Sir Alex Ferguson: Secrets of Success – A documentary made for football lovers

Sir Fergie is a staple of modern football, so much so that he was even endowed with Britain’s greatest honour: that of being a knight of the Queen. The reason, for those who were alive and took even the slightest of attention towards his career, is plain and simple: the man seemed to have been born to win. A person who does successful betting would bet on the man winning the Premier League: and win 50% of the time. But will get to that.

As Conte said – about himself – there are “serial winners”, yes: Guardiola, Mourinho, Trapattoni, Heinckes, Sarri, and so on. But if there is a picture in the dictionary to portray a “serial winner”, that picture needs to be that of Alex Ferguson.

There was a time when retrieving proper football analysis and statistics was quite difficult: the apex of the computer age was still around the corner, and the kick and rush was still considered a valid approach, especially in the Premier League.

It’s no wonder that when now we frown upon the idea of having two pure 9s playing together, that that was the staple: and a successful one. The transition is now fully made when you watch Manchester City playing without any 9 at all; but this transition was something Sir Alex Ferguson lived, and thrived on, leaving Manchester United’s Museum stuffed, and his name on the history books forever.

The Beginning:

It’s true that a picture sometimes is worth a thousand words, as they say. And it is also true that most kids would like to have the career Fergie had when playing football, but that’s hardly what set him apart from the rest and made him one of the greatest of the lovely game. It’s when he started coaching that the true legend began.

1st Club: East Stirlingshire

Bobby McCulley has been quoted saying he had “never been afraid of anyone before, but Ferguson was a frightening bastard from the start.” It was in the ripe age of 32 that Ferguson started coaching, and he already was showing the stern and firm reach he had on his squad.

The 2nd: St Mirren

Following the small stint at his first club, St Mirren were keen to snatch the young promising coach. He remained for 4 years (1974 to 1978), and what four years he had on the club! From the Second Division with only 1,000 fans to Champion of the First Division in 1977, he not only developed the club but unveiled a lot of talents, as we can more aptly see on the documentary.

St Mirren holds the title, quite probably without any pride, to be the first club to sack Ferguson; the affair was a messy one, and it seemed to show an “immature” side of Ferguson, at least for the court that mediated the parts. The documentary shows this headbutting show in proper detail, and shows, above anything else, that Ferguson was a man of his beliefs and true to his essence.

Holy Aberdeen

It was 1978 when Fergie joined and, well, nothing really special happened until the 80s. A careful sit through the documentary will expose a lot of friction due to his relatively young age for a manager, and an old and accommodated squad that made his life hard in the first years. Everything changed as one decade was replaced by another, and silverware started making its way to Aberdeen’s Museum. He kicked the 1979-1980 season off with an epic 5-0 win, marking the end of the bipolar reign of Celtic and Rangers. Ferguson went on to say about that win, quote: “That was the achievement which united us. I finally had the players believing me.”

Still, he was the same “Furious Fergie”, as later Beckham would get to know quite well, along with the greatest Manchester United generation. But before that, it’s fair to say that Ferguson’s career was hitting some landmarks:

• European Cup Winner’s Cup – the 3rd Scottish team to win it
• Runner Up on the European Super Cup
• 1983/84 Scottish League Title and Cup
• 1984/1985 Scottish League Title

Just to name a few of his accolades.

Scotland National Team:

All the while being invited by several Premier League clubs, he remained faithful to Aberdeen. While in Aberdeen, though, he did participate in the management of the national team, eventually leading it due to the unfortunate event that will not be spoiled in this article. This job, however, did not bring him any glory. Things were about to change, though, when in 1987, he gets the most magical call: The head of the Red Devils himself.

Manchester United: The Pool of Glory

It took Sir Ferguson 5 years to win the first Premier League. He wound up winning 13(!) PL titles in 26 years in charge, roughly a Premier League for every 2 years. Add to that Three Champions’ Leagues, 5 FA Cups, 10 Community Shields and one Club World Cup, amongst other titles, and it’s clear to see why he is considered the best manager of arguably the best league in the world, consolidating his presence as that of a true legend.

An enormously gifted generation with the likes of Neville’s brothers, Scholes, Giggs and Beckham, a tempestuous Cantona and, lately, Rooney and, of course, Ronaldo, are just some names that Ferguson coached and made great. To Ronaldo, he is “like a father”.

As said before, a picture is worth a thousand words and, since a thousand words couldn’t describe how incredible Fergie was in Manchester, the documentary may be the best way to truly understand one of the most iconic journeys in football and one that won’t probably be repeated for quite a long time. Some call him the Pele of coaches: It is not, by any means, an understatement. Truly one of the best football histories, and one worth reliving to any true football fan.