Sir Alex: Draw was a travesty

26/11/2011 17:19, Report by Adam Marshall

Sir Alex Ferguson felt his Manchester United players were hugely unlucky not to take three points from the tussle with Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

The Reds went ahead through Javier Hernandez shortly after half-time but were pegged back by Demba Ba's penalty after Rio Ferdinand's tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa inside the box. Despite carving out a host of chances, the champions were unable to beat Tim Krul and his solid defence for a second time, even though the Magpies went down to ten men after Jonas Gutierrez's red card.

"It was a fantastic performance from us," said Sir Alex. "Alan Pardew said Newcastle were the better team in the first half - I don't know what game he was at! Chicharito had four clear chances and we played some great football. The second half was just an onslaught and to not get three points from that is just a travesty.

"I'm not concerned if we're playing like that. Most of the time, we'd score three or four goals in that game. Their goalkeeper made some fantastic saves, there were shots blocked, cleared off the line and we had one or two bad misses. So it's just an incredible result."

The boss was obviously upset to see referee Mike Jones point to the spot after consulting his assistant on what looked to be a clean challenge by Ferdinand in the second half.

"I think it was everyone's view [that it was a fair tackle], including the referee as he thought Rio won the ball because he gave the corner kick," explained Sir Alex. "He let the assistant referee over-rule him.

"We had a situation a few weeks ago when the linesman gave a penalty kick to Sunderland for handball [against Nemanja Vidic].

"The referee [that day] was put in a terrible quandary in between what to do as he knew fine well it wasn't a penalty and over-ruled his linesman. It's what the referee should have done today."

The manager also bemoaned the crucial touch from Michael Carrick which meant Hernandez was in an offside position as he tucked in Ryan Giggs' injury-time cross.

"We kept making chances and that's the normal pattern of these last 15-minute surges," he added. "We do get chances and usually do okay. We were unlucky with the offside as, if Michael doesn't touch it, Chicharito is onside.

"They had a few blocks and put their bodies on the line all the time. Give credit to Newcastle but we absolutely slaughtered them and we just couldn't get the result. It's disappointing in that respect but, if we play like that every week, I'll be very happy."

source : Manutd

Boss clarifies Rio's position

27/11/2011 10:36, Report by Adam Marshall

Sir Alex Ferguson has explained his recent comments regarding Rio Ferdinand and reiterated that the Manchester United defender still has another couple of good years in him.

The Reds centre-back was told he would have to adjust his game as he gets older and that led to some newspaper reports that the £30million signing from Leeds will be phased out of the firing line.

Sir Alex addressed the matter on the eve of Saturday's 1-1 draw with Newcastle United, during which Ferdinand was highly unfortunate to concede a penalty. The boss told Sunday newspaper journalists:

"I think it [the talk about Rio's United days being numbered] generally came from the media after he'd not played in certain games.

"From Rio's perspective as he's been such a great player for us, I think it was important to explain his present position and there's nothing wrong with that.

"What I said was absolute fact - he's not as quick as he was five years ago. That happens, people do lose their pace as they get older.

"But Rio is adjusting his game accordingly and has had two or three good performances since then.

"I've no issues at all with Rio, he can play for another couple of years quite easily. Of course we have to look ahead, there's nothing wrong with that, but it shouldn't mean Rio looks upon it as the end of his career. He's got a part to play with his experience and he's good in the dressing room. He's a big figure and players look up to him so that will continue."

Sir Alex echoed these sentiments in his interview with the latest edition of Inside United, which is on sale from Wednesday 30 November.

"I can clarify the situation quite simply," he stated. "Rio is 33 years old now so he's naturally going to have to adapt his game in some fashion. But he has the necessary attributes to compensate for [losing a yard of pace].

"It's not like he's a big, cumbersome oaf. Rio's a nimble, athletic and agile guy and he's still faster than most.

"He's a terrific player and he'll play many, many more games for us. He's still one of the best centre-backs in the country."

source : Manutd

Sir Alex answers midfield critics

"Everyone's saying 'go out and buy a central midfield player'. Well, I would do that if he were a Manchester United player. If we'd seen a young Bryan Robson or Roy Keane, we'd have been the first there. The possibilities of improving our team are not lost on us."

– Sir Alex Ferguson

25/11/2011 18:45, Report by James Tuck


Sir Alex Ferguson has responded strongly to criticism of United's midfield and insists he will never make knee-jerk signings aimed at strengthening his team.

In an interview with MUTV, screened on Countdown to Kick-off on Friday evening, the Reds boss was informed that the subject of central midfield had generated plenty of recent debate on the club's TV channel, with some disgruntled fans demanding new signings.

Sir Alex responded by arguing there was "no point" in rushing into the transfer market and that, in fact, the champions have coped remarkably well given the number of injuries in the squad this term, not just in midfield but also at the back.

"Criticism is fine as long as it's balanced," the manager declared. "Anderson and Tom Cleverley have been injured and those two, in particular, have tremendous potential – they’re fantastic young players. So we're missing two very important cogs in the machine.

"Darren Fletcher has had his issues and Michael Carrick has been injured a few times, so we're trying to achieve a consistent midfield operation.

"And it's not just the midfield – you've also got to look at the back four, which we've been changing all the time. We've done exceptionally well in spite of that.

"Everyone's saying 'go out and buy a central midfield player'. Well, I would do that if he were a Manchester United player. If we'd seen a young Bryan Robson or Roy Keane, we'd have been the first there. The possibilities of improving our team are not lost on us."

Sir Alex knew that replacing the retired Paul Scholes would take some time, but he has faith in his policy of promoting from within.

"When you lose a player of Scholes' brilliance, there's a 'time lapse' which allows someone to emerge from the youth or reserve team, or to come back from a loan spell," he explained.

"Cleverley was at Wigan last year and also had spells at Leicester and Watford. He gained maturity from being on loan and we have to wait on and trust that."

source : Manutd

Sir Alex supports soldiers

"We should be playing tribute to the job the soldiers do and the sacrifices they make in a big way and hopefully this donation will make a big impact.”

- Sir Alex Ferguson

18/11/2011 16:00, Report by Gemma Thompson

Sir Alex has had an extremely busy few weeks with the usual run of matches, coupled with a number of events to mark his 25th anniversary at the club.

Some of those events helped raised money for The Elizabeth Hardie Ferguson Charitable Trust Fund which was set up by the manager in memory of his late mother.

Each year funds from the Trust are donated to a charity of the boss’ choice and this year an incredible £100,000 has gone to the ABF The Soldiers' Charity, which provides support and financial assistance to serving and retired soldiers and their families.

Sir Alex told ManUtd.com he is delighted to be able to lend his support to the charity and hopes the money will go a long way to helping many of the country’s war heroes.

“It’s the most talked about issue in Britain at the moment – not only are soldiers losing their lives, a number of them are coming back from Afghanistan with all sorts of injuries,” he explained.

“You couldn’t help but feel emotional when you watched The Remembrance Service last weekend - we should be playing tribute to the job the soldiers do and the sacrifices they make in a big way, and hopefully this donation will make a big impact.”

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hackett MBE, Regional Director of Fundraising for the West Midlands office of the charity, visited Carrington this week to collect a cheque from Sir Alex and Paul Hardman, Treasure of the Trust Fund, and to thank them for their support.

“I was overwhelmed by the generosity of Sir Alex and the trustees. It’s great to know the manager is such a proud supporter of the charity,” he said.

“Last year we helped over 4,000 soldiers across the country at a cost of around £7million. By 2015 we estimate that we’ll need to make around £15m. So there’s great pressure to keep on raising funds and the donation from Sir Alex is a real godsend and something we’re extremely grateful for.”

source : Manutd

Sir Alex targets top spot

21/11/2011 11:00, Report by Mark Froggatt

Sir Alex Ferguson is setting his sights on victory over Benfica and eventually top spot in Group C as he plots to avoid Europe’s elite in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

The boss has done the maths ahead of Tuesday's Old Trafford clash and knows victory over the Portuguese giants would guarantee progress to the last 16, with only a point against FC Basel on Matchday 6 then needed to ensure qualification as section winners.

However, the United manager is wary of a potential upset and has challenged his side to make life easier by taking all six points from the two remaining games.

“We showed a bit of carelessness against Basel but we are joint top with Benfica,” Sir Alex warned. “FC Basel have got five points though so it’s still not over, if you look at all of the different scenarios we can still beat Benfica and go out.

“As stupid as it may seem, if Basel were to go and wallop Otelul Galati and then beat us, they’d be on the same points as us and could knock us out on goal difference, unless Benfica can score enough goals against Galati in their last game. If they do then we are out, so it is interesting.

“The most important thing is to qualify but it is always that little bonus if you are top because then you avoid the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Barcelona might not finish top, though, as they’ve got to go to Milan who have been doing alright.”

Inevitably, Sir Alex has kept a watchful eye over United’s Champions League rivals this season and has been particularly impressed by the efforts of Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, who currently sit three points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

Among other things, the manager is a fan of Real's work ethic and energy off the ball, as well as the individual talents of Mesut Özil and ex-Reds star Cristiano Ronaldo, whose scoring record in Spain currently stands at 104 goals in 107 appearances.

“I think Real Madrid have improved. I’ve been watching their games and they are playing really well," Sir Alex told the Sunday newspapers. "In fact, overall I’ve think they’re playing every bit as good as Barcelona and their goals have been phenomenal. They have definitely improved, there’s no question about that.

“They are fit as hell and they put some energy into their games. I think there is improvement in the boy Ozil too, he has improved a lot and Ronaldo is Ronaldo. He is phenomenal. 104 goals in 107 games is brilliant – it nearly breaks my record!”

source : Manutd

Concentration was key

"The concentration we showed today is exactly the concentration we need back in the team. We’ve tightened things up and there were some good performances by our defenders."

- Sir Alex Ferguson

19/11/2011 19:30, Report by Gemma Thompson

Sir Alex hailed his side’s concentration levels in the hard-fought victory at Swansea on Saturday and reserved special praise for Michael Carrick on his first league start of the season.

Javier Hernandez’s 11th-minute goal proved the difference in the 1-0 win, but it was the Reds’ dogged display at the back which pleased the manager, as did the impressive performance by Carrick in the centre of the field.

“Keeping clean sheets has been an integral part of our success and we have been careless with our defending,” he told MUTV.

“A few weeks ago there was genuine criticism about the defending and the chances opponents were getting. Swansea didn’t really make any chances apart from the miss they had in the first half.

“It was a solid performance and we never looked like losing the game. We were comfortable and had good possession. And when you win these games 1-0 it brings the concentration back to a good level which has been lacking. The concentration we showed today is exactly the concentration we need back in the team.

“We’ve tightened things up and there were some good performances by our defenders. And Michael Carrick was outstanding. I thought he did really well – it was a big performance from him.

“To get Michael back to that form and have the likes of Ryan [Giggs] available gives us good options. We also brought on Fabio, Fletcher and Valencia which shows you the strength of the squad – they were good changes at important times in the game.

"The squad we’ve got now is strong and I can make changes with confidence and that’s very important at this stage of the season.”

It was United’s first-ever victory at Swansea and it brought the Swans’ unbeaten home run this season to an end as well.

“They’ve got a great home record and that’s something we looked at before the game,” added Sir Alex. “They’re a good football team and they keep the ball well.

“We maybe should have done better with the chances we got towards the end of the game, but when you look at the way Swansea have been going in terms of form it was a good result.”

source : Manutd

Boss keeping Berbatov

18/11/2011 15:50, Report by James Tuck

Sir Alex has dismissed suggestions he is ready to offload Dimitar Berbatov, insisting the Bulgarian has an important part to play in United’s trophy quest.

Berbatov's starting appearances have been limited this season by the form of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck, leading to speculation that he could be sold in January.

But when asked at his Friday press conference if the 30-year-old was still in his thoughts, Sir Alex replied: "Yes. I have read some things but there is absolutely no reason for me to let him go.

"He is an outstanding footballer and it is unfortunate that the form of Chicharito over the last year has been outstanding, but he [Berbatov] plays a great role and he trains well.

"He has no complaints. He is a great professional and we are happy for him to be here."

Berbatov's contract runs out next summer and Sir Alex was asked whether he planned to activate a clause in the deal to keep him at Old Trafford for another year.

"He’s still a young man," the Reds boss responded. "You need a good number of strikers in the modern day.

"If you look back to 1999, we had four great strikers. They all played their part. That is exactly what will happen today."

source : Manutd

Boss has personal touch

11/11/2011 10:00, Report by Adam Marshall

"Just in the way he speaks with you in the team-talk, before important games he can make you feel like it’s the last game you’ll play in your life so you go out there and want to give everything you have. It’s great - you just need to be there to see it."
- Dimitar Berbatov, MUTV

Dimitar Berbatov feels Sir Alex is one of the best man-managers in the game as the boss always manages to motivate his troops.

The Bulgarian has had to make the most of his opportunities due to squad rotation this term but realises the manager is always acting in the best interests of the team with his selections.

"Every player is different," he explained to MUTV. "Some players need to be pushed and others need to be talked to separately. For me, he just needs to come to me and tell me what to expect from the game and the training ground, then it is up to me to show I can play every game.

"I cannot speak for other players, but it is always good when the manager comes to ask how you're feeling and makes you feel calm before you play the game. For me, he knows how to motivate you and how to speak with you, about football or some issues you have outside of football.

"Just in the way he speaks with you in the team-talk, before important games he can make you feel like it’s the last game you’ll play in your life so you go out there and want to give everything you have. It’s great - you just need to be there to see it."

Berbatov believes Sir Alex always has his eye on the bigger picture, even if he's keen to mix with the players and keep spirits high.

"Every time a players retires or goes to another club, he always a back-up plan on how to replace the player and build the team again," added the former Spurs striker.

"The way he treats players is unbelievable. Even when not playing or you’re injured, he's still speaking with you and encouraging. He makes you feel special and lets you know your place in the team.

"Even when we’re on the training ground or go to lunch, for example, it’s like he is one of the team - joking around and telling stories, asking quiz questions.

"He really likes the quiz questions and it's good because he relates with the players and he's really good like that."

source : Manutd

Working with Sir Alex

08/11/2011 16:07, Report by A Marshall & S Bartram

David Gill speaks to MUTV about life with Sir Alex...

As chief executive, I'm involved in all areas but the key working relationship is with the manager at any club. My relationship with Alex has developed over the years. We both have formal meetings and things like that but it's very much built on an informal working relationship, built up on trust over that period. We trust each other implicitly and I think it's been of benefit to Manchester United.

In the world of sport, where things are measured in very short time-frames, to be at one club for 25 years is obviously phenomenal. I think all the usual adjectives and superlatives quite rightly apply in this situation. Frankly, it's amazing to maintain that motivation and hunger for success in a very demanding environment for 25 years and it's quite rightly regarded as a brilliant achievement. I think his record is there for everyone to see. He's managed to sustain that level of success over that period by reinventing the team. Players clearly haven't got a shelf-life of 25 years so he's managed to change teams at appropriate times and deliver sustained success.

The world of sport these days is so competitive and to continue that over that period, I think is truly fantastic. He is clearly as the media see him - very motivated, competitive and wants to win. All those attributes let him have that success but, at the same time, he's witty with a good sense of humour. He's also interested in other areas like racing, fine wines and American history. I think he's got a lot of interests outside of football and he's also a very generous man in terms of support for other managers who have fallen on hard times. He retains friendships for many, many years and his attendance at funerals is probably one of the highest in the country, recognising people who have been in his life and honouring them when they sadly pass away. He has many, many attributes much wider than the driven man you see on TV week in and week out.

He's very supportive, very loyal and, at the same time, he's very black and white with firm opinions. Most successful people do have firm opinions and stick to them. Certainly, it'll be difficult to replace him - it's naive to say anything other than that but we are a great club whose values go back in history to our heritage to the 50s and 60s and the last 25 years with Alex. To continue with that, the new manager needs to understand those values and the vision for the club and must buy into that. The important point to make is the new manager, whenever that may be and whomever that may be, will be taking over a great, great club, in a great, great sport and Alex, in particular, will want to make sure he inherits a great squad. That's our goal - to make sure when the new manager comes in he does have a great squad to work with in terms of age and profile etc.

Alex's legacy to United is to my mind very clear - delivering an unprecedented period of success in the Manchester United way. By that, I mean attractive football using young players - both homegrown and buying players when necessary like Ronaldo and Rooney, but actually developing our own players. That record is there for everyone to see and that legacy is very clear also. Within that, he's made sure he's cemented United's position as one of the top clubs in world football. We're very well respected clearly in this country and around the world, you only have to see our following there on tour in America and Asia, plus in Europe when you speak to any other club. United are rightly held in very high esteem down in no small measure to what Alex has achieved in the last 25 years.

What adjectives would I use to describe Alex? Competitive, determined, generous and fascinating. All those sort of things - on and off the pitch. I wouldn't say I'm exempt from the hairdryer but I would say I can give as good as I get. The important thing I notice from Alex is there's been probably half a dozen of these hairdryer-type moments give and take over the last eight years as chief executive.

The important thing is he never sulks, he never carries it on and we move on. That's a great thing about Alex, he can have an opinion and blow his top but it's forgotten like that and I think that's the true measure of the man.

source : Manutd

Why Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest survivor

By Chris Bevan
BBC Sport

Football's top names pay tribute to the longevity of Sir Alex Ferguson

Berlin were at number one with the theme to Top Gun when Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of Manchester United in November 1986, but a more appropriate cinematic reference from the autumn of that year is Highlander - the story of an ageless Scottish warrior whose feats transcend time.

Ferguson's kind of magic is his ability to win trophies - and his haul of silverware and his longevity at Old Trafford are undoubtedly related.

But, putting to one side his repeated successes, the fact he has lasted 25 years as United manager is an unprecedented achievement at any level in the professional game in the modern era in England, let alone the very highest.

There are 13 managers above him in the long-serving list in this country but all of them began their tenures more than 100 years ago and cannot be fairly compared.

Unless, like Highlander's Connor MacLeod, Ferguson really IS immortal, he is unlikely to outlast Fred Everiss, who spent 46 years as manager of West Bromwich Albion from 1902, for example.

But, back then, management was more of an administrative role than the delicate mix of tactical nous, mind games, media and man-management plus financial acumen that it is now.

"I'm the manager of the biggest club in the world... but I am not intimidated by the size of the job I have taken on. I can and will cope"

Sir Alex Ferguson speaking after taking charge of United in 1986

It has become a cut-throat business too. Since its formation in 1992, the average time spent in situ by Premier League managers is 4.09 seasons and, in the entire Football League, that drops to 2.14 seasons in the same period.

According to the League Managers' Association (LMA), a body Ferguson helped form almost 20 years ago, 1,052 managers in the English game have been sacked, resigned or left by mutual consent since he was appointed to replace Ron Atkinson on 6 November 1986.

Of the 22 other men (John Sillett and George Curtis shared duties at Coventry) who were then in charge of teams in what was known as the Today League Division One, only Kenny Dalglish remains in top-flight management.

Dalglish is, of course, back at Anfield after his decade-long sabbatical from the game but he has spent fewer than 11 of the last 25 years in management.

So just how and why has Ferguson stuck around for so long? There are many factors but Howard Wilkinson - his sparring partner at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds in the 1980s and 90s, and long-term colleague on the LMA board - feels the most important is that management is in his DNA. It has to be.

"If you look at the ideal profile for success in this profession these days then Alex has all of those qualities," Wilkinson told BBC Sport.

FERGUSON'S UNITED REIGN IN NUMBERS

• 1,409 games
• 836 wins
• 326 draws
• 247 defeats
• 2,579 goals scored
• 1,262 conceded

"He has a consuming desire to be better and better and he is obsessed by the subject of football. He has a thirst for knowledge and he baulks at all of the advice concerning a balanced lifestyle - it's 24/7 as far as he is concerned and a way of life. Management is what he is, not what he does.

"But he is not a one-trick pony, which is one of his strengths. He is a very well-read, well educated person who will have discussions with you about subjects that would amaze people. And don't even think about taking him on in a quiz!"

Another member of the class of 1986, Jim Smith, would go on to become one of Ferguson's closest friends. The then-QPR boss feels United are as important to him as he became to the club.

Smith has worked at nine clubs during his 39 years in management. He said: "The key to him staying at Old Trafford is his hunger and desire to be the best and work in the environment he loves.

"He is a super humble guy. He realises the value of the job he is in and he works very hard to keep it.

"You always have an incentive when you move clubs, because you either move because you have been sacked and you want to prove people wrong, or you move because you have been successful and you want to kick on. Alex has had that determination while walking through the same doors for 25 years. It's the biggest club in the world, which makes a difference, but it is still incredible."

In 1986-87...

• Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool side were trophy-less after winning the Double the previous season
• Roy Hodgson guided Malmo to the first of five Allsvenskan league titles in Sweden
• Arsene Wenger was relegated from Ligue 1 with AS Nancy
• Harry Redknapp took Bournemouth into Division Two for the first time
• Neil Warnock won promotion to the Football League with Scarborough

A quarter of a century ago, aside from Ferguson and Dalglish, just four other managers currently at Premier League clubs had even embarked on a career in the dugout - Arsene Wenger at AS Nancy, Roy Hodgson with Malmo, Harry Redknapp at Bournemouth and Neil Warnock at Scarborough.

Hodgson has changed jobs 14 times in the same period, Warnock nine. Redknapp has moved five times and even Wenger and Dalglish have been at three other clubs.

Significantly, only Ferguson has not spent even a single day out of football in all that time.

"Alex has a great determination to win football matches but he has energy too and that is a magical thing," said David Pleat, who in 1986 was also a highly rated young coach who had just taken over at Tottenham and would himself enjoy a managerial career spanning 33 years.

"To have that energy he has to pace himself. I am quite sure he will have cat-naps from time to time at this stage in his life but he comes out fighting again. It is a treadmill but sometimes people thrive on that type of intensity and I think he is a classic case."

Undoubtedly, those demands have increased as the football landscape has developed. It is unrecognisable now from 1986-87, when Dave Bassett steered tiny Wimbledon to sixth place in the Dons' first season in the top flight.

PHIL MCNULTY'S BLOG

Ferguson may be a divisive figure to some without a strong allegiance to Old Trafford, but even those who temper their admiration for the Scot cannot contest his right to be regarded among the finest managers football has known

Read the rest of Phil's blog

"Alex has admitted himself his job is different now," Bassett told BBC Sport. "The game is the same - pitches and the nets are the same size and 50% of goals are still scored from set-plays - but a manager has a lot more to do, from the explosion of interest in the media to dealing with agents, plus the changing profile of players and international owners.

"He has adapted but he has also delegated to people who have got the same values as him. He trusts them to do some of the jobs for him and he has selected very well."

How long will Ferguson, who turns 70 on 31 December, continue for? Who knows. Only last year he said "retirement is for young people" and Wilkinson, the LMA chairman, can see him carrying on for a while yet.

"I don't know whether switching off is an alternative for him," Wilkinson said. "I'm sure, if and when he does step down, he won't retire in the sense of going from something to nothing. He will do something else."

FERGUSON'S CONTEMPORARIES IN 1986 AND HOW HE OUTLASTED THEM ALL:
GEORGE GRAHAM (ARSENAL) Age now: 66Left: February 1995 after eight years, 11 months
Last manager's job: Tottenham in 2001
Fergie fact: Graham gave Ferguson a copy of his Arsenal contract to help him with his negotiations with United chairman Martin Edwards.
Number of permanent Gunners managers since Ferguson appointed: three
BILLY McNEILL (ASTON VILLA) Age now: 71Left: May 1987 after eight months
Last manager's job: Hibs (caretaker) in 1998
Fergie fact: Left Man City in September 1986 to replace Graham Turner, who was the last top-flight manager to be sacked before Ron Atkinson left United.
Number of Villa managers since Ferguson appointed: 12 (Including two spells by Graham Taylor)
LENNIE LAWRENCE (CHARLTON) Age now: 63Left: July 1991 after nine years, eight months
Last manager's job: Cardiff City in 2005
Number of Addicks managers since Ferguson appointed: seven
JOHN HOLLINS (CHELSEA) Age now: 65Left: March 1988 after two years, eight months
Last manager's job: Weymouth in 2008
Number of Blues managers since Ferguson appointed: 12
GEORGE CURTIS & JOHN SILLETT (COVENTRY) Now: 72 & 75Left: Curtis in May 1987 after one year and Sillett in November 1990 after four years and six months
Last manager's job: Curtis with Coventry in 1987, Sillett with Hereford in 1992
Number of Sky Blues managers since Ferguson appointed: 17
HOWARD KENDALL (EVERTON) Age now: 65Left: May 1987 after five years, eight months
Last manager's job: Ethnikos Piraeus (Greece) in 1999
Fergie fact: Kendall was manager of the year in 1986-87 after steering Everton to their second title in three seasons.
Number of Toffees managers since Ferguson appointed: nine (Including two more spells by Kendall)
GORDON MILNE (LEICESTER) Age now: 74Left: May 1987 after four years, 10 months
Last manager's job: Trabzonspor (Turkey) in 1999
Number of Foxes managers since Ferguson appointed: 18
KENNY DALGLISH (LIVERPOOL) Age now: 60Left: February 1991 after five years, eight months
Last manager's job: Returned to Liverpool in January 2011
Number of Reds managers since Ferguson appointed: eight (Including both Dalglish spells)
JOHN MOORE (LUTON TOWN) Age now: 67Left: June 1987 after one year
Last manager's job: Luton 1987
Number of Hatters managers since Ferguson appointed: 14
Picture of John Moore courtesy of Luton Town FC
JIMMY FRIZZELL (MAN CITY) Age now: 74Left: May 1987 after eight months
Last manager's job: Man City in 1987
Number of City managers since Ferguson appointed: 14
Picture of Jimmy Frizzell courtesy of Oldham Athletic FC
WILLIE McFAUL (NEWCASTLE UTD) Age now: 68Left: October 1988 after three years, one month
Last manager's job: Guam in 2004
Number of Magpies managers since Ferguson appointed: 15 (including two spells by Kevin Keegan)
KEN BROWN (NORWICH) Age now: 77Left: November 1987 after seven years
Last manager's job: Plymouth in 1990
Number of Canaries managers since Ferguson appointed: 13 (Including two spells by Mike Walker)
BRIAN CLOUGH (NOTT'M FOREST) Died aged 69 in Sep 2004Left: May 1993 after 18 years, four months
Last manager's job: Forest 1993
Fergie fact: Clough's team were two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the league when Ferguson took charge. They eventually finished eighth.
Number of Forest managers since Ferguson appointed: 11
MAURICE EVANS (OXFORD UTD) Died aged 63 in August 2000Left: March 1988 after two years, 10 months
Last manager's job: Oxford Utd (caretaker) in 1993
Fergie fact: Beat United in Ferguson's first game in charge of the Old Trafford club. Ferguson said afterwards: "If I'd been choosing where to make a start, the Manor Ground would probably be bottom of the list."
Number of Us managers since Ferguson appointed: 16 (including two spells by Denis Smith and another for Jim Smith)
JIM SMITH (QPR) Age now: 70Left: December 1988 after three years, four months
Last manager's job: Oxford Utd (caretaker) in 2008
Fergie fact: Ferguson's first win as United boss came in his third game, against QPR. Smith first met him in a hotel the night before that match. "I'd gone to the bar to meet Ron Atkinson before he flew off to Spain after getting the sack and Alex was having his dinner in the next room. I was looking round the door to see where Alex was because I was worried what would happen if they met."
Number of QPR managers since Ferguson appointed: 16
HOWARD WILKINSON (SHEFF WED) Age now: 67Left: October 1988 after five years, three months
Last manager's job: Shanghai Shenhua (China) in 2004
Fergie fact: Along with Ferguson, "Sgt Wilko" was a founding member of the League Managers Association in 1992.
Number of Owls managers since Ferguson appointed: 15
CHRIS NICHOLL (SOUTHAMPTON) Age now: 65Left: May 1991 after five years, 10 months
Last manager's job: Walsall in 1997
Fergie fact: Southampton's 4-1 League Cup victory over Manchester United on 4 November led to then manager Ron Atkinson being sacked and Ferguson taking over as his replacement.
Number of Saints managers since Ferguson appointed: 19
Picture of Chris Nicholl courtesy of Walsall FC/David Linney Photography
DAVID PLEAT (TOTTENHAM) Age now: 66Left: November 1987 after one year, four months
Last manager's job: Tottenham (caretaker) in 2004
Fergie fact: Pleat first met Ferguson on a trip to Euro 84 in France. "There were a few older managers there but Alex was the most impressive," Pleat said. "He knew the most about history and wine and was prepared to speak about religion. Also, he had class. While we were in France, he went out and bought a very expensive and beautiful white dinner jacket."
Number of Spurs managers since Ferguson appointed: 13
GRAHAM TAYLOR (WATFORD) Age now: 67Left: May 1987 after 10 years
Last manager's job: Aston Villa in 2003
Fergie fact: Taylor's appointment as Aston Villa boss in May 1987 by "Deadly" Doug Ellis was the first top-flight managerial change after Ferguson's appointment at United.
Number of Hornets managers since Ferguson appointed: 16 (including two more spells by Taylor)
JOHN LYALL (WEST HAM) Died aged 66 in April 2006Left: June 1989 after 14 years, 10 months
Last manager's job: Ipswich in 1994
Fergie fact: Lyall was the longest-serving Division One manager when Ferguson was appointed.
Number of Hammers managers since Ferguson appointed: 10
DAVE BASSETT (WIMBLEDON) Age now: 67Left: June 1987 after six years, four months
Last manager's job: Southampton (caretaker) in 2005
Fergie fact: Bassett first met Ferguson in March 1986 when the then-Aberdeen boss came to London to watch IFK Gothenburg play a friendly with Wimbledon ahead of his side's European Cup quarter-final with the Swedes. IFK lost 7-2 to Wimbledon but beat Aberdeen on away goals.
Number of Wimbledon managers since Ferguson appointed: eight (up until August 2004, then six more as MK Dons)

 

The wit and wisdom of Sir Alex

06/11/2011 09:00,

Sir Alex is one of the most quoted men in football: and when the boss speaks, you listen. Here are some of our favourite quotes from down the years...

Instilling a work ethic

"Part of my job is to make sure these lads keep their feet on the ground. I hammer it into them that the work ethic is what got them through the door here in the first place, and they must never lose it. I say to them, ‘When you go home to your mother, make sure she is seeing the same person she sent to me, because if you take all this fame and money the wrong way, your mother'll be disappointed with you'."

"I never give in or give up easily on either a player or a cause. Even if the team have won, I’m not always happy because standards are all-important to me and, if they have dropped, I’m angry."

"We don’t give in, we play right to the end. It’s not an accident: it’s part of the make-up of the team."

"This team might not have the Ronaldo factor, but it doesn’t understand the word defeat."

Letting them know who’s boss

"I can still remember my very first game in charge away at Oxford. I had done my team talk and was going into the dugout when I saw the bus driver sitting there. He was even giving the tea out at half-time. Let’s say that quickly stopped."

"I’m privileged to have followed Sir Matt because all you have to do is to try to maintain the standards that he set so many years ago."

To the assembled journalists trying to predict a team selection in 1998: "Never try to read the mind of a madman!"

"Jock Stein told me there’s nothing wrong with losing your temper for the right reasons – and I think 70 to 80 per cent of the time I’ve done it for the right reasons. Sometimes it would be premeditated to get my point across, to keep players’ feet on the ground, but I’m going back 15 years. I’m a pussycat now – and too old to lose my temper."

Taking on your rivals

"My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their perch. And you can print that."

On post-match drinks with Jose Mourinho: "He was certainly full of it, calling me boss and big man when we had our post-match drink. But it would help if his greetings were accompanied by a decent glass of wine. What he gave me was paint-stripper."

Knowing his players

"[Schmeichel] was towering over me and the other players were almost covering their eyes. I’m looking up and thinking 'if he does hit me, I’m dead'."

"If he was an inch taller he’d be the best centre-half in Britain. His father is 6ft 2in – I’d check the milkman."

"Nothing [Eric] Cantona did in matches meant more than the way he opened my eyes to the indispensability of practice."

"David Beckham is Britain’s finest striker of a football not because of God-given talent but because he practises with a relentless application that the vast majority of less-gifted players wouldn’t contemplate."

Classic Ferguson quotes

"When an Italian tells me it’s pasta on the plate I check under the sauce to make sure. They are the inventors of the smokescreen."
"I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Football. Bloody hell."
On press concerns over Wayne Rooney’s temper in 2004: "What were you like when you were 19? I was trying to start a workers’ revolution in Glasgow. My mother thought I was a Communist."
"Pippo Inzaghi – that lad was born offside."
"It’s getting tickly now – squeaky-bum time, I call it."

 source : manutd

Boss glad for final whistle

05/11/2011 18:27, Report by Nick Coppack

On his big day, Sir Alex Ferguson could have done without his players putting him through a nervy final 15 minutes.

Sunderland were the visitors at Old Trafford on the eve of the United manager’s 25th anniversary in charge of the club and the Black Cats appeared determined to spoil the party. The Reds went ahead in first-half injury time but couldn’t extend the lead in the second period and had to soak up plenty of late Sunderland pressure.

“That last 15 minutes was torture,” Sir Alex told MUTV afterwards. “I’d have been quite happy if the whistle had gone at half-time when we were 1-0 up. Sunderland threw everything at us and played very well in that last 15 minutes.”

The Reds, on the other hand, looked off the pace for long periods. Even the decisive goal came via a Sunderland player, Wes Brown having the misfortune to head into his own net on his return to Old Trafford.

Sir Alex wondered whether the magnitude of the occasion – tributes to the boss were in abundance before kick-off, including the renaming of the North Stand to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand – was a factor in the sub-standard performance.

“It was an anxious day for the players. I think they showed that. They wanted to do well for me.

“These occasions can be a wee bit like that. I remember the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster and we lost 2-0 to Manchester City. That [occasion] got to the players that day. Maybe it happened a little bit today.”

Sunderland fans were unhappy with the match officials at full-time after an incident that saw a combination of referee Lee Mason and assistant award a penalty and then change his mind. But Sir Alex couldn’t understand the fuss.

“I couldn’t believe it [when he awarded a penalty],” he said. “I clearly saw it. I thought the Korean boy [Sunderland’s Ji Dong-Won] had handled it.

“The fact the assistant put his flag across his chest indicated [the award of] a penalty. I don’t think Lee Mason had any idea why, though. And you saw how our players reacted. [In the end] he gave the correct decision.”

source : manutd

United 1 Sunderland 0

5 NOVEMBER 2011, OLD TRAFFORD Attendance: 75,570

05/11/2011 17:00, Report by Nick Coppack.

On the eve of Sir Alex's 25th anniversary in charge of Manchester United, the Reds boss celebrated in a manner he's become so accustomed to down the years: by guiding his team to victory.

Rather cruelly for Wes Brown, though, it was his gift of an own goal, on his first visit back to Old Trafford after leaving for Sunderland in the summer, that settled the contest.

At the end of a game that was largely devoid of, United had moved to within two points of Manchester City (the Blues later beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 to restore a five-point advantage), albeit without displaying much of the artistry and adventure that has characterised so many of Sir Alex's sides down the years. The tributes came from elsewhere, though. A giant banner was hung the length of the Stretford End, supporters received commemorative tribute magazines and Sir Alex himself was paraded before Old Trafford before kick-off, entering the pith through a guard of honour formed by the two teams.

Then came a bombshell: the club, for the first time in the stadium's 101-year history, had taken the extraordinary step of renaming one of its stands after an individual. Fittingly, Old Trafford's grandest structure, the hulking 26,000-capacity North Stand, is now known as the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.

Of course, all this pomp and pageantry was just a prelude to the main event: a Barclays Premier League fixture the Reds  were desperate to win. The contest began badly for Sunderland striker Conor Wickham, though, who appeared to twist his ankle in a freak off-the-ball incident before even 60 seconds had elapsed. His afternoon was over barely after it had begun.

Fellow Black Cats forward Nicklas Bendtner then forced the first save of the game, placing a low shot to countryman Anders Lindegaard's right. The Reds goalkeeper, making only his second league appearance, was equal to the test and gathered the ball at the second attempt after stretching to parry the initial shot.

United took far longer to settle and were too often wasteful with possession in the final third. In fact, it took until the 31st minute to muster a shot on goal, Wayne Rooney blasting straight at Keiren Westwood in the Sunderland goal.

Little improved soon after, although the Reds did have a half-hearted shout for a penalty (correctly) turned down when Sebastian Larsson bundled Chicharito to the ground after Darren Fletcher's neat pass had sent the Mexican through on goal.

Summer signing Phil Jones almost opened his United account in spectacular fashion when he volleyed a bouncing ball just over the bar from 18 yards. He then combined well with Nani down the right in a move that ended with Westwood making a sharp save down to his right to deny the Portuguese.

From the resulting corner, the Reds took the lead in first-half injury time, although there was plenty of doubt over who should be credited with the goal. Danny Welbeck wheeled away in celebration, while Wes Brown stood disconsolate on the edge of the six-yard box. What was clear was that Nani's set-piece had ended up in the net after Welbeck and Sunderland's central defensive pairing had challenged for the aerial ball.

The goal may have sent United into the break 1-0 up and spared Sir Alex's men the full force of a famous “hairdryer” team-talk, but the boss will no doubt still have issued a few stern words. After all, his side had been off the pace for long periods in the first half.

Happily, the Reds did look brighter after the interval. Nani blasted a 30-yard free-kick just wide of the post and Ji-sung Park posed Sunderland's left side plenty of questions with some direct running. But it was another corner that almost yielded a second goal. This time, another former Red, Kieran Richardson, headed off the line to deny Hernandez.

Then came a moment of extreme controversy. A curling cross was whipped into the box towards Sunderland substitute Ji Dong-Won, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. There was certainly contact with a hand and referee Lee Mason blew his whistle. First, on what appeared to be the advice of his assistant, he pointed to the penalty spot. But United defenders were livid and argued it had been Dong-Won's hand – not one of theirs – that had affected the ball's flight. So Mason consulted his assistant on the touchline and, after a brief discussion, motioned instead for a Reds free-kick.

Old Trafford breathed a sigh of relief and, but for the heroics of Westwood in the Sunderland goal, the home side almost doubled the lead moments later. First Westwood flung himself to his right to parry Rooney's powerful shot. Then, when Patrice Evra looked to tuck the follow-up into the roof of the net, the Manchester-born stopper somehow reached skywards to tip the ball over the bar and out for a corner.

Unfortunately for Sunderland, though, it was another Mancunian playing for the Black Cats, Wes Brown, who ended up having the biggest impact on this game.

Man United   1

Brown (OG 45)

Sunderland   0

source: manutd