Farewell, Sir Alex!

When a big sporting headline breaks out there are usually a few differing points of view that bring up some form of debate. However, with the announcement of Sir Alex’s retirement there is a strange uniformity of opinion: we can all agree that he was one of, if not the best, managers of all time. In his time at Manchester United he has won 13 Premier League titles, 5 F.A cups and 2 Champions Leagues. He also provided the footballing world with one of the best endings it has ever seen when winning the treble in 1999.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Ferguson. During the 1989-90 season United had been so poor that there were banners around Old Trafford calling for Ferguson to be sacked. In January of that season Ferguson was given an ultimatum, United were drawn away at Nottingham Forest in the F.A cup and it was a Mark Robins goal that gave United a 1-0 win and saved Ferguson’s job. Ferguson himself described this time as ‘the darkest period ever suffered’. We all know how the story ends however, fast forward 23 years and Ferguson has achieved what he always said he aimed to do: ‘knocking Liverpool right off their f*cking perch’.

2 years ago he finally topped Liverpool’s league titles and this year put breathing space between United and Liverpool, 20-18. It isn’t just his trophy haul that is impressive, it’s the way he goes about his business that should be admired. Players know where they stand with Ferguson, we have all heard about the infamous ‘hair dryer treatment’. He’s the boss. After one game, Diego Forlan was told off for wearing the wrong type of studs in a game, so what did Ferguson do? He threw the boots across the dressing room, of course. He is an old fashioned manager who stands by the ethos that no player is bigger than the club; just ask David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. To say it’s a shame to see him retire would be an understatement, he is undeniably a fantastic manager and with a CV that looks like it was done on Football Manager, here’re a few reasons why he’ll be truly missed:

Signing obscure players

I’m looking at you Bebe, Manucho and Eric Djemba-Djemba. Of course SAF has worked wonders in the transfer market, but Djemba-Djemba? Really.

Orbit will go out of business

The man chews gum like it’s going out of fashion.

He’s the best around

There’s no two ways about it. Having such a great manager in English football is not something that can be taken for granted. He consistently comes out top of managerial tables and his success is unprecedented for any team in world football.

Headline image courtesy of the BBC.