The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 140 The Final Battle

The fans of the Red Devils are the best fans in the world.

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The Red Devils made it to the FA Cup final, which greatly boosted the team's morale. Ferguson's team now had a goal to strive for and began to glow with new passion.

Three days after eliminating Alderford, the Red Devils played away against Queens Park Rangers in the 33rd round of the league.

The exhausted Red Devils tried hard to inspire fighting spirit and boost morale, fought a rare offensive battle and finally defeated Queens Park Rangers 2-1.

On the third day after returning from the away game, the Red Devils faced Villa, their opponent in the 3th round.

The Red Devils were in high spirits at home. Young player Mark Robins was trusted by Ferguson. He played very well in the game and played vigorously. It was his constant attempts to break through the offensive line that allowed the Red Devils to find loopholes in the opponent. It was also thanks to his abundant physical strength that he kept interspersing and responding in the penalty area, completely disrupting the opponent's defensive system. Although he was not tall, Robins was very flexible, which also gave McGrath, an old acquaintance of the opponent, a headache. The nemesis of high-level defenders is Robins, who is small and agile. Robins was very active throughout the game. He headed and kicked, shot continuously, and scored two goals in the game, helping the team to win easily and winning cheers from the home fans.

After the game, Robbins was named the best player of the match, and Ferguson praised him. Ferguson said: "I am very happy with Mark Robbins' progress. He is very brave and confident. He dares to make moves and constantly looks for attacking opportunities. Our victory in this game is largely due to his performance, because his outstanding performance made it so easy. I am very much looking forward to his future performance and hope that he will get better and better."

After playing against Villa, the Red Devils unknowingly achieved six consecutive league wins.

This wave of intensive matches resulted in excellent results, but it also completely drained the Red Devils players' limited health. They cannot always use high-intensity output to fight against every opponent.

Three days later, the Red Devils set out for White Hart Lane to challenge Tottenham, their opponent in the 3th round.

The opponent Tottenham played very tough and fast. The Red Devils players' physical strength only lasted less than 60 minutes before entering the exhaustion period. By the 70th minute, they were almost exhausted and could only fight against the opponent in an exhausted state. Tottenham took the initiative throughout the game and finally beat the Red Devils 2-1, ending the Red Devils' winning streak.

In the 36th round, the Red Devils faced Wimbledon at home. The Red Devils players finally returned to normal, but every game was still a tough battle. Ferguson chose a defensive strategy against his former enemy, focusing on the midfield stalemate and protecting the backcourt. The players were also ready to fight with their opponents as if they were facing a great enemy. But the Wimbledon team no longer had much passion at this time. They did not show too strong aggression and played the game quite casually. Instead, they waited for the game to end without any desire. In the end, the game ended in a 0-0 draw, with both sides taking one point.

The Red Devils faced Nottingham Forest again in the 37th round of the English Football League One.

Ferguson was missing three key players, Robson, Ince and Hughes. The starting lineup was completely unable to support the central axis and fell into a passive position after the opening. The team was completely unable to withstand the collision and impact of the opponent starting from the midfield. Clough's tactics were simple and effective, relying entirely on physical strength to defeat the enemy, which was very restraining for the Red Devils who lacked core players. After winning the melee, the Forest team was like a bulldozer rolling over the jungle, rumbling and pressing the Red Devils back to the half court, taking the absolute initiative. Not only that, the Forest team's offensive impact was also extremely sharp. They were like a sharp bayonet, making the Red Devils' defense line full of holes. In the end, the Red Devils' goalkeeper Leighton had to pick up the ball from the goal net four times to kick off with his head down. Ferguson's team conceded four goals and ended in a miserable defeat.

Nottingham Forest beat the Red Devils 4-0, a result that was somewhat unexpected. The media had mixed feelings. They thought the Red Devils should not be so vulnerable, but they were also angry at Ferguson's bad luck. Before the game, some media reporters thought the two sides would fight back and forth and be equally matched, but they didn't expect the Red Devils to lose so easily. The gap in strength between the two sides was extremely huge. These media found it difficult to understand why the Red Devils could beat Forest in the third round of the FA Cup.

Many commentators kept silent about what they were thinking: "Ferguson should have been fired. Forest was so much stronger than the Red Devils. Ferguson would have lost eight or even nine of the ten games between the two teams. Yet, he won the most crucial one."

In the last round of the league, the Red Devils faced Charlton at home.

Ferguson's team fielded all their main players, while the opponent had no intention of fighting a tough battle with the Red Devils. The Red Devils played actively and proactively, and finally won the opponent 1-0. Central defender Pallister scored a rare header to help the team win.

The league is finally over.

Ferguson led the Red Devils to a victory, which brought a little hope to this failed season. The most surprising thing was that the Red Devils fans who came to Old Trafford to watch the game, nearly a number of Red Devils die-hard fans, not only gave enthusiastic encouragement to Ferguson's team, but also applauded at the end of the game to cheer the team on their FA Cup campaign.

The fans of the Red Devils will always stick with their beloved team, always have hope for the team, and will never give up their support for the team.

Ferguson was very moved. He personally led the team to express his gratitude to the fans and walked around the stadium to thank them. Ferguson later admitted that he really didn't expect the fans to be so enthusiastic now. "I know we didn't do well this season. I know I was criticized a lot, but the Red Devils fans still support the team like this. This is unimaginable. I think they are the best fans in the world. We must do something to repay them next."

Bruce and Pallister were also particularly touched. This season, the two central defenders have been in the vortex of media criticism and have been constantly booed and scolded by fans. They really didn't expect that at the end of the season, there would still be so many fans coming to support the team and give such great encouragement to the whole team.

Robson spoke on behalf of the team. When he picked up the microphone and just said thank you, the whole audience burst into deafening noise, almost choking him. Robson is the captain that the fans trust and support the most, a real Red Devil. The "miracle captain" said: "We played a very bad season. Such a result makes us very ashamed. We can't face your praise and affirmation, and even can't face your sincere and enthusiastic eyes. This season has been very bumpy for us. It has been full of difficulties and setbacks all the way, which makes us always exhausted."

Robson was full of gratitude and said: "We understand that wearing this red jersey means fighting for victory. We have also been fighting and giving everything for the fans who love us. We once hoped to hit the championship and had various fantasies, but the reality made us feel painful. Today we faced a nightmare league result, but we still did not lose courage. This is all because of your love and encouragement, because you gave us motivation."

After the last league game, Ferguson's performance was as follows: ranked 13th in the league, the worst performance of Ferguson as the coach of the Red Devils, and even the worst performance of the Red Devils since 1980.

Reporters wantonly attacked Ferguson's "failure" and even thought it was a shame for Ferguson not to resign. The vast majority of English media made a final judgment on Ferguson, concluding that the young Scottish coach was not suitable to coach the Manchester United club. He lacked confidence, was unable to take on heavy responsibilities, lacked ability, and was not good at buying players or managing the locker room. His three seasons with the Manchester United were a complete disaster.

Journalists have various points of criticism:

"Disregarding the Red Devils' tradition, cleaning up the youth training genius Whiteside."

"The removal of McGrath, the core of the defense, has significantly weakened the defense, causing instability in the team's midfield and backfield."

"After cleaning out Strachan, there was no corresponding reinforcement, and the Red Devils' midfield and frontcourt have lost their spirit."

"The introduction of Ince without regard for rules and etiquette has sparked hatred for the Red Devils across the league."

"Striker McClair was played in midfield by Ferguson, who was desperate and desperate to find a cure."

"Ferguson made a serious tactical mistake, as evidenced by the disastrous defeat to Manchester City."

"Ferguson spent a huge amount of money on transfers, but put the team into crisis."

"What right does Ferguson have to stay in Manchester United when the game is played like shit?"

The media published various opinions one after another, commenting on Ferguson's mistakes, interpreting all kinds of unfounded contradictions in the Red Devils dressing room, and fabricating conflicts in the Red Devils management. In their writings, the Red Devils dressing room was already in turmoil, and the players could no longer tolerate Ferguson; in their words, the Red Devils board of directors had already blacklisted Ferguson; in the fan interviews they selected, no fan had patience, and no one was willing to give Ferguson more time...

Manchester United veteran Stiles was very disgusted with these reporters. "According to them, Ferguson should have been hanged in front of the Old Trafford gate long ago."

Indeed, these reporters did not interview the management of the Red Devils club, did not have the opportunity to interview Ferguson and his team, and it was completely impossible for them to enter the Red Devils locker room. Their so-called news was all made up by their imagination.

The media spread rumors and confused right and wrong, and many Manchester United fans were misled for a long time. They were led to think that the coach should resign because the team was beaten by the rivals and lost many games in a row. The attitudes and emotions of these fans were in turn used by the media, making the call for Ferguson to be fired a force.

Ferguson struggled to resist the overwhelming abuse and slander, but he chose to stick to his post. Facing external criticism, abuse and various pressures, Ferguson was like a warrior bandaging his wounds alone in the bleak night, but he never gave up, let alone considered deserting.

The wind and rain were relentless, and he could only endure in silence, waiting for the FA Cup final to arrive.

Not all Red Devils fans dislike Ferguson. Facts have proved that Ferguson's offensive style and team spirit still have supporters.

In the last home game, the fans who attended the game chose to stand with Ferguson. These fans will never give up their support for the club and Ferguson. They may be the silent majority, but when they really need to stand up, they will also show their attitude.

For more than two seasons, they have firmly believed that the future will be better and that Ferguson will make the team successful.

Ferguson is extremely grateful for the Red Devils fans' trust and companionship in the team.

At the end of the season, Manchester United veteran Charlton expressed his opinion, "I don't agree with the view that the team's performance this season is a complete failure. The team coached by Ferguson has had a lot of ups and downs this season and encountered countless difficulties. Their performance is not good, but the points and rankings don't mean much. I have seen that many players of the Manchester United have performed very well this season, and the whole team is not as passive as before. Even in the most difficult stage, Ferguson's team still maintained their fighting spirit, which I think is the most rare thing."

Charlton said: "Whether they can win the FA Cup in the end or not, I firmly support Ferguson to stay. I think this team is at a critical moment of reconstruction and they have hope."

Many Red Devils legends also expressed their support for Ferguson at this time. They all believed that the Red Devils actually played well, and that they had the upper hand in many games but unfortunately lost. The Red Devils were just unlucky and were actually improving. Since Ferguson led the team to the FA Cup final, he deserved more opportunities and time.

The legendary player Law of the Red Devils specifically pointed out in an interview, "Ferguson is very good at cup finals. I think he will win the FA Cup. He deserves more coaching time and a better environment for the Red Devils."