The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 170 Has Parist become bolder?

"In the dressing room, the Red Devils players were often scolded by Ferguson with a hair dryer on. A bunch of players lowered their heads to listen to the training and dared not move. But sometimes there would be unexpected situations, and Ferguson would be suddenly bumped and challenged. After all, when he was angry, there would always be people who would not obey. In addition to verbal confrontation, some even dared to hit the coach directly."

--Inscription

After losing to Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup final, Ferguson sat in the locker room for a long time.

This loss was very painful for Ferguson. He knew that the game was difficult to play, and if the opponent didn't care about face and put up an iron bucket formation, it would be difficult for the Red Devils to pry open the opponent's turtle shell, but losing when he had all the advantages was something he could not tolerate no matter what.

Losing the game, losing the championship, and losing to his predecessor, even Ferguson was not immune to the rage. Ferguson went crazy after the game and turned the "hair dryer" to the maximum. He first scolded the forwards, scolding Hughes for being too individualistic, choosing to go it alone for too many balls, and refusing to cooperate with his teammates; he also scolded McClair for missing many chances in front of the goal, especially a shot from the edge of a small penalty area, which McClair kicked away; then it was Robson and Ince's turn. These two guys almost only focused on attacking and completely ignored defense. When the opponent launched a counterattack, they could not come back; then it was the two wingers, whose crosses and breakthroughs were always thunderous but not rain...

Finally, it's the defense and the goalkeeper. This is the key, Bruce, Pallister and the two full-backs, as well as Les Healy, who barely broke a sweat throughout the game but had to pick the ball out of the net.

Before the opponent's sneak attack, Bruce, who was often able to score goals, had been asked by Ferguson to stay in the opponent's penalty area and become a center forward. Naturally, the defensive task would no longer fall on him. The two full-backs each lowered their heads and accepted the scolding, and silently returned to their seats to reflect.

It was Pallister's turn.

Ferguson was furious. "Palister, your performance was terrible! You ran slower than a turtle and completely let go of the opponent's striker. Do you think you are wandering in space?"

"You didn't even make a tackle, you couldn't catch up, you didn't even make an effort to pull your opponent. I'm so ashamed of you!!!"

Ferguson roared at Pallister like a raging bear, "If you can't run fast, then don't stay at the back! This is the simplest tactical discipline. It's really shameful that you don't even know this! You have to remember that you come to the Red Devils to become the best player and the strongest central defender! You can't fight well, you can't run fast, you can't have a sense of position, what the hell can you do?!"

......

Parist bowed his head and said nothing.

No one spoke, and the locker room suddenly became eerily quiet. Even if a needle fell, it would probably make people feel a buzzing in their ears.

The Red Devils players in the locker room were ashamed and terrified, fearing that the previous scene would happen again.

How familiar and frightening this scene is now, the same locker room storm, the same Ferguson rage, the target is still Pallister...

The honest man McLear later recalled: "At that moment I was a little afraid to think about it. I felt that something was bound to happen. Maybe it would be a big news in the newspaper tomorrow!"

The criticized Pallister was already an indispensable core of the Red Devils' defense. This season, he played more games than Bruce and was the player with the most appearances in the team, the most core central defender. After the tempering of last season, Pallister grew rapidly. In fact, his technical ability, strength and speed were improving, his confrontation ability was also increasing rapidly, and his experience was accumulating rapidly, becoming a central defender with an increasingly outstanding overall view on the court.

Everyone can see the progress of Pallister, and Ferguson has praised him many times before. But as a central defender, even a "striker" like Bruce who can score goals frequently will often have defensive problems and make mistakes. There will even be times when he has tried his best but still cannot stop the opponent from moving forward or stopping the opponent from scoring. This means that defenders always have more opportunities to be criticized by the coach. Ferguson's requirements for the Red Devils' central defenders are much higher than those of ordinary coaches. He has always wanted to build a championship-level team, and central defenders are of course the highest standard. Pallister's continuous improvement is a good thing, but it also means that he is not yet at the strongest level and cannot meet Ferguson's requirements.

In this final, the biggest responsibility for losing the championship due to a surprise attack by the opponent should not be Pallister, but the full-back Blackmore, but Ferguson still vented his anger on Pallister. After all, this ball was not just a matter of not being able to catch up in the counterattack, but the entire defense line lost its vigilance.

So it was not wrong for Ferguson to scold any guy. But the whole team was still very worried because this situation had happened before, and last time Ferguson's hair dryer almost turned into a disaster.

It was the third round of the FA Cup this season, the Red Devils against Queens Park Rangers.

In this match, the Red Devils played at home. According to Ferguson's deployment, the players attacked the opponent at the beginning and attacked with all their strength to ensure victory. However, due to the intensive schedule, the Red Devils players were very tired and performed poorly on the field. Although the Red Devils scored a goal in the first half, the players still played a little carelessly, thinking that the game could be dealt with in this way, and they were lazy and couldn't get up the spirit. But the Queens Park Rangers did not intend to give up. At the end of the first half, the Queens Park Rangers seized the opportunity to make a sharp counterattack and tied the score in one fell swoop. Not only that, the Queens Park Rangers became more and more courageous, and the Red Devils' defense was once in danger and almost let the opponent score again.

Ferguson was very dissatisfied with this. He couldn't help but get angry during the half-time break and started a hair dryer.

Pallister later recalled, "It was a cold night, and we were tied 1-1 by our opponent before the end of the first half. The score was very embarrassing. Everyone was a little bit lackluster in that game, and they were a bit coping. We had a good start in the first half, but everyone was a little tired and felt a little unable to run. If you have been a player, you will know that every season or in a career, there will always be a period of slump for a player, and even if he works hard, he will not perform well. We knew a storm was coming at halftime, but we still thought about everyone cheering up in the second half to beat the opponent. Unexpectedly, the boss was not going to let us go."

When the Red Devils players returned to the locker room during the halftime break, they found Ferguson standing in the middle, waiting for everyone. Soon everyone began to accept a round of crazy scolding. Ferguson was furious and cursed at almost everyone.

Pallister said: "He scolded me the most because the ball went through my defensive zone. I admit that I did not play well in the first half, so I took the criticism obediently, but I didn't expect the boss to get angrier and angrier. He yelled at me, 'You coward, get off the bench, don't even think about playing in the second half! You are a joke and a shame for the Red Devils!' I didn't like to hear these words. How did I become garbage?! The whole team played badly, and I was the biggest responsible for the opponent's goal. How could a central defender like me completely defend against the opponent's speeding breakthrough? Why did they assume that I was the only one who made the mistake?"

Ferguson was still chattering, but unexpectedly the 193-cm-tall giant exploded.

Pallister stood up and pushed Ferguson away. He became extremely angry and shouted: "What a coward! Was it my fault that I conceded the goal? I will never play any game for you again, and you get out of here!"

Pallister became more and more excited as he spoke, but he didn't realize that there was no one in front of him. His move just now directly pushed Ferguson to the ground.

Everyone was stunned. How dare this thick-browed, big-eyed guy like Pallister push over the head coach Ferguson? He actually cursed back at the head coach and even dared to take action?

Given Ferguson's temper, how could this be tolerated?!

Pallister was also desperate. "I was so angry at that time that I didn't think about the offense of this behavior. I fought on the field for 45 minutes, and it was not my responsibility to concede the goal. I was also very angry when the opponent scored a goal, but everyone makes mistakes in judgment or choice, but this is not a reason for me to be criticized. I didn't think of attacking the boss, but his face was too close and his chattering made me very irritated. I knew I shouldn't shoot, but it was too late to say anything."

Parist roared, "I'm not going to play anymore. You can do whatever you want in the second half!"

There was an awkward silence in the locker room. Ferguson calmed down and said directly: "Don't think it's so easy to leave! Go up again in the second half, we have to win!"

So Pallister played in the second half, and after this crazy experience in the locker room, the Red Devils fought hard in the second half and finally won the game. In addition to the strong offensive end, Pallister also tried his best on the defensive end to ensure that the defense line was not breached again.

The day after the game, there was a note from Ferguson on Pallister's desk that read: "I want to apologize for what I said at the end of yesterday's game. I was so angry that I went too far and said something I shouldn't have said at all."

......

History seemed to be repeating itself, Ferguson was furious and Pallister's face was livid. Are they going to repeat the previous conflict?

Although Pallister always gives people the impression of being introverted, low-key and calm, this does not mean that he has no temper or will not get angry. As the saying goes, even rabbits will bite when they are angry, let alone a guy like Pallister who has great strength. Think about the group fight between the entire Red Devils team and Arsenal in October 1990. Pallister "technically knocked out" several players of the opponent. His fighting ability is not exaggerated.

No conflict occurred and the Red Devils locker room became calm again.

A long time later, Pallister said, "What was I thinking at that time? Was I angry? In fact, I always remember that game. The direct responsibility for the loss must be me, and I can't blame it. I won't lose my mind, and I'm not that fragile. I know how everyone should play."

Regarding the more intense locker room conflict before, Pallister said: "Am I the only player who got Ferguson's apology? No, Ferguson has a straightforward personality and he often did this kind of thing in the early days. The conflict you mentioned? I don't remember it very clearly. How did we get along in the locker room? That is a secret and it is impossible for you to know. A major feature of the media is to make trouble out of nothing, and we know how to deal with it."

Pallister said: "You asked me how I felt at the time? I told you that the schedule was tight and everyone was a little out of control. But it was over quickly and no one took it personally. I have always admired the boss very much. When the situation is unfavorable, the passion he shows will make everyone burst out with more energy and accomplish impossible tasks."

Pallister said: "The boss's character has long been well known, not only when we lose, but even if we play badly but win. If he is unhappy, he will point out that you didn't play well or didn't meet the standards he set. For him, results alone are not enough. He has to win and win beautifully, which is why he was still furious with the players after winning the Scottish Cup with Aberdeen."

Pallister only admired Ferguson's coaching ability, without any criticism or doubt. He said: "When the boss coached us, he experienced the most doubts and criticisms, and endured the greatest pressure. There was a period of time when he seemed to be ready to leave at any time, but he was an old-school coach and persevered to the end."

Pallister said: "Why do I emphasize that he is an old-school coach? Because he is very stubborn and very persistent on many issues. Despite this, he is also a guy who keeps improving. He has successfully integrated a lot of new concepts, especially paying attention to details, and has been looking for the final 1% that determines victory or defeat."

Indeed, Ferguson has dug up many old principles in Manchester United and asked everyone to remember and stick to them, but what is even more shocking is that he keeps up with the times. He is very fast in catching up with and absorbing innovative trends in the field of sports. Ferguson was the first coach to involve ophthalmologists in the study of sports vision and explore the role of peripheral vision in the game. He also noticed the effect of sports psychology and introduced psychotherapists. Ferguson also tried to let players train separately and live in the same room to improve tacit understanding.

“It took a long time for people in football to talk about details and innovation, but he was putting it into practice 10 years ago,” Pallister said.