#3 Resource Management
Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson spent about £679 million on signing players in his 26 years at Manchester United. ‘Fergie’ had strong faith in the club’s youth system and hence, often turned to the academy, recruiting budding talent in the first team.
Ferguson was also known for spotting and signing youngsters with continental flair at the right age, moulding them to be cogs in his winning system. Two examples of such players are Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea. He also didn’t succumb to players’ demands for ridiculously high wages. If Fergie felt that a player saw himself bigger than the club, he didn’t think twice before offloading.
Rather than chasing exotic wonder-kids or striving for signing big names, Ferguson bought players who fit right into his machinery.
Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly broke the transfer record in England twice during his tenure as Liverpool manager, and at both times his investments turned out to be nothing more than liabilities for the club.
Shankly brought in striker Roger Hateley from Chelsea and teenager Alun Evans from Wolverhampton Wanderers, shelling out £96,000 and £100,000 respectively in the process. Both these players were sold off after brief spells at Merseyside.
It is impossible to ignore the fact that rather than focusing on youth development and helping youngsters progress through the ranks, the Reds boss raised quite a few eyebrows by preferring to splash money around.
Winner of round 3: Sir Alex Ferguson
