Alex Ferguson


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It seems widely accepted in 'the game' that he was a control freak and a bully but it's overlooked because of the trophies gathered. Certainly had an eye for a player and not afraid to make tough decisions, but highly fortunate in the game changing as it did whilst he was in charge at United. Much to admire about the bloke but his lack of class marks him down when compared to others IMHO.

Little better than Don Revie in some of his tactics & behaviours, yet Revie is a pariah in the English game outside of Leeds Utd fans.
 
Quite comfortably the best the game's seen imo. I wasn't around to see the likes of Clough etc though. The game will have been a lot different then, I suppose.
 
It seems widely accepted in 'the game' that he was a control freak and a bully but it's overlooked because of the trophies gathered. Certainly had an eye for a player and not afraid to make tough decisions, but highly fortunate in the game changing as it did whilst he was in charge at United. Much to admire about the bloke but his lack of class marks him down when compared to others IMHO.

Little better than Don Revie in some of his tactics & behaviours, yet Revie is a pariah in the English game outside of Leeds Utd fans.
A bully!? Fergie wasnt a bully, you dont win all them trophies by bullying players. One of fergies greatest assets was man management, your not a good man manager if you are a bully.
 
A bully!? Fergie wasnt a bully, you dont win all them trophies by bullying players. One of fergies greatest assets was man management, your not a good man manager if you are a bully.

All the books and articles I've read on Fergie suggest he was the very epitome of a bully - using intimidation, threats and power to get what he wanted. Maybe you and I have different definitions of what constitutes a bully.
 
This.

Some managers get lucky being in the right place at the right time, or stumble across a winning formation and can’t repeat it. Ferguson built several championship winning teams over 20 odd years, I’d put him just ahead of Clough and Paisley as the best I’ve ever known.
Across a period in which the game changed beyond recognition (at least off the pitch) too.
 
Domestically he was but found wanting on the European stage. 2 European Cups over nearly 25 years for 'The Biggest Club in the World' isn't great.

For five years or so though we weren't even in Europe and he'd took over a side fighting against relegation, without a Championship for 20 years or so. Wasn't as if he was just given everything on a plate like a manager taking over Real Madrid, Barca or Bayern Munich and he had more competition domestically than any of those, without the spending power at times.
 
It seems widely accepted in 'the game' that he was a control freak and a bully but it's overlooked because of the trophies gathered. Certainly had an eye for a player and not afraid to make tough decisions, but highly fortunate in the game changing as it did whilst he was in charge at United. Much to admire about the bloke but his lack of class marks him down when compared to others IMHO.

Little better than Don Revie in some of his tactics & behaviours, yet Revie is a pariah in the English game outside of Leeds Utd fans.
On the pitch tactics? If so then that's nonsense. Though he had feisty players (Hughes, Keane, Cantona etc) his teams were never cynical like Revie's Leeds.
 
What about Shankly and Busby? Totally rebuilt clubs who had fallen on hard times and weren't even the best clubs in their cities. Revie and Clough took previously unsuccessful clubs to glory in Europe. Herbert Chapman created what we recognise as Arsenal today and also won the league with Huddersfield.
Ferguson did an amazing job at Aberdeen and is one of the greatest in England but took over a club that was already huge, although it hadn't won the league for a long time and benefitted in latter years from the PL wealth.
 
Knew when to retire - left a shite squad in comparison to what he'd had previously
I always think that's a little unfair. He always said he wanted to leave the budget for his replacement to spend as he saw fit rather than spend it for them. He indulged himself with Van Persie to get him over the line in his last season but basically left the transfer kitty intact for the next man. Not really his fault that they have all basically pissed it up the wall.
 
He did spend big but he also bought really average players and slotted them into his team.

I don't wish to be the sort of person who just scorns successful manages but this man city documentary boils my piss, oh how will pep solve this conundrum? Eureka "I'm going to be inexplicably moody and then spend a billion pounds, I am a geeenious"
 
Clough was the best of his era.
Fergie was the best of his.

Clough wouldn't have coped as well with the modern day as fergie did. He got out at the right time, the fact he recommended David f***ing Moyes to be his replacement suggests his judgement was going.

Superb post
 
sorry, when i said teams i meant his teams at everton. in the same way that fergie had teams at united.

however, to answer your question, it was PNE, and if i recall correctly in a 3/4 year period he kept them up in league one and took them to the play off final of the championship.
Did he manage Everton? He never mentioned it!
 
One of the greats, right up there.
Peolpe shouldn't forget what he did with Aberdeen before he came to England.
Was it 3 league titles, some cups and winning the European Cup Winners Cup beating Real Madrid in the final.

Those achievements are often forgotten.
Always remember that final against Real Madrid.
 
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