Fergie kept in the dark over naming of stand
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The impossible dream...made possible: United fans unveil giant banner celebrating Ferguson's 25 years in charge at Old Trafford
Fitting tribute: A banner hangs on Old Trafford's Stretford End celebrating the 25th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson being manager of Manchester United
Manchester United have unveiled the giant banner paying tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson as he prepares to celebrate 25 years in charge at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The 69-year-old will reach the magnificent milestone the day after Sunderland visit for a Barclays Premier League clash, and the banner, covering the entire length of the Stretford End stand, is just one of many tributes planned to mark the occasion.
The 72-metre long banner cost £3,600 to make and was funded by donations from United fans through the Stretford End Flags organisation. Supporters were offered two designs and asked to vote for their favourite.
The winning design is themed 'The Impossible Dream...Made Possible' and depicts Ferguson and the 37 major trophies he has won during his remarkable quarter of a century reign at United.
It continues a long tradition of celebratory banners to be unveiled at Old Trafford by the Stretford End flags group, including tributes to the victims of the 1958 Munich air disaster, and several famous dedications to playing heroes such as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ryan Giggs and George Best.
It was also revealed on Friday that a website is offering supporters the chance to create their own personal tributes to the Manchester United boss.
The site - www.saf25.com - officially launches on Saturday, but fans are already being invited to sign an online 'Book of Thanks' which will live in the digital space and will be made into a unique, printed and bound 'edition of one' for presentation to Ferguson at the end of the season.
The initiative has been developed by the Manchester United Supporters Trust but is supported by United fans' groups and individuals across the world.
Duncan Drasdo, chief executive of MUST said: 'If only a small proportion of the 330 million United fans around the globe joined in we'd have something truly special to honour the achievements of a man who is, for many fans, United's and the game's greatest manager.'
An official presentation is also expected to be made to Ferguson on the pitch prior to Saturday's clash against Sunderland, who ironically are managed by former United captain Steve Bruce.
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Alex Ferguson casts shadow over all legends
MANCHESTER UNITED fans will raise their glasses today to toast the greatest manager of all time.
But I remember when I had to stop one of them from raising his hands to him.
There will be no such animosity at Old Trafford this afternoon when Alex Ferguson celebrates 25 years in the United hotseat.
This milestone is the latest in a long list of achievements which underline why I believe Fergie is the greatest gaffer of the lot.
Greater than Shankly. Greater than Sir Alf. Greater than Paisley. Greater than Stein.
Greater even than Sir Matt Busby, who acted as Fergie's confidant and mentor during his early years in the job.
But I am not even sure the legendary Sir Matt could have predicted Fergie's longevity after his fellow Scot's sticky start at United.
I certainly did not — especially after my Tottenham team cranked up the pressure on him by beating his Red Devils 1-0 at Old Trafford in December 1989.
At the final whistle the United players were booed by their own supporters and some idiot jumped over the fence and tried to get at Fergie as he started to walk back down the tunnel.
Luckily, his assistant Archie Knox and I managed to grab hold of the bloke before he could do any damage.
It showed how much pressure the manager was under and the strength of feeling against him at the time.
I doubted then whether he would last the season.
But the United board admirably stuck by their man... and the rest, as they say, is history.
No fewer than 12 Premier League titles, two European Cups, five FA Cups, four League Cups, a Cup Winners' Cup and a World Club Championship proves they were right — and that Fergie is the master.
The reason he has been so successful for so long is an ability to reinvent himself and his team line-ups in order to keep up with the times.
Think how different football was in 1986.
To still be successfully managing arguably the biggest club in the world 25 years later is some achievement.
Yet, just eight weeks away from his 70th birthday, Ferguson is still going strong.
That is because, despite his success, he has never stood still.
He has never been satisfied with what he has won. And rather than look back, he has continued to look forward. He is an expert in the art of man-management.
He not only knows how to handle big names, he also knows when to move them on — as Messrs Beckham and Van Nistelrooy can testify.
And he managed to build successful team after successful team without ever letting the trophy cabinet remain unopened for too long.
Under Fergie, the flame of success at United may have dimmed for spells but it was never extinguished.
And while the First Division became the Premier League, terraces turned into seats and the beautiful game became a brand and a business, Fergie continued to adapt and deliver.
He has struck fear into the hearts of his players, while backing them to the hilt, even if on occasions it has meant defending the indefensible.
But I don't mind that because he knows the one golden rule of management: Your players are everything.
You have to give them all the support they need, despite the fact there are times when they might not deserve it.
He was always very supportive to me when I was manager of England.
He never blocked my call-ups nor my appointment of Bryan Robson to my coaching team for Euro 96.
I am not saying we are best friends but we always have a smile, handshake and a chat for each other on the rare occasions we bump into each other. That is despite the fact I have a fairly decent managerial record against his teams.
In our 11 encounters, I have won four, drawn three and lost four.
But perhaps my most famous victory against Fergie was beating him to the signing of Paul Gascoigne.
The Manchester United chief always insists Gazza would have been better off had he moved to Old Trafford instead of signing for Spurs in 1988.
I don't agree with that. And to be honest, from the moment I met Gazza there was no danger of him ever going anywhere else, despite United's interest.
His big mate Chris Waddle was already at Tottenham and Gazza was determined to join us.
Fergie was obviously desperate to sign Gazza and to say he was cheesed off when he didn't get him, is an understatement.
It was arguably one of his most galling defeats but he never held it against me.
Like I said earlier, he never looks back.
Even on the weekend when we pay tribute to his past 25 years, he will still be looking to the future.
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Best in the world definitely.
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Alex Ferguson told me: I’m proud of you, kid
EUR SO SPECIAL ... Alex Ferguson celebrates success with AberdeenALEX FERGUSON stood in the showers in a full suit getting absolutely soaked and said: "I'm proud of you, kid."
That sentence, uttered in Gothenburg in 1983, has stuck with Alex McLeish ever since.
Aston Villa's manager says he is proud to even be associated with the man he still calls 'the boss' — 33 years after the pair first met.
McLeish said: "A friend, mentor, an inspiration — it's everything. It's hard to believe that gaffer of all those years ago has gone on to the greatness he's achieved.
"It's phenomenal, outrageous, what he's done. He's a born leader and his drive, even in adverse moments over the years, just ploughs through everything. He's the juggernaut of world football."
McLeish was made a regular in the team by Ferguson when he came in as manager at Aberdeen in 1978. They won the title two years later.
But it was the Cup Winners' Cup final of 1983 when Aberdeen famously beat Real Madrid that sticks out in Big Eck's memory as he describes Ferguson's greatness.
McLeish added: "The rain was torrential in Gothenburg, I was a stickler for detail and went out early to check the right studs.
"I told the lads to lift the ball because it would stick in the water.
"We scored from a set-piece we'd made work many times when I came late and headed it goalwards and Eric Black finished it off.
"But then, against the advice I'd given the players, I passed it back to keeper Jim Leighton along the deck. It stuck and Jim came rushing out and fouled Carlos Santillana. Penalty and it was 1-1 at half-time.
"Now, the boss was not going to say 'hard luck big man, never mind!' "We had a shouting match and I got the full works.
"I was still numb when I got the ball with two Spaniards closing me down on the edge of the box. I wriggled out of it, somehow, and glanced at the bench... the boss was going mental.
"We won in extra time but I stood in the shower for ages, thinking about what people would be saying in the papers the next day, worried I would get a slating for nearly costing us the game.
"Alex came in, he must've been looking for me. "He was right in the shower, getting soaked in his suit.
"He said 'I'm proud of you. You could've disappeared and gone into your shell but you bounced back'.
"It was great to feel worthy again. It was all about mental toughness. He used that phrase a lot. It resonates to this very day."
Big Eck is one of seven Scottish bosses in the Premier League.
McLeish added: "It's a cycle of Scots at the moment and it's certainly the inspiration of him.
"But he's like the Godfather to just about every other aspiring coach and manager in the world "He's got the drive of an 18-year-old going into the Premier League for the first time, it's insatiable."
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RESPECT.
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How Manchester United pulled the wool over Alex Ferguson
I'M STILL STANDING ... Manchester United pay their tribute to veteran boss FergieTHERE was another first at Manchester United on Saturday as Alex Ferguson celebrated 25 years in charge — something happened at the club without him knowing about it!
Fergie has always prided himself on being in complete control and knowing everything that goes on at Old Trafford.
But he wasn't aware that a stand was already bearing his name ahead of the weekend's victory with Sunderland.
Just how did United keep the operation secret as the huge red letters were put into place at the front of the roof of The North Stand?
Well it was all done under darkness on Thursday after the last of the public tours of Old Trafford had finished and work continued until 2am Friday.
Six abseilers put the letters into place and they and the company who made the letters had to sign confidentiality agreements so word did not leak out.
A 20-metre banner was then draped over the words 'Sir Alex Ferguson Stand' saying 'Old Trafford Manchester' in the same design.
It had been the idea of chief executive David Gill.
And only eight other people at the club knew about it — including three from the group property department, one from marketing design and Joel Glazer.
Even they were not brought into the secret until Wednesday and only at 5pm on Friday were they informed that a statue was also being commissioned.
The need for utmost secrecy was constantly expressed so it would be a genuine surprise for Fergie which indeed it was when his name was unveiled just before kick-off on Saturday.
Fergie was also presented with a painting of the renamed stand.
Sign of the times: Ferguson smiles after the tribute is unveiled on Saturday
Name in lights: Old Trafford's newly named stand glows in the Manchester dusk
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Fergie will be remembered in years to come. I think they'll put up a statue of him @ Old Trafford when he dies.
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Originally posted by iveco:
Fergie will be remembered in years to come. I think they'll put up a statue of him @ Old Trafford when he dies.
they are putting it now. -
Originally posted by gunner77:
they are putting it now.
shit... that mean he got some sickness and dying soon? haahaahahaha