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Last Friday, during a brief promotional tour for his autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson visited London’s Royal Festival Hall and spent over an hour in the company of Eamonn Holmes and football fans of all descriptions as the Irishman quizzed the icon on his life and career.
It was strange to hear football chants sung in a venue usually devoted to classical music and, while Holmes’ prodding was so gentle he made Michael Parkinson look like Jeremy Paxman (he referred to the manager only as “Boss”), this was a rare opportunity for Manchester United supporters to pay tribute to a legend.
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Indeed, it was surreal just to be in a room with a roof in the presence of Ferguson as he talked about the contents of the fasting selling non-fiction book in British history.
While the audience was by no means exclusively made up of United fans, the response to the video highlights before the proceedings began in earnest made clear the loyalties of a large section of the crowd.
Ferguson ambled onto the stage with a modest grin in response to a standing ovation and the relentless singing of his name. Eventually, when it seemed like the noise would never die down, Fergie was typically forthright: “Shut up or I’ll start singing.” Time and again he returned to the issue of “control”, clearly an integral part of his success on the touchline and there was no question about who was in charge throughout the evening.
The first major topic covered was the importance of “knocking Liverpool off their perch”, Ferguson’s avowed mission statement when he took over at Old Trafford in 1986. He explained: “In Scotland, unless you beat Rangers and Celtic you weren’t going to win the title.” While it has often been deemed derogatory, really he was just aiming to finish above the best team in the country because it meant the title would most likely follow.
When asked about how his successor, David Moyes, is faring, the veteran’s voice went extremely high-pitched as he insisted: “He’s doing great.” He, understandably, sounded unconvinced, but did maintain that he believed United were the only team that could win the league coming from behind. He reiterated his words from the farewell speech at Old Trafford: “If you stick by your manager and give him time, you can be successful.” He suggested the league would be won by under 80 points this season and believes there are “six or seven” teams that can win it. Somewhat typically, Manchester City were the only ones he didn’t name.
Ferguson proceeded to recount witty tales of his previous life as a pub landlord before explaining that he was offered jobs at Arsenal and Tottenham but refused to move because his chairman at Aberdeen insisted he should only leave if United came knocking. On his decision to turn down the London clubs and wait for the call from Old Trafford? “I’m glad I did.”
The mere mention of Eric Cantona sent a large portion of the audience back into song. Ferguson provided the audience with a remarkable mental image when he informed us that Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister had told him he should sign the Frenchman as the three sat in the team bath. While Cantona’s genius is well-documented, Ferguson spoke of his kindness. He recalled an occasion in which a large amount of money was placed in a pot and the squad picked a name out of a hat to decide who would get to keep it. Cantona’s name was picked but he walked straight up to Paul Scholes, a young player at the time whose need was greater, and gave him the cash. In contrast to Cantona, he still views Paul Gascoigne as “the one that got away.”
Tellingly, Ferguson spoke about management only in the present tense. He explained his process: “When I give my team talk, I never speak to my players again. You lose their trust if you remind them of things afterwards.” Clearly the trust was mutual because Holmes later revealed that Ferguson’s phone-a-friend lifeline on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was none other than Brian McClair.
When quizzed about the birth of “Fergie time”, the man himself said it was first coined after the famous win over Sheffield Wednesday with Bruce’s two late headers during seven minutes of injury time. Trevor Francis came into his office after the game and claimed: “You won that in the second leg” but Ferguson, true to form, went home that evening and watched the video of the game. His verdict? “There should have been 14 minutes.”
Perhaps the most surprising revelation was the identity of the first name on his team sheet if he was selecting a best Manchester United XI from his 27 years at Old Trafford. He explained that, while he had an abundance of great forwards and no shortage of options in the centre of midfield, none other than Denis “eight out of ten” Irwin was the only player who was “so superior” to anyone else in his position during the manager’s time at Old Trafford. Paul Scholes meanwhile, is “a man of few words but excellent opinions” and, among other things, spotted the potential of Javier Hernandez immediately.
Ferguson concluded by saying that the 5-5 draw against West Brom on his final game as manager was entirely fitting since it was the first 5-5 in Manchester United’s history and his own career. He said it summed up everything the club was about. “You should never leave early.” It could just as easily have applied to an evening with such an entertaining and remarkable man.
