Top Ten: Fergie Premier League Moments
Michael Carr
Posted on: 13 May 2011 - 11:41
Football
Many football fans either love him or they hate him. Sir Alex Ferguson is football’s version of marmite. He is synonymous with Premier League football; you almost can’t mention past seasons of Premier years gone by without mentioning the success Sir Alex has achieved with Manchester United.
The saying goes “form is temporary, class is permanent” and now he’s on the cusp of achieving a twelfth Premier League title. Players have been and gone, the boardroom has had heavy upheaval but one person has kept the club like its name - united throughout.
From the difficult early days of his reign to the terrific success in the nineties and noughties. Sir Alex Ferguson is a true legend of the game. One that will be forever linked with Manchester United much in the same vein that Bill Shankly is linked with Liverpool. This is Sport.co.uk’s exclusive list of our Top Ten Fergie moments that have been entertaining, controversial and triumphant.
1. Treble champions (1998/1999)
The greatest of all Fergusons achievement’s, which will be remembered forever by Red Devils fans, was that famous treble in 1999. The title race was neck and neck with Arsenal going all the way to the last day. In a once in a millennium event, Arsenal fans were praying to the footballing gods for a Spurs victory at Old Trafford. After conceding an early goal Ferguson rallied the troops and goals from Beckham and Cole helped Ferguson claim the first trophy of the treble.
The scenes of elation that day would be nothing in comparison to what commentator Clive Tyldesley famously calls “that night in Barcelona” .Where United pulled off an astonishing comeback against Bayern Munich. Injury time goals by Sheringham and Solskjaer sent the fans into wild celebration, sent Peter Schmeichel into cartwheels and sent Alex Ferguson into the history books as the only manager in English football to have won the treble.
2. You don’t win anything with kids & managerial mind games (1995/1996)
At the start of the 1995/1996 season a very famous Scottish pundit concluded on Match of the Day “you’ll never win anything with kids” After United were thrashed 3-0 by Aston Villa. That season Newcastle were the hot runners in the premiership title race and had a healthy ten point lead by Christmas.
It would be Fergusons team of ‘kids’ started to build momentum and it rattled Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan who would go on Sky Sports to famously bellow the words “I would love it, just love it if we beat them”. Ferguson and his sides went on beat Newcastle 1-0, and win most of their remaining fixtures to win the title. Who says you don’t win anything with kids?
3. Putting the boot in (2002/2003)
The world got a visual insight to Sir Alex Ferguson’s infamous temper. With his side trailing 2-0 at home to Arsenal, during a half time team talk he furiously kicked a boot across the changing room, hitting David Beckham causing a noticeable grazing wound above the left eye.
It highlights the single mindedness of Ferguson that even despite Beckham’s popularity amongst the supporters he never apologized in public for his actions. After that incident the relationship between Beckham and Sir Alex became fractured and it would be one of the key factors in Beckham’s departure to Real Madrid.
4. One of the greatest managerial Rivalries (1996 – Today)
Not many saw the rise of Arsenal under Arsene Wenger coming. Before his arrival Arsenal were just another club languishing in mid-table obscurity. In 1996 when Wenger arrived, his rivalry with Alex Ferguson would be one of the Premierships most loved sideshows.
It started with Wenger’s rejection of an after match wine with Ferguson. It developed into all encompassing encounters with pizzas thrown, accusations made, pitch-side brawls and managerial mind-games a plenty. Over the fifteen years of sharing a bitter rivalry both managers now share a degree of mutual respect for one another as well as disdain.
5. First Premiership Crown (1992/1993)
If you were a pundit looking at the first three games of that season Ferguson’s team would look more like relegation battlers than potential champions with two defeats and one draw. Ferguson needed to add something special to his team to find success. He would go on to make one of the signings of the decade with a cut-price £1.2 million pound deal for Eric Cantona.
Cantona would go on to be a Premiership legend and Manchester United cult hero. His class and composure and superb finishing helped fire Manchester United to a first league title in 25 years in the Premier League’s inaugural season.
6. A battle of footballing philosophies (2006/2007)
After two consecutive titles Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side looked impregnable. Mourinho had bought to the Premiership a new type of football which favored defensive play whilst Ferguson’s stubborn emphasis on attacking football was being questioned following two fruitless title campaigns. The two philosophies collided for the third time, and this time it would be Ferguson’s approach that would win in a closely fought title battle.
Not only did it derail Chelsea’s meteoric rise, it would mark the end of Mourinho’s successful spell as Chelsea manager. Ferguson had claimed a personal victory over “The special one” who had an excellent record against Manchester United.
7. A dramatic turnaround (2002/2003)
This was one of the hardest tests of Ferguson’s career. With questions looming over Fergusons future and dates on retirement being set and future successors discussed, the 2002/2003 season would be make or break.
Arsenal were the team to beat for Ferguson with Thierry Henry and co looking unstoppable, but a familiar turn of events we’re now used to would happen in March, Arsenal’s excellent form unravelled letting Ferguson’s side who were eight points behind in March claim the title.
8. Surpassing Liverpool’s nineteen league titles (2010/2011)
While this season’s triumph wasn’t Ferguson’s greatest achievement, what makes it special is that once again he has achieved a title with a supposedly depleted Manchester United team. Even though United lacked the firepower of Chelsea, and the imagination of Arsenal, the one thing that Ferguson implanted into his side was mental steel.
Where other teams lost their nerve, this season United would always hold theirs. This season’s title means it silences Liverpool fans living on past glories and Sir Alex Ferguson can finally say Manchester United are the most successful club in the country.
9. Panorama activity (2004)
BBC’s flagship panorama series did an undercover report called ‘father and son’ which claimed that Alex Ferguson’s son Jason who is a football agent was corrupt and used his dad’s position as United boss to make money. Ferguson was understandably seething because of this and since 2004 has refused to talk to the BBC leaving the post match interviews to the assistant manager.
10. You’ve gotta be joking ref! (2011)
One of the main irons in a fire of hate for Ferguson is his lack of respect towards officials. It has been a constant theme of his managerial career; Ferguson has often complained, confronted and tried to control referees.
This season though, the FA decided to get tough with Sir Alex after comments about Martin Atkinson. Ferguson said“"We need a fair referee and a strong referee and we didn't get one". Usually the FA has been happy to hand light fines for such comments, but this time it was a five match touchline ban which could mean Ferguson bites his tongue when questioned on key refereeing decisions.