The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 46 How is the Godfather made?

Ferguson was later called the godfather of the Red Devils, with supreme power and status in the locker room and high prestige in the hearts of the fans. This result is not innate, how did Ferguson do it?

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The most incredible thing about Ferguson is how he was able to coach the Red Devils for so long.

The Red Devils are a wealthy club, a club with a huge scale, a large number of people and complex relationships. Being the head coach of such a club is certainly not an easy job, let alone a long-term job for more than 26 years. The most unimaginable thing is that Ferguson's Red Devils career has almost only been praised.

Ferguson has won a high position in the Red Devils, but challenges have always existed. For Ferguson, the job will become more and more challenging, and the psychological expectations of the fans will also be higher and higher. In a club like the Red Devils, not only do you need to handle the relationship with the management, the players, the fans, the FA, other departments, and the media, but you also have to handle a lot of business affairs... In addition to handling all the big and small things, you must also ensure that all indicators are continuously improved to ensure that the club is always at the top.

Ferguson's prestige and power in the Red Devils far surpassed everyone else, including the head coach of any other club. He himself even became the long-term representative of the Red Devils club and was regarded as the best head coach in England.

Ferguson achieved success through excellent management, reaching a level that no one else could have achieved. He gained enormous influence and became the godfather of the club.

Ferguson has a tough personality, a hot temper and is very strict in management.

Ferguson's personality traits are reflected in the daily management of the club, where the regulations are very clear, the requirements are very specific, and the reward and punishment standards are very clear and unified.

Ferguson has a special ability, which is to quickly unify the goals of different players, inspire their mental strength, let the players play to their individual strengths in a team, and achieve an overall bonus effect.

Ferguson always has his eyes on success. Whether in daily training or on-the-spot matches, he has long-term and specific plans and implements strict standards. He requires every member to work hard to complete all training programs, which is the most basic condition for his long-term success. Ferguson attaches great importance to selecting and training talents, and keeps the foundation of the Red Devils team solid through youth training. Ferguson has long insisted on training and paying attention to details. Even in the later period of success, when he no longer needs to be personally responsible for specific physical, technical and tactical training, he still takes time to go to the training ground to supervise and guide.

Ferguson always advocates hard work and training. He will not easily agree that the players' abilities have reached the standard. He always says that the players can still improve and have unlimited possibilities for improvement. He always uses higher requirements to stimulate the players' fighting spirit and enterprising spirit, so that the players will take the initiative to practice more and strive to reach a higher level.

If we work harder and harder, and everyone can improve just a little bit, the combat effectiveness of the entire team will be greatly improved; if we invest more and more, and even if one link can be improved a little bit, everyone will be able to do better.

That's what Ferguson wants.

The feelings of superstars like Cantona, Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo for Ferguson have far exceeded the relationship between players and coaches, and even exceeded the level of stars and mentors. Without Ferguson, they would not have achieved such success, let alone such wealth and status. Almost everything they have today is thanks to Ferguson. For them, Ferguson is the most important and critical guide and caretaker in their lives. Their road to superstardom was checked by Ferguson at every key node, and every difficult moment was solved by Ferguson.

Cantona has a special feeling for Ferguson. He said: "I have a very self-centered personality. I pursue freedom, hope to be respected, and need to be fully understood. My life in the Red Devils is memorable, but the most crucial part comes from Ferguson. I have been wandering around in my football career all my life, and I am only respected in the Red Devils, and all this comes from Ferguson. Before coming to the Red Devils, I was like a lonely child, rejecting and resisting everything. Ferguson gave me the greatest tolerance and the most trust; when I was suspended, he flew to France to chat with me. These scenes made me feel special, and Ferguson made my soul feel at ease. I found my football because of Ferguson, and I joined the Red Devils because of Ferguson. Why did I fall in love with this red club? It's all because of Ferguson."

Ferguson was not only good at creating superstars, but also cared about youth training in every possible way. Gary Neville recalled: "We have always regarded Boss as a father and the most respectable person. We grew up in the Red Devils and were cared for and supported by Boss since we were young. My deepest impression is that he likes to be with us and always takes time to watch and guide our games. He welcomes everyone to talk to him, and his office door is always open. I used to chat with him often, and even confide in him directly some of the troubles and entanglements in my heart without reservation."

Ferguson was responsible for solving all the problems of the players. Compared with the gentle breeze and even small favors, the players would never forget some real help. The Red Devils in Ferguson's era had a better transfer strategy. The most important thing was that Ferguson had a keen eye and was willing to offer high salaries to the players he liked without quibbling over details. When his players left, Ferguson would do more for them. The players truly felt that Ferguson was working hard for their interests and was truly on their side.

Ferguson was not so nice to everyone. He hardly treated any reporter well. Even if it was a reporter who had been with the team for several years, Ferguson would always get angry if they had any news that was unfavorable to the team. But apart from reporters, Ferguson always treated the Red Devils players and staff, as well as various Red Devils fans, gently and kindly. Even when Heinze "foolishly" wanted to transfer to the mortal enemy Liverpool, Ferguson kindly reminded him not to be enemies with the Red Devils fans and found a better place for him.

Dong Fangzhuo, a Chinese player who once played for the Red Devils, had mixed feelings when he talked about Ferguson many years later. But Dong Fangzhuo had to acknowledge Ferguson's decision to give him a chance but not keep him in the first team. Ferguson actually had high hopes for Dong Fangzhuo, but was disappointed in the end. Ferguson said: "I think it's a pity that Dong, a Chinese, is not proactive enough. His training is far from meeting the standards. We sometimes think he is lazy. Dong Fangzhuo is not lacking in talent and has good physical conditions, but he did not seize any opportunities."

Dong Fangzhuo failed to impress Ferguson, even though he had the huge Chinese market behind him. Does Ferguson need to strike a balance between ability and market? No.

Ferguson wants the players' real ability, as long as the ability meets the standard. Ferguson emphasizes high standards and consistently requires players to train hard before giving full play to their talents. Ferguson admires Su Maozhen very much, but unfortunately Su Maozhen was frustrated by a serious injury. The most critical problem with Dong Fangzhuo is not his personality or behavior. The fundamental problem is that he did not meet Ferguson's requirements. Technical level, comprehensive ability, teamwork... Comprehensively speaking, Dong Fangzhuo failed to impress Ferguson.

Ferguson was demanding, and comments like "lazy and wasteful of talent" were also used on goalkeepers like Bosnich. Facts accurately verified the judgment. In addition to stars like Fran, Stam, and Veron who were really not suitable for the Red Devils, many players who were criticized or even sent away ultimately failed to make a name for themselves. Even talented players like Morris, or the once short-lived Macheda, and the highly praised Rossi... were unable to achieve new success, and were bleak after leaving the Red Devils. Many times, Giggs, Rooney, Beckham, who were frightened, Schmeichel, Stam, Heinze, Barthes, who were managed to no end, Gary, Butt, O'Shea, Fletcher, who were trained to the point of vomiting bile... naturally had a different feeling about Ferguson's severity.

Solskjaer, who became the head coach of the Red Devils many years later, said, "Before coming to the Red Devils, I had trained hard and thought I was fully prepared. After joining this club, I spent more time and sweat than I could bear to train, but the boss still thought I could do better. For this reason, I had to consciously practice more and use enough physical strength to complete two games to invest in that short substitute playing time. Am I wandering between hell and heaven every day? No, there has never been a heaven. I think I am walking on a tightrope every moment and cannot relax at all."

York, who was naturally dissolute, didn't care when he left the Red Devils. "We were strictly controlled by the boss in the team, with all kinds of high standards and strict requirements. At that time, I wished he would leave as soon as possible. The full training and various schedules even left me no time to find a few more girls. I hated him so much at that time!"

After leaving the Red Devils and encountering all kinds of setbacks, York said, "To be honest, I can continue to play football and still get a high salary after leaving the Red Devils. I should thank Ferguson the most. His discipline and rules in those years were very important and protected my body." York had no ball to play in the late stage of his career, but he wanted to play for the national team. Ferguson took the initiative to invite him back to Old Trafford for training. York said: "I had nowhere to go and could only train by myself. I didn't have any confidence. I didn't ask the Red Devils, which was really embarrassing. But suddenly I received a call from the staff at the Carrington base saying that the boss invited me back to train. Needless to say, at that moment I really loved this old man!"

Ferguson's care for many people is always there, and this kind of arrangement never seeks any return, but always makes people feel warm.

These things about protecting players are often overshadowed by Ferguson's image of protecting his players. Ferguson certainly does not reject this image of protecting his players, and his players will never be criticized or questioned by others. Most of the coaches of Ferguson's era had this trait, but they were not as obvious as Ferguson.

This is the characteristic of a Premier League head coach - truly becoming the manager of the team and being responsible for everyone. Leading the team in games is important, but being the head of the family is more worthwhile. For Ferguson, being the real boss in the locker room is just a byproduct. The new generation of coaches only care about their profession, but Ferguson pays more attention to everything about the team.

Internally, he is the head of the family who speaks and does everything, and considers the vital interests of every player; externally, he is the representative of the team and the boss who is not afraid of offending anyone. When Veron was questioned by reporters, Ferguson went crazy at the press conference, "Get out of here, I don't want to talk to you, Veron is a great player, you are an idiot..."

Although Veron played for the Red Devils for a short time and was not very successful, he has always been extremely proud of the Red Devils, and his admiration and love for Ferguson are extraordinary.

Ferguson has always insisted that the interests of the Red Devils are the greatest, and no one can be above this club. Bailly, Whiteside and other former heroes cannot be allowed, Ince cannot be allowed, Stam cannot be allowed, Beckham cannot be allowed, Van Nistelrooy cannot be allowed, Keane cannot be allowed...If anyone wants to go against this group, Ferguson will completely close the door of the Red Devils.

Bringing the club to the top of the Premier League, and then always safeguarding the club's interests and keeping the club standing on the throne of England, this is the key reason why Ferguson became the godfather of the Red Devils.