5 things Manchester United fans want you to forget about Sir Alex Ferguson
Among the four statues installed outside the Old Trafford football stadium in Greater Manchester, Sir Alex Ferguson is the proud subject of one. There are few football managers in the history of the game who have had success comparable to the Scotsman.
So much has his influence been on the modern game that a statue built in memory of his impact at Manchester United seems like small repayment to his contributions to football at all levels.
There are many things that a number of football fans wouldn’t consider common knowledge about Sir Alex. The following 5 are some elements of his legacy which remain ignored by large sections of the Manchester United, but which may well help the average reader to put his managerial career in perspective:
#1 Role in the departure of some of Manchester United’s most important players
Sir Alex was an authoritarian in the United dressing room, and his word was equivalent to law for all players at the club – especially after he gained league success. A number of players – most notably David Beckham and Roy Keane – left Manchester United at very crucial junctures of their careers because of spats with him.
There are other players like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Diego Forlan and Jaap Stam, among others, who were shown the door by him. All three of them were world-class talents who would definitely have bolstered the club’s successes if they had found form and fitness with games under their belt, but Ferguson allowed them to leave the club and bolster rival teams in Europe.
While Ferguson’s record is something that cannot be argued with, there is no doubt that had he kept his notoriously short temper under control, United would have won more trophies under him.