Alex ferguson manager how long

They realized that being a Manchester United player is not an easy job. If they got into trouble, they were fined. In , when longtime captain Roy Keane publicly criticized his teammates, his contract was terminated. Responding forcefully is only part of the story here. Responding quickly, before situations get out of hand, may be equally important to maintaining control. Ferguson: If the day came that the manager of Manchester United was controlled by the players—in other words, if the players decided how the training should be, what days they should have off, what the discipline should be, and what the tactics should be—then Manchester United would not be the Manchester United we know.

Your personality has to be bigger than theirs. That is vital. There are occasions when you have to ask yourself whether certain players are affecting the dressing-room atmosphere, the performance of the team, and your control of the players and staff. If they are, you have to cut the cord. There is absolutely no other way. The long-term view of the club is more important than any individual, and the manager has to be the most important one in the club.

Some English clubs have changed managers so many times that it creates power for the players in the dressing room. That is very dangerous. If the coach has no control, he will not last. You have to achieve a position of comprehensive control. Players must recognize that as the manager, you have the status to control events. I tended to act quickly when I saw a player become a negative influence. Some might say I acted impulsively, but I think it was critical that I made up my mind quickly.

Why should I have gone to bed with doubts? I would wake up the next day and take the necessary steps to maintain discipline. When it came to communicating decisions to his players, Ferguson—perhaps surprisingly for a manager with a reputation for being tough and demanding—worked hard to tailor his words to the situation.

Observation is critical to management. During training sessions in the run-up to games, Ferguson and his assistant coaches emphasized the positives. And although the media often portrayed him as favoring ferocious halftime and postgame talks, in fact he varied his approach. But if you lose [in a] limp way…then mind your ears! Ferguson: No one likes to be criticized. Few people get better with criticism; most respond to encouragement instead. So I tried to give encouragement when I could.

That is when reprimands are important. I would do it right after the game. I was on to the next match. There is no point in criticizing a player forever. I liked to refer to a working-class principle. Not all players come from a working-class background, but maybe their fathers do, or their grandfathers, and I found it useful to remind players how far they have come.

I would tell them that having a work ethic is very important. It seemed to enhance their pride. I would remind them that it is trust in one another, not letting their mates down, that helps build the character of a team. In halftime talks, you have maybe eight minutes to deliver your message, so it is vital to use the time well. Everything is easier when you are winning: You can talk about concentrating, not getting complacent, and the small things you can address.

But when you are losing, you have to make an impact. I liked to focus on our own team and our own strengths, but you have to correct why you are losing. In our training sessions, we tried to build a football team with superb athletes who were smart tactically. Fear has to come into it. You have to pick your moments. As a manager, you play different roles at different times. Sometimes you have to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a father.

Our analysis of game results shows that over 10 recent seasons, United had a better record when tied at halftime and when tied with 15 minutes left to play than any other club in the English league. While United have a history of appointing coaches for life, there is something about Sir Alex Ferguson that makes him stand out from the pack.

Sir Matt Busby survived the Munich air disaster to manage United for 28 more years, but his tenure was not as successful as Sir Alex's has been. It eclipsed that of Liverpool , which had won the league 18 times.

Sir Alex Ferguson combines great personal charisma with an unending capacity for sustained hard work. His great interpersonal relationship skills have enabled him to get along well with his players and staff alike.

But if they can't get Sir Matt Busby, it is obvious that they must look for someone with almost all that marvellous man's qualities — reaching for the lot would be asking for a bit much.

The indications are that in Alex Ferguson they may have come fairly close to hitting the target, even though the most they can hope for is an inner rather than a bullseye. The very idea of Ferguson's non-acceptance was absurd. His irresistible competitiveness — at times, it borders on the psychopathic — has long been sustained by apparently endless energy, and to have refused the biggest club in Britain would have seemed to Ferguson a self-betrayal deserving of hara-kiri.

Ferguson's unshakable commitment to whatever cause he espouses has been evident since, as a teenager, he led his fellow apprentice toolmakers' industrial action at their factory on the south side of Glasgow. Signing autographs for some young Reds at The Cliff training ground. Manchester United are that special and when they dispensed with the services of Ron Atkinson on Thursday there was never any doubt that Ferguson would be able to resist the temptation of joining one of the truly great names of world football.

When Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United on 8th May , he left behind a legacy that can arguably never be surpassed.

He had been in charge at Old Trafford for almost 27 years. Ferguson was born in Govan near Glasgow on 31st December His playing career began as an amateur at Queens Park from where he went on to play at St Johnstone from It was here he was noticed by professional club Dunfermline Athletic and he signed with them in At Falkirk from , he dabbled with management as player-coach and went on to end his playing career at Ayr United in He had already gained a reputation as a disciplinarian when accepting the job of manager at St Mirren.

Between and he transformed the club, discovering a number of young players who took the team from the lower half of the Second Division to First Division League Champions. In he took over at Aberdeen, where he got his first taste of European glory. It's said that Aberdeen's players nicknamed him Furious Fergie, but his style worked: league and cup victories came to the club during the early 80s, and Ferguson's side became just the third Scottish team to win European silverware when lifting the Cup Winners' Cup in Opinion was split after 3 trophyless seasons, and it's claimed that Ferguson was one game away from the sack in