Top 5 : Fergie Fallouts

Sir Alex Ferguson is not only known for his management and tactics, but also for fallouts with his own players. From Roy Keane to Beckham, here are the top 5 players who crossed tridents with Ferguson.

5. Roy Keane

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This hot tempered Ireland player was the captain of Ferguson’s squad at that time. He was always an example of determination, and was the manager’s guide on the field. He was also never afraid to speak his mind, which was the ultimate reason that led to him leaving the Manchester club in 2005 after spending 12 glorious years at Old Trafford. He had an argument with Ferguson about the standards of a pre-season training camp in Portugal. He even admitted on air that he will consider playing elsewhere and publicly criticized his team-mates.

He then had a series of ‘bust ups’ with Ferguson that included a public rant on MUTV after their 4-1 defeat against Middlesbrough. He made comments on his own team-mates Rio Ferdinand, John O’Shea, Alan Smith, Kieran Richardson and Darren Fletcher. He was given a 5 match ban for firing those comments. The interview was never published by the club. In the end he left the club by mutual consent.

Outcome: Two weeks after his wrath, Keane was allowed to join Celtic

4. David Beckham

Beckham was certainly a hard working player and has all the qualities of a top player. His fallout with Ferguson started when he married the pop star ‘Posh Spice’ aka Victoria. He then lived a life of a celebrity which was well hated by Ferguson, because it affected his performance in the matches. It reached its boiling point in February 2003 when Beckham faced Ferguson’s wrath after a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The manager was so furious that he kicked a boot, which flew into Beckham’s face, just above his eyebrows. Besides that, in his autobiography ‘My Side’, Beckham candidly said ‘The gaffer had enough. I’ve grown up as a person and he didn’t seem to like what I have become.’

Outcome: Beckham was allowed to join Real Madrid for 24 million pounds.

3. Japp Stam

Stam was always a standout performer in the Manchester United team which won the treble in 1999. After arriving for £10.6 million pounds from PSV Eindhoven in July 1998, Stam’s physical attributes helped him to establish himself as a perfect central defender. He was the base for Manchester United’s 3 consecutive league titles. In the Dutchman’s autobiography ‘Head to Head’, Stam admitted that he was approached by Manchester United in 1998 without permission from his club PSV Eindhoven. He also criticized a few United players. Ferguson immediately sold him to Lazio. Four years back, however Ferguson admitted that Stam’s clumsy diplomacy had nothing to do with his departure. ‘At the time he had just come back from an achilles injury. and we thought he has just lost a little bit.We got offer from Lazio.The amount they offered for a 29 year old defender was an offer that I couldn’t refuse.’

Outcome:Fergie sold Stam to Lazio for £16.5m.

2. Ruud van Nistlerooy

Nistelrooy was worshiped by fans after recording a remarkable 150 goals in 219 appearances for Manchester United. But then, he had a dispute with Cristiano Ronalaldo in the training ground. Ferguson then started to leave him out of the first team in the Carling Cup final, 2006 against Wigan. When Van Nistelrooy got to know that he will not be playing even as a substitute, he shouted at Ferguson from the substitutes’ bench. Other than that, he found himself on the bench against Charlton for the final game game of the 2005/2006 season. When asked about the decision, Ferguson said, ‘There have been a couple of issues during the week that concerned us in terms of the spirit of the club’ .That summer, he was sold to Real Madrid.

Outcome:After spending five years in United, Nistelrooy was sold to Real Madrid for £11m in July 2006.

1. Carlos Tevez

Tevez was already regarded as a legend among Manchester United faithful at the time, who admired him for his pace and quality of goals. But then, he went on to the blue side of the city when he claimed that United dragged his contract talks over a permanent deal.Ferguson replied back that Tevez had ignored his texts about sorting a deal soon. By then his relationship with Ferguson was fractured beyond repair. He ended up in Eastlands in the end.

Outcome: Tevez signed a five year contract with Manchester city for an unknown fee, after a medical on 14 July 2009.