The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 30 Lunch Party

"Ferguson was full of expectations for taking over as Manchester United manager, but he was not good at handling the relationship with the media. He encountered cold shots from the media as soon as he arrived in Manchester and felt the unfounded and boundless malice of the English media."

--Inscription

On November 1986, 11, when he officially took over as coach of the Red Devils, Ferguson was just one month away from turning 6.

In the football world, it is common for a good player to become a coach. Many professional football players will join the coaching world after retiring and start their coaching career. Some start as assistant coaches and progress under famous coaches, while others, like Ferguson, start from a relatively low-level team and move forward step by step. In any case, the growth and improvement of a head coach is not easy and will go through many difficulties and challenges.

Generally speaking, the age of 40 to 45 is a turning point. Most coaches have already had several years of teaching experience. After years of training, it is easy to tell whether they have the ability.

In football competition, winners are respected, and it is not easy for a team coach to survive. Every opportunity and every step has countless competitors and countless losers. Some coaches who succeed in small teams may not necessarily have the opportunity to coach a big team. Some coaches are assistant coaches of big teams, but they are also likely to be short-lived. Ferguson's coaching career was not smooth. The first step was to clean up a rag, and the second team was humiliated, but his ability and sharpness could not be covered up. When he coached Aberdeen, he began to burst out with amazing energy and created dazzling achievements. It was Ferguson who seized the opportunity and made continuous progress, and became a first-class young coach in Europe in one fell swoop and got the opportunity to coach the Red Devils.

From East Stirling to St. Mirren, and from St. Mirren to Aberdeen, Ferguson finally entered the English giants. Now, he has a wider space to display his talents, but also has heavier pressure.

Ferguson also has to face some uncontrollable risks, an unfamiliar league and an unpredictable future.

This is an opportunity as well as a severe challenge.

The greater difficulty for Ferguson was that he was a fireman, who had to take on the team at short notice and in a hurry. The team was stuck in a quagmire and in no shape. This was much more difficult than taking over the team before the start of the season.

Many media began to dig up news about Ferguson, portraying him as an exaggerated guy. In their writings, Ferguson was unruly, irritable, rude, strict in management, and liked to curse... Reporters dug up all kinds of stories about Ferguson's coaching in Scotland, and even exaggerated them, making self-righteous imaginations and adaptations.

Ferguson's fights with his players, his legal disputes at St. Mirren, his fights with opposing players, his conflicts with management... Reporters were also concerned about the bar run by Ferguson and his unique political leanings.

Is Ferguson the right fit for the Red Devils?

Can Ferguson handle a team like the Red Devils?

Can Ferguson, an outsider who is not from the top five leagues and has no experience in coaching top clubs, be a good head coach for the Red Devils?

Ferguson appeared at the Theatre of Dreams and Edwards hosted a press conference.

Ferguson sat upright at the meeting, looking a little nervous. Reporters thought he was very reserved and had a distorted look. Although Ferguson was prepared, he was still not used to the sharp questions from English reporters. He remained cool throughout the meeting and did not answer many questions.

Of course, the reporters did their utmost to pester this newcomer to English football, and intentionally or unintentionally led the topic to the bleak prospects of the Red Devils.

The media's only interest in Ferguson was his "weird and paranoid" personality, his "tough and domineering" temper, and his "disputes and trivial matters"... This made Ferguson unhappy.

The exchange at the press conference was very unpleasant. Ferguson deliberately spoke very sparingly, and his English with a thick Scottish accent also made the reporters very painful.

After the press conference, reporters published articles one after another. The Manchester Evening News said, "This is a dull Scotsman who looks difficult to get along with. It is said that he has a tough personality and a bad temper, but he was on the defensive and full of vigilance at the press conference. He doesn't seem to adapt here. The atmosphere of English football makes him nervous. He was like a child who lost his keys at the meeting."

The BBC said, "Alex Ferguson - the new Manchester United coach is a strange name to everyone. He is famous, but not the famous coach that Manchester United fans want. He is said to be very tough, which may not appease the locker room; he focuses on attack and running, but the team is now lifeless. Ferguson did not seem to have any aura at the press conference, and we have to doubt and worry about the future of the Manchester United."

The News of the World said, "Red Devils brought in a Scotsman to replace Atkinson. It is said that his salary is only a quarter of Atkinson's. I wonder if his coaching time is also only a quarter of Atkinson's?"

The Guardian said, "The Red Devils, like a football temple, have been invaded by a barbarian and a hot-tempered stranger. Ferguson is best known for swearing and beating people, and we even doubt that he has a chance to survive this season."

The English media knew that these words were a powerful tool to tease fans, and the negative comments about Ferguson caught everyone off guard. Even relatively neutral media would read disapproval between the lines, adding a little sarcasm.

Ferguson has achieved success? But how can we believe that he can repeat it? Does Ferguson want to coach the Red Devils for a long time? Is he determined to revive the Red Devils? Maybe Ferguson doesn't know what kind of challenges he will face? This is the Red Devils, not some random guy.

The media's misleading comments soon caused doubts among the Red Devils fans. After all, the media's claims were true: Ferguson had no experience coaching in the English Football League One, no experience coaching a top club, and had a bad temper and a fierce personality. How could such a person win respect?

This Scotsman is not very good because the journalists are not optimistic about him...

Ferguson was aware of the trouble, but he was not too impressed by the English media.

Ferguson emphasized confidence during his first interview on a local Manchester TV program: "I have no disrespect for the Red Devils' great achievements in the past, but reality is not history. The team faces new challenges and new difficulties. I hope to bring something new to the team, especially strong confidence, which comes from my experience. I am fully prepared and will restore the team's fighting spirit."

"We will stop the decline and then continue to improve. I promise to revive this great club and win the league title again."

Ferguson knew what the fans wanted, but he would not cater to the media. Ferguson said in an interview with the Red Devils TV many years later, "I was under a lot of pressure when I first coached the Red Devils. Those reporters regarded me as a bumpkin, an old hat who had never seen the world, and a Scottish barbarian. To be honest, I was very angry. This was unfair to me and the Red Devils board. This was a very bad start."

The famous journalist Samuel experienced Ferguson's conflict with the media and reported on it. After Ferguson came to Manchester City, the Northern Branch of the British Football Writers' Association held a traditional lunch meeting at the end of 1986 and specially invited Ferguson to give a keynote speech.

At that time, Ferguson had coached the Red Devils for several games, but the team had not improved much. It was customary to invite the coaches of relevant clubs to give speeches at this luncheon, but some reporters began to think that this was a temporary "firefighter" who was filled with arrogance and various sarcasm.

Ferguson was very sensitive and determined to fight back.

Samuel said, "The atmosphere of the lunch was originally very relaxed. But some people started to mock the Red Devils for some reason, and then focused on attacking Ferguson. I could feel the dissatisfaction of the Red Devils, not just Ferguson."

Samuel said: "The lunch arrangement that day was very unreasonable. I don't know why it was delayed. Everyone was so hungry that they couldn't stand it anymore, and the restaurant started serving the food. This made everyone unhappy and the atmosphere became unfriendly."

Ferguson was invited to give a special speech. He said bluntly at the beginning: "I don't know what the meaning of this lunch is. I want to express my gratitude, but I don't know where to start. Many people's expressions tell me that they are also dissatisfied. The organizers obviously have no sincerity. But I think the guests may be too self-righteous and don't realize that the host and themselves are the same kind of people. Some people ridicule the Red Devils without any basis and attack my team unscrupulously, but they don't even know my name. This is really nonsense."

The media were in an uproar.

Ferguson said: "I don't know what the standard of this lunch is. I just took a look at the catering products and I was very surprised. If you think this is high-end food and everyone is satisfied with these products, then I am not surprised why you dare to criticize the Red Devils."

"The Red Devils haven't won the league title in 19 years, but they are still much better than you idiots!"

Ferguson's speech reached its climax in an unexpected way, arousing reactions from most people present.

"Mr. Ferguson, are you criticizing the media? Isn't this a problem between the club and you now?" A shrewd reporter immediately gave Ferguson a cold shoulder.

Ferguson: "Is that your level of understanding? Aren't the media overstepping their authority in criticising the club?"

Samuel later recalled, "This lunch felt so disrespectful. The appetizer was too hard bread slices, and the main course was a piece of lamb, and each guest had just that on their plate. Then there was a long 'intermission', followed by a few slices of cold vegetables. Finally, the waiter rushed up and poured a spoonful of hot soup on each person's plate. I don't know why this rally turned out like this. This is no longer a matter of courtesy to Ferguson."

Reporters were also unhappy with the dinner arrangements, but now the enemy was Ferguson.

The media did not expect Ferguson to make such a fierce statement on such an occasion. They were all shocked by Ferguson. But soon the discussion about the Red Devils turned into ridicule and mockery. Most reporters did not agree with Ferguson's remarks and thought that this guy was very rude.

The Red Devils were in a state of distress at the time, the team was losing battle after battle, losing players and generals, and the locker room was in chaos. In the eyes of almost all local media, Ferguson was a warrior who challenged the abyss, but he was the one who overestimated his own capabilities.

The Daily Mail said, "The locker room filled with the smell of alcohol and cigarettes was like a ferocious beast, opening its mouth to devour Ferguson's reputation."

Ferguson offended most reporters, but he did not regret it.

When the news of Ferguson's falling out with the media came out, many Manchester United fans clearly put up banners to support Ferguson. Manchester United fans have always been very wary of the media that discredits the coach. Even when Atkinson stepped down, they did not allow the media to make up stories and insult them wantonly. This is one of the reasons why Ferguson has the confidence to fight against the media. Ferguson later said: "I will always be grateful to the Manchester United fans. They have always supported me since I just took over the work of the Manchester United. These lovely fans have always stood firmly behind me and are the source of my confidence and motivation."

Legendary manager Busby has always been a staunch supporter of Ferguson. Busby's son Sandy revealed: "My father and Ferguson hit it off right away, and the two got very involved in the conversation as soon as they met. My father later pointed out, 'He is the man, the one who is suitable to coach the Red Devils. We have found the best player for the Red Devils.' My father has always admired Ferguson, and I think they have many things in common, especially in terms of willpower."

Sandy said: "As an ordinary fan, I also feel that Alex is full of confidence and courage like my father. They both have the courage to try and the great spirit of persistence in fighting. This trait is the source of their motivation to win success."