Roy SkillenWhat if Alex Ferguson had managed Arsenal
This is an excerpt from a book I am writing so please let me know what you think.
The name of Alex Ferguson is synonymous with just one club, Manchester Utd. Since he took over on the 6th of November 1986 Manchester Utd have become the dominant force in English football. They have won the English Premier League a staggering 11 times and the European Champions League twice with Alex Ferguson becoming known by many as the greatest coach the world has ever seen. His ability to build sides with a mixture of experience and youth that play with attacking flair and imagination is definitely second to none. These were already evident in his first managerial position at lowly Scottish side East Sterlingshire when he was earning just 40 GBP per week. While there he became known as a strong disciplinarian, with former player Bobby McCulley describing him as a “terrifying bastard”. But it was his tactical knowledge that won over his players and at the age of 32 he was already on the verge of greatness. He only lasted at East Sterlingshire for one year before he was poached by St Mirren. Even though St Mirren were lower in the league they were seen as a bigger club and the decision to move was an easy one. In 1977 it appeared Ferguson had worked his magic as St Mirren won the second division title, but surprisingly just one year later Ferguson was sacked for the first and last time in his career. There are many different theories as to why St Mirren remain the only club to have wielded the axe to great one. But at the trial put forward by Ferguson for unfair dismissal he was described as “petty and immature” with “no managerial ability” by the St Mirren chairman Willie Todd. In 2008 Todd did an interview with The Guardian newspaper in which he said that Ferguson’s dismissal was down to a simple breach of contract. Apparently Ferguson had agreed to take over at Aberdeen without telling his current employers and was already trying to poach players and staff.
Ferguson took over at Aberdeen in June 1978 and in 1980 they won the Scottish first division becoming the first club other that Celtic or Rangers to win the trophy since Kilmarnock in 1965. Ferguson’s success didn’t end there and he would lift the trophy twice more in 1984 and 85 as well as beating Spanish giants Real Madrid 2-1 in the Cup Winners Cup final on the 11th of May 1983.
Big clubs from south of the border were starting to take notice with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester Utd leading the chase. In 1985 Ferguson took charge of the Scotland squad after the sudden death of manager Jock Stein. He agreed to take his country through to the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico and no further as he hoped a move to England would soon follow. Just before the Scotland squad set out for the World Cup Finals Ferguson apparently had talks with Arsenal and a tentative agreement between the two parties was agreed. Arsenal were desperate to make sure that no other club would come along with a better offer and they urged Ferguson to make the move official before the Scotland squad set out for Mexico, but Ferguson refused.
Former Scotland goal keeper Jim Leighton remembers the situation “Ferguson was offered the Arsenal job,” said Leighton. “George Graham would have been his assistant, but he wanted to wait until the World Cup was finished before it was announced. Arsenal said they wanted it [a decision] straight away and so he refused it and George Graham got the job. Alex wanted to announce it when he got back to Aberdeen. He wanted to do it the right way.”
Alex Ferguson eventually took over at Manchester Utd in November 1986 and the rest, as they say, is history.
What if?
After Scotland finished bottom of Group E with just one point at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Alex Ferguson decided enough was enough and he stepped down as Manager. But Ferguson’s poor performance hadn’t damaged his reputation and a battle soon erupted between English first division clubs Arsenal and Manchester Utd for the wily Scotsman’s services. Arsenal stated that a gentleman’s agreement had already be reached between the two parties before the World Cup had even kicked off, but Manchester Utd were ready to offer him whatever he wanted to get him to Old Trafford. On the 1st of August 1986 Ferguson proved that he was a man off his word and he put pen to paper on a five year deal to manage Arsenal.
Ferguson’s right hand man at Highbury would be fellow Scotsman George Graham who had also been considered for the top job. The fact that Graham, who was already something of an Arsenal legend after playing 227 games for the club, had been overlooked instantly brought unwanted tensions in to the dressing room. Rumors were rife that the pair couldn’t agree on anything and training ground arguments about tactics, signings and training schedules were all too common.
The 1986 – 87 season was a mitigated disaster as The Gunners narrowly avoided relegation by beating Norwich City 1-0 at Highbury on the final day of the season. The next year did see some improvement though beginning with Arsenal beating title favorites Liverpool on the opening day of the season 3-0. They even broke in to the top two in November after a fantastic 3-1 victory over Chelsea. But the good times were short lived and after Arsenal were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round the two fiery Scotsmen clashed in the dressing room.
The fight between the two has taken on legendary status in the world of football. People talk more about it than any heavy weight boxing match in history. Who won the league that year is insignificant, because what people really wanted to know was who threw the first punch. The story goes that Ferguson was unhappy with his assistant who pushed the side to defend the 1-0 half time lead that they had secured. Ferguson on the other wanted his team to go out and finish the job. The resultant half time argument sent the players out on to the field more than a few mixed messages and they were eventually over run losing the game 4-1. As the team entered the dressing room after the game Alex Ferguson kicked a boot that was lying on the floor towards George Graham. The boot hit him flush on the nose breaking it in two places. Graham understandably flew in to a fit of rage and wrestled his boss to the ground smashing his head on the floor. With both men bleeding on the ground the fight began to turn a little nasty. With neither man gaining the upper hand Graham rammed his thumb in to Ferguson’s eye. Ferguson’s response was to grab Graham by the nuts and squeeze as hard as he could. Graham’s girly scream was heard by the press who were now trying to break down the door to see what was going on. The players tried their best to keep them out but it was no use and the press finally broke through. When they did they found Ferguson allegedly kicking Graham in the back before spitting on his head and saying “This is for talking me out of signing Bryan Robson you gutless prick”. The two were instantly sacked and fined 10,000 GBP each for bringing the game in to disrepute.
Despite leaving Arsenal in disgrace the pair quickly made returns to football and with great success. George Graham took over the hot seat at Manchester Utd, while Alex Ferguson went back north of the border to former club Glasgow Rangers. Graham succeeded in bringing some of the glory days back to Old Trafford and in 1989 they lifted the League title for the first time since 1967 beating Liverpool on goal difference. But in 1992 Graham was forced to resign to fight a possible jail term after allegations arose about illegal transfer moves. He would escape conviction but he never managed again.
Alex Ferguson won 4 Scottish League titles and two Scottish cups in his four year stint at Glasgow Rangers before deciding the time was right to prove himself back in England. On the 27th July 1992 Alex Ferguson took over the vacant position at Manchester Utd. In the press conference set up to announce the appointment Ferguson took one last swipe at his former partner George Graham by claiming that “it could take years to clean up the mess that he has left”.
Ferguson’s first act in charge was to promote a youngster by the name of Ryan Gigs in to the first team before buying the volatile but brilliant talent of Frenchman Eric Cantona for just 1.2 million GBP. Utd would go on to win the newly formed English Premier League in 1993 and with Ferguson in charge they would dominate English football for the next 15 years.
The name of Alex Ferguson is synonymous with just one club, Manchester Utd. Since he took over on the 6th of November 1986 Manchester Utd have become the dominant force in English football. They have won the English Premier League a staggering 11 times and the European Champions League twice with Alex Ferguson becoming known by many as the greatest coach the world has ever seen. His ability to build sides with a mixture of experience and youth that play with attacking flair and imagination is definitely second to none. These were already evident in his first managerial position at lowly Scottish side East Sterlingshire when he was earning just 40 GBP per week. While there he became known as a strong disciplinarian, with former player Bobby McCulley describing him as a “terrifying bastard”. But it was his tactical knowledge that won over his players and at the age of 32 he was already on the verge of greatness. He only lasted at East Sterlingshire for one year before he was poached by St Mirren. Even though St Mirren were lower in the league they were seen as a bigger club and the decision to move was an easy one. In 1977 it appeared Ferguson had worked his magic as St Mirren won the second division title, but surprisingly just one year later Ferguson was sacked for the first and last time in his career. There are many different theories as to why St Mirren remain the only club to have wielded the axe to great one. But at the trial put forward by Ferguson for unfair dismissal he was described as “petty and immature” with “no managerial ability” by the St Mirren chairman Willie Todd. In 2008 Todd did an interview with The Guardian newspaper in which he said that Ferguson’s dismissal was down to a simple breach of contract. Apparently Ferguson had agreed to take over at Aberdeen without telling his current employers and was already trying to poach players and staff.
Ferguson took over at Aberdeen in June 1978 and in 1980 they won the Scottish first division becoming the first club other that Celtic or Rangers to win the trophy since Kilmarnock in 1965. Ferguson’s success didn’t end there and he would lift the trophy twice more in 1984 and 85 as well as beating Spanish giants Real Madrid 2-1 in the Cup Winners Cup final on the 11th of May 1983.
Big clubs from south of the border were starting to take notice with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester Utd leading the chase. In 1985 Ferguson took charge of the Scotland squad after the sudden death of manager Jock Stein. He agreed to take his country through to the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico and no further as he hoped a move to England would soon follow. Just before the Scotland squad set out for the World Cup Finals Ferguson apparently had talks with Arsenal and a tentative agreement between the two parties was agreed. Arsenal were desperate to make sure that no other club would come along with a better offer and they urged Ferguson to make the move official before the Scotland squad set out for Mexico, but Ferguson refused.
Former Scotland goal keeper Jim Leighton remembers the situation “Ferguson was offered the Arsenal job,” said Leighton. “George Graham would have been his assistant, but he wanted to wait until the World Cup was finished before it was announced. Arsenal said they wanted it [a decision] straight away and so he refused it and George Graham got the job. Alex wanted to announce it when he got back to Aberdeen. He wanted to do it the right way.”
Alex Ferguson eventually took over at Manchester Utd in November 1986 and the rest, as they say, is history.
What if?
After Scotland finished bottom of Group E with just one point at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Alex Ferguson decided enough was enough and he stepped down as Manager. But Ferguson’s poor performance hadn’t damaged his reputation and a battle soon erupted between English first division clubs Arsenal and Manchester Utd for the wily Scotsman’s services. Arsenal stated that a gentleman’s agreement had already be reached between the two parties before the World Cup had even kicked off, but Manchester Utd were ready to offer him whatever he wanted to get him to Old Trafford. On the 1st of August 1986 Ferguson proved that he was a man off his word and he put pen to paper on a five year deal to manage Arsenal.
Ferguson’s right hand man at Highbury would be fellow Scotsman George Graham who had also been considered for the top job. The fact that Graham, who was already something of an Arsenal legend after playing 227 games for the club, had been overlooked instantly brought unwanted tensions in to the dressing room. Rumors were rife that the pair couldn’t agree on anything and training ground arguments about tactics, signings and training schedules were all too common.
The 1986 – 87 season was a mitigated disaster as The Gunners narrowly avoided relegation by beating Norwich City 1-0 at Highbury on the final day of the season. The next year did see some improvement though beginning with Arsenal beating title favorites Liverpool on the opening day of the season 3-0. They even broke in to the top two in November after a fantastic 3-1 victory over Chelsea. But the good times were short lived and after Arsenal were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round the two fiery Scotsmen clashed in the dressing room.
The fight between the two has taken on legendary status in the world of football. People talk more about it than any heavy weight boxing match in history. Who won the league that year is insignificant, because what people really wanted to know was who threw the first punch. The story goes that Ferguson was unhappy with his assistant who pushed the side to defend the 1-0 half time lead that they had secured. Ferguson on the other wanted his team to go out and finish the job. The resultant half time argument sent the players out on to the field more than a few mixed messages and they were eventually over run losing the game 4-1. As the team entered the dressing room after the game Alex Ferguson kicked a boot that was lying on the floor towards George Graham. The boot hit him flush on the nose breaking it in two places. Graham understandably flew in to a fit of rage and wrestled his boss to the ground smashing his head on the floor. With both men bleeding on the ground the fight began to turn a little nasty. With neither man gaining the upper hand Graham rammed his thumb in to Ferguson’s eye. Ferguson’s response was to grab Graham by the nuts and squeeze as hard as he could. Graham’s girly scream was heard by the press who were now trying to break down the door to see what was going on. The players tried their best to keep them out but it was no use and the press finally broke through. When they did they found Ferguson allegedly kicking Graham in the back before spitting on his head and saying “This is for talking me out of signing Bryan Robson you gutless prick”. The two were instantly sacked and fined 10,000 GBP each for bringing the game in to disrepute.
Despite leaving Arsenal in disgrace the pair quickly made returns to football and with great success. George Graham took over the hot seat at Manchester Utd, while Alex Ferguson went back north of the border to former club Glasgow Rangers. Graham succeeded in bringing some of the glory days back to Old Trafford and in 1989 they lifted the League title for the first time since 1967 beating Liverpool on goal difference. But in 1992 Graham was forced to resign to fight a possible jail term after allegations arose about illegal transfer moves. He would escape conviction but he never managed again.
Alex Ferguson won 4 Scottish League titles and two Scottish cups in his four year stint at Glasgow Rangers before deciding the time was right to prove himself back in England. On the 27th July 1992 Alex Ferguson took over the vacant position at Manchester Utd. In the press conference set up to announce the appointment Ferguson took one last swipe at his former partner George Graham by claiming that “it could take years to clean up the mess that he has left”.
Ferguson’s first act in charge was to promote a youngster by the name of Ryan Gigs in to the first team before buying the volatile but brilliant talent of Frenchman Eric Cantona for just 1.2 million GBP. Utd would go on to win the newly formed English Premier League in 1993 and with Ferguson in charge they would dominate English football for the next 15 years.
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