Ferguson, Alex

Born into the family of Alexander Beaton Ferguson, assistant tinsmith shipbuilder, and his wife Elizabeth Ferguson (nee Hardy) ^[14] . Alex Ferguson was born in his grandmother’s house on the Shieldhall Road in on December 31, 1941, but grew up in an apartment building at 667 Govan Road (the house is now demolished), where he lived with his parents and his younger brother Martin .

Ferguson began performing at the amateur level for the Queens Park club, in which he made his debut as a striker at the age of 16. He described his debut match as a “nightmare” ^[15] , although he scored a goal in him, and Queens Park lost to the Stranraer club with a score of 2: 1. Since Queens Park was an amateur club, Ferguson worked in parallel at the Clyde shipyard as an assistant toolmaker. There he became an active trade union organizer. One of Ferguson’s most memorable games in Queens Park was the game against Queen of the South, which ended in a 7-1 defeat. Former England national team player Ivor Broadis made poker in this match, and Alex Ferguson scored the only goal for Queens Park ^[16] .

Having scored 20 goals in 31 matches for Queens Park, Ferguson did not have a regular place in the club's main squad, which made him decide to move to St. Johnston in 1960. He continued to score regularly in the new club, but still was not a player of the main team and regularly demanded a transfer to another club. He even considered emigrating to Canada ^[17] . St. Johnston, however, could not find a replacement striker for Ferguson, and Alex joined the club for a match against the Rangers , in which he made a hat-trick , ensuring his club won. The following summer (in 1964), he moved to the Dunfermline Athletic club, in which Ferguson became a professional footballer.

In the 1964/65 season , Dunfermline fought for the league title and reached the Scottish Cup final, but Ferguson did not play in that match. Dunfermline lost to the Celtic in the Scottish Cup final with a score of 3: 2, and also could not win the league, losing only one point to the champion. In the 1965/66 season, Alex Ferguson scored 45 goals (including 3 goals in friendly matches) in 51 matches for Dunfermline, becoming, along with Joe McBride of Celtic the top scorer in the Scottish Championship (31 goals) ^[18] .

In 1967, Ferguson moved to the Rangers for a record-breaking £ 65,000 for Scottish football. In the final of the Scottish Cup in 1969 he was charged with a conceded goal from Celtic ^[19] , as he could not keep Billy McNeill , who was supposed to close. After that, he was sent to play for the club’s youth team ^[20] . Alex Ferguson’s brother admitted that Alex was so disappointed with the defeat of Celtic that in anger he threw off the silver medal of the Scottish Cup, which he was awarded after the match ^[21] . According to some reports, he was discriminated against at the Rangers because his wife Katie was Catholic ^[22] , but Ferguson himself in an autobiography clarifies ^[23] that the Rangers knew about his wife’s religious affiliation before the transition to the club, and that he left the team very reluctantly, due to the very mistake in the Scottish Cup final.

In October of the following year, the English Nottingham Forest wanted to sign Ferguson ^[24] , but the transition did not take place, as his wife did not want to move to England. Instead, Ferguson moved to the Falkirk Club. At Falkirk, Ferguson worked as a playing coach for a while, until John Prentis came to the club and Ferguson lost his coaching powers. After that, he moved to the Air United club, where he ended his player career in 1974.

East Sterlingshire

In June 1974, the 32-year-old Ferguson was appointed head coach of the East Sterlingshire club. He was offered part-time work with pay of £ 40 per week. At the time Ferguson arrived at the club, there was not a single goalkeeper in the team ^[25] . Ferguson immediately brought strict discipline to the team. So, the club striker Bobby McCully later admitted that he “had never been afraid of anyone before, but Ferguson from the very beginning was a terrifying son of a bitch” ^[26] . However, the players respected Ferguson for his tactical decisions, and the results of the team’s performances improved significantly.

In October 1974, Ferguson was offered to lead the St. Mirren Club. Although at that time, St. Mirren was below the East Sterlingshire in the standings, he was considered a larger club. Ferguson accepted the offer after speaking with Jock Stein ^[27] .

St. Mirren

Ferguson was the head coach of St. Mirren from 1974 to 1978, during which the team rose from the bottom of the Second Division of the Scottish Football League with an average match attendance of about 1,000 people to the championship in the First Division in 1977. Ferguson discovered and revealed the talent of players such as Billy Stark , Tony Fitzpatrick , Lex Richardson , Frank McGarvey , Bobby Reed and Peter Weir , and his team demonstrated attractive attacking football ^[28] . The average age of the players who won the title was 19 years old, and the club captain, Fitzpatrick, was only 20 years old ^[29] .

St. Mirren is the only club to have fired Ferguson from his coaching post. He challenged the decision on his dismissal from the labor dispute committee, but was refused without the opportunity to appeal. The official version of Ferguson’s dismissal was “breach of contract,” including illegal payments to football players ^{[28] [30]} . At a meeting of the tribunal in this case, St. Mirren’s chairman, Willy Todd, said Ferguson had “no coaching skills.”

On May 31, 2008, The Guardian published an interview with Todd (who was 87 years old) who fired Ferguson in 1978. Todd explained that the main reason for Ferguson’s dismissal was his negotiations with Aberdeen about the transition. Ferguson told reporter Jim Rogers of the Daily Mirror that he had notified St. Mirren's headquarters of his departure to Aberdeen. Todd regretted the incident, but blamed Aberdeen for not offering any compensation for Ferguson. ^[31]

First Seasons

Ferguson was appointed head coach of Aberdeen in June 1978, replacing Billy McNeill , who moved to Celtic . Although Aberdeen was one of Scotland's largest clubs, they have not won a championship since 1955. In the 1977/78 season, the club finished second in the championship ^[32] . Although Ferguson had four years of coaching experience behind him, he was still quite young, which is why some experienced Aberdeen players (such as Joe Harper ) did not take him seriously ^[33] . In Ferguson's debut season at Aberdeen, the club reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup and the finals of the Scottish League Cup , but lost in both cases, and took only fourth place in the championship.

The following season, Aberdeen played again in the Scottish League Cup final and lost again, this time to Dundee United after a replay. Ferguson claimed responsibility for the defeat, admitting that he had to replace some players with a replay of the final match ^[34] .

First Trophies

The 1979/80 season, “Aberdeen” started unsuccessfully, but then got in good shape and won the championship. For the first time in 15 years, it was not the Rangers or Celtic that got the Scottish title. After that, Ferguson, by his own admission, began to feel respect from the players: “ This was an achievement that united us. In the end, the players believed in me. ” ^[35]

Ferguson continued to adhere to the principles of strict discipline in the team: the players called him Furious Fergie ( Eng. Furious Fergie ). So, he imposed a fine on one of his players, John Hewitt, because he overtook him on the expressway ^[36] , and also kicked the water tank towards the players in the locker room after a poor performance in the first half ^[37] . He criticized the atmosphere at the Aberdeen matches, and also accused the Scottish press of bias and bias towards two clubs from Glasgow, creating the image of a “besieged fortress” and, thereby, motivating his team ^[38] .

In 1982, Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup. Ferguson was offered a coaching post in the English Wolverhampton , but he refused, because the “ wolves ” were in decline ^[39] , and also because “[his] ambitions in Aberdeen were not even half realized” ^[40] .

European Triumph

In the 1982/83 season, Aberdeen took part in the Cup Winners' Cup , as they won the Scottish Cup last season. In the quarterfinals, Ferguson's team beat Bayern , which had previously knocked out the English Tottenham from the tournament. Aberdeen defender Willy Miller admitted that the victory over Bayern gave them confidence that they could win this tournament ^[41] . “Aberdeen” reached the final , where he met with the Spanish “ Real ” and won 2-1. Aberdeen was only the third Scottish club to win the European Cup, and Ferguson stated that he “did something worthwhile in his life” ^[42] . Having defeated the West German Hamburg Cup 1983 in a two-match match with a 2-0 win, Aberdeen was the first Scottish club to win the UEFA Super Cup . Also this season, Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup again, winning the Rangers in the final with a score of 1-0.

In the 1983/84 season, Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup for the third time in a row and also won the championship. In 1984, Ferguson was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) ^[43] . In the 1984/85 season, Aberdeen again became the champion of Scotland. In the 1985/86 season, the club finished the championship only in fourth place, but won both national cups. In early 1986, Ferguson was included on the club’s board of directors, but in April he told Dick Donald, the chairman, that he would leave Aberdeen in the summer.

Ferguson was in the coaching staff of the Scottish national team in the qualifying tournament for the 1986 World Cup , but after the death of head coach Jock Stein on September 10, 1985, Ferguson agreed to lead the national team.

After the 1985/86 season ended, two London clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal , offered Ferguson the post of head coach, but Ferguson refused both offers. ^[44] In the summer of that year, rumors appeared in the press about Ferguson’s possible transfer to Manchester United to replace Ron Atkinson . These rumors were eventually confirmed, but the transition did not take place in the summer, but only in November, after Atkinson's dismissal.

Appointment and First Seasons

Alex Ferguson was appointed head coach of Manchester United on November 6, 1986 ^[45] . After joining the team, he was worried about the fact that a number of leading players, including Norman Whiteside , Paul McGrath and Brian Robson , were overly addicted to alcohol and were “disappointed” with their level of physical readiness. His first priority at the club was discipline. When Ferguson joined the club, United took 21st place in the championship (second from the end), and at the end of the season United took 11th place.

Ferguson's debut match as Manchester United's head coach was the game against Oxford United on November 8, 1986, in which the Red Devils unexpectedly lost 2-0. Seven days later, United tied 0-0 against Norwich City , and won his first victory (1-0 in a home game against Queens Park Rangers ) on November 22. During the season, the team’s results improved. On December 26, 1986, United won the only away victory of the season against their principal rival Liverpool , beating him at Anfield with a score of 1-0 thanks to Norman Whiteside's goal. In the first match of 1987, the “ Red Devils ” defeated Newcastle 4-1. United alternated wins with draws and several defeats, but ended up finishing the season at the 11th line of the First Division standings.

Three weeks after being appointed as United's head coach, Ferguson suffered a personal tragedy: at the age of 64, his mother Elizabeth died of lung cancer .

After joining the English club, Ferguson appointed Archie Knox as his assistant, with whom he worked at Aberdeen.

After arriving at Old Trafford , Ferguson turned to the press with the words:

Thus, he expressed his desire to surpass Liverpool, which at that time was the dominant club in England.

In the 1987/88 season, Ferguson made some serious acquisitions for the club, signing contracts with Steve Bruce , Viva Anderson , Brian Mackler and Jim Leighton .

The signing of new players affected the results of the team: Manchester United took 2nd place in the championship, losing the league title to Liverpool. Although United lost only five matches of the season, the team played 12 matches in a draw and therefore could not claim to win the championship.

The next season, 1988/89, Mark Hughes returned to the team from Barcelona, ​​but United took only 11th place in the championship, and also took off from the FA Cup in the sixth round, losing to Nottingham 1-0. The team slowly entered the season, having carried out a nine-match series without victories in October and November (with eight draws and one defeat). However, then the team’s results improved, and by mid-February, United were in third place in the standings. In the final quarter of the season, the team was unable to show stable results and sank into the middle of the tournament table.

This season, United held friendly matches against the Bermuda team and Somerset County Cricket Club as part of a club tour of Bermuda. In a match against Somerset, Alex Ferguson himself and his assistant, Archie Knox, entered the field and Knox even scored a goal. This is the only match in which Ferguson entered the field for the main team of Manchester United.

В сезоне 1989/90 Фергюсон потратил большие деньги на приобретение полузащитников Нила Уэбба , Майка Фелана и Пола Инса , а также защитника Гари Паллистера и вингера Дэнни Уоллеса . Сезон начался с уверенной победы над действующим чемпионом, « Арсеналом », со счётом 4:1, однако затем «Юнайтед» сыграл вничью, после чего последовало три поражения подряд, победа, и очередное поражение (от «Манчестер Сити» со счётом 5:1). После этого на «Олд Траффорд» появился баннер «Three years of excuses and it's still crap. Ta ra Fergie.» («Три года извинений и до сих пор хрень. Пока, Ферги»), и многие журналисты и болельщики призывали к отставке Фергюсона ^[47] . Позднее Фергюсон описал декабрь 1989 года как «самый мрачный период [который он] когда либо переживал в футболе». К концу 1989 года «Юнайтед» находился у зоны вылета из Первого дивизиона ^[48] .

Позднее Фергюсон сообщил, что совет директоров клуба заверил его в том, что не собирается увольнять его. Хотя совет директоров был разочарован результатами команды в чемпионате, они понимали причины таких результатов (а именно — отсутствие нескольких ключевых игроков из-за травм) и были довольны тем вкладом, который Фергюсон делал в организацию тренерской и скаутской служб в клубе.

После семиматчевой серии без побед в чемпионате «Манчестер Юнайтед» сыграл с « Ноттингем Форест » в третьем раунде Кубка Англии . «Форест» удачно выступал в этом сезоне и находился на пути к выигрышу второго Кубка Лиги подряд ^[49] . Многие считали, что «Юнайтед» проиграет в этом матче и Фергюсон сразу после этого будет уволен. Но «Юнайтед» одержал победу со счётом 1:0. Впоследствии клуб дошёл до самого финала Кубка Англии и выиграл его. Считается, что именно победа в Кубке Англии сохранила за Фергюсоном тренерский пост ^{[49] [50] [51]} . «Юнайтед» встретился в финальном матче c « Кристал Пэлас », сыграв сначала ничью 3:3, а затем выиграв в переигровке со счётом 1:0. Это был первый трофей Фергюсона в качестве главного тренера «Манчестер Юнайтед». Три пропущенных гола в первом финальном матче многие связывали с ошибками голкипера Джима Лейтона , после чего Фергюсон отказался от услуг бывшего вратаря «Абердина» и купил на его место Леса Сили .

Первый чемпионский титул

В сезоне 1990/91 «Юнайтед» стал выступать гораздо лучше, чем в предыдущем, но финишировал лишь на 6-м месте. Команда выступала нестабильно: наряду с результатами вроде разгрома « Арсенала » на « Хайбери » со счётом 6:2 были поражения от «Сандерленда», «Ливерпуля» и «Эвертона» (в том матче с «ирисками» за основной состав дебютировал 17-летний Райан Гиггз ).

В 1991 году «Юнайтед» вышел в финал Кубка Футбольной лиги, в котором уступил клубу « Шеффилд Уэнсдей » со счётом 1:0. В Кубке обладателей кубков Фергюсону повезло больше: в финальном матче «Манчестер Юнайтед» одержал верх над испанской « Барселоной » со счётом 2:1. После этой победы Фергюсон заявил, что «Юнайтед» выиграет чемпионат в следующем сезоне ^[52] .

В конце сезона 1990/91 помощник Фергюсона Арчи Нокс покинул клуб, став ассистентом Уолтера Смита в шотландском « Рейнджерс », и Фергюсон назначил своим ассистентом Брайана Кидда , тренера молодёжной команды. В том же 1991 году были куплены голкипер Петер Шмейхель , защитник Пол Паркер и правый полузащитник Андрей Канчельскис . Большие надежды возлагались на молодых вингеров — Райана Гиггза и Ли Шарпа .

В сезоне 1991/92 «Юнайтед» выиграл Суперкубок Европы и Кубок Футбольной лиги . Чемпионом Англии стал « Лидс Юнайтед », хотя «Манчестер Юнайтед» возглавлял таблицу большую часть сезона. Но из-за недостатка голов и большого количества ничейных результатов во второй половине сезона «красные дьяволы» уступили первую строчку чемпионата своим принципиальным конкурентам из Лидса. Фергюсон полагал, что неудачная попытка подписать нападающего Мика Харфорда из « Лутон Таун » стоила его клубу чемпионства, и что команде нужно придать «дополнительное измерение», чтобы выиграть чемпионат в следующем сезоне ^[53] .

В концовке сезона 1991/92 Фергюсон начал поиски нового нападающего для клуба. Он пытался подписать Алана Ширера из « Саутгемптона », но Ширер перешёл в « Блэкберн Роверс ». Он также сделал запрос по нападающему « Шеффилд Уэнсдей » Дэвиду Хирсту , но получил отказ от тренера «Уэнсдей» Тревора Фрэнсиса . В итоге, Фергюсон заплатил £1 млн за 23-летнего нападающего « Кембридж Юнайтед » Диона Даблина , ставшего единственным серьёзным трансфером «Юнайтед» в летнее межсезонье.

После медленного старта сезона 1992/93 в новообразованной Премьер-лиге (к началу ноября «Юнайтед» занимал лишь 10-е место) Фергюсон решился ещё на один трансфер. 27 ноября 1992 года из «Лидса» за £1,2 млн был куплен французский нападающий Эрик Кантона , ставший впоследствии легендой клуба. Кантона составил в нападении связку с Марком Хьюзом и помог клубу выйти на первую строчку турнирной таблицы чемпионата. По итогам сезона «Юнайтед» стал чемпионом Англии, опередив ближайшего преследователя, « Астон Виллу », на 10 очков. Ассоциация тренеров лиги признала Алекса Фергюсона тренером года.

Two Doubles

The 1993/94 season brought even greater success. Before the start of the season, Nottingham Forest bought a 22-year-old midfielder Roy Keane for a record £ 3.75 million for Britain. It was acquired as a long-term replacement for Brian Robson , who was already completing his career.

United led the standings in the 1993/94 season from the very beginning to the end. Cantona became the team's top scorer with 25 goals in all tournaments, although in March 1994, he received red cards twice in March 1994. United reached the League Cup finals, but lost to Aston Villa Ron Atkinson 3-1. In the final of the FA Cup , Manchester United defeated Chelsea 4-0. Thus, Ferguson won his second “double” (victory in the championship and the main cup of the country) after a “double” with “Aberdeen” in the 1984/85 season, and only a defeat in the League Cup final did not allow him to win three trophies (two cups and championship) in a season and thereby repeat this record, already set by him with Aberdeen in 1983.

In the summer of 1994, defender David May of Blackburn was bought for £ 1.2 million. The 21-year-old Norwich City striker Chris Sutton was actively associated with moving to United, but he moved to Blackburn Rovers.

The 1994/95 season was not easy for Ferguson. Cantona attacked a Crystal Palace fan during a match at Selhurst Park , receiving an eight-month suspension ^{[54] [55]} . United lost the championship title in the last round of the championship, tied 1: 1 with West Ham (a victory would have guaranteed them a third championship title in a row). In the FA Cup final, the “Red Devils” lost to Everton 1-0. In the same season, Ferguson acquired Newcastle striker Andy Cole , and players like Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes gradually began to be attracted from the youth squad.

In the summer of 1995, Ferguson was severely criticized by the press when three experienced players left the team ( Paul Ince , Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis ), but no one was purchased to replace them. Instead, Ferguson entrusted the base to young club graduates: Gary Neville , Phil Neville , David Beckham , Paul Scholes , Nicky Butt . This happened against the backdrop of high-profile transfers of such clubs as Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United. When Manchester United lost to Aston Villa their first match in the 1995/96 season with a score of 3: 1, television commentator Alan Hansen said: “you can’t win anything with the children”, bearing in mind the large number of United players young and inexperienced players ^[56] .

Despite pressure from the press, young football players lived up to Ferguson’s hopes: United won the next five consecutive matches in the Premier League, including defeating Everton at Goodison Park 3–2, and beating existing champions, Blackburn Rovers, 2-1 at the Yewood Park .

Despite the successful performances of the young students of the club, by Christmas 1995, United were 10 points behind the leading Newcastle. The victory over the “magpies” in a full-time meeting with a score of 2: 0 on December 27 narrowed the gap to 7 points, but then due to the unstable game of the “Red Devils” the gap widened again. On March 4, 1996, Manchester United defeated Newcastle at St. James's Park with a score of 1-0, reducing their backlog to 1 point. After that, the “magpies” began to lose points, and the “Red Devils” took the lead in the championship. Manchester United won the league title in the last round of the championship, defeating Middlesbrough 3-0. On May 11, 1996, the team played at Wembley in the FA Cup final against Liverpool, winning 1-0 with a goal from Canton. Thus, United became the first English club to win a double twice (won the championship and the country's cup in one season).

In the 1996/97 season , United won their fourth Premier League title. At the end of autumn, the team suffered 3 defeats in a row in the championship, having conceded 13 goals, and also interrupted their 40-year-old unbeaten run in their home stadium in European competition, losing to the Turkish Fenerbahçe club. However, United made it to the Champions League semifinal, in which they lost to Borussia . At the end of the season, Eric Cantona announced his retirement. In the same season, the Norwegians Ole Gunnar Solskher (who became the team's top scorer of the season) and Ronnie Johnsen came to the club.

Treble

Before the start of the 1997/98 season, Ferguson acquired 31-year-old striker Teddy Sheringham and quarterback Henning Berg . The season, however, was unsuccessful for the club: Arsenal won the league title, United dropped out of the FA Cup in the fifth round after losing to Barnsley , and the team dropped out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals, losing to Monaco .

In the summer of 1998, striker Dwight York , defender Yap Stam and winger Jesper Blomqvist joined the team. The total cost of transfers amounted to almost £ 30 million.

In December 1998, Ferguson's assistant Brian Kidd moved to Blackburn Rovers , where he became head coach. Ferguson's new assistant was Steve McLaren .

The 1998/99 season was the most successful in the history of Manchester United: the club won three major tournaments at once, the Premier League , the FA Cup and the Champions League . The season was also remembered for very dramatic matches. So, in the semifinal match of the Champions League against Juventus , United conceded two goals at the very beginning of the meeting; however, Roy Keane played one goal, after which Dwight York equalized, and in the 84th minute Andy Cole brought the victory to the “Red Devils”. In the semifinals of the FA Cup, United met with Arsenal and was on the verge of relegation from the tournament after Roy Keane was removed and a penalty was awarded to Arsenal in the last minutes. Peter Schmeichel beat off the penalty, and in extra time Ryan Giggs's brilliant solo pass ended with a goal that guaranteed the club access to the FA Cup final. On May 22, at Wembley, Manchester United beat Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup final . The most dramatic match was the Champions League final match . Until the 90th minute of the match, United lost to Bayern 1-0, but then was able to recoup and score a winning goal within 3 minutes thanks to goals from Sheringham and Solskher.

On June 12, 1999, Alex Ferguson was knighted in recognition of his merits to English football. ^[57]

Three consecutive champion titles

In the 1999/2000 season , Manchester United again became the Premier League champion, having suffered only three defeats in the course of the championship, and having scored 91 points (Arsenal who won the second place scored only 73 points).

In April 2000, it was announced that the Dutch striker Rud van Nistelrooy from PSV was purchased for £ 18 million. But the transition did not take place, as Van Nistelrooy did not undergo a medical examination, after which he returned to his homeland, where he received a serious knee injury, -for which I missed almost a whole year. But another transition took place: 28-year-old goalkeeper Fabien Barthez moved from Monaco to United for £ 7.8 million - he became the most expensive goalkeeper bought by a British club.

In the 2000/01 season, United again became the champion of England for the third consecutive season. In the Champions League, however, Ferguson suffered setbacks: in 2000, the club left the tournament at the quarter-final stage after losing to Real Madrid, and in 2001, again in the quarter-finals, lost to Bayern.

In 2001, Rud van Nistelrooy still moved to Manchester United. Then the club again broke the British transfer record by buying Juan Sebastian Veron from Argentine midfielder Lazio for £ 28.1 million.

Team Rebuild

At the beginning of the 2001/02 season, Dutch defender Jap Stam was sold for £ 16 million at Lazio . To replace him, Ferguson acquired 36-year-old Inter defender Laurent Blanc . Also, before the start of the season, Steve McLaren moved to Middlesbrough , where he became the head coach. Ferguson's new assistant was Jimmy Ryan .

By December 8, 2001, when United had lost six of their seven matches, the team was in ninth place in the standings, 11 points behind the leading Liverpool, which had a game in reserve. Then the team got in good shape, scoring eight victories in a row from mid-December to late January, and got into the championship leaders. However, Arsenal won the league title, while United took third place. In the Champions League, the team reached the semifinals, where they lost to Bayer Leverkusen. United ended the season without trophies.

The 2001/02 season could be the last for Ferguson in the club. He was considering the possibility of his departure. However, in February 2002, Ferguson agreed on a new contract, agreeing to remain in the team for at least another three years.

At the end of the season, United broke the British transfer record by buying 24-year-old defender Rio Ferdinand from Leeds for £ 30 million. In the summer of the same 2002, the Portuguese coach Carlos Keyros moved to the club, becoming Ferguson's assistant.

In the 2002/03 season , Manchester United won the eighth Premier League title. In the last 11 matches of the championship United won 10 wins and played 1 match in a draw (including a victory over Liverpool 4-0 and the defeat of Newcastle 6-2), and also did not lose a single match after Christmas.

In the 2003/04 season, United won the FA Cup, defeating the Millwall club 3-0 in the final match ^[58] . In the championship, Ferguson's team finished only the third, and the future winner of the tournament, Portuguese “ Porto ” knocked her out of the Champions League. Rio Ferdinand missed the final four months of the season due to the start of an eight-month suspension. The club’s new acquisitions - Eric Djemba-Djemba , Jose Kleberson - did not live up to their expectations. The exception was the young Portuguese midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo , who, under the leadership of Ferguson, gradually developed into a world-class player. To replace the permanently injured Ole Gunnar Solskher, the French striker Louis Saa was acquired.

Before the start of the 2004/05 season, English striker Wayne Rooney (who became the most expensive football teenager) and Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze joined the club. In the championship, the team again took only third place, largely due to the injury of van Nistelrooy, who missed most of the season. In the FA Cup, United reached the finals, where they lost to Arsenal in the penalty shoot-out. Failures in the Champions League and League Cup meant that the club ended this season without trophies.

In the summer of 2005, American businessman Malcolm Glaser received full control of the club ^[59] . This caused violent protests from the fans, but Ferguson himself never publicly criticized the new owners of the club.

In the same 2005, Ferguson solved the “goalkeeper problem” that had existed for many years by purchasing the Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sarah from Fulham. Also from PSV was bought South Korean midfielder Pak Chi Song .

The 2005/06 season also turned out to be transitional. On November 18, 2005, the long-time captain of Manchester United Roy Keene left the club ^[60] . United were unable to leave the group in the Champions League ^[61] . In the January 2006 transfer window , Ferguson acquired two defenders: Serb Nemanja Vidic and French Patrice Evra . The team took second place in the championship, losing the title to London Chelsea . The club’s only trophy of the season was the League Cup ^[62] . At the end of the season, Van Nistelrooy left the team, transferred to Real Madrid .

Second Triumph in Europe

In 2006, Michael Carrick moved to United from Tottenham for £ 14 million. The team began the 2006/07 season successfully, having won four Premier League opening matches. Having occupied the first line of the standings after the seventh round of the championship, United did not lose leadership until the very end of the season. In January 2006, defenders Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic joined the club, which later became the most important links in the defenses of the team.

On November 6, 2006, Ferguson celebrated his 20th anniversary as head coach of Manchester United. Players of the past and present, playing under his leadership (including Roy Keane), expressed their admiration for him ^[63] , as well as some coaches, including Arsene Wenger ^[64] . On December 1, 2007, a 35-year-old Swede, Henrik Larsson , who Ferguson admired for many years ^[ 15], joined the club on loan. On December 23, 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 2000th goal of Manchester United under the leadership of Ferguson in the match against Aston Villa . ^[66] In the 2006/07 season, United won their 9 Premier League champions title and reached the FA Cup final , in which they lost to Chelsea. In the Champions League, the club beat the Italian Roma with a record 7-1, but lost to Milan in the semifinals.

Before the start of the 2007/08 season, Ferguson made a number of important acquisitions in the middle line of the team: Englishman Owen Hargreaves , Portuguese Nani and Brazilian Anderson moved to the club. Also, the Argentine striker Carlos Tevez became a United player for two seasons.

The season 2007/08, the team began with two draws and a defeat from Manchester City, which was the worst start of the season under the leadership of Ferguson. Subsequently, however, United took shape and competed with the leading Arsenal. In November 2007, Ferguson admitted that his current composition is the best of those that he had to train ^[67] . On February 16, 2008, United beat Arsenal 4-0 in the FA Cup, but then dropped out of the tournament, losing to Portsmouth 1-0. After this defeat, Ferguson drew attention to the fact that the judge did not appoint a penalty in favor of his team and expressed doubts about the competence of the refereeing committee in England. For these statements, the Football Association imposed a fine on Ferguson.

On May 11, 2008, Ferguson led Manchester United to the tenth Premier League title, exactly 25 years after his triumph in the Cup Winners Cup finals over Real Madrid as an Aberdeen coach. On May 21, 2008, Ferguson won the UEFA Champions League for the second time when Manchester United beat Chelsea in the final match in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium.

After defeating Chelsea in the Champions League final, Ferguson announced his intention to end his coaching career over the next three years, which would mean that he would leave the club in the summer of 2011 ^[68] . However, shortly afterwards, David Gill denied all the rumors about Ferguson’s imminent resignation, saying that he would lead the team while his health allowed ^[69] .

New Championship Title and Two Wins in the Football League Cup

In the 2008/09 season , Manchester United again became the champion of the English Premier League, and Ferguson became the first coach in history to win the championship of England for three consecutive seasons twice (the first time - from 1999 to 2001, the second - from 2007 to 2009). The victory in the Premier League was the 11th for Ferguson, and all Manchester United won their 18th title of the Champions of England (taking into account 7 cups of the First division of the Football League ), catching up with Liverpool in this indicator. In 2009, the club also won the Football League Cup , defeating Tottenham in the penalty shootout in the final match .

In May 2009, Manchester United played in the Champions League final against Barcelona , but lost the trophy to the Spanish club, losing the match 2-0.

In the 2009/10 season , Manchester United won the Football League Cup again, this time defeating Aston Villa in the final with a score of 2: 1. In the Champions League, United reached the quarterfinals, where they lost to Bayern according to the away goal rule. In the Premier League, the club lost the league title to London Chelsea, ahead of United by only one point.

On August 8, 2010, Ferguson won another Super Bowl in England after United defeated Chelsea 3-1.

19 декабря 2010 года сэр Алекс Фергюсон стал рекордсменом среди тренеров «Манчестер Юнайтед» по длительности пребывания на посту главного тренера, побив рекорд, принадлежавший сэру Мэтту Басби (24 года, 1 месяц и 13 дней) ^[70] .

14 мая 2011 года «Манчестер Юнайтед» завоевал 19-й титул чемпионов Англии и стал рекордсменом по победам в национальном первенстве, обойдя «Ливерпуль».

7 августа 2011 года Фергюсон выиграл ещё один Суперкубок Англии после победы «Юнайтед» над «Манчестер Сити» со счётом 3:2.

В сезоне 2012/13 «Юнайтед» выиграл Премьер-лигу , став чемпионом Англии в 20-й раз в своей истории. Это была 13-я победа Фергюсона в Премьер-лиге ^[71] .

8 мая 2013 года сэр Алекс Фергюсон объявил о решении уйти в отставку с должности главного тренера клуба по окончании сезона ^[72] . По итогам сезона Фергюсон в 11-й раз был признан лучшим тренером года в Премьер-лиге.

Фергюсон был вовлечён в ряд скандальных историй, будучи главным тренером «Манчестер Юнайтед».

Гордон Стракан

В вышедшей в свет в 1999 году автобиографии Managing My Life Фергюсон написал о Гордоне Стракане : « Я решил, что этому человеку нельзя верить ни на дюйм — я бы не хотел подставить ему свою спину » ^[73] . Стракан прокомментировал это заявление Фергюсона словами « удивлён и разочарован » ^[73] , но не стал обращаться в суд с иском о защите чести и достоинства.

Дэвид Бекхэм и подтасовка жеребьёвки

В 2003 году Фергюсон был вовлечён в конфликт с Дэвидом Бекхэмом в раздевалке после матча: главный тренер «Юнайтед» швырнул бутсу в лицо футболисту, из-за чего тот получил рассечение ^[74] . 5 апреля 2003 года Фергюсон заявил, что жеребьёвка Лиги чемпионов была подтасована ^[75] в пользу испанских и итальянских команд, за что 1 мая был оштрафован на 10 000 швейцарских франков (£4600).

Би-би-си

Фергюсон отказывался давать интервью каналу BBC после выхода в 2004 году на британском телевидении документального фильма под названием Father and Son («Отец и сын»). Согласно статье в газете The Independent , фильм Би-би-си «отображает его сына, Джейсона, как человека, эксплуатирующего влияние и должность своего отца для собственных целей на трансферном рынке». В той же статье приводится мнение по этому поводу Фергюсона-старшего: «Они [BBC] сделали историю о моём сыне, которая является полной чепухой. Там всё является вымыслом, материалами жёлтой прессы. Это была ужасная атака на честь и достоинство моего сына, он не заслуживает таких обвинений» ^[76] . После этого инцидента все интервью каналу BBC (например, в программе Match of the Day ) давал не Алекс Фергюсон, а его ассистент ( Карлуш Кейрош , а затем Майк Фелан ). В конце августа 2011 года Фергюсон встретился с руководством BBC, после чего принял решение прекратить свой бойкот телеканала, продлившийся семь лет ^[77] .

Критика арбитров

Фергюсон получил ряд взысканий за публичную критику арбитров матчей:

20 октября 2003 года — двухматчевая дисквалификация и штраф в размере £10 000 за использование оскорбительной лексики в адрес четвёртого судьи Джеффа Уинтера ^[78] .

14 декабря 2007 — двухматчевая дисквалификация и штраф в размере £5000 за использование оскорбительной лексики в адрес Марка Клаттенбурга ^[79] .

18 ноября 2008 — двухматчевая дисквалификация и штраф в размере £10 000 за споры с Майком Дином после матча ^[80] .

12 ноября 2009 — четырёхматчевая дисквалификация (два матча условно) и штраф в размере £20 000 за комментарии по поводу физической готовности Алана Уайли ^[81] .

16 марта 2011 — пятиматчевая дисквалификация (три матча плюс два отложенных) и штраф в размере £30 000 за критику Мартина Аткинсона после матча с «Челси» ^{[82] [83]} .

8 февраля 2013 — штраф в размере £12 000 за критику лайнсмена после матча с «Тоттенхэмом» ^{[84] [85]} .

Алекс Фергюсон проживает в Уилмслоу, Чешир , со своей женой, леди Кэти Фергюсон (в девичестве Холдинг). Они познакомились на забастовке профсоюза, в котором Алекс был делегатом ^[86] . Они поженились в 1966 году и имеют трёх сыновей: Марка (родился в 1968 году) и близнецов (родились в 1972 году) Даррена и Джейсона, который управляет компанией по организации рекламных акций.

В 1998 году Алекс Фергюсон был назван в списке частных лиц с наиболее крупными пожертвованиями в пользу партии лейбористов ^[87] .

5 мая 2018 года Алексу Фергюсону была сделана срочная операция в связи с кровоизлиянием в мозг ^[88] . Операция прошла успешно, и 9 мая он был выписан из реанимации ^[89] .

  Сент-Миррен

• Чемпион Первого дивизиона Шотландии: 1976/77
• Итого : 1 трофей

  Абердин

• Чемпион Премьер-дивизиона Футбольной лиги Шотландии ( 3 ): 1979/80, 1983/84, 1984/85
• Обладатель Кубка Шотландии ( 4 ): 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
• Обладатель Кубка шотландской лиги : 1986
• Победитель Кубка обладателей кубков УЕФА : 1983
• Обладатель Суперкубка УЕФА : 1983
• Итого: 10 трофеев

  Manchester United

• Чемпион Премьер-лиги ( 13 ): 1992/93 , 1993/94 , 1995/96 , 1996/97 , 1998/99 , 1999/2000 , 2000/01 , 2002/03 , 2006/07 , 2007/08 , 2008/09 , 2010/11 , 2012/13
• Обладатель Кубка Англии ( 5 ): 1990 , 1994 , 1996 , 1999 , 2004
• Обладатель Кубка Футбольной лиги ( 4 ): 1992 , 2006 , 2009 , 2010
• Обладатель Суперкубка Англии ( 10 ): 1990 ( разделённый ), 1993 , 1994 , 1996 , 1997 , 2003 , 2007 , 2008 , 2010 , 2011
• Победитель Лиги чемпионов УЕФА ( 2 ): 1999 , 2008
• Победитель Кубка обладателей кубков : 1991
• Обладатель Суперкубка УЕФА : 1991
• Обладатель Межконтинентального кубка : 1999
• Club World Cup Winner: 2008
• Итого: 38 трофеев
• Всего за карьеру : 49 трофеев

Sports

• Тренер месяца английской Премьер-лиги ( 27 ): август 1993, октябрь 1994, февраль 1996, март 1996, февраль 1997, октябрь 1997, январь 1999, апрель 1999, август 1999, март 2000, апрель 2000, февраль 2001, апрель 2003, декабрь 2003, февраль 2005, март 2006, август 2006, октябрь 2006, февраль 2007, январь 2008, март 2008, январь 2009, апрель 2009, сентябрь 2009, январь 2011, август 2011, октябрь 2012
• Тренер сезона английской Премьер-лиги ( 11 ): 1993/94, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2002/03, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2012/13
• Главный тренер года по версии Ассоциации главных тренеров лиги (LMA) ( 4 ): 1998/99, 2007/08, 2010/11, 2012/13
• Главный тренер десятилетия по версии Ассоциации главных тренеров лиги (LMA): 1990-е годы
• Главный тренер года по версии журнала World Soccer ( 4 ): 1993, 1999, 2007, 2008
• Лучший клубный тренер года по версии УЕФА : 1998/99
• Спортивная личность года по версии BBC (тренер года): 1998/99
• Тренер года по версии Международной федерации футбольной истории и статистики ( 2 ): 1999, 2008
• Обладатель медали Муссабини: 1999
• Обладатель награды Onze d'Or от журнала Onze Mondial ( 3 ): 1999, 2007, 2008
• Главный тренер команды года по версии Laureus : 2000
• Главный тренер команды года УЕФА ( 2 ): 2007, 2008
• Награда АФЖ за заслуги перед футболом : 1996
• Введён в Зал славы английского футбола : 2002
• Введён в Зал славы шотландского футбола : 2004
• Награда ПФА за заслуги перед футболом : 2007
• Награждён Президентской премией ФИФА : 2011

Others

• Офицер ордена Британской империи ( англ. Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE ): 1983
• Командор ордена Британской империи ( англ. Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE ): 1995
• Рыцарь-бакалавр ( англ. Knight Bachelor ): 1999
• Почётный гражданин Абердина (1999), Глазго (1999), Манчестера (2000) и Траффорда (2013)
• Почётный доктор 9 университетов, включая университет Роберта Гордона (1997), Сент-Эндрюсский (2002) ^[90] и Манчестерский (2011) ^[91] университеты

^[95]

• Michael Crick. The Boss: The Many Sides of Alex Ferguson. — Pocket Books, 2003. — 640 p. — ISBN 0-7434-2991-5 .
• Alex Ferguson, Hugh McIlvanney. Managing My Life: My Autobiography. — Coronet Books, 2000. — 520 p. — ISBN 0-340-72856-6 .
• Уоррал Ф. Сэр Алекс Фергюсон : Биография величайшего футбольного тренера. М., 2012. 288 с. ISBN 978-5-386-04086-4 .

• Профиль Фергюсона на ManUtd.com (англ.)
• Тренерская статистика на StretfordEnd.co.uk (англ.)
• Статистика Фергюсона на MUFCInfo.com (англ.)