The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 188 Harrison's Harvest

"Coach Harrison passed away in 2019. As a behind-the-scenes hero of the Manchester United youth training in the Ferguson era, he trained the youth team coach of the Class of 92. He was a coach who never coached a first-line team but made outstanding contributions to football. He was unusually respected and mourned by the Manchester United, respected and loved by countless fans, and was forever loved and missed by the Class of 92 and the Manchester United youth training camp."

--Inscription

当时间来到2019年2月14日，红魔俱乐部官方发布了一个悲伤的消息：俱乐部前青训教练、红魔92班传奇的缔造者、伟大的功勋教练埃里克-哈里森因病去世，享年81岁。

The news spread, and the Red Devils were shrouded in sadness that day. The Theatre of Dreams, the Cliff and the Carrington Base were all in mourning, and the green field was particularly lonely, particularly sad, and particularly sorrowful.

The young players in the Red Devils base stopped training, surrounded their coach, listened affectionately to their predecessors telling stories about the meritorious coach, and laid wreaths on Harrison's portrait.

Ferguson gave a special speech, "I am extremely sad about the departure of my former comrade. Eric's contribution to football is incredible. He not only made extraordinary achievements in Manchester United, but also put forward outstanding views on the theory of youth training in our football world. I was lucky to have Eric's help when I was the head coach of Manchester United. He is the best partner for me. As the head of youth training, he not only brought out the Manchester United Class of 92, but also led the youth training camp for many years. The Class of 92, which we are proud of, is the work of Harrison. What I want to say most is that he cultivated the good character and firm determination of young players, and also made special suggestions for their growth and made long-term plans. Harrison is a rare mentor who cares about the characteristics of children and prepares them for their future. He is an excellent teacher who guides players on the right path and teaches them how to grow. He is one of the greatest coaches of our time."

Ferguson said: "I can't forget Eric's frankness and affinity. He is proactive and caring about others. Eric has a special sense of humor. Because he is very sincere and kind, he has energy beyond the field of work. I always remember the moment when I led the Red Devils to win the European Cup in 1999. I personally called Eric to inform him of this achievement. When the call was connected, I heard the other end of the phone say,'Old man, well done! I am very proud. This is the Red Devils I expect!' I said,'This is the Champions League, Busby is watching us, God is blessing us, and all your efforts have paid off at this moment. Come over here, old guy, and celebrate with us!'"

The Red Devils Club issued a special statement to deeply remember the hero who worked in the team for 27 years. "We thank Eric for his great contribution to the team. No amount of thanks can express our feelings at this moment. He dedicated his entire life to the Red Devils youth training and is our best friend."

Harrison was born on February 1938, 2 in the United Kingdom. He started his playing career in Halifax and played for Hartlepool, Barrow and Southport for many years. He did not have the opportunity to play in a top club. When he was young, Harrison tried out under Clough, but did not get a chance. Harrison has a strong and brave character. He is very serious and careful in doing things. Once he makes a decision, he will never give up. Therefore, he has an interesting nickname called "Serious Axe".

In 1981, Harrison was officially appointed as the youth training coach by the Manchester United. Since then, he has been inseparable from the Manchester United. Harrison's hard work has borne fruit early on. Mark Hughes and Whiteside are both stars of the Manchester United trained by him. When Ferguson took office, Harrison's youth training work opened a new chapter.

When Ferguson first took over as manager of Manchester United, he invested heavily in youth training, but the cooperation between Harrison and him started with a dispute. Ferguson was very dissatisfied with the mediocre team building of Manchester United and directly criticized the poor quality of the youth training of Manchester United, which made Harrison furious and responded, "The youth training of Manchester United has always been well-known in England. Not to mention Best and Mark Hughes, there are players like Whiteside playing for the team now. Why do you look down on our youth training?"

Ferguson said, "This is far from enough. I think the Red Devils have too few good players and outstanding players in their youth training, which cannot support the foundation of the entire team. In addition, the training intensity of the Red Devils' youth training is too low and the standard is too poor."

Ferguson then used facts to speak for himself and arranged a match between the Red Devils youth team and the Aberdeen youth team. The match was a foregone conclusion, and the Red Devils youth team had no chance of fighting back against their opponents. Deeply stimulated, Harrison had to admit, "Alex, you are right. The Red Devils are still far from the first-class youth training standard. Now that we have a goal, please give us your strong support and invest more resources."

Under Ferguson's attention, the Red Devils' youth training opened a new chapter. From Lee Sharpe to Lee Martin, Robins, Giggs and Savage, Beckham, Scholes, Neville brothers and Butt, etc., they all became talents. Harrison personally trained the Red Devils youth team to win the 1992 FA Youth Cup, which made Ferguson's eyes light up and he began to promote youth training players to the first team.

Harrison has always been very active in training young people, teaching them various tactics step by step, and improving their level step by step. Beckham said, "I remember him saying, 'Stop Hollywood-style passes. What you need is accuracy, not fancy moves. Blindly pursuing glamour will make people hate you!'"

Beckham said: "We knew he would be strict and would scold us at any time. I was often scolded because I often wanted to play those 'gorgeous but ineffective' passes. Later, I combined accuracy and timing to find the rhythm of the pass and a more precise landing point. Eric made me better and better and was one of the most important mentors on my career path."

Giggs had the same deep feelings about Harrison. "I felt like I had joined an army. When I joined the Red Devils, I felt that this place was very special. Harrison was our commander," Giggs said. "He always demanded strict standards from us in the years that followed, which benefited all of us."

Harrison was very dignified during training, which impressed Phil Neville. He never felt the slightest bit of a playful atmosphere from Harrison. "Harrison always scolded the youth team players with a stern face, as if he could shoot someone at any time. He always asked us to train continuously, run continuously, and practice strength continuously... Sometimes I felt like I was being tortured to death."

Harrison explained why he was so strict. "These young players are generally thin. When Beckham first joined the team, he was as thin as an actor, and the others were not strong enough. So I have always been very strict, just to train their strength and body. Ferguson tried Beckham and thought he was only good at fancy moves, lacked the courage to fight, and lacked the tenacity of will. They decided to loan Beckham to Preston, which almost screwed it up."

Harrison said: "Beckham and Ferguson were very close when they were young, but he was very afraid of Ferguson after joining the first team. Ferguson's hair dryer made him extremely scared, and they couldn't be said to be like father and son. After learning that he was loaned to a low-level team to play, Beckham called me very frustrated and said that Ferguson didn't like him and he felt that he had no future in the Red Devils. I comforted him and said that the actual situation was not like that. The team was very optimistic about him and just wanted to give him more opportunities through loan. I told him, 'Your future belongs to the top arena and you will shine at the Theatre of Dreams.'"

Beckham performed well in Princeton and was quickly recalled by Ferguson. But when Preston was suffering, only Harrison was the one he confided in.

Ferguson later mentioned another story: "I remember the first day Scholes arrived at the team. He looked too weak. He was only 1.4 meters tall and weighed less than 45 kilograms. How could he become a professional player? I said at the time, 'That Scholes is too thin and can't play our football.'"

"No, no, no, Boss, you are wrong. I think Scholes has great potential. He is very flexible and calm. It is very rare to be able to play calmly at this age, and he can score all kinds of goals you can't imagine." Harrison refuted Ferguson's words, "I think the Red Devils should absorb all kinds of players. Some players may not be very strong, but we can help him stand out through technology, awareness and other abilities."

Ferguson accepted Harrison's advice, and the conversation later became a classic for him to be made fun of.

Harrison took special care of Scholes, a thin, asthmatic teenager. He found that Scholes was a little inferior, especially depressed because of his physical disadvantages, so he made a special effort to talk to the little guy.

Harrison said: "I am afraid that this child will give up before that day comes. That would be the biggest loss for the Red Devils. I don't want to see this tragedy happen."

Scholes' hidden fighting spirit was stimulated by Harrison, and he regained his confidence and became braver. Harrison often gave Scholes special training, watching Cantona's videos with him over and over again, training his back-running position and shooting power over and over again.

Harrison also asked Ferguson to pay more attention to Scholes. Harrison said: "Ferguson always felt that this kid could not withstand the confrontation on the court. Later, I brought up his own experience. You know, he was also a small striker and was also disliked. Ferguson laughed after I revealed his scars. From then on, he no longer looked down on Scholes and was willing to give him more opportunities."

Harrison's youth team was invincible in the 1992 FA Youth Cup, with almost no opponents. They easily defeated Crystal Palace 6-3 in two rounds when they reached the final. In addition to winning the championship, this Manchester United youth team shocked the whole of England. Later, Giggs emerged, Beckham emerged, Scholes and Butt also shone on the field, and the Neville brothers became the mainstay of the Manchester United. When the 95 class of the 96-92 season stood out, and when this group of youth training players became the core team of the Manchester United triple crown miracle in 1999, Harrison couldn't stop smiling.

Without Harrison, Ferguson might have trained a superstar from the youth training, but without Harrison, there would have been no collective eruption of the Red Devils Class of 92. Harrison is one of the biggest behind-the-scenes contributors to the Red Devils' brilliant achievements during the Ferguson era. His outstanding work and selfless character have brought fruitful results to the Red Devils.

In addition to youth training, Harrison's understanding of football also surpasses most of his contemporaries in England. This can be seen from his article published in the British football magazine "Shoot" in 2006. In the article, Harrison said, "Now we can no longer find a team in the top league that can succeed by playing only 'route one' games (referring to simple straight passes and lobs). In modern football, ball possession is king. Last season, the top six teams in the Premier League with the highest ball possession eventually occupied the top six places in the standings. Ball possession combined with efficient running can produce great benefits. Simple long passes mean that you have to spend more time to get the ball back, and your body will be more exhausted..."

"For a striker, ball protection is the most invaluable skill among all techniques. It allows your offensive teammates time to rush in and participate in the attack. When you successfully hold off the defender to control the ball, the opposing defensive players will come to assist in the fight. You need to protect the ball in the fight, transfer the offensive opportunity, or find a breakthrough space in the game with the opponent. For a striker who controls the ball, there is always a threat."

Harrison put forward such a trendy view in 2006, which can be regarded as a rare wisdom in English football. In 2013, Harrison was awarded the PFA Best Youth Training Special Contribution Award. In 2018, Harrison was awarded the MBE Empire Medal by the British royal family in recognition of his contribution to English football.

In 2019, Harrison insisted on attending his daughter Vicky Hilditch's wedding in person, and soon passed away. In the last few months of his life, despite suffering from Alzheimer's disease, he still remembered some football stories and could still name some players, such as Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Gary, Phil, Butt... He called these players "my children."

Beckham came all the way to attend his mentor's funeral. He gave a speech on behalf of the Class of 92: "We have lost a mentor in life and a leader in our careers. Harrison was our mentor. He taught us how to play football, how to persevere, how to fight hard, and how important it is to win every battle. We will always be grateful and will always remember everything Eric taught us."