The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Volume 1: Advent

Alex Ferguson's arrival from Scotland to coach the Red Devils was full of wonders, even if a series of preparations and various accidental factors were taken into account. This kind of situation that is difficult to explain with rational logic is often attributed to the power of fate. For Ferguson, this call from the Red Devils was irresistible. It was his loyal goal and the opportunity he had been waiting for and looking forward to.

——Foreword

Chapter 1 Arrival in Manchester

"Alex Ferguson arrived in Manchester on 1986 November 11 and was appointed manager of the Red Devils. This was a pivotal moment in the club's fortunes and the beginning of a legendary story in the world of football."

--Inscription

When the wheel of time arrived in 1986, the football world started a magical gear of destiny.

This year was the middle of the 20s. The whole world was extremely noisy and full of vitality. On January 80, 1986, the US space shuttle Challenger exploded and crashed 1 seconds after it took off, and human efforts to explore space suffered a serious setback; on April 28, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the former Soviet Union exploded, and the world's most serious nuclear leak occurred. The nearby residents suffered greatly, and Soviet officers and soldiers paid countless lives to deal with the accident. In the summer, Mexico successfully hosted the World Cup. The Mexican people who suffered two major earthquake disasters stood up from the ruins and presented a football feast to the world. The Argentine team broke through all the barriers and finally won the championship. Maradona crowned himself with the World Cup championship and the Golden Ball Award, and became a generation of football kings. The most classic moment of this World Cup was naturally Maradona's "Hand of God". And his gorgeous dance steps of running more than 73 meters and passing several people and finally scoring a goal were also highlights, conquering the most discerning fans.

For English fans, this World Cup was full of regrets. The Three Lions, who were determined to win the championship, lost the famous player Bryan Robson at the beginning. The team was defeated by Maradona alone in the quarter-finals and finished the World Cup journey in embarrassment. The only thing that made the fans feel less uncomfortable was that striker Lineker won the Golden Boot Award with 6 goals.

It was also during this World Cup that the famous Scottish coach Jock Stein died suddenly before leading the team to the tournament, and his assistant Alex Ferguson was appointed to take over. This change had a great impact on the Scottish team, whose own strength was limited, and after this blow, their performance was even worse, and they failed to qualify from the group stage.

Interim coach Ferguson did not have any special tricks, and the team was eliminated without any fault.

Ferguson is very ordinary among a large number of superstars and legendary coaches in the World Cup. His leadership seems bland, like a small stone thrown into the vast water, without causing any ripples.

The football world at this time does not belong to Ferguson.

After returning to his country, Ferguson was not hired by the Scottish Football Association as the official national team coach and continued to coach his club.

At that time, the Scottish League team he coached was Aberdeen, a new and powerful team showing great vigor.

After the World Cup, the football leagues of various countries started one after another. The top league in England was called English Football League One at that time. It started in August and the big teams immediately entered into a fierce battle.

In Manchester, a major city in northwest England, the smoke of football matches often fills the air.

Manchester is a football city. Manchester United and Manchester City Football Club are the city's business cards. Many other teams have also taken root and grown in this city. Manchester United, as the team loved by the most local residents, was not as important as it is now, with influence all over the world.

The Red Devils have a legendary history and have many football superstars, but these are things that happened a long time ago. By 1986, the club had been struggling in the league for many years and had lost the ability to challenge for the championship. Since Busby, the team has changed coaches frequently, but the dream of dominating the British Isles has never improved.

The Red Devils were once the Champions League champions, and Busby's team was once the dominant force in England. "The Rich United", "Busby Babes", "Munich Air Disaster"... These histories have also made the team's influence always at the forefront of England. The Red Devils are star-studded, including the legendary England national team captain Robson, the youth training star Whiteside, the Scottish star Strachan, etc. Captain Robson is the best midfielder in England, the young talent Whiteside is aggressive and handsome, McGrath has a strong defensive ability in the penalty area and is one of the best central defenders in England at the time; Strachan came with the star halo of the best player in the Scottish League, bringing greater influence.

The Red Devils are a super-sized club. Their home stadium, Old Trafford, is one of the best stadiums in the British Isles, and ticket sales have always been very stable. But at the time, these were not the best in England and could not guarantee the Red Devils' dominance in the league and their strength in Europe.

After the legendary coach Busby left, the club had not won the league championship again, and by 1986 it had been 17 years. On the other hand, Liverpool, coached by the famous coach Shankly, dominated the world. This red team from the port dominated Europe and was recognized as the strongest overlord in England at that time. They won three consecutive league titles in the 80s and were also extremely arrogant in the Champions League. The number of Champions League titles even surpassed the Red Devils and the magical Nottingham Forest team.

The Red Devils' management has always been ambitious, hoping to restore the former glory. In the 1980-81 season, the Red Devils, led by coach Sexton, almost succeeded in the league championship, but finally lost to Liverpool by two points. Then Atkinson joined from West Bromwich Albion, took over as coach on April 1981, 4, bought Bryan Robson from his old club West Bromwich Albion, and the bid was 30 million pounds, which was a record for British player transfers. Then he spent money to recruit Remi Moses, and with the original captain Ray Wilkins, the Red Devils lineup was greatly strengthened.

Atkinson was ambitious and led the team to win the league title and made breakthroughs in the cup competitions. In 1983, the Red Devils reached the League Cup and FA Cup finals respectively. In the League Cup final, the Red Devils lost to Liverpool 1-2 in extra time. In the FA Cup final, the Red Devils won the championship with a 4-0 victory in the replay. In the 1984-1985 season, the Red Devils defeated Liverpool and reached the FA Cup final again, eventually defeating the league champion Everton 1-0 to win the cup.

Atkinson won two cup championships in a row, which gave people hope of winning the league championship. However, the league is different from the cup competition. Although Atkinson had an amazing record of 1985 consecutive wins in the 1986-10 season and the team once ranked first in points, injuries dragged down his team and ultimately failed to achieve the goal of winning the championship.

Before the start of the 1986-87 season, Atkinson once again boasted that "we must win the league championship!" But ideals are full of hope, but reality is very skinny. The Red Devils suffered misfortune before the opening game began. Robson and several other main players were injured in the World Cup, which seriously affected the team's preparations. The Red Devils had a very bad start in the league, losing three games in a row, losing to Arsenal in the opening game, and then West Ham and Charlton Attacked. In the fourth round, they were tied by Leicester City, and only won the first game in the fifth round. Then Atkinson's team suffered two consecutive defeats. Although they won Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday and Luton later, the Red Devils lost their hope of winning the league championship early.

The Red Devils were plagued by injuries and the players lacked resilience. The team had only won four games, drawn four games and lost five games in the 13th round of the league, and the alarm for relegation had already sounded. The fans' angry calls for the coach to be fired had resounded throughout the Theatre of Dreams, but Atkinson still looked dejected. The Red Devils' management began to urgently study whether the situation would deteriorate and whether the coach should be fired decisively.

What made the fans angry and desperate was that the entire Red Devils team was unable to muster the spirit and the game was completely a scene of passive defense.

到了1986年11月4日，红魔在联赛杯重赛里被南安普顿队以4比1痛击出局。全场比赛红魔球员低迷不振，被对手揍得满地找牙。

The Red Devils fans could not accept this performance. They erupted in strong protests after the game and directly demanded Atkinson's dismissal.

This crushing defeat became the last straw for Atkinson's dismissal. Less than two hours after the game, the Red Devils' board of directors held an emergency meeting and announced the next day that Atkinson would be fired immediately.

Time came to November 1986, 11.

In early winter in England, Manchester was bleak. The usually stingy sunshine in the sky had long since disappeared, the sky became dark, the cold wind from the north howled, and the cold weather made people feel no warmth. There was a faint dust floating in the air of Manchester, and the whole city was silent and cold. Only the drunkards gathered in the bars and every corner of the long street remained as they were, ignoring the cold weather.

On this day, the Red Devils club announced the new coach to take over the team, the popular Alex Ferguson, a 46-year-old newcomer from the Scottish league.

This is the moment when Ferguson's story with the Red Devils began.

It was not surprising that the Red Devils fired Atkinson, but the choice of Ferguson, who was far away in Scotland, still surprised some media.

Who is Ferguson and why are the Red Devils particularly interested in him?

Ferguson is not a stranger to the Red Devils, as he had been linked with them before the start of the season. This young coach, who has already made a name for himself in the Scottish league, led Aberdeen to a sudden rise, winning the league and cup titles consecutively amid the absolute monopoly of the two Scottish giants. He is a young and famous coach with a great reputation.

Not only did he dominate the Scottish league, but Ferguson also won the European Cup Winners' Cup by defeating giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Ferguson was a new force that attracted much attention that year, and even became a popular candidate for the head coach of major European clubs. The Red Devils had shown interest in the summer of 1985, and other English teams also expressed strong willingness, including Arsenal, Wolves, Villa and other teams, all of which were reported by the media to want Ferguson to coach.

The only trouble is that Ferguson is still coaching Aberdeen in Scotland. He is not the kind of coach who is unemployed at home. It will take a lot of effort for the Red Devils to invite him at this time.

Manchester is far from Aberdeen, the Red Devils and Aberdeen are two different clubs, and English League One and Scottish League One are also two different leagues. Ferguson has been successful in the Scottish League. The Red Devils invited him to take over the team midway. It is likely that this is considered a last-ditch effort and a desperate attempt to seek medical help?

This is naturally a huge adventure for the Red Devils, and Ferguson also faces a huge challenge.

But the Red Devils were very proactive at the time and Ferguson was very decisive. They quickly cleared the obstacles and reached cooperation, and the matter was decided.

The dusty air, mottled and chaotic cityscape, and noisy and busy city of Manchester did not make Ferguson hesitate at all. He felt more excited and challenged because the Red Devils finally gave him a chance.

Ferguson appeared at the Theatre of Dreams with a smile on his face, in front of the Red Devils fans and media.