Sir Alex Ferguson: A Tribute...

25 and proud. Congrats Sir Alex!

Greatness they say is rare. Everyone wants to be great some way or the other. Everyone tries, most of them fail. Only a few people achieve true greatness. One such person is  Glasgow native, Alexander Chapman Ferguson, known better as Sir Alex Ferguson.

If completing twenty-five years in management is an achievement, completing twenty-five years at one club is even bigger. That’s what the modern world commemorates today. November 6^th, the date will forever be in the hearts of Red Devils around the world. The day the great man first said yes to Manchester United, the day the ball was set rolling. Today, that same man has a stand named after him at Old Trafford. Such is the respect people have for him in England and beyond. Ferguson inherited a dispirited team of underachievers who had consistently, to their supporters’ discontent, failed to break Liverpool’s domination. They were stuck in the bottom four of the Division. Without resorting to the transfer market, Ferguson guided United up the table to an 11th place finish: the first of many successes with United.

This first trophy came but not before a Mark Robin’s goal, which is widely remembered as the goal that "saved Alex Ferguson's job" in 1990. The European Cup Winners’ Cup was won the following season in Rotterdam; Barcelona was defeated 2-1 thanks to a brace from Mark Hughes. Then, in 1991/92, the League Cup was added to United’s list of honours. Sadly the title remained elusive. It was the Holy Grail to United fans, the 26 championships-free years being exacerbated by Liverpool’s dominance of the domestic and European game. It was a modest £1 million that was chiefly responsible for United winning their first league title – Eric Cantona was the player. That league victory inspired many more and the Ferguson won several trophies with ‘kids’, contradicting what former Liverpool legend Alan Hansen had once said about his decision.

Ferguson’s greatest achievement however was the Champions League Final in 1999. I don’t think I need to tell you people what happened then, its history and it will never occur again. Such was the drama and the emotions that Ferguson was knighted following that success and some suggested that he should retire, believing his desire would wane following the realisation of a dream. But that was not to be. Titles followed as United tightened the screws on football in England.

Though there have been several dark moments in the Ferguson era at Old Trafford (the humiliating defeat to Man City being the most recent one), United have always stood tall. Guided by a sprightly fatherly figure, they knocked Liverpool off their perch which Ferguson said they would do back in 2002: "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." Those were his exact words a decade ago.

Today, Sir Alex set his eyes on the “Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.” Only he knows what went through his mind that moment. A flashback perhaps? No one but he knows. 1.409 games in charge of Manchester United so far, a feat no one will come close to matching. Even Arsenal’s great manager Arsene Wenger (who is the second longest serving manager in England with fifteen years at Arsenal) doesn’t feel he will come close to Ferguson’s feat. Only time will tell. “He talks of the drive that enables him, not far off turning 70, to get by with such an unfeasible lack of sleep: in bed by midnight, into Carrington before sunrise. Then he breaks off from the questions and directs his audience to the photographs on the walls before offering the most illuminating insight into why he does not want to let go so easily.”

Phillip Jackson will erect a statue for Sir Alex: it’s a fitting tribute for a man who says he has five years left in him. Such dedication in the modern game is rare. It’ll be quite something to enter Old Trafford and see statues of two true great managers: Ferguson and the late Sir Matt Busby. I end with nothing but praise for Sir Alex. Greatness is something he achieved and will continue to achieve. It’ll be a sad day when he finally calls it a day. I wouldn’t want to be the manager to replace Ferguson: the pressure would be immense. There is just one way I can think of summarizing the Ferguson dynasty at Old Trafford:

“Football, Bloody Hell!”

Remembered Forever! The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand at Old Trafford.

Image Credit: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/373942_303276363017728_100000060998228_1324397_1781472427_n.jpg (Ferguson Stand)
http://s1-02.twitpicproxy.com/photos/large/415961881.jpg (Mosaic)
Ferguson Quote: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/nov/04/manchester-united-sir-alex-ferguson?newsfeed=true
Video Credit: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150388443388485