It must be a strange feeling to live through a defining moment in history without having the slightest idea of its significance.
Manchester is huge for it. The Sex Pistols' first gig in Manchester at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, in which nearly everyone in attendance decided to go into music in some way.
Being in the lines for the opening night of the Hacienda nightclub in May of 1982, not realising that over the next decade it would become one of the most influential nightclubs in British history, helping to shape the acid house movement and the Madchester scene.
Perhaps that is the beauty of these moments. Nobody knew what the Sex Pistols would go on to become, nor could those in the audience, including Tony Wilson, have understood the extent to which the gig would influence British music for years to come. Nobody waiting outside the Hacienda could have predicted the legacy that would follow.
But perhaps, most importantly, nobody watching Sir Alex Ferguson arrive in Manchester on a cold, breezy November day in 1986 could have had the slightest idea that this young Scotsman, who had never managed a club outside Scotland, would go on to transform a fallen giant the size of Manchester United into one of the most successful football clubs in the world.
The rise to the top
Despite Manchester United's national and international success under Ferguson, he became only the third manager to win a league title with the club—and, for now, the last.
Ernest Mangnall was the first. A pioneer in United's history, his astute thinking following Manchester City's scandal over the illegal payments made to their players in 1905—something that sounds almost too familiar to their modern-day counterparts—helped propel United towards domestic success. He led the club to the 1907/08 and 1910/11 English First Division titles, as well as the 1908/09 FA Cup, establishing United as one of Britain's most successful sides during the five-year period between 1906 and 1911.
The next man on the list needs little introduction. Much like Ferguson would do decades later, Sir Matt Busby helped turn the club around when he took over the reins in 1945.
His 24-year tenure brought five league titles, two FA Cups and the 1967/68 European Cup, making United the first English club to become European champions.
His time at United was also marked by the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, in which 23 people, including eight players, lost their lives in one of football's darkest tragedies.
Busby would become a constant presence around the club in the years after his departure, even returning for a six-month spell between December 1970 and June 1971 following the dismissal of Wilf McGuinness.
But when Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford in November 1986, United were in a downward spiral.
There had been limited success over the preceding decade and a half. The club suffered their first relegation since 1937 in 1974 and, although they bounced back at the first time of asking, there was little to suggest they were in a position to challenge for the league title.
That is not to say United were without their moments of glory. Between 1977 and 1985, they won three FA Cups, with the 1977 final perhaps the most significant of them all. Tommy Docherty's men defeated Liverpool 2-1, denying their great rivals the chance to complete the treble—22 years before United would achieve the feat themselves.
In Ferguson's first season, he managed to pull United away from the relegation zone, but could only guide them to 11th place, finishing 30 points behind champions Everton.
The following campaign brought a significant improvement. With new signings Brian McClair and Steve Bruce settling into the side, Ferguson led United to second place, collecting 81 points and finishing nine behind rivals Liverpool.
Over the next two seasons, however, Ferguson would teeter on the edge of oblivion. United fell away dramatically, finishing 11th and then 13th—their lowest position in the First Division since their relegation.
The beginning of something great
Had it not been for Mark Robbins in the FA Cup, the entire course of English football may have been thrown off balance.
During a winter of discontent, Manchester United failed to win any of 11 matches between 25 November and 3 February. After a particularly damning loss to Crystal Palace on 9 December, fans displayed a banner in the Stretford End that accused Ferguson of presiding over "three years of excuses" at Old Trafford.
A defeat to an in-form Nottingham Forest side—who were four games into a nine-match unbeaten run in the league—could have spelt the end for Ferguson.
In the 56th minute of an otherwise tense match, Mark Hughes dinked the ball into the box with the outside of his boot before Robins headed home, putting United ahead and securing a rare victory during a difficult period for the club.
Despite Ferguson and United ultimately winning the match, the club's chairman at the time, Martin Edwards, had reportedly told the Scotsman that his job was secure regardless of the result.
“I spoke to him in the week leading up to the Forest game, and said that if we did lose, it wasn’t going to result in the sack," Edwards said. “I wanted to give him that comfort before the game.
“Coming second flattered us in 1988 – the team needed strengthening and probably his management helped us get to that position, but we weren’t good enough to win the title.
“We were patient, particularly during 1989-90, because we’d bought five players and had to give them time to gel.”
Edwards went on to speak about how Ferguson’s success was not just limited to the pitch, but also to the day-to-day life at the club. “He’d revamped the whole scouting system and we could see the work going on with the youth team, so we felt it was worth supporting.
“We had faith that success would arrive, but I’m glad it arrived when it did because we were coming under pressure from fans and everyone else.”
United's league form would improve slightly, but it was in the FA Cup that Ferguson finally found his breakthrough. After beating three other Uniteds—Hereford, Newcastle and Sheffield—the Red Devils faced Oldham twice, drawing 3-3 before winning the replay 2-1, with Robins scoring once again.
Their convoluted route to the trophy continued with a two-match final. Another 3-3 draw forced a replay, in which Lee Andrew Martin scored the only goal to secure Ferguson his first piece of silverware at Old Trafford.
Over the next decade, Ferguson's United would finally begin to flourish. In 1991, they won the Cup Winners' Cup, arguably one of the most important trophies of his reign. The experience gained that night, and the foundations laid during their European campaign, would help a young and developing squad learn how to navigate two-legged knockout football on the continental stage.
In 1992, United appeared to have finally ended their 25-year wait for a league title. However, three defeats in their final four matches saw them pipped by Leeds United, who went on to win the final English First Division title.
United would not have to wait much longer. With the signing of Eric Cantona from Leeds for the relatively modest fee of £1.2 million, Ferguson finally reached the pinnacle of English football, winning the inaugural Premier League title, with the Frenchman proving to be the catalyst.
Across the following two decades, Ferguson's career at United became a glittering success. Including the three trophies he had already won, he would go on to collect:
13 Premier League titles
Five FA Cups
Four League Cups
The European Cup Winners’ Cup
The European Super Cup
The Club World Cup
The Intercontinental Cup
10 Charity Shields
Lastly, and arguably most importantly, two Champions League titles
Legacy, honour, and an era unrepeatable
Thirteen years on from his retirement, Ferguson remains the most successful manager in English football history, as well as the most decorated manager the game has ever seen—though with Pep Guardiola sitting just nine honours behind his record of 49, it is likely we will see it beaten in the not-so-distant future.
Ferguson’s name is synonymous with football. Few individuals have reaped even close to the same success as the legendary Scotsman did across a 39-year managerial stint.
His legacy, however, cannot be measured by silverware alone. Ferguson became a pioneer of youth development, nurturing the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and David Beckham as they progressed from the academy into the first team. The Class of '92 would become an integral part of his greatest sides, embodying the belief that homegrown talent could sit at the heart of a team capable of conquering Europe.
It was not always pretty during Ferguson's time at United. Nor is his legacy entirely without blemish. There is no doubt that he played a part in the club's current predicament, particularly through his role in allowing the Glazer family to gain a foothold at Old Trafford through the Rock of Gibraltar horse affair.
But when all is said and done, and supporters look back on the achievements he brought to the club, there should not be a scintilla of doubt about the scale of his contribution.
Four decades have passed since Ferguson first walked through the doors at Old Trafford. The club he inherited was struggling to find its identity, lost in a sea of uncertainty and underachievement.
The club he left was synonymous with success: a dragon-hearted football club, an institution with an unmistakable winning identity.
There will be other managers, other titans who come and go from the game of football with a point to prove. Perhaps even one of these figures might even emerge at United.
Football never stands still. Records that once seemed unbreakable are eventually torn apart by a new star. Players, teams, and managers evolve.
But there is something special about Ferguson’s time at United. Something that cannot be adequately captured on a page, regardless of how expansive your vernacular is or how eloquent your writing.
Simply, the greatest.
- Joe Ryan
