Sir Alex Fеrguѕоn aka The Furious Fergie іѕ knоwn thе wоrld оvеr fоr hіѕ еxрlоіtѕ wіth Mаnсhеѕtеr Unіtеd. Hоwеvеr, lеѕѕ wеll knоwn іѕ hіѕ іnсrеdіblе ѕuссеѕѕ wіth Abеrdееn, tаkіng а сlub соmроѕеd mаіnlу оf lосаlѕ tо Eurореаn glоrу. It іѕ ѕаіd thаt Fеrguѕоn’ѕ grеаtеѕt аѕѕеt іѕ іn іnѕtіllіng dеѕіrе іn hіѕ рlауеrѕ tо ѕuссееd but his tactical knowledge is far more than what one might think. For a manager who spends most of his time sitting in the dugout during the matches, he has the overall control of the game no matter what the situation is and his preference of tactically renowned assistant managers ѕuсh аѕ Stеvе MсLаrеn аnd Cаrlоѕ Quіеrоz to work with has certainly helped him a lot.
With 12 league titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues won since his arrival at Old Trafford in 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in the history of British football. But why? What has this hard, no-nonsense Scot got that other haven’t? let me tell you what managers that have played United recently think (let’s leave aside the sometimes excessive respect he gets from refs and authorities, which managers also mention).
Sir Alex once said after winning yet another title that football was a simple game, where if you did the simple things better than your opponent you would win.
He’s also had the money to create not just a great starting 11 but also a strong bench, always looking to create a core strength of six strong players including some good ball winners, a strong defence, and world class wingers. Historically, United’s greatest successes both domestically and in Europe have come from sides that have been at their strongest defensively, with sides that have placed as much, if not more, emphasis on the art of stopping goals as on scoring them, mostly with a quick counter.
That isn’t to say he relied on his defenders always, United’s world class attackers over the past few decades speaks for itself and Ferguson knows about the importance of having an assassin or two up front. Think Yorke and Cole, Ronaldo and Rooney and now Rooney and Van Persie, deadly duos that have always combined to make the most of the possession won and the rapid transformation from defence to attack.
But this year there have been signs that this United outfit doesn’t quite have the potency of previous sides. De Gea has had a good season in the Reds’ goal, but despite that you sense a defence that doesn’t have full confidence in the young keeper and as a consequence defends slightly deeper than normal. With United a full 12 points ahead in the Premiership, any criticism might seem churlish. However the Scottish manager will not appreciate the fact that, at present, his side has conceded more goals than any other club in the league’s top five other than Tottenham Hotspurs.
But above all Sir Alex possesses an unchallenged authority in the changing room that leaves no players in any doubt. Sir Alex is demanding, but it isn’t all about quality, it’s about commitment, work ethic and doing it the Manchester United way. That helps winning games and raises the bar for any new recruit. Maintaining that level for that long is what rival coaches admire most of Ferguson.