(建檔用) Sir Alex Ferguson Profile
Club: Manchester United
Date of Birth: December 31, 1941
Birthplace: Govan, Glasgow, Scotland
Previous clubs: Aberdeen, St Mirren, East Stirling
Honours: Premiership: 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1994, 1993;
FA Cup: 1999, 1996, 1994, 1990; League Cup: 1992; FA Charity Shield:
1997, 1996, 1994, 1993, 1990; Scottish Premier League: 1985, 1984,
1980; Scottish First Division: 1977; Scottish FA Cup: 1986, 1984,
1983, 1982; Scottish League Cup: 1986; UEFA Champions League: 1999;
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1991, 1983; European Super Cup: 1991;
Inter-Continental Club Cup: 1999
Profile:
Like so many of football's top managers, Alexander Chapman Ferguson emerged
from humble beginnings.
The feisty Scot made a living as an apprentice tool-worker in Clyde's shipyards
during his youth, whilst breaking into football with amateur club Queens Park.
He made his league debut as a centre-forward for Second Division side
Stranraer in 1957, moved to St Johnstone on a part-time basis in 1960 and
eventually turned professional with Dunfermline in 1964.
His exploits with the Pars, including a European excursion, attracted the
attention of Ferguson's boy-hood favourites Glasgow Rangers and three-years
after joining Dunfermline he secured a then record ￡65,000 move to the city
of his birth.
However, the Ibrox dream turned sour as Ferguson failed to make the required
impact on the pitch and he was sold to Falkirk in 1969, where he also obtained
a taste for coaching, before returning to part-time football with Ayr United
in 1973.
Ayr turned out to be the crossroads in Ferguson's career and after flirting
with a number of business ideas the 32-year-old decided to call time on his
playing days and take the plunge into management with East Stirling in July
1974.
The man from Govan quickly made a name for himself in Stirlingshire and secured
a move to First Division side St Mirren in October of the same year. He
promptly guided the Paisley club to the championship in 1976/77 and despite
doing so on limited resources Ferguson was sacked three years into his tenure
after a disagreement with the club's chairman.
St Mirren's loss turned into Aberdeen's gain and after rejecting interest from
a number of Scotland's larger clubs Fergie eventually signed for the Dons in
August 1978.
He transformed an average side into the form team of the 1980's, breaking The
Old Firm (Rangers and Celtic) stranglehold on Scottish football, and led the
Granite City club to three league titles, four Scottish Cups and a League Cup
in eight seasons.
But despite the domestic haul of silverware, Ferguson's greatest achievement
with the Pittodrie club came in 1983 when he led Aberdeen to a 2-1 victory over
the mighty Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup - to date the last time
a Scottish team has lifted a European trophy.
His exploits attracted covetous glances from the football world and after
taking temporary control of Scotland for the Mexico 1986 World Cup, due to the
death of manager Jock Stein, he rejected lucrative offers from Barcelona,
Arsenal, Rangers and Tottenham to take control of Manchester United on November
7, 1986.
Ferguson's intention to leave an Old Trafford legacy got of to a slow start as
his attempts to rescue United from the troubled state Ron Atkinson had left the
club in faltered.
Ferguson initially appeared to have left his success in Scotland and after
three years in the job, despite finishing second behind Liverpool in 1988,
chants of 'Fergie out' could be heard emanating from the Old Trafford terraces.
But behind the scenes Ferguson was rebuilding the club in minute detail. He had
revamped the youth system, a move that would pay huge dividends a few years
down the line, and he had stamped out the drinking culture at Old Trafford by
shipping out many of the crowd's favourites.
The loss of these boozy players had a detrimental effect on the pitch and in
January 1990, with United languishing at the wrong end of the table after
losing 5-1 to arch-rivals Manchester City, Fergie's job was on the line as
United went into a Third Round FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest.
If United lost it would mean the end for Ferguson, although chairman Martin
Edwards has always denied it, but with things looking bleak for the Scot and
time ticking away Mark Robins came off the substitutes bench to give United a
narrow 1-0 win and save Fergie's skin.
That victory marked a turning point in fortunes for Ferguson and the Red Devils
went on a winning streak that saw them lift the FA Cup with a 1-0 replay
victory over Crystal Palace.
The following season United satisfied their taste for triumph by winning the
European Cup Winners' Cup with a 2-1 victory over Barcelona as Mark Hughes
scored the winner against his former club.
However, the League Championship, which United had last won in 1967, remained
elusive and as Leeds United beat the Red Devils into second place Ferguson's
side had to console themselves with the 1992 League Cup.
The following year saw the Premier League break away from the century old
Football League to form the Premiership and the launch of the new look league
coincided with an era of Manchester United dominance under the stewardship of
Ferguson.
After an average start to the 1992/93 campaign, November saw the unexpected
arrival of Eric Cantona at Old Trafford from Leeds and the Frenchman's
enigmatic play proved to be the final piece of the Ferguson jigsaw. United
finally won the Championship, ahead of nearest rivals Aston Villa, and ended a
26-year drought.
The 1993/94 season saw the ￡3.5million arrival of Roy Keane at Old Trafford
and also saw United stamp their authority on English football as Ferguson
claimed his first Double - beating Blackburn Rovers to the League Championship
and crushing Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup final.
The following term saw Blackburn Rovers bounce back to narrowly beat the Red
Devils to the Championship, leaving Ferguson and Co trophyless. With United
seemingly smarting from defeat they charged through the 1995/96 season to grab
another Double and narrowly miss out on an unprecedented treble with defeat
in the League Cup final.
The manager had introduced 'Fergie's Fledglings' - David Beckham, the Neville
Brothers, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs - to replace experienced
players such as Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis at the start of
the campaign to much raising of eyebrows.
Defeat on the opening day of the season prompted TV pundit Alan Hansen's to
say: 'you'll win nothing with kids', but those words came back to haunt him as
'Fergie's Fledglings' helped United overhaul Newcastle United's 14 point lead
at the top of the table.
A fourth League Championship in five season's followed during the 1996/97
season and with Champions League football becoming a consistent feature,
Ferguson's infamous hunger had set it's sights on the lifting the 'Holy Grail'
- the European Cup.
The Red Devils had already reached the semi-finals but where knocked out by
Borrussia Dortmund and the following year AS Monaco dumped United out of Europe
while domestically Arsene Weneger's Arsenal claimed the Premiership title and
the FA Cup.
Defeat prompted Ferguson to part with ￡23million for defender Jaap Stam and
Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke to strengthen his squad for the 1998/99 season
. The latter combined with strike partner Andy Cole to produce what was dubbed
'calypso football' and helped fire United to another League Championship, a 2-1
FA Cup final victory over Newcastle and a European Championship Cup final.
In the final, Bayern Munich took a 1-0 lead inside Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium
but as the match entered injury time super-subs Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer scored a goal apiece in injury time to make Fergie's side Champions
of Europe with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory.
Fergie was subsequently knighted and became Sir Alex Ferguson in the Queen's
birthday honours list as a reward for his services to British football.
The following year Ferguson announced he would retire at the end of the 2002
season - just as the FA Cup holders controversially withdrew from the
competition to take part in FIFA's World Club Championship in Brazil.
United didn't do very well in the Brazilian sunshine but the break proved to be
just the tonic for Sir Alex's side, who romped to another Premiership title -
beating rivals Arsenal by 18 clear points.
The 2000/01 season saw United cruise to another title, this time wrapping it up
in mid-April, as Ferguson became the first manager to win three English League
titles in a row to become the most successful manager in the history of English
football.
To prepare for his final season at Old Trafford Ferguson splashed out nearly
￡50million on striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron
but the big money signings couldn't prevent Arsenal from stealing the domestic
silverware of the Premiership title and FA Cup.
In Europe, United drew both legs of their Champions League semi-final with
Bayer Leverkusen, crushing Ferguson's dream of ending his tenure with a
European Cup final in his home city of Glasgow, and the Reds ended the season
trophyless.
The setback stung Ferguson into postponing his retirement, he signed a new
three-year deal, and the Scot appointed former Portugal and South Africa coach
Carlos Queiroz as his new assistant at Old Trafford. He also smashed the
British transfer record to land defender Rio Ferdinand from Leeds for the
2002/03 season.
With the 2002/03 Champions League final set to be played at Old Trafford,
United and Ferguson set their sights on European glory once more but after
cruising to the quarter-finals they drew Real Madrid and crashed out of the
competition with a 6-5 aggregate loss.
The defeat sparked rumours of a Manchester United shake-up for the 2003/04
season and a number of players were tipped for moves abroad. David Beckham was
linked with a ￡35million move to Real Madrid, Ryan Giggs was linked with Inter
Milan while Fabien Barthez and Juan Veron were also named in the transfer
speculation.
Domestically the Red Devils were dumped out of the FA Cup in the Fifth Round by
rivals Arsenal but with only weeks of the season left United had the last laugh
after destroying the Gunners' nine point lead at the top of the league to lift
their eighth title in 11 years.
Sir Alex Ferguson's desire and hunger will remain undiminished until at least
2005 and his Manchester United side will always be there, or thereabouts.
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