The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 269 Regrets as a Father

"It is impossible to say that Ferguson has no selfish motives, but what the fans appreciate more is Ferguson's responsibility to the team. Even though he has tried to use his son, once he found that Darren was indeed not strong enough, Ferguson still decisively made the right decision."

--Inscription

In the football world of various countries and in major leagues, team coaches have the full right to use various players in games and are therefore responsible for the results.

How to choose the starting players and how to make substitutions during the game is a big question for a head coach. Even though many heads coaches are known for being friendly and easy to get along with, successful heads coaches will definitely firmly grasp the power of using players and will not tolerate any doubts or interference from the outside world.

For example, Clough, the famous coach of Forest, insisted on putting his son in the starting lineup. Pearson, the coach of Leicester City, also insisted on using his son as a defender. Another famous coach in the Premier League, Redknapp, also coached his son Jamie personally, whether in Bournemouth, where he started his career, or in Southampton, where he was about to retire. Ferguson's nemesis Kenny Dalglish also recruited his son Paul Dalglish into the team when he later coached Newcastle United. This kind of player selection and use even appeared in the legendary Red Devils player Bruce. When Bruce retired and became a Premier League coach, he also promoted his son Bruce Jr. when he coached Birmingham.

The most legendary family in football is the Maldini family of Serie A. Three generations of the family have played for AC Milan. After retiring and becoming the head coach, the elder Maldini coached his son Maldini himself. As the second generation, Maldini is even better than his father. Paolo Maldini played for AC Milan for 22 years, winning 7 league titles and 5 European Cups. His achievements are extremely prominent in the entire football world. Paolo Maldini did not resume coaching after retiring, but he also served as a member of AC Milan's management. During his tenure, his son Maldini Jr. also became a youth player of AC Milan, and became a first-line main force all the way, starting in official matches for AC Milan.

By 1993, Ferguson was being attacked by the media for using his own son in the game.

This made him very embarrassed and extremely angry.

Last season, Darren Ferguson got a lot of playing time when the Red Devils were short of players, and also had a brilliant performance of assisting Cantona. Although he did not score a goal, he still won a Premier League championship medal with 15 appearances. Fans who know the Red Devils' journey in the 92-93 season may understand how tragically the team was hit by serious injuries that year. Keane had not yet arrived, Robson was seriously injured, Lee Sharpe was also injured, Butt was still very young, and Phelan also encountered an injury at the beginning of the season. The entire midfield was almost completely unavailable.

It is unknown to what extent Ferguson trusted his own son at that time, or whether he was forced to do so. Of course, after the most difficult time, when the Red Devils were gradually getting better in the Premier League, Ferguson decisively excluded Darren from the squad.

In fact, when the Red Devils won the Premier League title at the end of the season in May 1993, some media reporters wrote articles to discuss the topic, focusing on "Does Darren Ferguson deserve a Premier League title?"

This topic once became a serious debate in English football. Many journalists who were dissatisfied with Ferguson claimed that this was a stain on Ferguson's coaching of the Red Devils, that he was engaged in nepotism, favoritism, and deliberately biased the facts, deliberately letting Darren play to meet the standards, and then winning this precious Premier League championship medal for him.

"That's the Premier League title that even Gerrard hasn't won. How can a mediocre midfielder like you, Darren, deserve such an honor?!"

There were also many journalists and critics who defended Ferguson. Several die-hard fans of the Red Devils wrote articles to refute, "The Red Devils' championship was won by the hard work of all the staff. It contains Ferguson's wisdom and talent. It is his outstanding leadership and command, and his strong ability to lead the team. All the Red Devils worked hard together to achieve it. Darren Ferguson trained hard, actively listened to the coach's arrangements, played diligently, and did everything he could to complete the task. When he played, the Red Devils were going through the most difficult start; when the Red Devils were short of midfielders, it was he who resolutely put on his armor and bravely fought on the green field."

"There has never been a world where championships and medals are decided based solely on the individual strength of a star. Gerrard's experience can only be described as a legendary regret, and even a laughing stock in the eyes of Manchester United fans. The logic that if Gerrard can't get it, then Darren shouldn't get it either is really wrong."

The BBC and The Times finally concluded, "Ferguson certainly has the right to decide which players to use, and he is responsible for the results. As long as he can win the championship for the Red Devils, even if he sends all the Ferguson family members to the field, the Red Devils fans will have no objection."

In the 1993-94 season, Ferguson's use of Darren continued to cause discussion.

At the beginning of the season, as Manchester United players were injured, Ferguson quickly started to rotate players. This was one of the key factors that kept him competitive in the Premier League, and it was also because he knew his team well, his opponents, and even the league schedule well, so he dared to do it. This season, Manchester United entered the fast lane from the beginning of August, and the Red Devils had to fight on multiple fronts. Ferguson wanted more championships, and the team's main lineup obviously had to be consumed a lot. He had to find a reasonable rotation method to balance the team's combat effectiveness and the status of the players.

After entering November, the team's injuries worsened, especially Keane's injury, which caused trouble in the middle of Manchester United's midfield. At this time, Ferguson did not use Darren as the first starter, nor did he let him go directly to the bench. Instead, he tried Darren after trying other players.

Ferguson certainly knows what his child is capable of, but he also has a little hope. He still hopes that Darren can make greater progress in the real league environment, truly have the strength to play for the top clubs, and preferably make a key contribution to the team's victory.

This kind of father's thoughts about his children are certainly worth understanding.

Ferguson used Darren cautiously, and the team also rushed towards the road of defending the title at a normal pace.

Ferguson has no doubt that the Red Devils will continue to maintain their strong strength. From the start of the league to November, the Red Devils have been in high spirits, winning battles one after another and almost always leading the league standings. It seems that defending the championship is just around the corner.

Ferguson has never cared about media interference or the media's unreasonable slander, but he also knows that the pressure on him is increasing.

He insisted on using Darren Ferguson this season, which certainly cannot be cleared of the suspicion of selfishness. After all, Manchester United is not completely without anyone to use, and the youth team, whether Butt, Savage or Scholes, are actually widely watched potential new stars, highly recommended and praised.

Ferguson certainly did not completely ignore these newcomers. Both Scholes and Butt actually had opportunities to play this season. For the Class of 92 who would later achieve brilliant success, how to use them and how to train them was a more challenging task. Ferguson insisted on promoting, protecting, and guiding and training them, starting from three aspects at the same time, so these new stars were not robbed of opportunities by Darren.

Manchester United fans can still understand Ferguson's use of players. As for who is stronger and who is weaker between Darren and the class of 92, it was very obvious in the 1993-94 season. Ferguson used Darren cautiously, and he was also very cautious in training the class of 92. He did not blindly think that these kids could take on responsibilities early, nor did he think that these kids could beat the strong men in other teams.

Martin, a Manchester United fan, said frankly, "After all, Ferguson dared to let new players play in the Champions League, and Beckham also got a chance. The more mature and stable Darren is obviously more trustworthy. I have no doubts about this, I just hope that Manchester United will get better and better."

The Red Devils had Keane join in the summer of 93, and Robson miraculously recovered. During this period, many players left the Manchester United midfield, such as Webber, Kate, Robins, Richards, etc. The midfield position mainly relied on Ince and Robson plus Keane as the main players, and McClair's retreat was also a major rotation option. In any case, between the main players and the youth training, Manchester United still had too few substitutes available. Especially before Butt, Scholes, Savage and other players had not really grown up, Manchester United had to face such a dense schedule of events, and it was not enough to rely on only four main players to cope with it.

The team was full of famous players and the lineup was strong. Without serious injuries, Darren was indeed difficult to compete with others. At this time, his chance only appeared when rotation was needed, or when the team's injuries became serious and there was no one available in the midfield. Entering October, Robson was seriously injured and missed the game for a long time, Phelan and Keane were also injured one after another, and Butt was also injured in training. Only Ince and McClair were healthy in the team. It was obviously impossible not to rotate for a long time, so Darren had the opportunity to play.

Darren Ferguson cannot play as a main player for a top club because of his lack of ability, and this is also Ferguson's clear understanding of his children.

After several rounds of matches, Ferguson also realized that his son's ability was indeed limited and was not enough to gain a foothold in the current Red Devils team, let alone win a starting position. What the child's ability is and what level he can eventually reach is not subject to his own will.

Ferguson certainly hoped that Darren would have genius-like talent. He even hoped that his son would be better than himself in the game and achieve greater success. But as a former professional player, especially as an excellent professional coach, Ferguson knew clearly that Darren did not have such talent. Although Ferguson also urged his son to train very strictly, he even opened a cram school for his son privately, secretly gave him extra training, and gave him more training content and subjects. Darren was not without effort, but his personal talent still determined his final height. Even if he tried his best, he could not reach the standard of an excellent Premier League midfielder.

Darren cannot gain a foothold in the Premier League, and the Red Devils' current level is far beyond that of ordinary Premier League teams.

After November, Manchester United's core midfielder Keane returned, and other injured players also recovered one after another. Ferguson no longer had to face the dilemma of having no one available, and he no longer had to bite the bullet and let Darren Ferguson start the game, risking being criticized for losing.

达伦-弗格森在93-94赛季英超联赛的出场机会就仅仅停留在3场，他在1994年的1月13日转会离开，去了狼队。

And just like that, Darren Ferguson's Manchester United story came to an end.

Ferguson had high hopes for his son, but he was not able to gain a foothold in the Red Devils, and Ferguson accepted it calmly. As a father, Ferguson naturally wanted his son to become a successful person, and he still felt a little regretful when Darren left Manchester United.

As a father, especially Ferguson who has devoted himself to the coaching of Manchester United, he still feels very regretful. Ferguson does not have the idea of ​​"one person's success will bring prosperity to all his family members". His regret is just that Darren's ability is not enough to play for Manchester United, and even playing for other Premier League teams seems to be difficult.

Hoping their sons will become successful is actually the obsession of all fathers.