The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 31 Scottish Football Coach

"The English media's discrimination against Ferguson may be because he is from Scotland, or it may be because he is just from Scotland. English football is very contradictory. They always feel superior, but they have to admit that they can't beat others in terms of results and games. When facing a coach from Scotland, the media always has to ridicule him and can't help but be sarcastic all the time."

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There is a key reason why Ferguson is despised by the English media, and that is Ferguson's background.

In the eyes of English journalists, he was a guy from a "backward area".

The "Scotsman" label attached to Ferguson is synonymous with "barbarian".

It's not just Ferguson who is being blamed, it's a common problem in English football.

The English football media look down on Scottish players and coaches, even giants like Jock Stein and Shankly, even Manchester United's Matt Busby is Scottish, they have to admit the great achievements of these coaches, but always emphasize that they are special and have no universal significance to other people in Scotland. In any case, when it comes to Scottish football, these English football media always have an arrogant and conceited style.

These journalists are proud of the fact that England is the birthplace of world football and England won the World Cup in 1966. They always think that England is much better than other places, especially Scotland, which they think is more than a few levels higher.

In terms of comprehensive strength and overall performance, English football is indeed better than Scottish football, and the clubs are much stronger than the other side, but the situation in English and Scottish football in the 1980s was much more complicated, not as these media people complain.

England and Scotland have had many exchanges throughout history, and there has been frequent movement of football coaches between the two countries since the 40s. Scottish coaches are coaching more and more British teams, and many of them have achieved success.

Scotland is rich in football coaches, many of whom are famous. The three famous coaches in history, Busby, Shankly and Stan, are all Scottish, and they are also legendary figures in the entire history of football. In addition to these famous coaches, the number of football coaches produced in Scotland is also amazing, and they can be found almost all over the world, not to mention neighboring England.

The production of Scottish football managers has the deepest roots in the city of Glasgow. Ferguson is from the High Bay area in the west of Glasgow, Dalglish is from Milton in the north of Glasgow, Moyes, who took over from Ferguson, grew up in the northwest suburb called "Drum Hall", McLeish was born in the East End, Coyle grew up in Gbars upstream of the High Bay, and Steve Keane's home is in Bridgetown, which is even upstream...

Why do Scotland, especially Glasgow, produce so many coaches?

First of all, it is because there are many professional players. Glasgow is the leading core city in Scotland. It has always been the city with the strongest football atmosphere and the city with the most clubs. Children here are exposed to football almost from birth. Regardless of whether they work in the football industry in the future, their love for football will always be retained and passed on. "People here regard football as their life and will look for opportunities to play football anytime and anywhere. No matter where they are or how old they are, they like football. People always bring football and throw away anything, such as jerseys, school bags or simply use lampposts as goals, and then they can start competing and fully enjoy the joy of football. I grew up like thousands of children, full of love and respect for football." Ferguson recalled.

Glasgow is rich in players, and after retiring, players generally seek opportunities to become coaches, so there are naturally many football coaches. This situation is basically the same as London, England, which is also rich in players and also has many football coaches.

In the 20s, God seemed to have pressed a magical switch for Scottish football. A large number of Scottish coaches emerged and achieved remarkable success. First, Busby was in the Red Devils, then Shankly was in Liverpool, and then Stan was in Celtic. They all created unparalleled brilliance and became world-renowned coaches. This trend continued and became even more powerful after the 40s. With the emergence of Ferguson and Dalglish, more Scottish coaches began to rise. Souness, Walter Smith, Moyes, Strachan, McLeish, Coyle and others all made a name for themselves and flourished in the British Isles.

In the history of the English Football League, there have been more than 40 Scottish coaches. In the heyday of the Premier League, there were 6 Scottish coaches leading their teams at the same time. In the first 20 years of the Premier League, the Scottish won a total of 14 league championship trophies!

Scottish coaches have dominated English football for a long time, and their popularity even exceeds that of other parts of Europe. Scottish football coaches have unique personalities, and many famous coaches are uniquely charming. In the history of world football, Scottish coaches do not seem to have made particularly great contributions, and it is difficult for them to come up with fundamental innovations such as total attack and defense; but they still achieve great success, and almost all of them have significant personalities. They are strong-willed, paranoid and rude, passionate and irritable, they like to attack, and they advocate fighting... These are rare and unique labels for coaches in other regions.

Scottish coaches can be roughly divided into "coal mining faction" and "shipbuilding faction" according to their background. Most Scottish coaches who come from coal mining are the children of coal miners, or they have worked as coal miners themselves. Stan is the most famous representative among them. He mined coal in deep mines and experienced the dark ages. He did not become a professional player until he was 27 years old. Shankly and Busby also had coal mining experience, and all three of them experienced the world war. In Glenbuck, Scotland, a coal mining area with less than 30 people, more than 10 Scottish internationals and more than coaches were born, which can be called a miracle in football history.

Stan always had compassion for coal miners, and Shankly left behind this famous quote: "Those who have gone down deep wells and dug coal will regard all difficulties as floating clouds." Ferguson remembered that Stan often shared his experience of coal mining: "We walked hard in the dark tunnels thousands of meters below the ground, working hard day after day. At that time, we couldn't see anything and there were dangers at every moment, but we were not afraid, knowing that there would be co-workers around us, knowing that these were trustworthy partners who could entrust their lives. We will experience all kinds of accidents and fatal dangers, but we will fight against death and selflessly help those around us. I hope everyone can learn this, teammates are partners who can entrust their lives."

Shankly even said, "Football is above life and death." Such bold words may seem abrupt to some outsiders, but if you understand their past sufferings and their fearlessness of death, you will still understand the meaning of this sentence.

The origin of the shipbuilding school can be traced back to the 40s. At that time, Glasgow ushered in a great development of the shipbuilding industry, and shipbuilders became another major source of players and coaches. In the shipyards, the head coaches who would be active in the Premier League in the next few decades began to be nurtured and grown: Ferguson, Dalglish, Moyes...

Coal mining and shipbuilding are both extremely hard work, which forged the coaches who came out of coal mines and shipyards with an indomitable will to fight. In the coal mining area and the shipyard work area, everyone is united and helps each other, and the families are very close. If a family is short of sugar, he can go to the neighbor's house to get it. If he needs a suit to attend an important event, he can borrow a suit from a friend - everyone lives together harmoniously. This kind of community life makes them very close and has a strong fighting spirit. Moyes said: "We grew up in a working-class family. Since childhood, we have a sense of responsibility that we cannot let others down. We must always motivate ourselves to keep fighting." Another Glasgow coach McLeish believes that the harsh and difficult environment has made them know from an early age that success is hard-won, and they will never give in to difficulties and overcome all challenges with a strong will.

These Scots are extremely determined. Whether as players or coaches, they inherit the same football culture and the same spirit.

Jock Stein led Celtic to the highest honor in European football, but he remained humble after achieving great success. Once he was leading the team to a game and saw a group of coal miners on the roadside on the bus. "Stan made an astonishing move. He immediately stopped the car and asked all the players to take out the cash they had and immediately donated it to these workers."

The workers who recognized Stan gathered around him in surprise and joy, and greeted him warmly. Stan said in his unique tone: "I am with you. I hope this meager amount of money can help your life. Let us muster up courage together to overcome all difficulties!"

Ferguson's memory is even more profound. He always remembers that he and Stan went to watch the game of Hibernian in Scotland in 1984, which happened to be the day of the coal miners' strike. When the two walked past a donation box, Ferguson's clothes were pulled. Just as he was surprised, he found that Stan grabbed him and stared at him fiercely, saying, "How can you walk past like this? Did you forget something?!" Ferguson immediately took out all the money he had and stuffed it into the donation box. Before him, Stan had emptied his wallet and gave an exciting speech to the workers. The consequence of the passionate impulse was that the two had to go hungry because they had no money.

English football looks down on the Scots, but the Scots believe that they dare to fight and have always maintained a strong mentality. The Scottish coach is full of fighting spirit and has always insisted that this kind of toughness is particularly important in football games. McLeish said: "People who come south from Scotland to find a job always have a board on their shoulders (Scottish proverb, describing a rebellious person who is easily angered). You have to stand up, you have to dare to fight, and you must never lose in the face of difficulties."

Moyes also said: "Every day I go to school fighting and go home fighting. In such an environment you can't be weak at all, you must always be tough, even if you have to pretend."

This is how Scottish coaches carry on the culture of this land. Ferguson's success was inseparable from Stan's advice to him. He then taught his coaching experience to his juniors without reservation. Many coaches are like this. Scottish football has been passed down from generation to generation, not only giving birth to great coaches, but also allowing Scotland's unique football spirit to continue to be passed on.

As a classic statement goes: "In that era of passion and toughness, famous coaches and superstars of Scottish football shone together in England. If a fan prayed devoutly, he might believe that God speaks with a Scottish accent."

In the 70s, Scotland established a coach training school on the Ayrshire coast of Lagos. Today, it has become one of the best cradles of football coaches in the world. It is the coach training base of FIFA and UEFA, and the coach qualification training class of the English Football Association is also located here. There are countless coaches who have become famous here, including Capello, Sacchi and other famous coaches who are graduates of this school. Mourinho has also received training here. Martinez, Boas, Gerrard, Giggs and others are also outstanding products of the Scottish coach "magic school".

Now the trend of football has changed, and the control and refinement of Spanish football have become the mainstream. Football has begun to emphasize more on technology and overall, more on passing and controlling the entire field, and scientific and precise tactics. Scottish coaches have also gradually become mediocre, and their presence in the Premier League has gradually decreased.

But no matter what, the Scottish coach has created glory and their history has become a classic.