The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Volume 1993: League title defense and double championship (1994- season)

"After achieving great success, he was able to consciously get rid of complacency, and allowed the entire team to continue to maintain their hunger for honor, continue to strive for new goals, continue to work hard, continue to fight bravely, and even work harder, endure more hardships, and strive to win more achievements. This is what makes Ferguson extraordinary, and it is also the only way for his Manchester United to move from a successful team to a great dynasty."

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Chapter 256: A man who does not seek revenge is not a gentleman

"Dalglish had already taken Alan Shearer, who Ferguson had already agreed to sign, away. Now Ferguson is going to snatch Roy Keane, who Dalglish thought was a sure thing. This is Ferguson's way, the Scots' characteristics."

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For Ferguson, the victory of the Premier League championship has become history, and now everything has to start from scratch. How to lead a championship-winning team to move forward and stay hungry for victory is Ferguson's biggest challenge now.

Many years later, when Ferguson was famous all over the world, he said in an interview: "When we won the league championship for the first time in 1993, I didn't want the team to relax. I had great goals, and the fear of not advancing or retreating made me unable to sleep and eat, and I would often wake up suddenly in the middle of the night. I once told the players in 1993: 'Some people want to go to France, Italy, Spain or the whole world during their holidays. Some people just want to go to Salters by the sea, which is only 25 miles from Glasgow. Some people don't even want to go there. They just like to stay at home or watch the birds and ducks swimming in the park... and some people want to go to the moon;' Everyone felt the gift of the championship. But it has become history, and it will become a burden for everyone after the start of the new season."

Ferguson said: "I need to keep going, inspire and lead you to keep fighting. It all depends on one's ambition. My inner goal is to win more and never be satisfied."

Ferguson is determined to strengthen the team starting from the transfer window and strive to defend the title in the new season.

The summer transfer window of 1993 opened.

Ferguson and the Red Devils remained silent for a long time during the transfer window, but because of the halo of the new champion, the Red Devils became a hot spot in the transfer market. Many players' names were linked to the Red Devils, and the media was "helping" the Red Devils to determine the list of reinforcements. They believed that the Red Devils should buy a striker, a midfielder, a defender, and preferably a goalkeeper for rotation.

The media was making a fuss, matching almost all the big names on the market with the Red Devils, but the Red Devils officials always did not have much information. From June to early July, Ferguson only re-signed the old goalkeeper Les Healy from Villa, gave the young Phil Neville a formal contract, and promoted this little guy to the first team, and then there was no ripple. In terms of selling players, the Red Devils sent Neil Whiteworth to Blackpool, and players such as Nussell Bedsmore, Ian Wilkinson and Wallace also left.

Public opinion has speculated that according to Ferguson's previous habits, the Red Devils should make lavish purchases and will not stop there. If they stop buying players, will they be satisfied with just one league title?

Ferguson smiled secretly. Having been educated in all kinds of English football for more than six years, Ferguson knew all the tricks of the Premier League. What's more, he was indeed planning a big move now?

Apart from Ferguson, the most popular player in the Red Devils is the old captain Robson. Robson is already 36 years old, and the most likely signing for the Red Devils is to find a successor. At this time, Robson did not consider his own stay or departure, but actively recommended talents to the team.

Who caught Robson's eye? Roy Keane, the young midfielder of Forest, a rising Irish star.

The 36-year-old veteran certainly knew that if the team signed Roy Keane, his position would be replaced and he might not even have a chance to play. Many years later, Robson said: "Of course I had mixed feelings, but not what the media suspected. I felt very proud because I was able to have an effective impact in the transfer. But I discussed with the coaching staff, and Ferguson specifically asked me whether we should sign Keane and pay a high price for it? I said, 'Boss, this transfer is worth it anyway, we should pay everything to sign him.'"

Robson said: "The football world is small. People have been talking about Keane for a long time and think he is my natural successor. There are too many similarities between us. Apart from personality, Keane is simply another me, a me who is more than ten years younger. I like Keane very much. He is so dazzling that no one can pretend to be blind. I also think he is very suitable for the Red Devils and Ferguson's system."

Robson said: "I know what this means. I shot myself in the foot and asked for trouble. My suggestion will definitely push the Red Devils to make a decision as soon as possible and complete the transfer. In the future, the Red Devils' midfield will become a combination of Paul Ince and Roy Keane, and there will be no place for me. But I have no regrets. I have dedicated everything to this club and it won't bother me now."

Ferguson had long wanted to bring Roy Keane to Old Trafford, and the team had been discussing this guy. In the middle of the season, Keane refused to renew his contract with Nottingham Forest, and his whereabouts became a hot topic in the football world. Now that Nottingham Forest has been relegated and started to rebuild, they directly set a price of 400 million pounds for Roy Keane.

There was an uproar in Britain. This was an extremely high price, the highest in Britain and also the highest price in the transfer market.

Even so, there were still many clubs that wanted to sign Keane, and the Red Devils were not the biggest favorite at the beginning. The media believed that Ferguson would not accept such a high price, and Ferguson and his team did not reveal any information during the interview. The most active clubs were Blackburn, Newcastle, Liverpool, etc., and they all sent people to contact Forest.

In the transfer market, a fierce battle for Keane is unfolding.

The most active team was the wealthy Blackburn Rovers, who were the first to inquire about the price and were also the first to be reported to have received approval. Blackburn Rovers manager Dalglish admired Roy Keane very much and hoped to build a new championship team with Keane as the core.

How crazy is Dalglish about Keane? He told the media that he had been following this Irish newcomer as early as 1990. It was on August 1990, 8, when Forest played against Liverpool. Keane, who was only 28 years old, helped the team beat the opponent 19-2 in his first appearance. The young Keane was amazing in the game. He was not afraid of the Liverpool's luxurious midfield, and he also gained an advantage through active running and hard fighting. Dalglish was still the head coach of Liverpool at the time, and he believed that this player would become a great player.

Blackburn Rovers' wealthy board of directors actually offered a £1992 million bid in the winter of 280, but was rejected by Forest. Now Blackburn Rovers is living up to its reputation and directly agreed to Forest's £400 million offer, and Keane prepared an annual salary of £40, which is Blackburn Rovers' top-tier treatment.

The media said, "Everything is going well, it looks like Keane is going to be Blackburn's man."

Forest accepted Blackburn's offer. Dalglish met with Keane on Friday afternoon. Dalglish assured Keane that he would become a member of the championship team. Keane had a good impression of Dalglish, a passionate coach with extraordinary achievements, and Blackburn's boldness in buying players without looking at the price also gave Keane strong confidence.

The atmosphere of the conversation between the two sides was very friendly. Keane agreed to the salary package and all that was left was to formally sign the contract.

Fate played a joke on Dalglish. When Keane thought he could sign, Blackburn found out that they didn't have a contract ready for Keane. Dalglish said lightly, "It doesn't matter. We can come back to sign on Monday."

Without signing, Keane returned to his home.

Just when everyone thought that Blackburn's deal to buy Keane had been completed, Ferguson found out immediately that Keane had not signed, and he knew there was still one last chance.

At noon after Keane returned home, he received a strange phone call.

It was Ferguson on the other end of the line.

Ferguson got straight to the point and confirmed on the phone whether Keane had not signed the contract yet. After receiving a positive answer, he immediately suggested that he come to Manchester, "I want to talk to you."

Keane was extremely shocked, "Oh my God! That's the Red Devil, Ferguson!"

"Are the Red Devils interested in me? Have they decided to buy me now?" Keane couldn't contain his excitement. He couldn't refuse the Red Devils, who were "the most famous club in the world!"

Keane immediately set off for Manchester. "Of course I know what Ferguson is going to do. I wish I could fly to him with wings!"

Ferguson personally greeted the future legendary captain at the gate of Carrington Base.

Keane's first impression was that Ferguson was "radiant" and had a strong aura, as if he was in control of everything. Ferguson was very attentive, enthusiastic, and had a bit of humor. Keane felt that Ferguson was similar to Clough, the mentor of the Forest team, in some ways, full of dominance, but in other ways he was very different. Clough did not respect his players, but Ferguson made people feel respected everywhere.

To help ease the unfamiliarity, Ferguson suggested playing a game of billiards with Keane.

Ferguson's temptation to Keane was to the point: "Roy, the Red Devils will win domestically with or without you. But with you, we can win in Europe. And my advice is that you should give full consideration to your career pursuits and find a platform where you can achieve your own success."

"What do we Red Devils have? We are the champions and have the best team! We have the best striker, the best goalkeeper, the best defender, and the best midfielder. What do we need now? We also need an excellent midfielder who can provide more support for our offense and defense. I think that person is you!"

Ferguson's words directly pointed to Keane's inner desire, and this sentence was quite inflammatory. The lure of the championship was enough to drive people crazy, and the European champion? What an honor!

Keane immediately changed his mind and agreed to join the Red Devils. The Red Devils immediately called Nottingham Forest to negotiate with them about buying Keane.

The Forest management was furious, but after consulting Roy Keane's personal wishes, they had no choice but to hold their noses and negotiate the transfer fee with the Red Devils.

Blackburn sent the contract text on Monday, but Keane ignored it. He refused to meet with the other team's staff and even refused to speak to Dalglish.

Dalglish was almost mad, he was furious at Keane, "No one can do this, no one can do this to me! You despicable beast, you will not have an easy time!"

Blackburn immediately complained to the Premier League, with Dalglish swearing, "Fuck the big clubs, Ferguson is a bitch! Who has the bottom line to do such despicable things?! The Red Devils and Ferguson have no bottom line, they don't care about the dignity of the Football Association and the Players' Union at all!"

Ferguson scoffed at this. "Kenny must have forgotten the good things they did back then. Keane has joined Blackburn? This only exists in his illusion. Keane didn't sign at all, he didn't agree. He is loyal to his heart, he didn't join any team. The Red Devils have not violated any rules, on the contrary we have always been committed to providing the best opportunities for the players."

The obstacle for the Red Devils was Nottingham Forest, who were not satisfied with the offer and insisted on £400 million. When the negotiations were deadlocked, Keane stated that he would not go to any other club except the Red Devils, and the Forest team also needed the transfer fee to introduce players, so the Forest team finally accepted the Red Devils' offer of £375 million.

Roy Keane successfully signed a contract with Manchester United. The weekly salary offered by Manchester United was 1000 pounds less than that offered by Blackburn. Keane said: "1000 pounds less every week? This is not a problem. Becoming a Manchester United player is the most important thing. I love this club very much!"

And so, Keane came to Old Trafford.