Alex Ferguson

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson.jpg
December 2006 at Old Trafford
Personnel
Surname Alexander Chapman Ferguson
birthday December 31, 1941
place of birth Glasgow ,  Scotland
position attack
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1957-1960 FC Queen's Park 32 (11)
1960-1964 St. Johnstone FC 37 (19)
1964-1967 Dunfermline Athletic 88 (66)
1967-1969 Glasgow Rangers 41 (25)
1969-1973 FC Falkirk 106 (37)
1973-1974 Ayr United 24 0(9)
National team
Years selection Games (goals)
1960 Scotland amateurs 1 0(1)
Stations as a trainer
Years station
1974 East Stirlingshire FC
1974-1988 FC St. Mirren
1978-1986 Aberdeen FC
1984-1985 Scotland (assistant coach)
1985-1986 Scotland
1986-2013 Manchester United
1 Only league games are given.

Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson , CBE (born December 31, 1941 in Govan , Glasgow ) is a former Scottish football player and coach who coached Manchester United from 1986 to 2013 . In just under 27 years and 1,500 competitive games, Ferguson won 38 titles with United, including the English championship 13 times, the FA Cup five times , the Champions League twice and the European Cup Winners' Cup once .

Life

Ferguson grew up in the Govan shipyard district of Glasgow with his younger brother Martin and learned the trade of toolmaker . He is a Protestant and was a fan of the Glasgow Rangers as a child .

Player career

Ferguson spent his entire playing career in Scotland, where he was an attacker for numerous traditional clubs. He began his career with Glasgow club FC Queen's Park , the oldest club in Scotland, where he made his debut in 1957 at the age of 16. Since he could not earn a regular place at Queen's Park despite good performances, he moved to FC St. Johnstone from Perth in central Scotland in 1960 . However, he hardly played a role at his new club and was only used in the club's reserve team after a month-long injury break. Due to this frustrating situation he was considering for Canada to emigrate until he in a game against the Rangers was used and a hat-trick scored, which represented his break.

He was then signed by Dunfermline Athletic and went from amateur player to professional footballer . 1964/65 , in his first season with Dunfermline, the final of the Scottish Cup competition could be reached, in which Ferguson was not used and which was lost to Celtic Glasgow 2: 3. In the 1965/66 season , the Dunfermline Athletic finished in fourth place in the table, he scored 31 goals in Scottish Division One and was together with the Celtic player Joe McBride top scorer of the league. In the following season , Ferguson was able to convince with good performances and made the Glasgow Rangers attention, who then signed him in 1967 for a record transfer in Scottish club football.

Ferguson ended his first season with Rangers two points behind arch-rivals Celtic in second place in the league . In the cup they were eliminated in the quarter-finals against the later finalists Heart of Midlothian , after a 1-1 in the regular game, the replay was lost 0-1. The 1968/69 league season ended for the Rangers in a similar way to the previous one: Again they were runner-up behind Celtic Glasgow. In the cup, the Rangers lost 4-0 in the final at the Old Firm Celtic Glasgow. Alex Ferguson was then blamed for the early opening goal of Celtics in the third minute by captain Billy McNeill , as he had been responsible for his cover . He then played no more game for the first team of the Rangers and was only used in the reserve.

In 1969 he moved to FC Falkirk , where he should be active as a player- coach. When John Prentice was coached by Falkirk, however, he refused to accept Ferguson as an equal coach alongside him, which is why Ferguson left the club and joined Ayr United , where he ended his career.

Coaching career

Ferguson began his coaching career in 1974 in Scotland with the football club FC East Stirlingshire and soon moved to FC St. Mirren before he experienced a very successful coaching time in Aberdeen , Scotland . He won the Scottish Championship with the club in 1980 and other championship titles in 1984 and 1985. He was with Aberdeen from 1982 to 1984 Scottish Cup winner three times in a row . His greatest success in Aberdeen was winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 after beating Real Madrid in the final . He then worked as a club coach for a short time and, after the death of his head coach Jock Stein, from 1985 to 1986 national coach of the Scottish national football team .

He then became coach at Manchester United on November 6, 1986 and subsequently became the most successful in the club's history. In 1999 he won the triple with the team , i.e. the state championship, the FA Cup and the Champions League , whereupon Queen Elisabeth II knighted him on July 20, 1999 .

In 2008 the second win in the Champions League followed. On September 2, 2012 Ferguson completed his 1,000th Premier League game as coach of Manchester United.

On May 8, 2013, he announced his resignation as coach after the 2012/13 season. On May 19, 2013 Ferguson sat in the Manchester United dugout for the last time in a 5-5 away win against West Bromwich Albion . It was also his 1500th competitive game as coach of the club.

In September 2015, Ferguson stated in a newspaper interview that the death of his sister-in-law had made him decide to end his coaching career. He said that he realized he owed this to his wife, who he has been married to since 1966, and that otherwise he would have continued to coach.

Leadership style

Ferguson cultivated an authoritarian and consistent leadership style during his coaching activities. After starting his coaching at Manchester United in 1986 , he immediately implemented a change in the diet of his players - a novelty at the time, as it was common for many professionals in England to use (sometimes excessive) alcohol, Consume cigarettes and fast food. In the course of this, the club separated from some players such as Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath .

Ferguson's main tool was power and control. So he had built up a network in Manchester that kept him informed of how his players behaved outside of training and playing times. For example, during the 1991/92 season he made a surprising "home visit" to United player Lee Sharpe , who was hosting a party at his home that was attended by Ryan Giggs and other youth players. According to Giggs , some of them hid in the closets or jumped out of the window: “ I was holding a [bottle of] Becks and there was no escape (…) You'd go out on a Saturday night and he'd tell you where you were, what you'd done and who you were with. You'd think: 'How does he know that?' He just knew everyone. If I came here for training clean shaven, he'd say I'd been out the night before. ”

Ferguson was characterized above all by his motivating and sometimes unconventional management style, so that there was no resentment on the bench (despite great player personalities). Despite United's countless successes , Ferguson tried to keep his team on course through hard work, discipline and an absolute will to win.

In addition, Ferguson was seen as a skillful motivator with a high value on psychology. So he tried to give the players the belief in themselves and to appeal to their self-confidence. Furthermore, this resulted in a greater competition, since no player should and held worse than the other.

The choleric outbursts of the coach in the cabin during the half-time breaks are known. "Hairdryer treatments" were especially notorious. These came to light after an incident with former United striker Mark Hughes after Ferguson puffed himself up loudly in front of him after Hughes' poor performance during a half-time speech.

“If you lose and Sir Alex thinks you did your best, there is no problem. But if you let yourself down and lose, you should watch your ears. "

- Andy Cole

In the club there were strict rules for the team that everyone had to follow. In the event of violations or protests, Ferguson was ready to take tough action. Players who refused to submit to this or wanted to undermine the coach's control were rigorously sorted out - even if they were key performers such as Paul Ince , David Beckham or Roy Keane .

“Sometimes you have to wonder if certain professionals are affecting the mood in the dressing room, the performance of the team, and your control over the crew and staff. If that's the case, you need to make a clean cut. There is just no other way. It doesn't matter if they are the best player in the world. The club's long-term prospects are bigger than an individual and the coach has to be the most important person in the club. "

- Alex Ferguson

However, players like Bryan Robson , Gary Pallister or Roy Keane were granted certain freedoms. Only Éric Cantona enjoyed an absolutely special position within the team and also at Ferguson.

Ferguson left the team training to his assistants, as it gave him the opportunity to better evaluate the players and their performance. Nevertheless, he was always present as an observer. His office was located in such a way that he always had the training area in view. He got the idea for this while he was a coach at Aberdeen .

Honors

Sir Alex Ferguson statue in front of Old Trafford Stadium.

Since November 2011, the North Stand, the largest grandstand at Manchester United Stadium, Old Trafford , has been named after Ferguson. This honor for his 25th year with Manchester United by the board, the players and the fans symbolizes their gratitude for this successful time. Until the renaming of the South Stand in April 2016, it was the only grandstand at Old Trafford that was named after a person. In November 2012, a bronze statue was unveiled in front of the stadium in his honor. In October 2016 he was awarded the Walther Bensemann Prize for his life's work. Ferguson has also received honorary doctorates from the University of Manchester and Stirling University .

Success as a trainer

International

Scotland

England

Awards as a trainer

Trivia

  • Ferguson is often referred to as "Fergie" by the media and fans alike. B. in the name Fergie's Fledglings , a homage to the Busby Babes .
  • As Fergie Time (English Ferguson time) are noticeably longer stoppage times when top teams are behind.
  • Ferguson was known for putting referees under pressure, which also cost him significant fines and bans.
  • Ferguson is co-owner of an internationally known racehorse called "Rock of Gibraltar". This racehorse brought in over 17 million euros in 2002 alone. The stallion, who had won seven category 1 races in a row and finished second in the famous Breeders' Cup in the USA , had owned half each of him and an Irish multimillionaire, according to Ferguson.

Web links

Commons : Alex Ferguson  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sensitive bastard, beloved choleric . nordbayern.de.
  2. ↑ Alex Ferguson's Religion and Political Views , hollowverse.com
  3. ↑ Sir Alex Ferguson reveals earlier Canada emigration plans , espnfc.com
  4. ↑ Fergie's 1,000th game as United manager is 'just another I want to win' .
  5. ↑ Podolski meets and celebrates - Van Persie saves Ferguson's anniversary . kicker online.
  6. ↑ Sir Alex Ferguson will retire as Manchester United manager - Official Manchester United Website .
  7. ↑ Sir Alex Ferguson retires as Manchester United manager , Guardian article , May 8, 2013.
  8. ↑ Manchester United share 10 goals with West Brom in Alex Ferguson's finale , Guardian article , May 19, 2013.
  9. ^ Sir Alex Ferguson reveals the real reason for his retirement as Manchester United manager. In: The Daily Telegraph. September 18, 2015, accessed September 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ # FOOTBALL addicted: Sir Alex Ferguson - The secret of his success / Documentary 2017 / HD. January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017 .
  11. ↑ a b Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has often reacted in rage when players have let him down . In: Telegraph.co.uk . January 1, 2012 ( telegraph.co.uk [accessed January 25, 2017]).
  12. ↑ a b Derick Allsop: How Giggs was captured by caring Ferguson . In: Telegraph.co.uk . November 5, 2006 ( telegraph.co.uk [accessed January 25, 2017]).
  13. ^ Benjamin Turner, Gabe Turner: The Class of 92. November 29, 2013, accessed January 25, 2017 .
  14. ↑ a b c d e excerpt from issue 1/2014 . In: Harvard Business Manager . January 2014 ( harvardbusinessmanager.de [accessed January 25, 2017]).
  15. ↑ a b Alex Ferguson: Leading . Hodder & Stoughton General Division, London 2015, ISBN 978-1-4736-2117-6 .
  16. ↑ Sir Alex Ferguson in portrait: Power & Control . May 9, 2013 ( 11freunde.de [accessed January 25, 2017]).
  17. ^ Cantona made United great . November 27, 2012 ( eurosport.com [accessed January 25, 2017]).
  18. ↑ Manchester United commemorates Ferguson ( Memento from February 6, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  19. ↑ Walther Bensemann Prize 2016 to Sir Alex Ferguson. kicker.de, October 13, 2016, accessed on October 21, 2016 .
  20. ↑ Sports - Sir Alex Ferguson Receives Honorary Doctorate - Stirling University -. Retrieved July 20, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Nominations for the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013 awards . FIFA.com. December 9, 2013.
  22. ↑ Fergie's fledglings illuminate England , articles on FIFA .com from 26 August 2011th
  23. ↑ Chris Wheeler: I did pressure officials into giving me 'Fergie Time' admits retiring legend Ferguson. In: Daily Mail Online of May 16, 2013 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Ferguson, Alex
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ferguson, Alexander Chapman
BRIEF DESCRIPTION scottish soccer player and coach
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow , Scotland, United Kingdom