When United play Chelsea in a few weeks time, Sir Alex Ferguson will be able to celebrate becoming the longest serving Manchester United manager. With 24 years, one month and 14 days in charge, Fergie will have been at the club for one day longer than Sir Matt Busby in both his stints with the club.
“That will be a nice moment,” said Sir Alex. “I never imagined I’d be here so long, particularly in the modern game. I don’t think it will happen again and I feel lucky to have been here all this time. In some ways it was a shame that I came in during the latter part of his life but, on the flipside, it was fantastic that he was here and I used to have a lot of good chats with him. You always knew he was in the building because you could smell his pipe. I’d go for a chat and a cup of tea with him whenever I had the chance; he was a lovely man who was always keen to offer encouragement to me.”
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Ferguson set to eclipse Busby
Man Utd News 24/7
Fantastic achievement. In modern day football I cannot foresee it ever being bettered.
More than one will bring up the possibility that it *could be* bettered by Mourinho.
Blimey, was that how good looking he was in the past? Would sell some shirts himself had he been a player with United!
This photo gives me chills. I was watching the 92-93 review for the first time recently. Watching Sir Matt enjoy our coronation after the Blackburn game was an emotional moment. You could tell that a weight was lifted off his back. He could finally rest in peace knowing someone worthy was carrying on his legacy.
pillars of our success
The present and the past. I was just happy SMB seen United win the league, before he passed away. God bless SMB.
I forgot Fergie looked like that. Whenever it was taken I can guarantee I wasn’t using a razor! Its hard to imagine Fergie looking for advice when now he’s the one who gives it out. Thanks for the picture Scott I haven’t seen many of the best 2 managers in the history of football.
One came back to carry on a legacy the other came in to reinforce it
Manchester United will never die.
How I would have liked to be a fly on the wall listening to those two great men chatting. What would Sir Matt have said about West Ham ??
Look at that handsome devil! *insert typing with one hand joke here*
SAYS EVERYHTING ABOUT THE CLUBS GREAT TRADITION ONLY ONE WORD NEEDED BEFORE MATCH”BUSBY” RIP
I can’t imagine Busby would sell out in the same way Fergie has to The Glazers, I may be wrong, but Sir Alex had the chance to stand up to the Glazers before they bought the club, if he’s have said buy us and I fuck off, I think there would have been a very real possibility the deal wouldn’t have gone through. This is not to take away his achievements, not least his longevity in the job and all that has come with it one bit, but it does diminish the man a bit in my eyes.
Great Picture.
thesavage
Fucking diabolical comment
Hate the Glazer’s carry on but to say that about the gaffer is fucking out of order – more than anything it’s his club – if anything his attitude and his grace to carry on building Manchester United in the face of even more adversity with what the Glazer’s have done to the club is beyond words.
To not see that – to diminish him is just fucking delusion – we would be fucked without him – with him the club still holds respect and standing in every corner of the world – you don’t own the respect he has over one fucking takeover you build it through a lifetime of dedication and understanding of what especially Manchester United is all about.
Get a fucking life.
Fucksake leave the Glazers out of this one.
Imagin for a minute how we’d feel right now, in light of the Glazers burden and the Rooney nonsense.If the gaffer wasn’t here to steer the ship through some troubled waters we’d surely be on a sharp decline, albiet in the midst of football going through a big change with billionaire owners combined with battling these times of austerity. We’d be fucked. We need him as much as he needs us. I think he has years yet and i hope the man responsible for finding his replacement is the very man himself. So blow it out your hole TheSavage!
Magic for the club this man. Hope against hope that we whip the rentboys and hand the gaffer a real mommento for the occasion. Thanks to Alex for choosing this club to work his magic.
@Giles i thought you would say something like that if you posted on here. Touche Sir, it was just my general excitement after and during the match.
They are both icons and true gentlemen as far as i know from reading about one.
Sir Alex loss % of Games 18.56
Sir Matt loss % of Games 26.21
great manager
@Giles Oakley one of the nicest and most learned lads on the blog, well i love him, naturally.i like to learn!
A slightly different cup competition it was the FA cup which we will win, this year.
07/01/56 Third round, Bristol Rovers 4 Manchester united 0
Team for the day, Wood ,Foulkes,Byrne, Colman,Jones,Whitefoot,Berry,Doherty,Taylor, Violett, Pegg.
It was a hiccup, a blip, well thats how i want to see it.
I love that picture. How fresh faced did young Fergie look???!!! Brilliant Scott.
Mg – spot on. Thesavage – I’ve never heard so much rubbish before. To say that about sir alex is total crap. You think the glazers would not have bought uniteds not even worth talking about and you come on a blog about him serving over 24 years for the club and spout that bullshit.
I like the advice Sir Matt gave to Alex Ferguson, when under pressure and at risk of loosing his job at Old Trafford,” I am being slaughtered in the press” The great man’s simple reply” why read them”.
Exactly and everybody is jealous of United.
Fergie was always a handsome man.
Beautiful picture. Thanks for sharing…
It so clearly states the passing of the torch…from one legacy to another
Seeing how young SAF was on that picture, only makes you wonder that one day we will see a photograph similar to this one, with someone standing next to our Gaffer. I trust Sir Alex to leave us in good hands.
But if I’m honest, I’m not looking forward to that day at all
Well, some of you are savaging “thesavage”, but there is some truth in what he says, like it or not. I wouldn’t put it as strongly as “selling out to the Glazers”, but you all know how the fight over horse-spunk led to one thing and the other, and before you could say Busby, we had the Glazers on us. I dont believe that the Gaffer “sold out”, but we all know that his weakness (as well his source of strength) is his great ego. Honestly, I think his judgement got clouded in the heat of battle at that pt. in time. Not an error of commission, but an error of judgement. Now that Ive gone ahead and said it, go ahead and crucify me!
Beautiful Picture..That picture says a thousand words..Ideally I would like to see Ole and SAF after a couple of years time..
Great posts RedScot with excellent historical parallels which put West Ham in perspective. But most of all, thanks for calling me a ‘lad’. It’s been a while since I’ve been called that!
Jeet – It’s open for debate if anyone thinks SAF sold out, as you put it, but I think that shite should be kept out of this particular thread. There will be plenty of other threads for people to discuss that nonsense, lets just be thankful for these two great men, eh?
Willie – agree with you that we could keep it out of this thread, but dont agree with it being “shite”, its reality you know (damn – i’m beginning to sound like someone obsessed with facts)…peaceout…
Jeet – It is shite, when people try to bring it into this thread. I want rid of the Glazers as much as anyone, but who knows what SMB would’ve thought about all this? It’s conjecture to say, he would’ve resigned, no one knows how Sir Matt would’ve reacted mate.
@ Jeet and thesavage
using a convoluted argument in an attempt to pin blame on Sir Alex at this testimonial is unsavory.
Recognize this, and apologize.
@ Giles i hope you(Lads) did not take that as insolent, nothing could be further from the truth.Never not in my make up.
I see all the lads and lassies on here as the same, Just United supporters.
And I dont carry vendettas unless, someone else digs up past errors!
@ Smart Alex and Willie, there is a time and place for that, not on this thread, its to celebrate Sir Alex and as I said on another thread all I want for Xmas is a United win on the 19th.
long live sir alex. every utd supporter should cherish every moment he is in charge! only another decades to go hopefully!!!!!
Few people are as delusional as football fans, as in persistently believing something despite strong, persistent contradictory evidence.
The fact is Busby and Fergie have lead United to more glory than any other of our managers and pretty much anyone else in world football. For that they should be justly celebrated now and in the future, especially as it I think it’s highly unlikely a single manager will ever achieve what they have, and if I’m wrong, it will be a United manager that does this.
It is also a fact that Fergie fucked up over his dealings with Coolmore and in the run up to the Glazers; if you aren’t aware of these things as facts, and I’m thinking of duggers, mikit and MG in particular, then don’t use use your ignorance to have a go at other United fans who are expressing an opinion that many other United fans hold who are very much aware of these things.
So heres to all United fans and to the two great Knights.
MG
Would you like to explain why I am delusional? Somebody who believes that the earth is flat is delusional, not someone who is aware of things like Fergies poor judgment over the ownership of Rock of Gibraltar and some of the behind the scenes goings on at the club prior to and during the Glazers, if you are not aware of these thing, perhaps you can fuck off and look them up before having a go at me, there is no excuse for ignorance, especially when the information is freely available to all.
This post invited comparisons between two managers as well as recognizing their enormous contribution to the club.
I love a good robust debate, but don’t slag people off for expressing an opinion your tiny mind is incapable of handling, same for the others who had a go.
All I said was Fergie could have dealt with things a bit differently, things may have turned out differently and had he done so i would have loved him even more, there’s nothing to apologize for having a point of view on a United blog, if you don’t like other people having a different perspective, then grow up and come back when you have a bit more maturity, intelligence and grace.
More important, is to raise a glass to two very great men of United and the teams they have created to bring us all so much success and happiness.
Apologies to all, but I can’t resist this.
It’s still not clear to me that the Glazer’s have done a poor job. I’d take them over the liverpool owners, the chelsea owner or the man city owners (even the real madrid ownership) any day. We’ve won trophies, we’re playing great football and the club is worth more than they bought it for – and that’s after you NET OUT THE DEBT!!
RedScot, nae bother, I certainly wasn’t offended, quite the opposite, always nice to be ‘one of the lads/ lasses’.
The father figures of Manchester United Football Club. The Untouchables!
YorYor – Please don’t sully this wonderful post by mentioning that distasteful man’s name.