The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 25 "Ferguson Whirlwind"

"Ferguson led Aberdeen to brilliant success and became one of the best coaches in Scottish football. His coaching experience and achievements have created a whirlwind throughout European football and attracted attention from all sides."

--Inscription

The European Cup Winners' Cup title made Aberdeen fans crazy, but Ferguson brought more surprises than that.

A week after winning the European Cup Winners' Cup, Ferguson led Aberdeen to compete with Glasgow Rangers for this season's Scottish Cup.

All the media thought it was difficult for the team to beat the opponent, and even Aberdeen's own fans thought it was okay to be tolerant. Aberdeen had already used all their strength to beat Real Madrid, and even played 30 minutes of extra time when they were exhausted. It would take more than a few days to recover from such an intense game. Winning the European Cup Winners' Cup made the whole team fall into a carnival. Many players celebrated all night, drinking, playing, and wandering... As a result, it is easy to imagine the state of Ferguson's team when they appeared in the Scottish Cup final.

Ferguson didn't care about that. He ordered the players to hold out for the first 30 minutes before they came on the field. When the Aberdeen players staggered and forced themselves to go on the field, the fans burst into laughter. At the beginning of the game, Aberdeen was unable to resist the opponent's attack and was very passive on the field. But even so, Aberdeen also used all its strength to defend and did not really let the opponent break through the goal.

Ferguson remained calm. Perhaps his calmness influenced the whole team, as Aberdeen withstood the fierce attack of Rangers and resolved several excellent opportunities in front of the opponent's goal. Aberdeen was completely passive for 30 minutes, 90 minutes, and dragged the game into extra time with difficulty.

In the extra time, Rangers also reached the limit of their physical strength. At this time, Aberdeen was no longer a weak team without the ability to fight back. They started to fight back and gradually gained the advantage. In the end, Rangers' defense made a mistake and Aberdeen scored the only goal.

In this way, Aberdeen defeated Rangers 1-0 and won the Scottish Cup!

Ferguson was very excited after the game: "Our players are very tenacious, it's incredible. This game was actually very bad, we were passive for a long time, but my players persevered to the end. The European Cup Winners' Cup game was too exhausting, I can't say too much. I have to thank some old guys on the defense. It was Miller and McLeish's outstanding performance that ensured we had the opportunity to last the game until overtime. When the opponent was as exhausted as us, we finally won the victory."

The magical story is not over yet. Aberdeen then defeated the European Cup winner Hamburg in another crucial match and won the European Super Cup.

Aberdeen played very well in this game. Strachan was brilliant and almost single-handedly defeated the opponent's entire defense line, helping the team achieve the "Triple Crown".

Aberdeen's win of the Super Cup was the first in Scottish football history, and neither Celtic nor Rangers, or any other Scottish team, had ever won it.

Ferguson accomplished the "impossible mission" and became the most popular coach in Scottish football and even European football, attracting the attention of a large number of teams.

Scotland's traditional powerhouse Glasgow Rangers quickly extended an invitation, hoping to tap Ferguson to create new glory, offering an annual salary comparable to that of England's top coaches.

Ferguson was not unwilling to take the job, but he declined the invitation after discussing it with the management. Ferguson was well aware of the limitations of Rangers at the time, and knew that if he took the job, his power would be greatly restricted and he might not be able to fully exert his abilities.

In addition to Rangers, Ferguson also rejected invitations from other clubs. He chose to stay in Aberdeen and signed a new agreement with the club.

Ferguson thrived in Aberdeen, and the Red Army he carefully built had become a well-known powerhouse in Scottish football. In the 1983-1984 season, Ferguson led the team to break records again, winning the league championship again, and completing three consecutive Scottish Cup titles. In the 1984-1985 season, Ferguson led the team to successfully defend the league championship, further consolidating the team's position. In the 1985-1986 season, although Aberdeen failed to achieve three consecutive league titles, it also won the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup double.

That year, Ferguson's team achieved a historic breakthrough in the Champions League and entered the quarterfinals for the first time. They even had a chance to go one step further, but unfortunately the two games with Gothenburg ended in a tie and they missed the semifinals due to fewer away goals.

Since he started coaching Aberdeen in 1978, Ferguson won three Scottish Premier League titles, four Scottish Cups, one Scottish League Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup and one European Super Cup in eight years, making the team a strong team that attracted attention across continental Europe.

In 1984, Ferguson was awarded an honor by the English royal family. The Scottish media praised him: "Ferguson is the greatest coach in Aberdeen's history and one of the best coaches in Scottish football. He has achieved incredible achievements and won new honors for Scottish football."

Ferguson made Aberdeen a great team. Before he came, Aberdeen was just a second-rate team. After he came, the team underwent a tremendous change and became one of the most powerful teams in Scotland.

Aberdeen fans are still proud of Ferguson and will miss the passion and glory of that era. At that time, they were the most glorious Scottish fans and the happiest fans. Ferguson brought them the success of sweeping the league, the joy of victory, the honor of championship, the fun of offensive football, and the pride of reflecting the history of Scottish football.

At the end of 1985, Jock Stein invited Ferguson to be his assistant, and Ferguson became a member of the coaching team of the Scottish national football team. In the summer of 1986, the Scottish team went to the Mexico World Cup, but during the period, the head coach Jock Stein suddenly passed away. Ferguson took over temporarily and led the Scottish team to complete the World Cup.

Ferguson's brief stint as national team coach was not a success. Due to limited strength and various constraints, the Scottish team performed mediocrely and failed to qualify from the World Cup group stage.

Ferguson immediately resigned as interim head coach and returned to coach Aberdeen.

In the summer of 1986, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in England both invited him to coach, but Ferguson was not interested. Before them, Wolves had also invited him to coach and promised him a generous salary; Liverpool, another English giant, was also rumored to have wanted to invite Ferguson to take over after Joe Fagan retired in 1985. In addition to the British Isles, Barcelona in Spain also listed Ferguson as a candidate for coach, and some Bundesliga teams also had a strong interest in Ferguson.

Ferguson became a star on the European continent and attracted the attention of the entire European football world.

Not only the British Isles, but also the entire European continent believed that Ferguson was fully qualified to coach a top team, and that he had already demonstrated extraordinary qualities. You know, the Scottish League is a very hierarchical league, and the monopoly of the two hegemons is no joke. Aberdeen was able to break through the shackles, break the monopoly, win the league championship and cup championship, and also win the European Cup Winners' Cup. It was incredible to win the triple crown in one year.

Every task here is almost impossible to complete. Looking at the world football, no matter which league or which team, it is extremely difficult to win the league. And leading the team to win the European arena is magical. Considering that Scotland is dominated by two giants for many years, Ferguson's magic is even better than those dark horses that have emerged and lost their luster after winning the championship. Looking at the history of world football, perhaps the only team that can compare is Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest won one English First Division championship at the time, but won two Champions League titles and became a legend in Europe. Their coach Clough is so famous that he is already a legend in the football world.

Nottingham Forest became a powerful club under Clough's management, winning two consecutive Champions League titles earlier than Ferguson, and their reputation certainly surpassed that of the Scots, but Ferguson's Aberdeen also had its own unique features. Unlike Nottingham Forest, which only had one league title, two League Cup titles and two European Cup titles, Ferguson's Aberdeen won three Scottish Premier League titles, four Scottish Cups, one Scottish League Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup and one European Super Cup, winning 8 titles in eight years, shining in the football world for even longer.

Some reporters also asked whether Aberdeen had already accumulated enough experience and just needed Ferguson to break through the paper? Or even if a new coach could achieve the same result?

Aberdeen fans will tell you the answer. They firmly believe that all the glory in the past ten years came from Ferguson. Only Ferguson could help the team reach the top of the league, win the Scottish Cup, and win the Cup Winners' Cup.

Aberdeen fans know very well that they have never been a giant club with many superstars, nor a giant that dominates the football world. It is only thanks to Ferguson's management that the team can play so closely and unitedly, so fast and tough, and can compete with the giants.

Bobby Charlton of Manchester United also went to watch the European Cup Winners' Cup final of Aberdeen. He was deeply impressed: "That game left a deep impression on me. At that time, I thought that the coach of Aberdeen was really extraordinary. His tactical style was very positive, he dared to attack, he dared to attack, and he ran actively and fought bravely, which was pleasing to the eye. The coach of Aberdeen was obviously well prepared. Everything was planned in advance. He made accurate judgments on the extremely complex situation and had a clear plan for tactics. Whether he was sitting in the coaching seat or standing on the sidelines, he seemed to be in control of everything. I could feel the fighting spirit of the whole Aberdeen team and saw that all the players strictly followed the instructions of the coach and fought madly for him. The coach of Aberdeen was full of confidence. He was not afraid even when facing a strong team like Real Madrid. He had the upper hand on the field and finally won the victory - it was amazing!"

The success that Ferguson led Aberdeen to achieve has always been considered unrepeatable by the Scottish football community. To this day, DVDs, souvenirs, and Ferguson commemorative jerseys commemorating the glorious history of the club are still the best-selling products. In the Aberdeen Club's Hall of Fame, Ferguson's large photo is still placed in the most prominent position, and Aberdeen fans can still sing songs praising Ferguson. Almost every Aberdeen fan firmly believes that if Ferguson had not left, Aberdeen would have been able to become a dominant force in the Scottish league.

Even after Ferguson left Aberdeen, local newspapers still frequently published news about him. Ferguson became a long-lasting link between the two clubs, and Aberdeen fans were happy for Ferguson's success, no matter where he was.

When Ferguson announced his retirement in 2013, Aberdeen Football Club was the first to pay tribute to him. Almost all Aberdeen fans wore the club's special commemorative T-shirts and left messages on Manchester United's or Aberdeen's websites to express their blessings.

After Ferguson left, Aberdeen kept his office for a long time. In May 2018, Ferguson was hospitalized for surgery due to cerebral hemorrhage, and his condition also touched the hearts of Aberdeen fans. During Aberdeen's home game against Glasgow Rangers, the club specially sent out blessings to the legendary coach, and fans hung a banner with "Ferguson Get Well Soon" to express their wishes for the old Sir Alex.

There is a classic saying in the Aberdeen football community: "Ferguson is not only a legend of Manchester United, but also the glory of Aberdeen. He is the most respected coach in the history of the Aberdeen Club and the most beloved coach by Aberdeen fans!"