Ferguson still going strong at United after 20 years

By Ben James Nov 4, 2006, 13:02 GMT

London - When Alex Ferguson arrived at Manchester United in November 1986, Margaret Thatcher was still the British Prime Minister, Mikhail Gorbachev the leader of the Soviet Union and Wayne Rooney had not even learned how to walk.

Twenty years on, the Scot has become a knight, United are one of the richest clubs in the world and the trophy cabinet is stacked full.

Ferguson will no doubt celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his arrival at Old Trafford on Monday night with a glass of red, but even as his 65th birthday approaches, he shows no sign of slowing down.

Gary Neville, one of Ferguson's trusted stalwarts over the past decade, believes his manager can continue for another 10 years and with no immediate plans to retire and with the full support of his club, Ferguson's future would seem to be in his own hands.

Having broken the stranglehold of Celtic and Rangers in Scotland in his time as Aberdeen manager, which also included a European Cup Winners' Cup title in 1983, Ferguson replaced Ron Atkinson at United on November 6, 1986, with the club in all sorts of trouble.

It seems hard to believe now, but in January of 1990, after stabilising the club, United were again bottom of the table and Ferguson was staring the sack in the face.

If it hadn't have been for Mark Robins' goal in the third round of the FA Cup which saw off Nottingham Forest, Ferguson would have been fired. As it was, United won the FA Cup that year to give Ferguson his first trophy and suddenly the board and the fans were believers.

Always a strong disciplinarian, Ferguson dished out plenty of stick to his players and to opposing managers alike. Never one to suffer fools gladly, Ferguson rid United of their image as a drinking club and turned them into winners.

Along the way, of course, the United manager has been the subject of fierce debate. His players have related the 'Ferguson hairdryer' when he slates them for below-par efforts, and few people will forget the 'flying boot' when former England captain David Beckham was left with a split eyebrow after one particular exchange.

But while he may have seemed the perfect example of a 'dour Glaswegian' Ferguson's ability to get the best out of his players cannot be questioned.

Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt all came through United's heralded youth scheme while he was also a canny worker in the transfer market, as the acquisitions of Roy Keane and Eric Cantona would testify.

Ferguson's place in the United history books was assured when he won the Premiership title in 1993 - United's first triumph in 26 years - but when he helped them to the treble in 1999, winning the Premiership, FA Cup and famously, the European Cup with two injury- time goals against Bayern Munich, his legacy was assured.

Since then, United have continued to prosper, despite the emergence of first Arsenal and then more recently big-spending Chelsea.

Over his 20 years, Ferguson has mellowed, slightly, and he is no longer quite the hate figure with opposing fans he once was.

'Physically I have changed - I am a bit older. And emotionally, I've changed a little bit too. I have also mellowed a lot,' he said.

But he still manages to wind up every other manager with his mind games, with Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Chelsea's Jose Mourinho having both been put through the ringer by the Scot in their time.

Despite their battles, though, both managers are full of respect for Ferguson for what he has achieved.

'I don't believe there is another rivalry comparable to ours in English football,' Wenger said recently in an interview with France Football magazine.

'Our mental duels keep me awake. His only weakness is to believe he has no weakness.'

Mourinho admitted he was envious of Ferguson's hold over everyone.

'Maybe when I turn 60 and have been managing in the same league for 20 years and have the respect of everybody I will have the power to speak to people and make them tremble a little bit,' he said.

In the end, his job will depend, as it always has, on success on the pitch but if his team produce even half of the trophies in the next decade that they did in either of his first two, then the United fans and board will be more than happy.