The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 306: Crutch and Tears

Misfortune came suddenly, which was a heavy blow to both Ferguson and Lee Sharpe.

--Inscription

The Red Devils reversed twice away from home and eventually beat Blackburn 4-2.

This miraculous reversal sparked heated discussions in the media. The media did not sing praises for the Red Devils' away win, but focused more on the unfairness of the game and whether Blackburn's red card package was incorrect. They knew that the Red Devils' win was not news, and even the Red Devils' big reversal could not attract attention. Only by forcibly linking the Red Devils' win with the black whistle scandal can people be excited and get more attention.

The Mail said: "Blackburn Rovers were given a red card at home, and the action was not even a foul. This is really challenging the bottom line of justice!"

The Times said: "That was a red card, plus a penalty, enough to decide life and death! Did the referee act this way because the opponent was the Red Devils?"

The Sun began to report some news about the meetings and dinners between the top executives of the Manchester United board and the FA, implying that the FA has a close relationship with the Manchester United. They even asked in the newspaper, "When did the FA start to favor the Manchester United?"

The BBC asked: "Is there really a force in England that is determined to prevent Blackburn from reaching the top? Who is behind this force?"

After the game, Blackburn wanted to attack the referee, but Dalglish stopped his players when the conflict was about to break out. Dalglish, who is very experienced, knew that according to the nature of the FA Presidential Committee, they would never make any changes. In an interview after the game, he said: "During the Red Devils' attack, I saw Lee Sharpe fall to the ground, as if the two of them collided. He had lost control of the ball. I don't know why the referee made such a decision. I can't object to anything, let alone support anything. My players told me that he kicked the ball first, and then collided with the opponent."

Dalglish stopped there, but Ferguson heard the hidden meaning and hit back directly after the game, "What I saw was that Lee Sharpe was fouled. He was kicked to the ground in the penalty area when he got the ball. The opponent was the last defender. This is not a red card plus a penalty. Can Lee Sharpe be accused of diving?!"

Ferguson stressed, "Our players were treated very harshly by the opponents on this court. Several of our players felt physically unwell after the game. I think many of the opponents' actions have exceeded normal competitive needs. Those dangerous actions can easily cause injuries and lead to conflicts between the two sides. Our players were violated many times and no whistle was heard. This is what I saw. You are now saying that this is so-called protection?!"

The penalty decisions of English referees have always been criticized. The Premier League encourages physical confrontation, and many actions have long exceeded the normal range, but many referees turn a blind eye. On the other hand, some referees are unpredictable, sometimes very lax, sometimes very strict, making it even more difficult to grasp the key points of the game.

For Ferguson, from the end of 1986 to the present, from the first day he took over as the coach of the Red Devils to the present, unfair penalties against him and the Red Devils have continued. His players have encountered countless black whistles and various weird penalties. Some referees deliberately targeted the Red Devils when enforcing the law, and Ferguson had enough of such treatment. Now that the team has risen, Ferguson will naturally not allow rumors outside the stadium to hurt the players and damage the interests of the team.

The English Football Association's Executive Committee quickly stated that it believed the referee's penalty was correct and upheld the original decision.

Just one day after the league match against Blackburn, the Red Devils played away against Newcastle United in the third round of the League Cup. Ferguson sent out a starting lineup composed mainly of substitutes: goalkeeper Walsh, defenders Gary Neville and Irwin, and two veterans Bruce and Pallister; midfielders were Beckham, Butt, Gillespie, and Davis, and forwards were McClair and Scholes. This was a lineup of almost all young players in the midfield and frontcourt, and they had basically never practiced together. After the game started, Irwin, Bruce, and Pallister, who had just played against Blackburn, were exhausted physically and mentally, while Gillespie, Beckham, Davis, and Butt, who were young players, had no experience and were very nervous when they went on the court. This makeshift Red Devils team was vulnerable to Newcastle United. First, the Red Devils lost possession of the ball after being fiercely intercepted by the opponent in the backcourt, and were caught off guard by the opponent's switch from defense to offense. Newcastle made a cross from the right side, and the forward who received the ball in the penalty area successfully headed the ball into the goal to take the lead. Not long after, the Red Devils made a mistake in the middle of the frontcourt, and the opponent intercepted the ball again and launched a counterattack. The Newcastle players made three passes and two dribbles to break through the Red Devils' thin defense line, and then launched a single-handed attack, and the Red Devils' goal was lost again.

After losing this game, the Red Devils' League Cup journey came to an end. This was not unacceptable to Ferguson, who wanted to use the League Cup to hone new players. But what made him most unhappy was not the loss, but the fact that the team's main player, the left winger Lee Sharp, was seriously injured in the game.

A game that was not important at all, a short period of time as a substitute, and a minor collision directly led to a serious injury to Lee Sharp, the Red Devils' best winger so far this season. The price was too high.

Lee Sharpe had performed very well in the previous match against Blackburn, and Ferguson substituted him in this match when the situation was not good, hoping that he could strengthen the control of the midfield. But no one expected that in the area on the left side of the midfield line, Lee Sharpe suddenly screamed when he was fighting with his opponent for the ball, and then his legs bent and rolled on the ground in pain.

Newcastle players did not commit a foul. Lee Sharpe's injury was caused by his incorrect sliding tackle posture. Lee Sharpe's right foot was severely dislocated and possibly fractured. The severe pain made Lee Sharpe unable to hold on. He was soon carried off the field on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.

After Lee Sharpe was seriously injured, Ferguson and the Red Devils had no intention of continuing the fight and the game ended hastily.

The results of the hospital examination were not optimistic. In addition to the dislocation, Lee Sharp's ankle also had nerve and muscle tears. For Lee Sharp, this serious injury eventually caused him to completely lose his flexibility and speed advantage in dribbling, and also made him lose more details of his dribbling movements, and eventually made him lose his main position in the Red Devils.

Giggs was a brilliant player who had already secured his starting position last season, like a dazzling new star. But even so, Lee Sharpe, with his hard work and equally excellent talent, seized the rare opportunity this season and regained his starting position with his outstanding performance. In many tough games, his appearance order was ahead of Giggs.

Just when Lee Sharp was having a series of outstanding performances and becoming the darling of the Theatre of Dreams again, injuries struck him again.

Lee Sharp did not lose to someone, but to injury and the cruel fate.

A few days later, Lee Sharp came out to meet reporters on crutches. He was still optimistic at that time. "I want to get back to the game. My injury has been well treated. I believe I will be able to recover soon."

Ferguson also expressed his support for Sharp. "Sharp is a brave player. His injury will heal, he will recover and will be back with us. We are sure he will continue to play. He has performed very well this season. He trained very hard before the start of the season. He has done well in every aspect and made great progress."

Lee Sharpe burst into tears after hearing Ferguson's words. He was once anxious and sweaty. He once gave up the house he rented and asked his girlfriend to go home. He worked hard to improve his skills, improve his physical fitness, actively prepare for the pre-season, and strive for every opportunity. Now he finally got the recognition of the coach. Lee Sharpe recalled the experience of that year with emotion a long time later. "I was very afraid of being treated with a hair dryer by the boss at that time. I never wanted to disappoint him. The game I remember most vividly was the game against Liverpool. I may have played the worst, and everyone didn't perform well. During the halftime break, the boss started to curse me crazily. After he was angry, he told me to move out of the house and go back to the youth player dormitory. At that time, my girlfriend moved from Birmingham and had to move back. We could only live in different places. I was forced to sell my dog ​​and car, and then returned to the stadium, burying my head in hard training, day and night, to prove to him that I still have the ability to play."

These days were too hard and tiring. For Lee Sharp, who pursued a luxurious life and loved sensual pleasures, it was really not easy.

After the League Cup, the 11th round of the Premier League will begin. The Red Devils will play against the Magpies at home this time, which is a chance for revenge. At that time, Newcastle was also very ambitious under Keegan's coaching. They bought many strong players in succession and formed a very good team. Before this round, Newcastle had 29 points in the first 22 rounds of the league, remained unbeaten in the league, and firmly grasped the top position in the standings. It was one of the strong rivals of the Red Devils, who only had points at the time, in defending the Premier League.

The Red Devils played very well at home. Pallister and young player Gillespie scored two goals. They were still ecstatic long after the game ended. In the first half, Giggs assisted with a free kick from the left frontcourt. The ball landed in the penalty area with great precision. Pallister managed to get a position in the dense crowd, jumped high, headed the ball, and scored directly with a header! This goal was a textbook tactical coordination routine, simple and efficient, and clearly arranged. Giggs made a precise cross, Pallister grasped the position accurately, chose the right time, and was extremely calm when heading the ball. The angle and strength were very good, and the opponent could not defend it even if he knew it. Gillespie's goal was entirely his personal performance. After Cantona got the ball in the frontcourt, he attracted two opponent players to double-team, and he immediately passed the ball to Gillespie on the left. After Gillespie got the ball, he went straight into the hinterland of Newcastle's penalty area. He dribbled the ball diagonally like a whirlwind dragon, passed the opponent's two defenders in a row, and then broke the opponent's goal with a cold shot!

The Red Devils also created many threatening attacks in this game, and Cantona and Ings both missed excellent chances in front of the goal. Cantona and Kanchelskis played wonderfully, but unfortunately, Kanchelskis's cross to the front of the goal lacked power and was too close to the opponent's goalkeeper. Cantona jumped from the back point and headed the ball, but it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the second half, the Red Devils made a series of wonderful short passes at the edge of the opponent's penalty area, and then sent the ball to Ings' feet. Unfortunately, Ings fired a heavy artillery from 35 meters away, and the ball whizzed towards the opponent's goal, but unfortunately it hit the crossbar directly! At the last moment of the game, the Red Devils counterattacked. Kanchelskis received a pass from Hughes on the right and advanced into the penalty area. After flashing out of the space, he shot a powerful shot, but unfortunately this powerful shot was blocked by the attacking goalkeeper and went out of the baseline.

踢完这一场，红魔在积分榜上是12轮积25分排名第3，前面是纽卡29分、诺丁汉森林队27分，身后则是24分的布莱克本和23分的利物浦。