The man behind the greatness

While we did not have the breathtaking finish of the 2011-2012 championship, there was an air of privilege in watching arguably the greatest manager of all time take charge of his final game.

A modest Ferguson had stated earlier in the week that he was surprised that Manchester United’s 20^th league title had been greeted by even wilder celebrations than the historic treble of 1999. The truth is, everyone in Manchester, whether red or blue would do anything to have one last glimpse at the man that helped make their rainy city the new capital of English football.

His drive for success especially earlier in his Old Trafford career gave an impression of a reign of terror that saw some star players that did not wholeheartedly buy into Ferguson’s philosophy unceremoniously kicked out. He was renowned for the “hairdryer treatment” dished out to players and yet many describe him as the father figure they leaned on for professional and personal advice. While his approach divided opinion, he succeeded in driving home the fact that no one was bigger than the club.

Sometimes considered arrogant for confronting referees or making strong statements against what he considered contentious decisions, it is probably of little surprise that Ferguson is very politically influential. His involvement with the labor party is well documented and he has been a major activist against policy that looked to bar Scots that lived elsewhere in UK from voting during Scottish elections. How ironic that failure to make a statement in the face of controversial refereeing that cost his side the most important game of his final season (against Real Madrid) would be his last personal penalty in football.

Ferguson’s passion and strong will were not restricted to just football and politics. Now that he is retired from football management, Ferguson will probably spend a lot of time in a hobby that nearly cost him his job in 2004. A bitter row with major United shareholder, John Magnier, over the ownership of racehorse Rock of Gibraltar demonstrated how hard Ferguson can be to crack.

A young 45-year old Ferguson was the fifth manager hired to try and replicate the glory days of Matt Busby. Ferguson’s self-belief was highlighted when on his appointment he had the audacity to declare that Manchester United would knock the mighty Liverpool off their perch. The cheering voices in the crowd would hardly have expected United to claw back a deficit of nine league titles during their lifetime especially when Liverpool won two additional titles before Ferguson won his first for United.

Ferguson is a great motivator with a unique ability to transfer his belief to his troops. A hallmark of Ferguson’s teams over the years has been their belief and fight to the very end of matches. This was epitomized by the club’s most famous victory with two stoppage time goals against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final to deliver Britain’s only golden treble.

Success for Ferguson at United did not come instantly and it is widely reported that he was on the verge of being sacked in 1989 when his side finished just outside the relegation places. Fergie, as he is fondly called, had spent three years establishing an infrastructure and changing a club culture that would fortunately for him deliver his first trophy during the next year. This patience and attention to detail would offer great success for several seasons to follow. How proud any surviving board members must feel for not succumbing to pressure to sack him when they see Sir Alex Ferguson 1,500 games, 26 years and 38 major titles later for United!

Perhaps his greatest strength was his humility and willingness to continuously be a student of the game. Ferguson has had a unique ability to reinvent himself and United with each challenge. From the professor at Arsenal to the billionaire owners at Chelsea and Manchester City, Ferguson consistently found a way to make United find that extra gear to get then to the promised land. At twenty league titles, United now proudly sit two above Liverpool and enjoy arguably the strongest brand in all of team sport!

Ferguson will without doubt be a great loss for the sport, but given his longevity and achievements, it is a well-deserved break. It is a tearful good bye from the multitude of fans he has established over the years but these should only be tears of great pride at an incredible job delivered by a truly great man.