The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 133 "Get lost, Fergie!"

"The Manchester United fans held up a bed sheet banner, demanding that Ferguson leave immediately, which resonated throughout the stadium and attracted the attention of the whole world. For Ferguson, that moment was like the end of the world."

--Inscription

For Peter Molyneux, a die-hard Manchester United fan, everything that happened on December 1989, 12 was like a bizarre dream, a dream full of absurd elements.

Peter Molyneux was born into a family of Manchester United fans. When he was 3 years old, he was brought to the stadium by his family. When he grew up, he almost never missed a game. He loves this club. He is not only a frequent visitor to the Theatre of Dreams, but also a die-hard fan who follows the team on away games. Peter Molyneux has hardly missed any game of the Manchester United. In order to buy tickets, he has queued in wet and cold weather, skipped school, and even asked for leave after work. He did not hesitate to clash with hostile fans for his team. He was threatened and chased, and even had his head hit by bricks and bottles, and went to the police station. He even broke up with his girlfriend because of this, and once missed the wedding of a family member.

Peter Molyneux said: "This team is my belief and I am willing to give everything for the team."

Peter Molyneux's love for the Red Devils was strong, but he was always disappointed over the years. He hoped that the team could truly revive, that the team would win the league title, that the team would win more titles, until the team returned to the top of Europe and became the most successful club in England. But these dreams were always thwarted, every season, every opportunity...

When Ferguson arrived, Peter began to think that the best manager in the Scottish league must be a good one. But he soon became confused about what this Scotsman could bring.

Ferguson did bring about changes, especially this season, Ferguson reorganized the team on a large scale, brought in many players, and promised the Red Devils fans lofty goals. Peter Molyneux said: "Ferguson spent more transfer fees than Liverpool and the newly rising Arsenal. He completely rebuilt a team, a new team, which makes us full of expectations for the new season."

Pete even went to a fan meeting before the new season and heard Ferguson say in person that he would go for the championship.

No one expected that the Red Devils would go downhill right after the start of the game. When the Red Devils were beaten 1-5 by Manchester City, Peter, who was at the scene, even felt pain in breathing. At the end of the game, he tried to run into the stadium to protest, ran to Ferguson and the Red Devils players to vent, and cursed everyone. He was not the only one who had this idea. Hundreds of fans rushed to the front of the stands and wanted to climb over the guardrail to enter the stadium to protest. The police stopped these impulsive fans in time and called in reinforcements.

Peter was unable to enter the stadium and had to leave in tears. He then rushed to Old Trafford and expressed his dissatisfaction again with a large group of die-hard fans. When he saw Ferguson evasively talking about other things and refusing to resign directly at the post-match press conference broadcast on TV, Peter's anger reached an unbearable level.

The Red Devils Fan Magazine also cursed: "Ferguson is rubbish! The saddest thing is that you have been coaching for so long. Our field is like a pile of shit, we were beaten like a pile of shit by others, and the ranking is also terrible."

Pete was getting more and more angry, and he decided to put up a banner at home to express his demands. Pete thought of the classic line in the soap opera "Coronation Street" where the landlady said goodbye to her guests, and decided to write only one sentence on the banner: "Ta Ra (goodbye), FERGIE (Fergie)!".

Peter was ready to take action against Nottingham Forest on November 11, but because of Remembrance Day, he felt that it was not appropriate to be disrespectful on that occasion. Manchester United's home game was against Chelsea on November 12, but that day was the special day when Jimmy Murphy (Welsh assistant coach of the Red Devils during Busby's period) passed away, so Peter had to cancel his plan again.

Then came December 1989, 12, when the Red Devils played against Crystal Palace at home. It was a cold and gloomy day in Manchester, with a gray sky and a depressing atmosphere. The attendance at Old Trafford hit a new low. Apart from the die-hard fans, the Red Devils no longer had enough appeal. The Red Devils, ranked 9th in points, were in desperate need of a win, while their opponent Crystal Palace was a veritable underdog that had not won an away game this season and was beaten 12-9 by Liverpool in September. It was just the right dish to serve.

The Red Devils took the lead at the start of the game, but were equalized before the end of the first half, and the situation was not optimistic. In the second half, the opponent even took the initiative and made the Red Devils passive everywhere. In the 55th minute, Crystal Palace's fierce attack broke the Red Devils' defense and they reversed the score and led 2-1.

All the Crystal Palace fans cheered wildly, while the Red Devils fans were almost completely stunned. They could not accept this fact at all and were sad and disappointed.

"Now is the time, guys, let's act!" Pete shouted excitedly to his friends who came to watch the game.

They quickly pulled the banner in their hands and showed it to the fans. This is the classic sheet: "Three years of making excuses, but still losing. Get out, Fergie!"

Their actions caught the attention of the broadcast camera, and when the camera turned to capture them, Pete began to yell, "Ferguson get out! Ferguson out!"

Of course, Peter didn't know that this move would shock the world. He couldn't stand the fact that his beloved team was messed up by such a coach. The diehard fans in the west stand of the Red Devils were the first to discover the banner. They clapped hard and made very loud noises to support Peter's actions. Then almost all the Red Devils fans in the stadium discovered this special banner. They began to shout rhythmically, expressing the same idea as Peter.

In just a few seconds, the endless shouts of "Ferguson out!", "Ferguson out!" spread throughout Old Trafford like dominoes.

Ferguson was livid, and he later described the incident in his autobiography as "the darkest moment I have ever experienced in the football world." He was completely shocked at the time and felt frustrated and desperate because the fans were leaving him.

Ferguson said, "I will always remember that moment. We lost at home and were criticized at Old Trafford. This is a stadium with a glorious history and infinite glory. Our fans were full of curses and boos. Some fans displayed banners. Some of the banners read 'Time's up', 'Ferguson out', 'Get out of the Theatre of Dreams'... or something similar."

Ferguson was in great pain, and the fans' behavior at the scene shocked the Red Devils' management. Edwards, Bobby Charlton and other club executives were at the scene and were completely stunned by this sudden incident.

Edwards said: "I couldn't believe my own eyes. This would never happen at the Theatre of Dreams. This shouldn't be the fans of our team... The fans turned against us on the spot? Why is this? I have to be surprised by the team's performance on the court. I can't believe this is the Red Devils. It's so disappointing."

Indeed, the on-site commentator Mott also said: "What's wrong with the Red Devils? That's Crystal Palace, a weak team that has never won away from home and lost to Liverpool by 9 goals!"

Bobby Charlton was also surprised. He knew that Ferguson was having a hard time. The team's tactical execution was very poor, and they played like a wild team. But he didn't know what was wrong with Ferguson. It shouldn't be like this. Was it that the players' abilities didn't meet Ferguson's requirements? Or that the players didn't play according to Ferguson's requirements? If so, it would only prove that Ferguson really had a problem, because he brought back these players.

Charlton later recalled: "I have always trusted and supported Ferguson, but at that moment I began to worry whether he would resign on his own initiative. If he resigned on his own initiative, no one could save it. All the efforts we made before would be wasted and over..."

Ferguson looked grim, his face as cold as ice. He later said: "I know where the problem is with the team, and I will not resign. I know I have to stick to it, and the board of directors at the time, including Martin Edwards and Bobby Charlton, supported me."

Everything that happened in the stadium was quickly spread. When Crystal Palace finally beat the Red Devils, reporters were convinced that the situation was out of control and that the Red Devils board would soon make a new decision. Everyone knew what it meant to be asked to leave by his own fans at home, booed and cursed by thousands of fans, and asked to resign by major fan groups.

This is the moment when the fans force Ferguson to resign, and the moment when the fans force the Red Devils board to resign. Ferguson admitted that he had reached the moment of final judgment. Generally speaking, it is difficult for management to resist this kind of pressure, and no one can save the situation.

Ferguson said: "I know everything is out of control. At this time, I can only believe in fate. I don't know what the board is thinking and what decision they will make. I will never resign, but I also know that it is difficult for me to save myself. I even have time to talk to the players one by one, let them let go of their psychological burdens, get rid of anxiety, and get through it all as calmly as possible. It's amazing to think about it now."

The scene at Old Trafford quickly became a media hotspot, and Pitt became a darling of television stations, newspapers and other media. However, he knew that he could not cause more trouble for the club, so he did not say any offensive words in front of the camera.

Ferguson later met with Peter and talked about the story. Ferguson said: "I know there will be such fans and I can understand their feelings. I don't blame him at all, even if I really got fired at that time. Every club is born for the fans, and the club will respond to the fans' demands and take action. The Red Devils have the best fans in the world, and we have the responsibility to win for them and let them enjoy happiness instead of the pain of failure."

In an interview, Pitt said: "It is an honor to meet the old Sir Alex. I feel proud and ashamed. Ferguson made me look like the biggest fool among the Red Devils fans and the biggest joke. I am just an ordinary fan. At that time, he spent about 700 million pounds to buy a lot of people, but the team's performance was very bad. This is why I opposed him at the time. I didn't think too much when I pulled up the banner. I just wanted to vent my bad emotions."

Pete said: "Of course I was wrong in the end. But who knows what will happen next? I am miserable but happy. Ferguson won one championship after another, and I became a laughing stock again and again. People would introduce me like this: 'Pete is the idiot who wanted Ferguson to leave!' What can I say? That I don't mind it at all? In fact, I can't defend myself. However, for a die-hard fan like me, what does it matter? I went from being an opponent of Ferguson to a praiser, and I don't think it's inconsistent at all."

"We all want the same thing, which is success for the Red Devils," Pitt said.