Perch. Once upon a time this was a gentle little word...
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Fergie's red mist: The truth behind that long-running rivalry with Liverpool
High point: Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates United's late winner at Anfield in 2007
‘My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at
the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking
Liverpool right off their f*****g perch. And you can
print that.’Sir Alex Ferguson
Perch. Once upon a time this was a gentle little word, a noun that meant a resting place for a bird, or the name of a fish.
Then Sir Alex Ferguson got hold of it and transformed it into electricity.
It is often stated that Ferguson made his remark as he walked through the door at Old Trafford in November 1986, but that would have been reckless and ridiculed: Liverpool were in the midst of winning 10 League titles in 15 years.
United had not won one since 1967. Besides, 'was knocking' is past tense. Ferguson actually said it in September 2002, when the power in the land had changed from Liverpool to United, with some input from himself.
September 2002 does not feel like a landmark month in Ferguson's tenure of nearly 24 years but it was a time of speculation regarding the United manager.
In May 2002, Arsenal had clinched the Premier League title at Old Trafford courtesy of Sylvain Wiltord's goal. United finished 10 points adrift in third place. Liverpool, managed by Gerard Houllier, came second, with United losing home and away to the Frenchman's team.
At the start of the next season, United won two, drew two and lost two of their first six league games. In mid-September they sat ninth, a post-Saipan Roy Keane had been sent off at Sunderland, Juan Sebastian Veron's record-breaking £28million transfer from Lazio a year earlier was deemed a waste, while Diego Forlan, who had arrived in January, was yet to score. Arsenal, moreover, were already six points clear; Liverpool were unbeaten.
Ferguson could hear knives being sharpened everywhere but it was the opinion of Alan Hansen that prompted the 'perch' outburst. Hansen described September 2002 as Ferguson's 'greatest challenge'.
Sitting above the foyer at United's Carrington training ground, Ferguson delivered his reply with bite. In Ferguson's eyes, Hansen will forever represent Liverpool. Infamously, Hansen had, of course, waded into United territory once before.
In August 1995, after United had lost 3-1 at Aston Villa on the opening day of the season with the Neville brothers, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and John O'Kane al l appearing at some point, Hansen said of Ferguson on Match of the Day: 'The trick is always buy when you're strong, so he needs to buy players. You can't win anything with kids … he's got to buy two players, as simple as that.'
Liverpool had won 1-0 against Sheffield Wednesday that afternoon, with Stan Collymore scoring on his debut. They finished the season third. United came first.
Old adversaries: Hansen scores as Liverpool beat Ferguson's Aberdeen 4-0 in the 1980 European Cup
Judging by Ferguson's autobiography, he had some sympathy for Hansen's 'kids' comment: 'Actually there was not a lot wrong with his statement. Teams mainly composed of young and inexperienced players rarely succeed in the toughest competitions.
But at Old Trafford the Busby Babes had already proved that there can be exceptions to the rule and we were about to see another group of remarkable young footballers step beyond the norms of the game.'
Lest Ferguson sound mellow, however, in the next line he referred to 'absurdly sweeping criticisms' and it will not have gone unnoticed in the Scot's front room that as well as Hansen, Match of the Day employed another Liverpool centre back, Mark Lawrenson, as a main pundit. Nor will it have escaped Ferguson that Brian Barwick, later head of the Football Association, was once an editor of the programme. Barwick is from Liverpool and supports Liverpool. Ferguson may have more recent issues with the BBC but the strains are historic.
And so is Ferguson's relationship with Hansen. A natural football rivalry with Liverpool fuelled Ferguson even before the day he followed Ron Atkinson at United. At Aberdeen, Ferguson had faced Liverpool in the European Cup in 1980 and lost 5-0 over two legs. The second was 4-0 at Anfield, Hansen scoring the fourth.
Hansen has written of his irritation at the noise coming from Aberdeen players in the build-up to the first leg at Pittodrie: 'It meant a lot to me to ram those comments back down the throats of the people who made them. I never performed with as much aggression as I did in that game.'
Hansen was part of a great Liverpool team with a sharp Scottish edge. Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness are two of the greatest players in the history of British football, and Steve Nicol was not shabby. As assistant to Scotland manager Jock Stein, Ferguson knew them all well.
They have previous: Ferguson watched in 1992 as Liverpool wrecked his title challenge
And he admired them, and Liverpool as an institution. As St Mirren manager in 1977, Ferguson had enticed Liverpool to Love Street for the club's centenary. Ferguson had been to Anfield for the European Cup quarter-final win over St Etienne when super sub David Fairclough scored a late winner that is still cherished.
Five days later Ferguson said of Anfield in his St Mirren programme notes: 'I didn't walk away from the ground after the game, I floated out. I had been caught up in the most exciting football atmosphere I have ever experienced.'
Ferguson also met Bill Shankly while scouting Liverpool before that Aberdeen game and was again entranced. (When he was a Rangers player, Ferguson was almost transferred to Hibernian, managed by Shankly's brother Bob.)
But by 1985, when Stein died as Scotland qualified for the Mexico World Cup, Ferguson said he shared Stein's reservations about Hansen's commitment to Scotland. Those concerns meant Hansen was not taken to the World Cup.
Ferguson was still Aberdeen manager and Willie Miller and Alex McLeish, both Dons, made the trip. Dalglish, who was Liverpool player-manager, disagreed with Ferguson over Hansen.
Ten days later, Dalglish withdrew from the Scotland squad with knee ligament damage. Dalglish called the insinuation that he withdrew in support of Hansen 'libellous'.
He also pointed out that Ferguson was at Hansen's testimonial dinner.
Not long after Mexico, Ferguson moved to United. Liverpool were on their perch, and he and Dalglish were in direct competition. They had a run-in at Anfield when Dalglish was carrying his baby daughter and said she would talk 'more sense' than Ferguson. That was April 1988.
But the following April came the Hillsborough disaster and Dalglish revealed in his new book how supportive Ferguson had been. Ferguson ordered United fans to Anfield in a display of sympathy. 'As long as I live, I'll never forget Fergie's exceptional gesture,' Dalglish wrote. The rivalry is human, if ferocious.
When United's chase for a title resumed, though, and they lost out to Leeds in 1992, confirmation came painfully with a 2-0 defeat at Anfield.
But since then, missing out has been Liverpool's pre-occupation. Under Ferguson, United have equalled Liverpool's title haul of 18. One more and Ferguson might even retire.
And to return to September 2002, at the end of that season in which Forlan scored twice at Anfield, Liverpool finished fifth. United were champions, on their perch.