Alex Ferguson My Autobiography
Read Alex Ferguson My Autobiography Online
Authors: Alex Ferguson
SIR ALEX FERGUSON
Sir Alex Ferguson was born in 1941 in Govan, Scotland. A goal-scoring centre-forward, he was later transferred to Rangers, the club he supported from boyhood, for a Scottish record fee of £65,000.
Entering management in 1974, he served East Stirlingshire and St Mirren before guiding Aberdeen to victory in the 1982–83 Cup Winners’ Cup. Arriving at Manchester United in 1986, he brought them 38 trophies, including the Club World Cup, two Champions Leagues, 13 Premier Leagues and five FA Cups. His overall haul of 49 trophies made him the most successful British manager of all time.
Knighted in 1999, Sir Alex announced his retirement in 2013, when United were again crowned Premier League champions. At the age of 71, he continues to serve United as a director.
PAUL HAYWARD
Paul Hayward is the
Daily Telegraph’
s Chief Sports Writer. He was twice named Sports Writer of the Year in the British Press Awards and is the current Sports Journalist of the Year in the Sports Journalists’ Association (SJA) category. He has covered most of the world’s major sporting events. In 2004 he co-wrote the autobiography of the footballer Michael Owen and a year later worked with Sir Bobby Robson on his life story,
Farewell but not Goodbye
.
First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton
An Hachette UK company
Copyright © Sir Alex Ferguson 2013
The right of Sir Alex Ferguson to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
ISBN 9781848948631
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
338 Euston Road
London NW1 3BH
To Bridget,
Cathy’s sister, rock and best friend
T
HERE
are a number of people I want to thank for their help in putting together this book.
Firstly, I must pay tribute to Roddy Bloomfield, my editor, and his assistant Kate Miles. Roddy’s wealth of experience, along with his support, was a godsend throughout. Combined with Kate’s diligence, they make a formidable team.
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.
S
EVERAL
years ago I began gathering my thoughts for this book, making notes in the spare time my job allowed 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 a lifetime’s journey in football, you will have dips, lows, defeats and disappointments. 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. Some people walk into a room and don’t notice anything. Use your eyes; it’s all out there. I used this skill in my assessment of players’ training habits, moods and behaviour patterns.
Of course I’ll miss the banter of the dressing room and all my opponents in management: those wonderful characters of the old school who were the greats of the game when I came down to United in 1986. 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. My first encounter with Bobby Robson was in 1981 when Aberdeen knocked out Ipswich in the UEFA Cup. Bobby came into our dressing room and shook every player’s hand. 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. I mean big Joe Royle. Oldham gave us some scary moments. Yes, I’ll miss all that. 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. My P
.
A. Lyn Laffin, has followed me into retirement and is still my P
.
A., in my new office; Les Kershaw, Dave Bushell, Tony Whelan and Paul McGuinness. 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. There are maybe one or two I’ve missed, but I’m sure they know I respected them all.
Assistants and coaches helped me greatly down the years. Archie Knox, a real ally to me in my early years, Brian Kidd, Nobby Stiles, Eric Harrison, a truly wonderful youth coach.
Steve McClaren, a very innovative and energetic coach. Carl
os Queiroz and René Meulensteen – two magnificent coaches – and my assistant manager, Mick Phelan, a really shrewd, observant, true football man.
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.