The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

"Ferguson's actions are always so unexpected. Not enough signings were made in the summer transfer window, so he could only put out an unusual starting lineup in the first game of the season, which naturally caused consternation among the fans and an uproar in the media."

--Inscription

Ferguson sent away three core players and a rotating goalkeeper in the summer, the main striker Cantona was suspended, and the team's strength seemed to be greatly weakened. While the media continued to list the list of players for the Red Devils, the Red Devils fell into a special atmosphere.

Because Ferguson took the initiative to report to the club that Kanchelskis' agent secretly sent bribes, and the club's internal investigation did not find any acts of informing, hinting or other reminders from the briber, and Ferguson did not have any signs of perception or handling. The final conclusion shows that this was entirely the intention of the briber, but the briber was completely unaware. Based on cultural or customary differences, the Red Devils club did not determine that Ferguson had any suspicion of bribery.

Despite this, the Red Devils' recruitment work was greatly delayed. Because it was an internal investigation and internal handling, the outside world was completely unaware of it. They only saw that the Red Devils did not seem to actively promote any transfers. Whether it was the striker who had to be strengthened, the indispensable waist in the midfield, or the attacker on the right side... the Red Devils did not actively promote it as in previous seasons.

Time flies by, the summer transfer window is about to end, and the new season is about to start, but Ferguson has not finalized any strong foreign aid for the team. Anderton was retained by Tottenham with a new contract, Shelingham was not invited, and strong players such as Barmby and Beattie were also missed one by one. Several French players including Robert and Ginola also had no interest in Manchester. Reporters bluntly said that the Red Devils' entire summer transfer window was a complete failure.

Ferguson was to blame for the poor recruitment. Even some Manchester United legends were shocked that the team had not bought any suitable stars and that no players had joined England. Like ordinary fans, they could not understand the logic of Ferguson and the Manchester United transfer department and criticized Ferguson for his inaction.

It would be wrong to say that Ferguson didn't buy any players, but look at these names: John Curtis, Danny Higbinboram, Mark Wilson... They were all kids, not plug-and-play players. Only one adult player, Nicky Culkin, joined the Red Devils, costing the Red Devils £25. Is this name unfamiliar? That's right, the media who have been following the transfer market didn't understand how this great player came about. They only found out that Culkin was from York City and had no reputation at the time.

"Ferguson bought a parallel import and didn't even have money to buy lottery tickets!" The media was full of ridicule. This is the predicament of the Red Devils.

In sharp contrast is the transfer market outside the Red Devils. Not to mention Kanchelskis and Hughes joining Premier League teams, Blackburn's success has also stimulated the ambitions of various club owners, and the Premier League has begun to attract more European stars to join.

Chelsea was the biggest moneymaker in the Premier League in the summer of 1995. They attracted the Dutch superstar, the "whip coach" Gullit, to fly to London and join directly. Gullit was about to turn 33 that year, and his competitive state was not as good as his peak period. He joined Chelsea to enjoy the high salary. But even if Gullit was retired, his ability and experience were enough for the team to alleviate poverty. Chelsea also introduced Mark Hughes, which was also considered a cost-effective deal.

For this London team, they have been poaching players from super-powerful teams such as the Red Devils and AC Milan, and their ambitions are huge, which naturally caused a sensation in the football world.

Last season, German superstar Klinsmann joined Tottenham, and this season, Gullit joined Chelsea. The Premier League has begun to attract more and more famous stars. High salaries, mature leagues, thriving clubs, enthusiastic fans, and a growing market...all of these are increasingly attractive.

Gullit did not just join the team. He soon tried new challenges at Stamford Bridge, taking on the roles of both player and coach, becoming the first coach and player in Chelsea football history.

Gullit attracted the fans' attention, but the Red Devils' opponents for the championship were not this seafood team at the time. In addition to the defending champion Blackburn, the traditional powerhouse Liverpool and Keegan's Newcastle United were Ferguson's biggest concerns.

Newcastle United continued to spend money to satisfy the desires of head coach Keegan. This team with a strong background became very extravagant and bought stars. They first signed French superstar Ginola for 250 million pounds, which drove away Ferguson, who was also interested at the time; later, shocking news broke that they recruited famous players such as Les Ferdinand, Asprilla, and Barton. Even if it was just using money to directly build a luxurious team with many famous players. If we only compare the team's reputation on paper, Newcastle can be said to be the strongest team in the Premier League. Coach Keegan's pride was about to overflow from major TV screens and football sections of various media. It was really not a word that could describe it as exuberant. Newcastle United was considered the hottest favorite to win the championship at the beginning of the new season. This team, led by a famous coach, with a strong lineup and dazzling main starting lineup, aimed directly at the league championship at the beginning of the season.

Coach Keegan is ambitious. He said in an interview with the media before the start of this season: "We have a team that scares everyone. The lineup is very complete and reasonable. We have made all preparations to challenge the Premier League championship. This is our goal!"

In addition to Newcastle, Liverpool has also entered a new era. This season, they have begun to cultivate talented killers like Fowler, introduced striker superstars like Collymore, and youth training players such as Reece Knapp and Gerrard. At the same time, they have introduced veterans with rich game experience, and their strength has been greatly enhanced.

In comparison, even Arsenal, another London giant, has some advantages over the Red Devils. Although they have been caught in an embarrassing situation of constant changes in the head coach position due to the bribery scandal of head coach Graham, the core structure consisting of Adams, Wright, Dixon, Seaman, Merson, etc. is still there, and with Bergkamp newly introduced from Inter Milan for 750 million pounds, the strength of the Gunners seems to have been greatly enhanced.

In the summer of 1995, Arsenal was invited to visit China. In addition to lingering in the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall and other historical sites in Beijing, the Gunners also played a warm-up match with Beijing Guoan in Beijing. Although they lost 1-2, the Gunners' demeanor still fascinated Chinese fans, and the media interviewing the team believed that the Gunners still had great hope of winning the Premier League championship.

As the Red Devils weakened and their opponents improved, bookmakers naturally no longer ranked them as the favorites to win the title. Even the Red Devils' die-hard fans found it difficult to convince themselves that the Red Devils would win the title in the face of the club's amazing moves in the summer of 1995.

Reporters from BBC, Sky Sports, The Guardian and other newspapers were very blunt when interviewing Ferguson, their words were full of attacks, and there was no respect at all for the man who had won two Premier League titles in a row.

"The Red Devils did nothing before the season. Are they preparing to give up the championship this season?"

"Are the Red Devils facing a club crisis? Why aren't they investing?"

"Have you lost support, Ferguson, and no longer have the confidence of the club's top management, so you don't have the money to buy players?"

The Red Devils club did not respond to these questions. Ferguson, who was so angry at the idiotic questions that he laughed, said, "Why can't the Red Devils win the championship? Can you decide the championship?!"

"Instead of discussing strength with you idiots, why not watch the highlights of horse racing? No chance of winning? Let's wait and see!"

The media loves to argue with the head coach the most. They never give in and keep talking to Ferguson, hoping to dig up more explosive news.

The most irritating was the Manchester Evening News, whose headline was: "Should Fergie go?" The content directly pointed out that Ferguson had wasted the entire summer and destroyed the locker room with his own hands. Such reports made Ferguson furious. He vowed to blacklist the guy who offended him and immediately asked the club's security department to ban Manchester Evening News reporters from entering the training base. Even so, Ferguson had no way to reassure the fans, reduce their doubts, and fully trust the team's preparations.

The Red Devils welcomed the opening of the league amid doubts and faced Villa, their first round opponent in the Premier League.

When the Red Devils arrived at the away game on August 1995, 8, Ferguson suffered an even more severe blow. Not only was Cantona suspended, but Bruce, Giggs and Cole were unable to play due to injuries before the game. As a result, Ferguson could not even put together the rotation lineup from last season. Compared with the championship season, the Red Devils were missing at least seven key players.

Ferguson certainly had a headache, but he remained tough and calm as he arranged the roster for the expedition and then wrote the starting lineup.

This is a starting lineup that will go down in the history of the Red Devils. Ferguson included 14 young players in the 8-man squad!

In the starting lineup, Gary Neville was 20 years old, Phil Neville was 18 years old, Nicky Butt was 20 years old; Scholes was under 21 years old... On the bench, right winger David Beckham was 20 years old, striker Simon Davis was 21 years old, defender John O'Kane was 21 years old, midfielder Savage was 21 years old... In addition to these kids, the starting players were Schmeichel 32 years old, right back Parker 31 years old, left back Irwin 30 years old, center back Pallister 30 years old; midfielder McClair was 32 years old... Apart from these, there were only Lee Sharpe and Keane on the field.

Even more incomprehensible, Ferguson also arranged a weird formation of 532. This was the first time Ferguson used this formation after coaching the Red Devils, and the next time he arranged it like this was 14 years later in the game against Fulham in 2009.

Why did Ferguson make such an unusual arrangement?

Ferguson had to make this formation. He later said, "My main consideration at the time was to make the young players not too nervous. They didn't need to play in the 442 formation that emphasizes layers, so I chose 532. I think this formation that emphasizes defense has a high tolerance for mistakes. The kids can play next to their big brothers, which makes it easier for them to adapt."

Ferguson said: "In my opinion, Gary can stay next to Pallister, with Parker and Irwin protecting him. Phil Neville on the side is younger and he is also playing in a supported environment. As for the midfield, I think Keane, Butt and McClair can withstand the opponent, Lee Sharpe can attack the opponent's defense, and Scholes has proved his scoring ability. I never worry about him."

Ferguson's starting lineup caused laughter as soon as it was announced. No media believed that these newcomers, known as "Fergie's fledglings", could bring back a victory.