glittering career was how he sought success on the biggest stage imaginable, instilling a group of massive egos with the aggression, determination and physicality of lower league Scottish football. He was a humble, down-to-earth, globally renowned success and this paradox is what makes his legacy so important to football today.
From Fergie time to hairdryer treatment, many managers would claim to use Ferguson’s philosophy as a template for their own success and why not? Every game he led his side into was a ‘must-win’. He bought well and ensured teams gelled together and, in Ferguson’s eyes, there is so much more to management than merely setting up a few cones on a cold Monday morning and picking the team on a Saturday.
