Today Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates 26 years as manager of Manchester United and with it he has built a club that was a sleeping giant to one of the powerhouses in Europe. When he took over in 1986 the club was in a slumber and needed serious reorganisation.
Supporting United in the late seventies and early eighties was nothing like these days. Although we were the best supported club and would often play the best football that was never converted into trophies.
During my younger days all we could muster was 3 FA cup wins in 1977, 1983 and 1985 and was sprinkled with some memorable games such as the European cup winners cup win against Barcelona in 1984, the 3 minute final in 1979 losing FA cup final and some notable wins at Anfield. That was our lot and in terms of league we were never in contention although in 1985 we won our first 10 games and were 10 points ahead before injuries to key players Bryan Robson and Norman Whiteside and the sale of Mark Hughes saw us finish 4th.
Big Ron was in charge and you got the feeling Manchester United was more a social club than a football club. Although Liverpool had a reputation for socialising they were winning leagues and European cups so something had to change!
Prior to Sir Alex arrival the club was in disarray after a poor start to the season and Big Ron got the axe after a League cup exit. Sir Alex got to work straight away and his first game in charge was at the Manor Ground home of Oxford United! to make the job doubly hard, they lost 2-0. It wasn't until his third game that they scored the unlikely name of John Sivebaek securing a 1-0 win against QPR. There first away win was a Norman Whiteside goal at Anfield, that was enough for United to believe United were going in the right direction.
Sir Alex had to get rid off the booze culture at the club and the likes of Whiteside and McGrath were casualties of the new regime and many faces were to join the club to replace the current squad, with the likes of Brian McClair becoming the first player to hit 20 plus league goals since George Best, Mark Hughes returning and a new brood of Paul Ince, Neil Webb, Gary Pallister and Lee Sharpe but still no trophy and the pressure was on Fergie to deliver. The league was looking a long way off although a runners up in 1987-88 they were a good 10 points behind Liverpool.
It wasn't until the 1990 FA cup final that the trophy finally arrived. They were the first team to win the cup without playing a game at home! they beat Crystal Palace after a replay and from that moment the duck was broken and over the next 25 years, we saw 12 league titles, 2 European cups, 2 world clubs, 5 FA cups, 4 league cups etc...that included 2 double seasons and a treble in 1999 and that month of May in 1999 was a complete blur to me as the games kept coming and United kept winning. I still remember Sir Alex interview after the Champions league final when the treble was completed, his response 'Football, bloody hell' that summed it up for me.
Last season United celebrated his 25th year by naming the North stand after him and on the 23rd November the club will unveil a statue to go with Sir Matt and the Holy Trinity. As the banner says on the Stretford End is that Sir Alex made the impossible dream possible. His aim was to get United back to how they were in the 1950's and 1960's winning leagues and playing on the top European stage. The aim was to knock Liverpool off there perch and that he did. It took time and effort to build the club from the youth set up to the first team. The board in the late 1980's had the patience to let him the build the club despite some vociferous protests against Sir Alex when results were not the best. That patience was rewarded and the club and supporters reaped the rewards of that.
The 26 years has been an amazing run and although there is plenty of talk on who will succeed, I will continue to enjoy what is going on and hopefully another few years we will see more trophies.
Thanks
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