Alex Ferguson: 6 Years at United

Alex Ferguson

jun 2013 · Random House

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Alex Ferguson, once king of Scottish football, gave up the easy life in Aberdeen to follow in the famous footsteps of Sir Matt Busby. Others had flickered and then faded in the shadow cast by the legendary Busby but Ferguson couldn’t resist the call. ‘Football is a strange obsession. Winning is a drug and when I got the invitation to manage Manchester United I simply could not resist,’ he says. For nearly six years he has chased the end of the rainbow and spent millions of pounds to bring the coveted championship to Old Trafford for the first time in 25 years. Now he feels it is time to tell the inside story of the best-supported club in Britain and his struggle to fulfil the title dream of thousands of supporters.

He found the famous club in disarray and he admits he came close to the sack himself. ‘No manager is prepared for the job at Old Trafford. The legend is huge. It’s different from any other club with its traditions and expectations. It took me three or four years to understand the particular politics and demands. Only through success can a manager get control of his destiny.’

Ferguson fought his battles and won the trophies which slowly but surely see him now established as a manager who has laid the old ghosts to rest and created a new vision. Winning the FA cup in 1990 bought him valuable time, and success in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup, beating Barcelona in a memorable final in Rotterdam, gave him the right platform for the most convincing championship challenge since the days of Busby.

After seven years at Aberdeen, Ferguson wrote A Light in the North, an account of how he broke the Glasgow stranglehold on Scottish football. Now comes the sequel of how he conquered English football at the helm of their greatest club.

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Sir Alex Ferguson was born in 1941 in Govan, Scotland. Entering management in 1974, he served East Stirlingshire and St Mirren before guiding Aberdeen to victory in the 1982-83 Cup Winners' Cup. Arriving at Manchester United in 1986, he brought them 38 trophies, including the Club World Cup, two Champions Leagues, 13 Premier Leagues and five FA Cups. His overall haul of 49 trophies made him the most successful British manager of all time. Knighted in 1999, Sir Alex announced his retirement in 2013, when United were again crowned Premier League champions. At the age of 71, he continues to serve United as a director. In 2012 Harvard Business School created a case-study based on Sir Alex¿s managerial career: Sir Alex Ferguson: Managing Manchester United, and Sir Alex is now a Fellow to the Executive Education Program at Harvard.