The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 146: Counterattack against the Media

"Ferguson saved his job with an FA Cup and refuted the lies told by the media. He responded to those ignorant people with great satisfaction and broke the glass hearts of the media."

--Inscription

The Red Devils won the FA Cup, not only saving Ferguson's job as coach, but also the board of directors breathed a sigh of relief.

The real power holders of the Red Devils have also been under pressure throughout the season and have also been the target of fierce criticism. These criticisms come not only from the media, but also from the fans. The Red Devils board of directors finally won more for their persistence. The legendary star and director Bobby Charlton said, "My attitude is very clear and has always been so. I support Ferguson's coaching, never doubt his ability, and never suggest firing him. Ferguson has not lost the trust of the board of directors. No one on the board has proposed to change the coach, even when the team performed the worst in the league. We have not specifically discussed the topic of Ferguson's dismissal, nor have we voted on it."

The media reporters particularly emphasized that the attitude of the chairman of the board, Edwards, was ambiguous. Edwards refused to express his position when the Red Devils lost to Manchester City, and he also remained silent when the Red Devils played another 8-game losing streak, allowing the outside world to be in turmoil. In January 1990, Edwards completely refused to discuss the topic of changing the coach and did not accept any interviews from reporters, but he also did not express any support for the coach to continue coaching.

Edwards' resolute silence is actually a form of support. This silence does not change the status quo, so it has no lethality to Ferguson's coaching, nor does it succumb to the media's incitement. Instead, it protects Ferguson.

Charlton is very disgusted with the media's manipulation of public opinion. He said: "If newspaper reporters can find material about Ferguson's dismissal, they will definitely expose it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there is no such news. Reporters are like a group of buzzing flies, who like to create topics and cause conflicts. Ferguson must be sacked if the Red Devils do not perform well. This is the rhetoric dominated by the media, but it is not an inevitable logic. Reporters are good at inciting fans' emotions and making fans feel that this head coach is rotten to the core."

Charlton said, "But what is a complete failure? What is Ferguson terrible? No, no, no, I don't think so. We are with the team every day, we can see the changes in the team, and we can tell whether the team is on the right track. Ferguson did encounter many difficulties this season, but we did not doubt or deny his efforts."

The words of the Red Devils' meritorious coach Busby were even more powerful. "I have always supported Ferguson and never doubted his ability. I have always believed that Ferguson is suitable for the Red Devils. His team-building philosophy, choices for rebuilding the team, playing style and command are all improving. We have encountered many unexpected game results, but this does not change my attitude."

There were indeed some people in the top management who could not stand the pressure and were dissatisfied with Ferguson. One director claimed: "What the Red Devils need to focus on is results. Without good results, there will only be failures, and everyone will be blamed. Ferguson's leadership style is obviously too blunt. He cleared out all the disobedient players and cultivated his own players, but now it turns out that these players have spent so much money but still suffered defeat. Ferguson can't explain this."

Michael Knighton, then director of the Red Devils, later revealed that Edwards had wavered at one point. When the team played against Queens Park Rangers, Edwards suddenly told him, "Ferguson must go. He has to take the blame for the bad situation."

Knighton certainly felt that Ferguson could not stay any longer. He said: "I think Edwards may call a meeting soon, but no one knows when Edwards will make a proposal, and no one knows when he will choose to announce it. I know he has this idea, and he told me clearly."

Edwards later strongly denied this. As the situation was getting worse, Ferguson's team had defeated Nottingham Forest and grasped the last straw.

The top management of the Red Devils club remained silent and resolutely refused to make any statement on the issue of changing the coach. The opinions of the outside fans were as violent as the wind and rain, and the criticism was as fierce as thunder. Ferguson once suffered from insomnia due to the pressure from the fans, but he still suppressed the raging waves in his heart, never revealed his pressure to anyone, and never pushed the failure on the court to the players, nor did he make any explanation to the fans or the management.

Ferguson called a locker room meeting and told his players: "Just play football, don't worry about me, we will take the responsibility for the loss, that's my job. None of you need to take responsibility for this. Voluntarily resign? That's not my style. I will definitely stick to it, I won't resign."

Ferguson remained optimistic. "We will win the game and we will challenge for the FA Cup. We will certainly have a chance to win the league title in the future. This is my confidence. Where does this confidence come from? It comes from everyone. Our team has no lack of fighting spirit, and even less of tenacity!"

After a training session, Ferguson gathered the players for a chat. The topic was to discuss the team's incredible mistakes and failures, which made everyone laugh.

McClair said: "I saw the boss's expression and felt his anxiety, but I was also moved by his humor and calmness. He said we were like a rookie who broke into someone else's dance party, and it was normal to be looked down upon and treated coldly. It is normal that our current team is not stable enough, but this also means that we are full of infinite possibilities."

McClair recalled Ferguson at that time and still finds it hard to believe. "The old man was surprisingly not out of control at that time. He didn't have any anger or depression. He chatted with us very easily, listened to our nonsense, and also told us about the embarrassing things he did when he played in the Scottish League. When the team continued to suffer setbacks, Alex remained silent, silently endured the pressure, and maintained his pride. I remember the scene at that moment very clearly, because this kind of situation only happens once in a thousand years, and the boss was as gentle as a sheep in front of us."

Edwards did not reveal some of the inside stories until he released his autobiography in 2011. He said, "Ferguson's first few years as coach were very difficult. It took him more than three years to win our first championship. Before that, he had been fighting with opponents, the media, and fans who criticized him. I chose to stand with him at that time and support his work."

Edwards said: "I have never thought of removing Ferguson from his position as coach. Those who said I wanted to fire Ferguson were all lies. We worked with Ferguson and of course we knew the changes he brought to the team. We always believed that Ferguson's job was to make the team stronger and stronger, and this is his achievement. We did not ask him to win the league championship at that time, so we had no reason to fire him."

Edwards cleverly shifted the blame to the fans. "Fans will vote with their feet - not watching the team's games, and even hanging banners inside and outside the stadium. At that time, many fans were dissatisfied with Alex. We also increased security measures to protect him and his family. I must admit that the attitude of the fans is crucial. If the conflict between Ferguson and the fans continues to deteriorate sharply, we may face a different situation."

Edwards' implication was clear: the board did not want to fire Ferguson immediately, but if the situation really deteriorated to the point of being out of control, Ferguson might be sacrificed.

Ferguson ultimately redeemed himself.

But even though Ferguson won the FA Cup, some media still did not intend to let him go. Some media still suggested starting over. "Atkinson also won the FA Cup that year. Ferguson cannot prove that the team was successfully rebuilt. The 13th place in the league is a shame. From the perspective of the club's long-term development and goals, they should consider recruiting a more capable coach."

These are no longer the mainstream opinions of the public, let alone the main opinions of the fans.

No one would be so stupid. Atkinson was fired not because he won the FA Cup, but because he suffered a complete setback in the new season. The team was completely out of control and even faced the risk of relegation. Now Ferguson has led the team to the end of this season and the team won the FA Cup. How could he force him to be on par with Atkinson?

Of course, it would be a different story if there was no FA Cup title.

Everything was based on this championship. The weight of this FA Cup championship can be imagined. At that time, Ferguson was like a high-pressure boiler that was constantly heated and pressurized, and it seemed that it was about to explode. This championship finally saved his life. Ferguson was like grabbing a life-saving straw when drowning, and finding an oasis when lost in the desert, and he completed his own redemption.

Robson was one of the biggest contributors to the Red Devils' title, but this title was not too special to Robson, as he had two trophies in his cupboard. After the game, Robson calmed down quickly, but he found that Ferguson was a little out of control, talking excitedly, talking all the time, talking to everyone he caught, and even a little incoherent.

Robson had never seen a coach like this before, because he had always been serious. Robson had seen reports about Ferguson leading Aberdeen to win the league title and the European Cup Winners' Cup, but he felt that it was not as crazy as it is now.

Robson said: "The boss gave me a strange feeling at the time. He seemed to be a little relieved in his happiness. It was like a person in a desperate situation suddenly saw the light, as if he had just walked through the gates of hell. I remember that I never saw Ferguson behave like this again after that. He would be ecstatic, excited, and vent crazily, but it would not be like that feeling at that time."

There was only one person who was more out of control than Ferguson, and that was Les Healy, who replaced the original starting goalkeeper Leighton.

As the goalkeeper who finally saved the team, Healy experienced an unbelievable 90 minutes. He later recalled, "When the coach asked me to play, I was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say. Hahaha, I actually became the boss's most trusted goalkeeper at such a moment! We played with full confidence, and then crushed the opponent, won the victory, and won the FA Cup! My first championship with the Red Devils, my glory, I dedicate all this to my boss, Alex. I can't remember what I did on the court at that time, whether I made an effective save. After the game, I watched the video repeatedly, and I didn't know what I was thinking at the time, and why I did that. Everything was like a dream. After the game, I was a little exhausted, but when I was dizzy, I was thrown up by the fans. Later, I was forced to drink a lot of wine. They said I was crying and laughing, and I was completely crazy."

The FA Cup saved Ferguson's position as Red Devils coach, which the media said he had lost. This made Ferguson feel resentful towards many media who asserted that he would be sacked: "I will always remember a TV commentator, Jim Hill. He said during our pre-match warm-up against Forest that the Red Devils would definitely lose, and then said that I was finished. I saw him at the press conference at the time and cursed him directly, 'Bitch, get out!' I think this kind of commentator has no brains to say such idiotic words."

Ferguson said: "Before the game, Edwards told me that I would not be fired and I didn't need to worry even if I lost the game, but the media directly announced the death sentence to me on his behalf."

Ferguson could not hide his anger: "In the end we won, but they could just curl their lips and pretend nothing happened. I found Jim and asked him to apologize, but he shrugged and said nothing."

Ferguson has always been very resentful about this. When he won the FA Cup, he specifically called out to Jim, "That guy with a few hairs on his head, I'm talking to you, Jim, come and see the championship trophy we won!"

The media is like this, sometimes they are much more cruel than you think. When Ferguson won the championship, the most bizarre thing was that some newspapers were flattering Ferguson, while other reporters were making outrageous statements hoping that Manchester United would fire the coach, "Get out of the Red Devils, take this pitiful championship and leave, Ferguson, you good-for-nothing Scottish loser!"

Even Ferguson's opponents could not stand the media's shameless behavior. Forest coach Clough said: "I don't think there is any reason why Alex must be sacked. His performance is convincing. Anyone who says that they must win the league championship after buying a lot of people is a fool."