Even the Defeats

John Silk

Description

Even the Defeats is the story of how painful moments in Sir Alex Ferguson's early reign inspired him to lead Manchester United to some of their greatest successes. A heavy 5-1 loss at Manchester City in Ferguson's early tenure led pundits and supporters to question the Scot's position, but by the season's end he was holding aloft his first trophy at the club -- the FA Cup. This trend continued when an end-of-season collapse handed Leeds United the league title in the spring of 1992, only to galvanise United to their first championship in 26 years the very next year. From struggles in Europe to winning the treble, from losing the title on goal difference to their city rivals to winning the Premier League in Ferguson's final season in charge - rising from the depths of despair to achieve glory, and using failure to fuel success, was arguably Sir Alex's greatest strength. John Silk brings you the inside story of what made Ferguson tick, with views from players, coaches and other members of staff from the great Scot's reign.

Sujets

• Lancashire
• Lancastre
• Manchester

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 19 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781785318115
• Langue: English

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2020

Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Worthing
Sussex
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
[e-mail]
2020, John Silk
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright. Any oversight will be rectified in future editions at the earliest opportunity by the publisher.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, sold or utilised in any form or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library.
ISBN 978 1 78531 685 2 eBook ISBN 978 1 78531 811 5
Typesetting and origination by Pitch Publishing
Printed and bound by TJ International, Padstow, UK
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword by Ren Meulensteen
1 The final piece of the jigsaw
2 (i) From Maine Road massacre
(ii) to the first trophy
3 (i) From Anfield agony
(ii) to title relief
4 (i) From summer sales
(ii) to you can win anything with kids
5 (i) From Arsenal jolt
(ii) to back on the perch
6 (i) From welcome to Hell
(ii) to football, bloody hell!
7 (i) From Wenger vanquished
(ii) to Mourinho outlasted
8 (i) From treble retreat
(ii) to Red Square delight
9 (i) From mesmerised by Bar a
(ii) to European regrets
10 (i) From last-minute anguish
(ii) to he did it his way
Bibliography
I am not kidding. This isn t just a job to me. It s a mission. I am deadly serious about it - some people would reckon too serious we will get there. Believe me. And when it happens life will change for Liverpool and everybody else - dramatically.
Alex Ferguson, 1988
Dedication
I WOULD like to recognise the kindness of my stepmother, who had a big influence on my upbringing. None more so than in harnessing my passion for football, and for Manchester United in particular. Sadly she is no longer with us, but her generosity and interest in my hobbies as a child sparked an enthusiasm for the game and the club she encouraged me to support. The influence she had on me that day when she saw me pretending to play football without a ball in the garden would prove to be far more significant than I could ever have possibly imagined. Her intentional mispronunciation of my childhood favourite player, Jesper Olsen, to tease me, along with her generosity and thoughtfulness in buying me football stickers or the latest replica shirt, are just some of the fond memories I have of her.
Acknowledgements
THE IDEA of this book had been rattling around my head for quite some time, possibly as far back as 2002, though I didn t realise then that an e-mail conversation between friends would eventually turn into 80,000 words almost two decades later.
I always thought the theme was interesting, one that would appeal to fellow Manchester United supporters, and even fans of other clubs. Thankfully, the people at Pitch Publishing thought the same so I am grateful for their assistance. Without Jane and Paul Camillin, Alex Daley, Gareth Davis, Graham Hales, Duncan Olner and Dean Rockett, this book would not have got off the ground.
Huge thanks need to go to a number of authors, journalists and fanzine producers. Without the following, this project would not have been possible - Wayne Barton, Ryan Benson, Barney Chilton, Richard Connor, Michael Crick, Daniel Harris, James Mariner and Jim White. They gave up significant chunks of their time, tolerated my e-mails and phone calls during the editorial process, and provided me with excellent feedback.
Interviews with Sir Alex Ferguson s biographer, Paul Hayward, and ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley, gave me an invaluable insight into the workings of the former Manchester United manager. I appreciated their time, particularly in light of the fact they had never even heard of me before I got in touch.
Assisting me with contacts, helping with translations, fact-checking historical occurrences and simply offering advice that I sought, were all vital ingredients in bringing this project together. Therefore, there are special mentions for Michael Cox, Anna Dittrich, Roger Hannah, Simon Hart, Fatema Imani, Jamie Jubon, Nik Martin, Iain McCartney, Mark Ogden, Lewis Sanders IV, Emre Sar g l, Rob Smyth and Alistair Walsh.
In addition, interviews with two of Ferguson s former henchmen - Archie Knox and Ren Meulensteen - gave me a priceless insight into how the club was run and how crucial decisions were made, particularly in the wake of a defeat. Their contributions enriched this book immensely. When he agreed to write the foreword for this book, Ren gave me the best news since Manchester United won the Premier League title in 2013.
I would like to express my gratitude towards former players John Curtis and Ben Thornley, who both gave up their time to talk about what it was like playing under Ferguson.
Nods also need to go to Bernhard Buntru, Rina Goldenberg and Dean Stewart. All three, inadvertently, helped me get this project up and running.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the central character of this account. As a fan of Manchester United for almost 40 years, Sir Alex Ferguson has provided me with some of the best memories of my life. For that, I will always be truly thankful.
Foreword by Ren Meulensteen
HAVING SPOKEN with John at length about my time at Manchester United, and what it was like to work alongside Sir Alex Ferguson, his knowledge and passion for the club shone through.
As a result, anyone who reads this book will enjoy reliving the amazing journey of Sir Alex s time at the club, especially as this account offers some excellent insights.
I also found the topic particularly intriguing. The boss mentioned in his retirement speech on the pitch at Old Trafford, Even the defeats are all part of this great football club of ours.
His response to losing, both in the way he was with opposing managers and how he galvanised the team and staff around him, was a vital component in the make-up of British football s most successful manager.
I worked at close quarters with Sir Alex over several years and his reaction to a defeat comprised of three phases.
Firstly, there was the moment, directly after the defeat, when everybody got back in the dressing room. He always had some final comments. It could be something like, We played really well, you didn t get what you deserved. Highlighting the good things with words of encouragement. No problem. Then there were other moments when he felt the team didn t meet the expectations, and he always had the highest of expectations - he could be very fierce. He would say forcefully, That wasn t right, this wasn t good enough, you need to step up so that everybody got the message. And that was always immediately after the game, and would last three to five minutes, no more.
The second phase would begin with a moment where he always had a little bit of time for himself before he would confront the media. In that moment, with the press, I always felt he was in control, very collected, very measured, in the way he spoke about the result. Sometimes, after addressing the media, especially at home games, he would come into the dressing room and sit quietly by himself. Players and staff could see a defeat hurt him in this moment. They noticed how it really got to him.
But then, afterwards, there would be the third phase where he would always invite an opposing manager to his office for a glass of wine. I found that a remarkable quality of his. By then, that defeat was gone. He was back to his normal self. He wouldn t get into a strop or a mood, he would communicate normally with jokes and would be very accommodating for the opposing manager. Everything was really good. It was a great experience for me. It s an enormous quality to have, to walk tall with defeat, especially when you are winning so often, to remain humble if you do have a stumble.
The DNA of Manchester United
The principles, the DNA of Manchester United, how we want to play - Ferguson was very clear about that. I still remember the day when he brought me into his office, when he appointed Mick Phelan as assistant manager and me as first-team coach. He had a flip-chart with it all written down and said to me, Listen, Ren , I just want to share this with you because when I close my eyes this is what I want to see - United at our best.
Each page of the chart would give more instructions on how Ferguson viewed the team and its style of play. Each page had different elements as to how he saw us playing. At times, we have to press really high and in numbers, aggressively. Sometimes you want to drop a little bit deeper, press on a certain player, and then hit them in the spaces they leave. If you have to defend deeper, form a block, not giving chances away, but when we do gain possession can we counter? Can we break quickly through the lines? Then, next page - set plays. Then bang, the next page - possession.
Possession is key. It s where you get the initiative of the game, but the rhythm is also important. In the build-up it is different to when you are in congested areas where you need to switch to one-touch, and of course Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick were excellent at that. Possession must always have a purpose. And the players need to understand that purpose. Are we having possession to keep the ball? Are we trying to take the sting out of the game?
The most important thing was on the final page, which was all about the attacking style of United. He had written four words. This is what I want to see when we attack. Pace. Power. Penetration. Unpredictability. Those are the four things I want you to instil in that group every single day, Sir Alex told me. Then he drew a line underneath all those and said, And if that doesn t work - we gamble! And he smiled.
1
The final piece of the jigsaw
FOOTBA