Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE (born 31 December 1941) is a former Scottish football manager and player who managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. His time at the club has led to Ferguson being regarded as one of the most admired and respected managers in the history of the game.

Ferguson managed East Stirlingshire and St. Mirren before a highly successful period as manager of Aberdeen. After briefly managing Scotland following the death of Jock Stein, he was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986.

Ferguson is the longest serving manager of Manchester United, overtaking Sir Matt Busby's record on 19 December 2010, and the longest serving of all current League managers. He has won many awards and holds many records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football history. In 2008, he became the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion. He was knighted in 1999 for his services to the game and also holds the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.

On 8 May 2013, Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United. During his 26 years at the club, he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League and two UEFA Champions League titles.

The First League Title

Although United's league form improved greatly in 1990–91, they were still inconsistent and finished sixth. There were some excellent performances that season, including a 6–2 demolition of Arsenal at Highbury, but results like an early 2–1 loss at newly promoted Sunderland, a 4–0 September hammering by Liverpool at Anfield, and a 2–0 home defeat by Everton in early March (the game where 17-year-old hot prospect Ryan Giggs made his senior debut) showed that United still had some way to go.[citation needed]

Even after the FA Cup Final victory in the previous season, some still had doubts about Ferguson's ability to succeed where all the other managers since Busby had failed — to win the league title. They were runners-up in the League Cup, losing 1–0 to Sheffield Wednesday. They also reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, beating that season's Spanish champions Barcelona 2–1. After the match, Ferguson vowed that United would win the league the following season, and at long last he seemed to have won over the last of his sceptics after nearly five years in the job.

During the 1991 close season, Ferguson's assistant Archie Knox departed to Glasgow Rangers to become assistant to Walter Smith, and Ferguson promoted youth team coach Brian Kidd to the role of assistant manager in Knox's place. He also made two major signings – goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and defender Paul Parker – to bolster his side. There was much anticipation about the breakthrough of the young Ryan Giggs, who had played twice and scored once in the 1990–91 campaign, and the earlier emergence of another impressive young winger in the shape of Lee Sharpe, who despite their youth had made Ferguson feel able to resist plunging into the transfer market and buying a new player to take over from the disappointing Danny Wallace on the left wing. He had also added the Ukrainian Andrei Kanchelskis to the right wing, giving him a more attacking alternative to older right footed midfielders Mike Phelan and Bryan Robson.

The 1991–92 season did not live up to Ferguson's expectations and, in Ferguson's words, "many in the media felt that [his] mistakes had contributed to the misery". United won the League Cup and Super Cup for the first time, but lost out on the league title to rivals Leeds United after leading the table for much of the season. A shortage of goals and being held to draws by teams they had been expected to beat in the second half of the campaign had proved to be the undoing of a United side who had performed so well in the first half of the season. Ferguson felt that his failure to secure the signing of Mick Harford from Luton Town had cost United the league, and that he needed "an extra dimension" to the team if they were to win the league the following season.

During the 1992 close season, Ferguson went on the hunt for a new striker. He first attempted to sign Alan Shearer from Southampton, but lost out to Blackburn Rovers. He also made at least one approach for the Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst, but manager Trevor Francis rejected all offers and the player stayed put. In the end, he paid £1 million for 23-year-old Cambridge United striker Dion Dublin – his only major signing of the summer.

After a slow start to the 1992–93 season (they were 10th of 22 at the beginning of November) it looked as though United would miss out on the league title (now the Premier League) yet again. However, after the purchase of French striker Eric Cantona from Leeds United for £1.2 million, the future of Manchester United, and Ferguson's position as manager, began to look bright. Cantona formed a strong partnership with Mark Hughes and fired the club to the top of the table, ending United's 26-year wait for a League Championship, and also making them the first ever Premier League Champions. United had finished champions with a 10-point margin over runners-up Aston Villa, whose 1–0 defeat at Oldham on 2 May 1993 had given United the title. Ferguson was voted Manager of the Year by the League Managers' Association.

1998-99: Treable Suceess

The 1998–99 season saw United complete an unprecedented treble sweep of trophies: the league, FA Cup and Champions League. The success coincided with the club becoming the world's richest and most valuable sporting brand worldwide. United were at the centre of a takeover bid from BSkyB in September 1998, which incited supporters. Ferguson refused to be drawn over the controversy of the deal; he nevertheless praised the company for their work in football. The government later referred the deal to the Mergers Commission, which was blocked in April 1999. On the pitch, United made a steady start in all competitions and lost for the final time in the season against Middlesbrough in December 1998, where Ferguson was absent on bereavement leave. Their route to the 1999 FA Cup Final, which they won 2–0 against Newcastle United, mostly involved ties against fellow league clubs. In the semi-final replay against cup holders Arsenal, Keane was sent off and United conceded a penalty late into the match; but Dennis Bergkamp's effort was saved by Schmeichel. Giggs in extra time ran the length of the pitch and scored what The Times reporter Oliver Holt described as "a goal of breathtaking skill". In the league, United regained the title after a closely fought challenge from Arsenal.

After finishing second in their Champions League group – behind Bayern Munich and ahead of Barcelona – and knocking-out Inter Milan in the quarter-final stage, United faced Juventus in the last four. An injury time goal scored by Giggs in the first leg earned the team a 1–1 draw, but in spite of conceding an away goal, Ferguson was adamant of United's chances of reaching the final: "...something tells me we are going to win. The nature of our club is that we torture ourselves so much that the only way to get relief is by winning over there. It will be a great game and hopefully I am right." At the Stadio delle Alpi, striker Filippo Inzaghi scored twice to put Juventus 3–1 up on aggregate. Keane headed in a Beckham cross to halve the deficit, but was later shown a yellow card for a foul on Edgar Davids, which prevented him from playing in the final.[90] Yorke equalised, before Cole added a third to win the match outright. Ferguson described his captain's performance as "the most emphatic display of selflessness ... he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player". In Barcelona, where the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was staged against Bayern Munich, United conceded inside six minutes, through Mario Basler's free kick. Sheringham equalised from a corner late into the match and Solskjær in added time scored the winner, from another set piece. When interviewed moments after the match, Ferguson said:

I can't believe it. I can't believe it. Football, bloody hell. But they never gave in and that's what won it.

Ferguson and Schmeichel, the stand-in captain, jointly lifted the cup during the trophy presentation. A crowd of over 500,000 people turned out on the streets of Manchester to greet the players, who paraded through the city in an open-top bus. As European champions, United were invited to play in the Intercontinental Cup. The club also entered the inaugural Club World Championship, which was held in Brazil. Given the possibility of a hectic fixture schedule, United withdrew from the FA Cup, becoming the first holders to do so. In later years, Ferguson cited the decision had to do with England's failed 2006 FIFA World Cup bid, and he expressed regret in how the club dealt with the situation.

Retirment 

On 8 May 2013, Ferguson announced that he was to retire as manager at the end of the football season, but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. The Guardian announced it was the "end of an era", while UEFA president Michel Platini said that Ferguson was "a true visionary". British Prime Minister David Cameron described Ferguson as a "remarkable man in British football". Former Manchester United players Paul Ince and Bryan Robson agreed that Ferguson would be "a hard act to follow". Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer said "His determination to succeed and dedication to the club have been truly remarkable." Ferguson revealed that he had in fact decided that he was going to retire back in December 2012 and that it had been very difficult not to reveal his plans.