Paying respect to Sir Alex Ferguson

Paying respect to Sir Alex Ferguson

When I look to Old Trafford and see their success, I have no envy. I may dislike Manchester United, not because of their ages-long rivalry with Liverpool, my football club, that dictates rivalries, but because of things that aren’t important at this point in time.

This is the time to pay respect not just to the club but also to their legendary manager.

The Red Devils have always played great football and I have to give them that. You cannot simply say that they have the money to buy the players because at the end of the day, they still have to play together and they do so. And I should be the last one to talk about who has the money since I root for the New York Yankees in baseball.

Sir Alex Ferguson has a knack for finding diamonds in the rough and turning them into winners. Really? How many of their non-stars who turned into stars did you know about until they came to play for MUFC?

Furthermore, he proved that even before he came to Old Trafford that he was a winner as he did so with Aberdeen.

But what SAF achieved with Manchester United is even more impressive. The silverware haul under his watch will be hard to match. Look at this 1,499 games as manager; 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League titles, five FA Cups, and four League Cups.

And you can talk about his longevity – 27 years on the job. Has there anyone in that capacity who has been around just as long or maybe more?

When Sir Alex first became manager for Aberdeen, he wasn’t much older than some of the senior players and had a hard time earning their respect. He did eventually win and he got his team united and believing in him.

Now he’s walking off into the sunset having achieved so much. But the truth is, even before he walked off with Manchester United’s 20^th league championship, he has everyone’s respect. Mine included.

Screen shot from BBC.