The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 70 An Extraordinary Beginning

"At the start of the new season, Ferguson's Red Devils are fresh to all the fans and unfamiliar to all the opponents. This Red Devils team has completely changed. The whole team has become more aggressive, tougher and braver, and has a rare confidence."

--Inscription

Time passed quickly in the tense and busy atmosphere, and the season kicked off amid the anticipation of the Red Devils fans.

1987-1988赛季英格兰足球甲级联赛是英国足球联赛的100周年，赛季开始前就组织了很多纪念和庆祝活动，引来了更多的观众变成球迷。联赛于1987年8月15日正式展开，一共有21支球队参加比赛，每支球队需要踢40轮。

Both the Red Devils club management and fans have set relatively low goals for the team this season. Given the Red Devils' embarrassing signings, most media believe that Ferguson will have a hard time making any progress in the new season. After a summer of pre-season preparations, no matter how hard it is to train tactics and physical fitness, they believe that it will be difficult for the team to make a big improvement. The Red Devils' current strength on paper, except for Robson, Strachan and McGrath, basically has no top players, and many key positions are average. It is hard to expect surprises with such a lineup to play in the league.

Ferguson also knew the problem, but the team's current lineup could only be like this. A good cook cannot cook without rice, but as a coach, he knew that what he needed to do was not to complain or shirk responsibility, but to take effective measures as much as possible based on the current lineup to actively improve the team's strength.

Ferguson did not make any boastful promises throughout the summer, but instead worked hard and focused on training.

Ferguson hopes to build a team that is impactful, resilient, brave and has a strong fighting spirit. This style of team does not actually need superstars, but only a team with strong execution and unity.

Ferguson's pre-season preparations were almost like military training, with high standards and strict requirements. He personally took to the field and worked hard with everyone. Due to the blockade, the Red Devils were out of the sight of fans and the media for more than a month. The news that reporters painstakingly obtained was nothing more than Ferguson "fucked" his players and the players were training hard. As for how the team was trained and whether the locker room was stable, there was not much new information.

The new season of English Football League One has begun, and the Red Devils' season opener is an away game against Southampton.

Ferguson's starting lineup was as follows: Walsh was the starting goalkeeper, Anderson, Duxbury, Moses and McGrath were the defenders, Mullen, Robson, Strachan and Olsen were the forwards, McClair and Whiteside were the two forwards. This was basically the strongest lineup of the Red Devils this season. If there were any changes, it would only be Gibson and goalkeeper Turner. Turner was injured before the game and had to be absent from the game, while another forward, Davenport, sat on the bench.

The Red Devils played away, but they took the initiative from the beginning. Whiteside showed his long-lost spirit. He ran very actively. His smart running and excellent forward awareness made the Red Devils full of vitality on the offensive end. Southampton was in the middle of the League One at the time. They played very tenaciously at home. Although they could not gain an advantage, they were united in the hope of withstanding the siege of the Red Devils.

The Red Devils' strong attack finally paid off. After missing many chances in front of the goal, Whiteside scored two goals with his head and feet, helping the Red Devils take the lead twice. Whiteside first received a cross from his teammate in front of the goal and scored a header directly to break the deadlock for the Red Devils. His second goal was very exciting. McClair and he cooperated tacitly and played a delicate two-on-two in front of the penalty area, directly passing the opponent's two central defenders. Whiteside then easily tore through the opponent's defense and went straight in. Facing the attacking goalkeeper, he scored a wonderful lob shot.

The Red Devils played well in attack, but the team's defense was still weak. Southampton seized the opportunity to counterattack despite being at a disadvantage, and did not give up even after falling behind twice. In the end, they tenaciously scored two goals in a row and tied the Red Devils 2-2.

"Ferguson's team could only take one point away from home in the end, but they deserve applause. The Red Devils, which Ferguson had trained so painstakingly, took the initiative away from home, launched a tide of attack, played very lively, and had a very obvious advantage. Although they were not able to win after taking the lead, the team's offense was very exciting, and Whiteside's spoon goal was bold, ingenious and full of imagination." After the game, the Manchester Evening News praised the performance of the Red Devils team and was surprised by their proactive and enterprising attitude.

Some media believed that Ferguson's on-the-spot command was not good, and he did not know how to defend and counterattack after taking the lead, wasting the chance to win. Ferguson did not want to pay attention to this. In an interview after the game, he emphasized, "We played a wonderful game. We had a huge advantage in the game and created more than 5 scoring opportunities. This is our progress. As for Southampton, I want to say that they played very tenaciously and deserve respect."

The Red Devils fans had both regrets and surprises. They were excited about the huge advantage that Ferguson's Red Devils had in the game. Many fans regretted not being able to go to the scene to watch this reborn team in person and not being able to witness the team's huge changes with their own eyes. The fans who were lucky enough to be at the scene were shocked by the wonderful game. This was a rare positive performance of the Red Devils, and it was also a gorgeous attack that the team had never shown before. Ferguson's Red Devils played with passion and tacit understanding and dominated the scene. The two teams played at a fast pace in this game. The red torrent constantly impacted the opponent's defense line and created one opportunity after another. Southampton also played very bravely and tenaciously. Although they were always on the defensive, their counterattacks were also sharp, and they contributed to a wonderful game together with the Red Devils.

All Red Devils fans agreed that their home team had a huge advantage, it was just a pity that the attackers were just a little bit unlucky, otherwise it would have been an amazing victory.

In the second league game, the Red Devils played against Arsenal at home.

Ferguson used the same starting lineup as in the previous round at home, and the formation was still 442. Arsenal was also a strong team at that time, but it was completely different from the later generations who led the concept of beautiful football. The Gunners under Graham were a team with strong bodies, simple playing style, and very rough play. "Lumberyard" was their nickname.

Arsenal was ambitious before the season, but they were taught a lesson by Liverpool in the first home game, and they had no place to vent their humiliation. As a guest at Old Trafford, the Gunners hoped to regain their ground with a victory. The Gunners showed a murderous posture at the beginning, and their actions were both fierce and rough. Ferguson's Red Devils are certainly not afraid of rough fouls. He spent a whole summer to transform the team into an extremely brave and strong team. In the first round, they had an advantage against Southampton but did not win the game. The Red Devils were still angry. Facing an opponent who provoked them everywhere and committed malicious fouls from time to time, many players went crazy.

Soon after the game started, the two teams did not give in and immediately entered into a fierce confrontation. The players' head-on collision quickly put the game into a fragmented rhythm, and the referee had to interrupt the game frequently. As a result, the scene of the game became dull, full of violent confrontations, and fouls were everywhere. The Gunners were violent and violent, and the Red Devils players responded with equal ferocity. The two sides responded with tackles and violent collisions. The fierce atmosphere filled the whole field. There was confrontation every minute on the field. The players were provocative, and the saliva almost flooded the field. Fouls continued to appear. The players on both sides could not hold back their anger. The game was almost completely occupied by fierce fouls. Neither team played any effective tactics. Almost every fierce confrontation ended with a foul, and every attack and defense conversion was quickly stopped roughly. The players of the two teams were almost fighting. Such a stranglehold battle was actually not good for the Red Devils, because this was not the tactic prepared by Ferguson before the game. The Red Devils' players were lured into a chopping and strangulation by their opponents, which was Arsenal's advantage. The referee showed yellow cards repeatedly like a magic trick, and finally finished the game. Neither side scored a goal, and the game ended in a 0-0 draw.

The Guardian said after the game: "The Red Devils players were full of blood and almost fought with Arsenal. The game almost turned into a brawl, but the only pity is that Ferguson did not win."

The Sun said: "Ferguson's team played vigorously and responded to the roughness and offense of the visiting team. The Red Devils had the upper hand in the second half, but they were unable to pry open Arsenal's tortoise shell. The Red Devils had more than three times the number of shots as their opponents, but were eventually tied 3-0 by their opponents. What a pity, this is football."

Manchester Evening News said, "The Red Devils were the dominant side in both league games, but they didn't win, which is a pity."

Ferguson said in an interview after the game: "I am not surprised at the intensity of the game, because I was like this in Scotland, and I also saw this style last season. We played well, but unfortunately we couldn't win the game. We created opportunities, but we were just a little bit away from scoring."

In the third round of the league, the Red Devils played against Watford at home.

Although they didn't win the first two games, Ferguson still trusted his starting players and sent out the same starting lineup as in the previous two games. Watford was not strong. Before the start of the season, their meritorious coach Taylor left and superstar Barnes also left to join Liverpool, which greatly weakened their strength. They were ranked second from the bottom at the end of the season and were unfortunately relegated, which also showed their weakness. The Red Devils took control of the game soon after the start. Central defender McGrath scored the first goal from a set-piece opportunity and the Red Devils led 1-0.

After taking the lead, the Red Devils played smoothly and the opponent had no counterattack power at all. In the subsequent game, McClair cooperated with his teammates, started early in the middle and ran out of space. After successfully receiving Strachan's pass, he changed direction and got rid of the defender, dribbled straight into the meeting, and scored the ball with a dribbling shot, helping the Red Devils to win 2-0 in the end.

After that, the Red Devils went smoothly and defeated Charlton 3:1 away. McClair was unstoppable and scored a goal in front of the goal despite the defender's fight. Robson took advantage of the opportunity to expand the score. McGrath once again played the role of a sword-wielding guard and headed in the cross to seal the score for the Red Devils. In the fifth round, the Red Devils returned to their home ground to face Chelsea. Robson missed the game due to injury, and Ferguson replaced him with Albiston. After the game started, the Red Devils continued to play their offensive advantage. McClair scored for the third consecutive game, Strachan also scored a beautiful goal in open play, and Whiteside helped the Red Devils lock in the advantage with a goal. Although Chelsea's attack was also threatening, Ferguson replaced Gibson in time to strengthen the defense and eventually won the game with a score of 3:1.

After three consecutive wins, the Red Devils challenged Coventry City in the sixth round. The home team was in a desperate defense from the start, and almost no one wanted to cross the half court, as if the other side was a volcano or a minefield, and they were only willing to shrink and defend. The Red Devils attacked fiercely for 90 minutes, and in the second half they also replaced striker Davenport and put McGrath in the front court to compete for headers, but in the end they could not pry open this completely non-attack bus, and could only get one point each at 0-0.

In the seventh round, the Red Devils played against Newcastle United at home. Ferguson welcomed the captain back, and McClair maintained a stable firepower output and scored a goal for the team. Wing forward Olsen also scored the second goal for the Red Devils. The opponent Newcastle played very well in this game, actively fighting for the ball, daring to invest troops from defense to offense, and actively used set pieces to threaten the Red Devils' goal. In the end, the Red Devils' defense line was tight and could not withstand the opponent's fierce attack. The opponent continued to score goals, and the two sides finally shook hands and made peace with 2-2.

After 7 rounds, the Red Devils have a league record of 3 wins and 4 draws, remaining unbeaten.

This start shocked the media and was beyond the expectations of many Red Devils fans. McClair played well right after joining the team, and he and Whiteside also cooperated well. The two almost scored all the goals for the Red Devils. Robson recovered well, Strachan's command in the midfield was very sharp, and even McGrath made outstanding contributions on both offense and defense... These were all things that Red Devils fans could not have imagined.

The fans were very happy, but Ferguson was not satisfied.