The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 155: Affection is mocked

"Ferguson once again made bold statements before the season about challenging for the championship, and unsurprisingly, he was once again ridiculed by the media."

--Inscription

Ferguson's biggest acquisitions in the summer transfer window of 1990 were Irwin and Healy, as well as a little-known player from Wigan, Neil Whiteworth. In terms of youth training, in addition to the previous wave of Lee Martin and others, Ferguson also promoted young players such as Simon Davis to join the first team in the summer.

Such a result really disappointed Manchester United fans and embarrassed Ferguson, who was full of confidence at the beginning. He listed a long list of targets for the club's transfer department, from forwards to midfielders, from midfielders to defense, from defense to goalkeepers, a total of 8 people. Now Manchester United only got him Irwin, which made him anxious.

Ferguson suggested holding an emergency transfer meeting, but Edwards and Watness told him directly that because the investment in transfers in previous seasons was too high, especially the players purchased were priced too high, and the players sold were "too cheap", the club could not provide more financial support in this transfer window.

Ferguson was furious. "Rebuilding a team, especially a traditional giant like Manchester United, of course requires big spending. And before buying players, of course you have to get rid of the original players as soon as possible. Isn't this a simple truth?"

Ferguson said: "I wanted to buy Gascoigne, did I get him? I wanted Beardsley and Barnes, what did the club do? I wanted to buy McNeil or Pratt, the club said don't think about it; I wanted Shearer, what sincerity did the club show? Pearce, Anderson, Le Tissier... none of them came. McClair, Hughes, Bruce, Pallister, Ings... aren't these good enough? But they alone are not enough, our lineup has never reached the real championship standard."

Ferguson later complained to his assistants, "The owners say they have no money, but they are unwilling to invest more money in the club. Instead, they keep their eyes on the profits, thinking about getting a piece of the pie, and cashing out to make a big profit. With such a board of directors and shareholders, how can the team take off quickly?"

Edwards asked Ferguson to learn from Graham and see how this Scotsman built a championship team. Ferguson was so angry, "Graham's Arsenal? What kind of football do they play? Lumberjack football? Shovel football? Boring football that relies on excellent defense and specializes in defensive counterattacks? Even so, Graham continued to recruit players. The key to their club's championship in the 89-90 season was also a good enough lineup and a deep bench."

"Let me learn from Graham? Impossible!"

Before the Charity Shield was about to start, Ferguson had not recruited stronger players, and the Red Devils' main lineup for the new season had basically surfaced. The goalkeeper was Les Healy, who was known as the "madman". The four defenders from left to right were Lee Martin (this Red Devils hero was unfortunately injured later and gradually withdrew from the roster and was replaced by Blackmore, Donaghy, etc.), Bruce, Pallister, and Irwin. The four midfielders from right to left were Phelan, Robson (Webber), Brighton Moore, and Ince. Lee Sharp and Wallace were important rotations. The two forwards were still Mark Hughes and McClair, and Robins was the substitute.

The lineup has not changed much compared to last season, but as a club with huge ups and downs, the strength of the Red Devils has still caused heated discussions in the media. Most media reporters believe that the Red Devils' strength has not increased but decreased. Irwin's strength was not proven at the time. In fact, the team has not been effectively strengthened, but the decline of the veterans will directly damage the team's combat effectiveness.

Ferguson could not buy any real stars, while his opponents were recruiting. In the Red Devils, captain Robson was getting older and weaker, and the Red Devils only had a strong core in the midfield, Ince, but it would not be enough to rely on him alone for a long season, but the Red Devils now have no new reinforcements.

As for Irwin, who Ferguson highly praised, these critics were all dismissive. What kind of strength can a full-back from a team promoted from the second division have? Of course, the media also criticized Anderson, the old defender that Ferguson had insisted on bringing in, and believed that he was almost exhausted when he came from Arsenal.

The Times said very sensibly, "The Red Devils cannot bring in new superstars, and without a strong enough lineup, it basically means there is no hope of winning the championship this season."

Ferguson certainly understood that the English League One games over the years were not played blindly. He already knew that the competition here was many times more intense than that in the Scottish League. The result of last season gave him a straight punch. Ferguson knew that if he didn't have the strength, he shouldn't brag. If he didn't have the ability to sweep away all opponents, he had to work hard honestly.

But he also knows that the media here is a million times more powerful than that in Scotland. If he cannot suppress these noisy voices and make the media focus on a certain target, they may continue to harass the players and staff, and eventually some Red Devils players may collapse due to harassment and pressure, which will eventually affect the entire team.

Ferguson decided to make some statements that were bound to attract attention. He accepted an interview at the beginning of the season and declared that he would aim to win the championship. One of the four championships, the league, the FA Cup, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the League Cup, would be the direction he would strive for for the Red Devils.

Ferguson said: "When I came here to coach, it was to win the championship again. This is my goal. We are always trying to challenge the limits, which makes us full of energy."

Ferguson focused on the pre-season lineup and tactical drills, while also consciously strengthening physical reserves. Ferguson's team is not lacking in ability, and their FA Cup victory also gained strong confidence. Even though they were not optimistic before this season, Ferguson did not specifically fire back. He led the team to work hard throughout the summer, focusing on tactics, tacit understanding, physical fitness, and maintaining the overall structure and position. He used many methods to improve the players' data, especially the two most intuitive areas of strength and speed. Ferguson always pushed the main players to their limits in training, and then raised their limits, constantly allowing them to increase their flexibility and gain stronger feedback while being squeezed.

Before the season started, predictions for the English League One champion also became a hot topic. Although Ferguson boasted of winning the championship, the media paid more attention to traditional powerhouses such as Liverpool and Arsenal, as well as newcomers such as Tottenham, Villa and Forest. As for Ferguson's Red Devils, they only attracted cold stares and ridicule.

On the stage of English football, protagonists come and go, and it is no longer the Red Devils.

The summer is coming to an end soon, the Community Shield is about to start, and the new season is about to begin.

This season's Community Shield match will be held at Wembley Stadium as usual, with the FA Cup champions Red Devils facing off against league champions Liverpool.

Facing Liverpool, Ferguson deployed a 442 formation: goalkeeper Healy, defenders Irwin, Bruce, Pallister, Donaghy; midfielders were Blackmore, Phelan, Ince and Wallace, and forwards were McClair and Hughes. This was also one of the regular lineups for the Red Devils this season. The team was missing Robson as a main player, and Lee Martin, who made great contributions last season, was injured before the game and could not be included in the squad. Liverpool introduced a lot of new blood before the start of the season, and they were also one of the clubs that made early promises to win the championship, which made the fans full of expectations.

The Red Devils launched a fierce attack at the beginning of the game, but this did not disrupt Liverpool's deployment. Liverpool played steadily, through skillful passing and transfer, patiently dealing with the opponent, and did not start a head-on confrontation. In the 12th minute, Manchester United made a cross from the left, and McClair headed the ball in front of the goal, but unfortunately the angle was too straight and the goalkeeper easily saved it. After resisting the offensive of the Red Devils, Liverpool took the initiative and quickly occupied the midfield advantage. In the 17th minute, Barnes broke through the left alone, passed two people and went all the way to the Manchester United penalty area, then kicked a powerful shot, which was saved by Healy falling to the ground. In the 19th minute, Liverpool made a cross from a corner kick, and Manchester United's Bruce rushed to the point in front of the goal in time to resolve the crisis. In the 23rd minute, Liverpool's Staunton made a straight pass in the middle, and almost had a single shot. Fortunately, Pallister predicted accurately in advance and cleared the ball with his foot. After entering the 30th minute, Liverpool continued to attack, creating many opportunities in front of the goal, and pressed the Red Devils to retreat step by step.

Both sides were very involved in the game, and the game was intense and fierce. In the 41st minute, Manchester United counterattacked. Irwin intercepted the ball in the backcourt and dribbled forward. Then he made a two-on-one cooperation with Hughes in the midfield and continued to dribble the ball to the opponent's backcourt. Irwin dribbled the ball all the way to Liverpool's backcourt before making a cross. Another full-back Blackmore suddenly flashed out, got the ball at the back of the penalty area and shot directly into the goal, scoring a goal, and Manchester United led 1-0.

In the second half, Manchester United shrank back, but Liverpool was unwilling to fall behind and launched an increasingly fierce offensive. In the 73rd minute, Liverpool made a cross from the right, and when Manchester United was in chaos in front of the goal, Barnes volleyed in from the back point and equalized the score to 1-0.

In the last 20 minutes of the game, both sides exchanged blows and created many offensive opportunities, but neither of them changed the score.

In the end, the two sides tied 1-1, with no clear winner.

The English Football Association had a special rule at the time. If the two teams tied, there would be no extra time or penalty shootouts. The game ended immediately. The English Football Association then announced that both teams were Community Shield champions, and each team could keep the trophy for 6 months and was allowed to make a copy to display in the Hall of Fame.

Ferguson was interviewed by reporters after the game and said: "We played well and the score shows our strength. Liverpool is not better than us, that's the fact. We lacked luck and our performance was unstable last season, but now it is completely different. I think we will be a strong contender and we will fight for the championship."

Before Ferguson finished speaking, the reporters on Fleet Street burst into laughter.

"Ferguson has made his championship declaration once again. We need to figure out how many times he has made such big talk!" The football reporter of The Sun even coined the term "Ferguson-style joke" to mock Ferguson's arrogance.

The BBC also mocked Ferguson, "Mr. Ferguson said they hope to win a championship, and we think he has achieved this goal: the Community Shield championship!"

No one is optimistic about Ferguson. The Red Devils' poor performance last season was unforgettable, and the new season has an additional European battlefield. Without a significant reinforcement, the difficulty of challenging the championship will obviously increase.

The Times' analysis starts with the randomness of cup competitions: "Many teams have set the goal of competing for the season championship. Even weak teams dare to declare that they will charge for various cup championships. After all, the cup competition is full of possibilities. From start to finish, the team may only need to win 7 games. We know that the final of the League Cup last season was between Oldham and Nottingham Forest. Second-tier teams in the league can also compete for the championship with confidence, and the same is true for the Red Devils."

The Times went on to say: "For Ferguson, the goal of winning the championship is difficult to achieve. If he can win the league championship, or if he can win the European Cup Winners' Cup this season and defeat a series of strong teams in Europe, then he can be considered successful."

After the Community Shield, the league curtain opened, the lively stage was set up, and the fierce English League One 1990-91 season began.

Manchester Evening News published a special article on the Red Devils' outlook, saying, "How will the Red Devils perform in the new season? They seem to be in good shape and performed well in the Charity Shield, so the start will be worth looking forward to. Many media outlets are surprised by Ferguson's coaching of the team, but they still feel that Ferguson needs to show more ability. The lack of success last season disappointed many fans, and the summer signings and promotions from the youth training camp are not enough to form a powerful lineup."

Mann said: "Ferguson will still be under pressure. They are not a team that can compete for the title, but the fans will demand that they live up to that standard."