사용자:에일리언보이/작업장2

알렉스 퍼거슨
Sir Alex Ferguson
개인 정보
출생일	1941년 12월 31일(1941-12-31)(82세)
출생지	스코틀랜드, 글래스고
키	180cm
포지션	감독 (과거 스트라이커)
구단 정보
현 소속팀	맨체스터 유나이티드 FC
구단 기록*
연도	구단	출전 (득점)
1957-1960 1960-1964 1964-1967 1967-1969 1969-1973 1973-1974	퀸스 파크 FC 세인트 존스톤 FC 던펌린 애슬레틱 FC 레인저스 FC 폴커크 FC 에어 유나이티드 FC 합계	031 0(15) 037 0(19) 089 0(66) 041 0(25) 095 0(36) 024 00(9) 317 (170)
지도자 기록
1974 1974-1978 1978-1986 1985-1986 1986-	이스트 스터링셔 FC 세인트 미렌 FC 애버딘 FC 스코틀랜드 맨체스터 유나이티드 FC
* 구단의 출전횟수와 득점기록은 정규 리그의 공식 리그 경기 기록만 집계함. 또한 출전횟수와 득점기록은 2003년 1월 1일 기준임. ‡ 국가대표팀의 출전횟수와 득점기록은 2003년 1월 1일 기준임.

알렉산더 채프먼 "알렉스" 퍼거슨 (Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, Kt, CBE)은 스코틀랜드 출신의 축구 감독이다. 퍼거슨 경, 퍼기로 잘 알려져있다. 1941년 12월 31일, 글래스고 고반에서 태어나 선수 및 감독으로 활약하였으며 1986년부터 현재까지 맨체스터 유나이티드를 맡고 있다.

16살 때부터 아마추어 팀인 퀸스 파크 FC의 공격수로서 활약하였으며, 세인트 존스톤 FC를 거쳐 던펌린 애슬레틱 FC의 공격수로서 많은 득점을 기록하였으며 1967년 레인저스 FC로 이적하였다가 폴커크 FC에서 선수 및 코치로 뛰었고 1974년, 에어 유나이티드 FC에서 선수 생활을 은퇴하였다.

코치로서 활약했던 퍼거슨은 이스트 스터링셔와 세인트 미렌의 감독직을 맡아오며 이후 애버딘 감독으로서 큰 성공을 거두었다. 또한 사망한 조크 스테인의 임시 대체자로 스코틀랜드 국가대표팀을 짧게 지휘했었으며 1986년 11월, 맨체스터 유나이티드의 감독에 부임하였다.

맨체스터 유나이티드의 감독으로서 23년 동안 지휘하면서, 맷 버스비 경 이후 맨유 역사 상 두 번째로 긴 기간동안 감독하고 있으며, 영국 축구 리그 역사 상 현 감독 중 가장 오랫동안 부임하고 있는 감독으로 꼽힌다. 또한 영국 축구 역사 상 23년 동안 프리미어리그 올해의 감독상을 비롯하여 잉글랜드 구단 최초의 트레블과 많은 상과 많은 기록을 기록하였다. 2008년에는 한 차례 더 유럽 대륙 컵을 손에 거머쥔 세 번째 영국 감독으로 기록되었다.

영국 축구 명예의 전당에 헌액되었으며 또한 1999년, 엘리자베스 2세 여왕으로부터 기사 작위를 수여받았으며 1980년대 초부터 중반까지 도시의 연고팀인 애버딘을 이끌고 많은 대회에서 우승한 주역으로서 애버딘 명예 시민으로 기록되었다.

어린 시절

올드 트래포드에서의 퍼거슨 경

조선 회사에서 도금공 조수로 일하던 알렉산더 비튼 퍼거슨과 전 부인 엘리자베스 하디 사이에서 태어났다. 알렉스 퍼거슨은 1941년 12월 31일, 고반 쉴드홀 로드에 위치한 할머니 집에서 태어났으나, 과거 667 고반 로드에 위치한 집에서 부모님과 동생 마틴 퍼거슨과 함께 자랐다.

그는 브룸런 로드 초등학교를 다녔으며 이후 고반 고등학교에 다니면서 레인저스의 팬이었다.

선수 경력

퍼거슨은 아마추어 선수로서 16살 때, 퀸스 파크 소속 스트라이커로 데뷔하였다. 퍼거슨은 당시 자신의 첫 경기를 회고하며 "악몽"이었다고 밝혔다. 스트랜레어를 상대로서 퀸스 파크 FC는 한 골을 득점하였으나 2-1로 패배하였다. 아마추어팀 퀸스 파크에 소속되어 있으면서 클리드 강에서 기계공의 제자로서 일하였다. 이후 배의 승무원으로서 근무하였다. 퍼거슨이 선수로서 잘 알려진 경기는 1959년 박싱 데이 매치 때 퀸 오브 사우스와의 원정 경기에서 7-1 대패한 경기인데, 전 잉글랜드 대표 출신이자 퀸 오브 사우스 소속인 아이보 브로디스가 4골을 기록하였으나 퍼거슨 또한 퀸스 파크 선수로 유일하게 득점하였다.

퀸스 파크 선수로서 31 경기에 출장해 20골을 기록한 퍼거슨은 1960년, 세인트 존스톤으로 이적하였다. 세인트 존스톤 이적 후에도 골을 기록하였으나 팀의 저조함으로 인해 보다 큰 클럽의 이적을 계속해서 요구했다. 퍼거슨은 다른 클럽으로 이적을 원했고 캐나다로 이주까지 생각했었다. 그러나 세인트 존스톤은 퍼거슨과의 계약을 추진하였으나 퍼거슨은 레인저스를 상대로 해트트릭을 기록하는 놀라운 활약을 보였고 이후 재계약에 실패한 채 1964년 여름, 던펌린으로 이적하여 아마추어 선수가 아닌 정규 선수로 계약하게 되었다.

1964-65 시즌 개막 후, 던펌린은 스코틀랜드 리그에서 강세를 보이면서 스코틀랜드 컵 결승까지 올랐으나, 퍼거슨은 세인트 존스톤과의 리그 경기에서 저조한 경기를 보여 결승전에서 출전하지 못했다. 던펌린은 결승에서 셀틱에게 3-2 패배를 당했고 그 이후, 리그 또한 1점 차로 우승에 실패하였다. 1965-66 시즌, 퍼거슨은 51 경기에 출전하여 45골을 기록하였고 31골을 기록한 셀틱의 조 맥브라이드와 함께 리그 득점 랭킹 상위권에 올랐다.

이후 퍼거슨은 두 클럽 사이 기록한 최고 이적료인 6만 5천 파운드에 레인저스로 이적하였다. 퍼거슨은 1969년 스코틀랜드 컵 결승을 패배를 인정하면서도 최악의 경기로 회고하였다. 당시 경기에서 퍼거슨은 셀틱의 주장인 빌리 맥닐을 전담했는데 마지막 골을 허용하고 말았고, 그 이후로부터 계속해서 1군에서 뛰기보단 유소년 팀 소속으로 뛰게 되었다. 동생 마틴 퍼거슨에 의하면 퍼거슨은 매우 분노하며 준우승 메달을 던졌다고 밝혔다. 또한 가톨릭을 믿던 아내 캐시와 결혼하자 개신교 팀이었던 레인저스는 퍼거슨을 차별하기 시작했다. 이후 퍼거슨은 자신의 자서전에서 분명히 했는데, 자신이 레인저스에 입단할 때 클럽은 아내의 종교에 대해 매우 껄끄러워했기에 아내를 홀로 두고 올 수 밖에 없었고 그 때문에 컵 결승전에서 실수를 저질렀다고 밝혔다.

그 해 10월, 노팅엄 포레스트는 퍼거슨과 계약하길 원했으나, 아내가 잉글랜드으로 가길 원하지 않았기 때문에 폴커크로 이적하였다. 선수 겸 코치로서 활약을 하였으나 존 프렌티스 감독 부임 후 퍼거슨을 코치직에서 해고하였고 이에 퍼거슨은 에어 유나이티드로 이적을 요구했다. 이후 1974년 에어 유나이티드에서 은퇴하였다.

감독 시절 초기

East Stirlingshire

In June 1974, Ferguson was appointed manager of East Stirlingshire, at the comparatively young age of 32. It was a part-time job that paid £40 per week, and the club did not have a single goalkeeper at the time. He immediately gained a reputation as a disciplinarian, with club forward Bobby McCulley later saying he had "never been afraid of anyone before but Ferguson was a frightening bastard from the start." His players admired his tactical decisions, however, and the club's results improved considerably.

The following October, Ferguson was invited to manage St. Mirren. While they were below East Stirlingshire in the league, they were a bigger club and although Ferguson felt a degree of loyalty towards East Stirlingshire, he decided to join St. Mirren after taking advice from Jock Stein.

St. Mirren

Ferguson was manager of St. Mirren from 1974 until 1978, producing a remarkable transformation of a team in the lower half of the old Second Division watched by crowds of just over 1,000, to First Division champions in 1977, discovering talent like Billy Stark, Tony Fitzpatrick, Lex Richardson, Frank McGarvey, Bobby Reid and Peter Weir while playing superb attacking football. The average age of the league winning team was 19 and the captain, Fitzpatrick, was 20.

St. Mirren have been the only club ever to sack Ferguson. He claimed wrongful dismissal against the club at an industrial tribunal but lost and was given no leave to appeal. According to a Billy Adams Sunday Herald article on 30 May 1999, the official version is that Ferguson was sacked for various breaches of contract including unauthorised payments to players. He was counter-accused of intimidating behaviour towards his office secretary because he wanted players to get some expenses tax free. He didn't speak to her for six weeks, confiscated her keys and communicated only through a 17-year-old assistant. The tribunal concluded that Ferguson was "particularly petty" and "immature" . It was claimed during the tribunal by St. Mirren chairman, Willie Todd, that Ferguson had "no managerial ability".

On 31 May 2008, The Guardian published an interview with Todd (by now aged 87), who had sacked Ferguson all those years earlier. He explained that the fundamental reason for the dismissal was a breach of contract relating to Ferguson having agreed to join Aberdeen. Ferguson told journalist Jim Rodger of the Daily Mirror that he had asked at least one member of the squad to go to Aberdeen with him. He also told the St. Mirren staff he was leaving. Todd expressed regret over what happened but blamed Aberdeen for not approaching his club to discuss compensation.

Managing Aberdeen

Early disappointment

Ferguson joined Aberdeen as manager in June 1978, replacing Billy McNeill who had only lasted a season before he was offered the chance to manage Celtic. Although Aberdeen were one of Scotland's major clubs, they had not won the league since 1955. The team had been playing well, however, and had not lost a league match since the previous December, having finished second in the league the previous season. Ferguson had now been a manager for four years, but was still not much older than some of the players and had trouble winning the respect of some of the older ones such as Joe Harper. The season did not go especially well, with Aberdeen reaching the semi-final of the Scottish F.A. Cup and the final of the league cup, but losing both matches and finishing fourth in the league.

In December 1979, they lost the league cup final again, this time to Dundee United after a replay. Ferguson took the blame for the defeat, saying he should have made changes to the team for the replay.

Silverware at last

Aberdeen had started the season poorly but their form improved dramatically in the new year and they won the Scottish league that season with a 5–0 win on the final day. It was the first time in fifteen years that the league had not been won by either Rangers or Celtic. Ferguson now felt that he had the respect of his players, later saying "That was the achievement which united us. I finally had the players believing in me".

He was still a strict disciplinarian, though, and his players nicknamed him Furious Fergie. He fined one of his players, John Hewitt, for overtaking him on a public road, and kicked a tea urn at the players at half time after a poor first half. He was dissatisfied with the atmosphere at Aberdeen matches, and deliberately created a 'siege mentality' by accusing the Scottish media of being biased towards the Glasgow clubs, in order to motivate the team. The team continued their success with a Scottish Cup win in 1982. Ferguson was offered the managers' job at Wolves but turned it down as he felt that Wolves were in trouble and "[his] ambitions at Aberdeen were not even half fulfilled".

European success

Ferguson led Aberdeen to even greater success the following season (1982–83). They had qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as a result of winning the Scottish Cup the previous season, and impressively knocked out Bayern Munich, who had beaten Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 in the previous round. According to Willie Miller, this gave them the confidence to believe that they could go on to win the competition, which they did, with a 2–1 victory over Real Madrid in the final on 11 May 1983. Aberdeen became only the third Scottish team to win a European trophy and Ferguson now felt that "he'd done something worthwhile with his life". Aberdeen had also performed well in the league that season, and retained the Scottish Cup with a 1–0 victory over Rangers, but Ferguson was not happy with his team's play in that match and upset the players by describing them as a "disgraceful performance" in a televised interview after the match—a statement that he later retracted.

After a sub-standard start to the 1983–84 season, Aberdeen's form improved and the team won the Scottish league and retained the Scottish Cup. Ferguson was awarded the OBE in the 1984 honours list, and was offered the managers' jobs at Rangers, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur during the season. Aberdeen retained their league title in the 1984–85 season, but had a disappointing season in 1985–86, finishing fourth in the league, although they did win both domestic cups. Ferguson had been appointed to the club's board of directors early in 1986, but that April he told Dick Donald, their chairman, that he intended to leave that summer.

Ferguson had been part of coaching staff for the Scottish national side during qualifying for the 1986 World Cup, but manager Jock Stein had collapsed and died on 10 September 1985 - at the end of the game in which Scotland qualified from their group for a play-off against Australia. Ferguson promptly agreed to take charge of the Scottish national side against the Australians and subsequently at the World Cup. To allow him to fulfil his international duties he appointed Archie Knox as his co-manager at Aberdeen.

Around this time, Tottenham Hotspur offered Ferguson the chance to take over from Peter Shreeves as manager, but he rejected this offer and the job went to Luton Town's David Pleat instead. There was also an offer for Ferguson to replace Don Howe as Arsenal manager, but he rejected this offer as well, and fellow Scot George Graham took the post instead.

That summer, there had been speculation that he would take over from Ron Atkinson at Manchester United, who had slumped to fourth in the English top flight after a 10-match winning start had made title glory seem inevitable. Although Ferguson remained at the club over the summer, he did eventually join Manchester United when Atkinson was sacked in November 1986.

Managing Manchester United

Appointment and first years

Ferguson was appointed manager at Old Trafford on 6 November 1986. He was initially worried that many of the players, such as Norman Whiteside, Paul McGrath and Bryan Robson were drinking too much and was "depressed" by their level of fitness, but he managed to increase the players' discipline and United climbed up the table to finish the season in 11th place. Their only away win in the league that season was a 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield - which was also Liverpool's only home defeat of the season, which helped end their defence of the league title. Ferguson endured a personal tragedy three weeks after his appointment, when his mother Elizabeth died of lung cancer aged 64.

Ferguson appointed Archie Knox, his assistant at Aberdeen, as his assistant at Manchester United.

In the 1987-88 season, Ferguson made several major signings, including Steve Bruce, Viv Anderson, Brian McClair and Jim Leighton. The new players made a great contribution to a United team who finished in second place, nine points behind Liverpool. United were expected to do well when Mark Hughes returned to the club two years after leaving for Barcelona, but the 1988–89 season was a disappointment for them, finishing eleventh in the league and losing 1–0 at home to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup Sixth Round. During the season, United played in friendly matches against the Bermudan national team and Somerset County Cricket Club as part of the Bermudan team's tour of England. In the match against Somerset, both Ferguson himself and his assistant, Archie Knox, took to the field, with Knox even getting on the scoresheet. The match remains Ferguson's only appearance for the Manchester United first team.

For the 1989-90 season, Ferguson further boosted his squad by paying large sums of money for midfielders Neil Webb and Paul Ince, as well as defender Gary Pallister (a national record £2.3million signing from Middlesbrough). The season began well with a 4-1 win over defending champions Arsenal on the opening day, but United's league form quickly turned sour. In September, United suffered a humiliating 5–1 away defeat against fierce rivals Manchester City. Following this and an early season run of six defeats and two draws in eight games, a banner declaring "Three years of excuses and it's still crap. Ta ra Fergie." was displayed at Old Trafford, and many journalists and supporters called for Ferguson to be sacked. Ferguson later described December 1989 as "the darkest period [he had] ever suffered in the game."

Following a run of seven games without a win, Manchester United were drawn away to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup. Forest were performing well in the League that season, and it was expected that United would lose the match and Ferguson would consequently be sacked, but United won the game 1–0 thanks to a Mark Robins goal and eventually reached the final. This cup win is often cited as the match that saved Ferguson's Old Trafford career. United went on to win the FA Cup, beating Crystal Palace 1–0 in the final replay after a 3–3 draw in the first match, giving Ferguson his first major trophy as Manchester United manager. United's defensive frailties in the first match were unilaterally blamed on goalkeeper Jim Leighton, forcing Ferguson to drop his former Aberdeen player and bring in Les Sealey.

Cantona and first League title

Although United's league form improved greatly in 1990–91, they were still inconsistent and finished sixth. Even after the FA Cup Final victory in the previous season, some still had doubts about Ferguson's ability to succeed where all the other managers since Busby had failed — to win the league title. They were runners-up in the League Cup, losing 1–0 to Sheffield Wednesday. They also reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, beating that season's Spanish champions Barcelona 2–1. After the match, Ferguson vowed that United would win the league the following season.

During the 1991 close season, Ferguson's assistant Archie Knox departed to Glasgow Rangers to become assistant to Walter Smith, and Ferguson promoted youth team coach Brian Kidd to the role of assistant manager in Knox's place.

The 1991–92 season did not live up to Ferguson's expectations and, in Ferguson's words, "many in the media felt that [his] mistakes had contributed to the misery". United won the League Cup and Super Cup for the first time, but lost out on the league title to rivals Leeds United after leading the table for much of the season. Ferguson felt that his failure to secure the signing of Mick Harford from Luton Town had cost United the league, and that he needed "an extra dimension" to the team if they were to win the league the following season.

During the 1992 close season, Ferguson went on the hunt for a new striker. He first attempted to sign Alan Shearer from Southampton, but lost out to Blackburn Rovers. In the end, he paid £1 million for 23-year-old Cambridge United striker Dion Dublin - his only major signing of the summer.

After a slow start to the 1992-93 season (they were 10th of 22 at the beginning of November) it looked as though United would miss out on the league title (now the Premier League) yet again. However, after the purchase of French striker Eric Cantona from Leeds United for £1.2 million, the future of Manchester United, and Ferguson's position as manager, began to look bright. Cantona formed a strong partnership with Mark Hughes and fired the club to the top of the table, ending United's 26-year wait for a League Championship, and also making them the first ever Premier League Champions. United had finished champions with a 10-point margin over runners-up Aston Villa, whose 1-0 defeat at Oldham on 2 May 1993 had given United the title. Alex Ferguson was voted Manager of the Year by the League Managers' Association.

Two Doubles

1993–94 brought more success. Ferguson added Nottingham Forest's 22-year-old midfielder Roy Keane to the ranks for a British record fee of £3.75million as a long term replacement for Bryan Robson, who was nearing the end of his career.

United led the 1993–94 Premier League table virtually from start to finish. Cantona was top scorer with 25 goals in all competitions despite being sent off twice in the space of five days in March 1994. United also reached the League Cup final but lost 3–1 to Aston Villa, managed by Ferguson's predecessor, Ron Atkinson. In the FA Cup final, Manchester United achieved an impressive 4–0 scoreline against Chelsea, winning Ferguson his second League and Cup Double, following his Scottish Premier Division and Scottish Cup titles with Aberdeen in 1984-85. Ferguson made only one close-season signing, paying Blackburn Rovers £1.2million for David May.

1994–95 was a harder season for Ferguson. Cantona assaulted a Crystal Palace supporter in a game at Selhurst Park, and it seemed likely he would leave English football. An eight month ban saw Cantona miss the final four months of the season. He also received a 14-day prison sentence for the offence but the sentence was quashed on appeal and replaced by a 120-hour community service order. On the brighter side, United paid a British record fee of £7million for Newcastle's prolific striker Andy Cole, with young winger Keith Gillespie heading to the north-east in exchange.

However, the championship slipped out of Manchester United's grasp as they drew 1–1 with West Ham United on the final day of the season, when a win would have given them the league. United also lost the FA Cup final in a 1–0 defeat to Everton.

Ferguson was heavily criticised in the summer of 1995 when three of United's star players were allowed to leave and replacements were not bought. First Paul Ince moved to Internazionale of Italy for £7.5 million, long serving striker Mark Hughes was suddenly sold to Chelsea in a £1.5 million deal, and Andrei Kanchelskis was sold to Everton. It was widely known that Ferguson felt that United had a number of young players who were ready to play in the first team. The youngsters, who would be known as "Fergie's Fledglings", included Gary Neville, Phil Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who would all go on to be important members of the team.

When United lost the first league match of the 1995-96 season 3–1 to Aston Villa, the media swooped upon Ferguson with undisguised glee. They wrote United off because Alex Ferguson's squad contained so many young and inexperienced players. Match of the Day pundit, Alan Hansen infamously proclaimed that "you can't win anything with kids". However, the young players performed well and United won their next five matches. Cantona's return from suspension was a boost, but they found themselves fourteen points behind Newcastle. However a series of good results in early 1996 saw the gap close, and from early March onwards United led the table. Rivals Newcastle, 12 points clear at the top of the table in January, failed to capitalise on earlier victories. Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan's famous outburst on live television ("I'd love it if we beat them! Love it!") is generally regarded as the moment that Ferguson gained the upper hand against his opponent. United's Premier League title success was confirmed on the final day of the season. They played Liverpool in that year's FA Cup final, winning 1–0 with a late goal by Cantona.

1996–97 saw Alex Ferguson guide Manchester United to their fourth Premier League title in five seasons. In late October, they suffered three league defeats in a row and conceded 13 goals in the process. They also lost their 40 year unbeaten home record in Europe to unfancied Turkish side Fenerbahçe. But they still reached the Champions League semi final, where they lost to Borussia Dortmund of Germany. At the end of the season, Cantona surprisingly retired from football.

The treble

Ferguson made two new signings to bolster United's challenge for the 1997–98 season, 31-year-old England striker Teddy Sheringham and defender Henning Berg. However the season ended trophyless as Arsenal won the Premier League under French manager Arsène Wenger, who started a long-lasting rivalry with Ferguson. The summer of 1998 saw striker Dwight Yorke, Dutch defender Jaap Stam and the Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist join Manchester United.

In December 1998, Ferguson's assistant Brian Kidd accepted an offer to manage Blackburn Rovers and he recruited Steve McClaren from Derby County as his successor. Ironically, Kidd's side were relegated in the penultimate game on the league season when United held them to a 0-0 draw.

1998–99 saw the club winning an unprecedented treble of the Premier League title, FA Cup and Champions League. The season was characterised by highly dramatic matches. In the Champions League semi-final second leg, United conceded two early goals away to Juventus; however, inspired by Roy Keane, who would later miss the final through suspension, United came back to beat Juventus 3–2 and reach their first European Cup final since 1968. In the FA Cup semi-final, United faced close rivals Arsenal and appeared to be heading for defeat when Keane was sent off and Arsenal were awarded a last-minute penalty. Peter Schmeichel saved the penalty, and in extra time Ryan Giggs ran the length of the pitch to score perhaps the most memorable goal of his career to win the match. They then defeated Newcastle United 2–0 in the FA Cup Final at Wembley thanks to goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes. The European triumph was the most incredible of all. With 90 minutes on the clock they were 1–0 down to Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp in Barcelona following a Mario Basler free kick, but in 3 minutes of injury time allowed by referee Pierluigi Collina, Teddy Sheringham, a substitute, equalised and extra time looked certain. But with just seconds left on the clock, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, also a late substitution, scored the winning goal and history was made.

On 12 June 1999, Alex Ferguson received a knighthood in recognition of his services to the game.

Title hat-trick

Manchester United ended the 1999–2000 season as champions with just three Premier League defeats, and a cushion of 18 points. The massive gap between United and the rest of the Premier League caused some to wonder if the club's financial dominance was developing into a problem for the English game.

In April 2000, it was announced that Manchester United had agreed to sign Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from PSV Eindhoven for a British record fee of £18million. But the move was put on hold when van Nistelrooy failed a medical, and he then returned to his homeland in a bid to regain fitness, only to suffer a serious knee injury which ruled him out for almost a year.

28-year-old French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was signed from Monaco for £7.8million—making him the most expensive goalkeeper to be signed by a British club, and United won the title again. During the 2001 close season Ruud van Nistelrooy joined, and soon after Manchester United again broke the British transfer record—this time paying Lazio £28.1million for Argentine attacking midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón, although he failed to live up to the high expectations his transfer fee suggested and he was sold to Chelsea for £15million only two years later.

Rebuilding and transition

Two games into the 2001–02 season, Dutch central defender Jaap Stam was sold to Lazio in a £16million deal. The reason for Stam's departure was believed to have been claims in his autobiography Head to Head that he had been illegally spoken to about a move to Manchester United by Alex Ferguson, before his previous club PSV Eindhoven had been informed. Ferguson replaced Stam with Internazionale's 36-year-old central defender Laurent Blanc.

Before the season began, Ferguson also lost his assistant Steve McClaren, who took over as manager of Middlesbrough, and gave the role to long-serving coach Jim Ryan until a more permanent successor could be found.

On 8 December 2001, Manchester United were ninth in the Premier League — 11 points behind leaders Liverpool who had a game in hand. Then came a dramatic turn around in form: between mid-December and late January, eight successive wins saw Manchester United climb to the top of the Premier League and put their title challenge back on track. Despite this, United finished third in the League as rival Arsène Wenger clinched the title for Arsenal at Old Trafford with a 1–0 win in the penultimate game of the season.

United were also unsuccessful in Europe, losing the Champions League semi-final on away goals to Bayer Leverkusen.

The 2001–02 season was to have been Ferguson's last as Manchester United manager, and the looming date of his retirement was cited as a reason for the team's loss of form. Ferguson himself admitted that the decision to pre-announce his retirement had resulted in a negative effect on the players and on his ability to impose discipline. But in February 2002 he agreed to stay in charge for at least another three years.

The close season saw Manchester United break the British transfer record yet again when they paid Leeds United £30million for 24-year-old central defender Rio Ferdinand.

That summer, Ferguson brought in Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz as his assistant.

Manchester United won their eighth Premier League title yet just over two months before the end of the season they were eight points behind leaders Arsenal. But an improvement in form for United, and a decline for Arsenal, saw the Premier League trophy gradually slip out of the Londoners' grasp and push it back in the direction of Old Trafford. Ferguson described the 2002-03 title triumph as his most satisfying ever, due to the nature of a remarkable comeback. Not for the first time, Ferguson had proven to be a master of managerial mind-games, successfully rattling the composure of Arsenal and their otherwise unflappable manager Arsène Wenger.

Ferguson guided Manchester United to their eleventh FA Cup at the end of the 2003–04 season, but it was a disappointing season which had seen them finish third in the Premier League and suffer Champions League elimination at the hands of eventual winners FC Porto. Rio Ferdinand missed the final four months of the season, as he served the beginning of an eight-month ban for missing a drugs test. New signings like Eric Djemba-Djemba and José Kléberson were disappointing, but there was at least one productive signing 18-year-old Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

At the beginning of the 2004–05 season, Wayne Rooney and Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze joined United while Cristiano Ronaldo continued where he had left off the previous season by putting in more match-winning performances. But the lack of a striker after van Nistelrooy spent most of the season injured saw the club finish third for the third time in four seasons. In the FA Cup they lost on penalties to Arsenal.

Ferguson's preparations for the season were disrupted by a high-profile dispute with major shareholder John Magnier, over the ownership of the racehorse Rock of Gibraltar. When Magnier and business partner J. P. McManus agreed to sell their shares to American business tycoon Malcolm Glazer, it cleared the way for Glazer to acquire full control of the club. This sparked violent protests from United fans, and disrupted Ferguson's plans to strengthen the team in the transfer market. In spite of this, United looked to solve their goalkeeping and midfield problems. For this, they signed the Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar from Fulham and Korean star Park Ji-Sung from PSV.

The season was one of transition. On 18 November, Roy Keane officially left the club, his contract ended by mutual consent. United failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions' League. In the January transfer window Serbian defender Nemanja Vidić and French full-back Patrice Evra were signed, and the side finished in second place in the league, behind runaway leaders Chelsea. Winning the League Cup was a consolation prize for lack of success elsewhere. Ruud van Nistelrooy's future at Old Trafford seemed to be in doubt after not starting in the Carling Cup final, and he departed at the end of the season.

Second European trophy

Ferguson with former assistant manager Carlos Queiroz

Michael Carrick was signed as a replacement for Roy Keane for £14 million, although the figure may eventually rise in the future to £18.6 million depending on appearances and results. United started the season well, and for the first time ever won their first four Premier League games. They set the early pace in the Premier League and never relinquished top spot from the tenth match of the 38–game season. The January 2006 signings had a huge impact on United's performances; Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidić came in to form a solid back line along with already existing players Rio Ferdinand and skipper Gary Neville. The signing of Michael Carrick, which was questioned and criticised by a large portion of the media, brought stability and further creativity in the United midfield, forming an effective partnership with Paul Scholes. Park Ji-Sung and Ryan Giggs both underlined their value to the first team squad by adding significant pace and incisiveness in attack with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ferguson celebrated the 20th anniversary of his appointment as manager of Manchester United on 6 November 2006. Tributes also came from Ferguson's players, both past and present, as well as his old foe, Arsène Wenger, his old captain, Roy Keane, and current players. The party was spoiled the following day when United endured a single-goal defeat at the hands of Southend in the fourth round of the Carling Cup. However, on 1 December it was announced that Manchester United had signed 35 year old Henrik Larsson on loan, a player that Alex Ferguson had admired for many years, and attempted to capture previously. On 23 December 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the club's 2000th goal under the helm of Ferguson in a match against Aston Villa.

Manchester United subsequently won their ninth Premier League title but were denied a double by Chelsea's Didier Drogba scoring a late goal in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. Had United won this game, then they would have been the first English club to win the double four times. In the Champions League, the club reached the semi-finals, recording a 7–1 home win over Roma in the quarter-final second leg, but lost at the San Siro to Milan 3–0 in the second leg of the semi-final after being 3–2 up from the first leg.

For the 2007–08 season, Ferguson made notable signings to reinforce United's first team. Long-term target Owen Hargreaves joined from Bayern Munich, bringing an end to a year of negotiations. Ferguson further bolstered the midfield with the additions of young Portuguese winger Nani and Brazilian playmaker Anderson. The last summer signing was of West Ham United and Argentina striker Carlos Tévez after a complex and protracted transfer saga.

United had their worst start to a season under Ferguson, drawing their first two league games before suffering a 1–0 defeat to crosstown rivals Manchester City. However, United recovered and began a tight race with Arsenal for the title. After a good run of form, Ferguson claimed that throughout his time at Manchester United, this was the best squad he had managed to assemble thus far.

On 16 February 2008, United beat Arsenal 4–0 in an FA Cup Fifth Round match at Old Trafford, but were knocked out by eventual winners Portsmouth in the Sixth Round on 8 March, losing 1–0 at home. United having had a penalty claim turned down, Ferguson alleged after the game that Keith Hackett, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, was "not doing his job properly". Ferguson was subsequently charged by the FA with improper conduct, which he decided to contest. This was the second charge Ferguson faced in the season, following his complaints against the referee after United lost 1–0 at Bolton Wanderers – a charge he decided not to contest.

On 11 May 2008, Ferguson led Manchester United to a tenth Premier League title, exactly 25 years to the day after he led Aberdeen to European glory against Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup. Nearest rivals Chelsea – level on points going into the final round of matches, but with an inferior goal difference – could only draw 1–1 at home to Bolton, finishing two points adrift of the champions.

Ferguson in 2009.

On 21 May 2008, Ferguson won his second European Cup with Manchester United as they beat Chelsea 6–5 on penalties in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, following a 1–1 draw after extra time in the first ever all-English UEFA Champions League Final. A penalty miss from Cristiano Ronaldo meant that John Terry's spot-kick would have given the trophy to Chelsea if successfully converted, but Terry blew his chance of glory and in the end it was Edwin van der Sar's blocking of a Nicolas Anelka penalty which gave the trophy to Manchester United for the second time under Ferguson and for the third time overall.

After winning the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League Ferguson had stated that his intention to leave Manchester United within the next three years. Manchester United Chief Executive David Gill moved quickly to calm the speculation about Alex Ferguson's pending retirement.

Although the team had a slow start to the 2008–09 season, United won the Premier League with a game to spare, making Ferguson the first manager in the history of English football to win the Premier League three times consecutively, on two separate occasions. Ferguson has now won 11 league titles at Manchester United, and the 2008–09 season title success puts them level with Liverpool as league champions on a record 18 occasions in total. They contested the 2009 Champions League final against FC Barcelona on 27 May 2009 and lost 2–0 - victory in this tournament would have seen Ferguson equal Bob Paisley's record (three victories with Liverpool in 1977, 1978 and 1981) of winning three European Cups with an English club.

After the presentation ceremony, Ferguson conceded that he would stay on at United for as long as his health permitted him and that he would be glad to win it once more. This would make United's total league wins one more than rivals Liverpool, becoming the outright leader in total wins.

Controversies

Ferguson has been involved in numerous controversial incidents during his United career.

Gordon Strachan

In his 1999 autobiography "My Life in Football" Ferguson stated of Strachan "I decided this man could not be trusted an inch - I would not want to expose my back to him in a hurry,"., Strachan reacted to the attack as being "surprised and disappointed",, but did not sue for libel.

David Beckham & Draw Fixing

In 2003, Ferguson was involved in a dressing room argument with United player David Beckham., resulting in an injury to Beckham, alleged to have been caused by Ferguson kicking a football boot in frustration which hit the player in the face. On April 5, 2003, Ferguson claimed that The Champions League draw was fixed. in favour of Spanish and Italians teams, resulting in a fine on 1 May of 10,000 Swiss francs (£4,600).

Rock of Gibraltar

In 2003, Ferguson launched legal action against the then major United shareholder John Magnier over stud rights for race horse Rock of Gibraltar. Magnier counter-sued Ferguson filing a "motion to comply" requiring Ferguson to substantiate his claim for half of Rock of Gibraltar's stud fees. The legal issues were further compounded by the request for "99 Questions" to be answered over Fergusons transfer dealings, including those of Jaap Stam, Juan Veron, Tim Howard, David Bellion, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kleberson.. The case was eventually settled out of Court.

The BBC

Ferguson refused to give interviews to the BBC after a documentary called "Father and Son" was shown on UK television in 2004. According to an article in The Independent newspaper, the documentary had "portrayed his agent son, Jason, as somebody who exploited his father's influence and position to his own ends in the transfer market." The same newspaper article made it clear that "Ferguson Jnr" was never found guilty of any wrong-doing, and it quoted Ferguson Senior as follows: "They [the BBC] did a story about my son that was whole lot of nonsense. It all made-up stuff and 'brown paper bags' and all that kind of carry-on. It was a horrible attack on my son's honour and he should never have been accused of that.". Any interviews on BBC programmes such as Match of the Day were subsequently done by his assistant (currently Mike Phelan). However, under new Premiership rules intended for the 2010-11 season, Ferguson will apparently be required to end his BBC boycott.

Mind games and relationships with other Managers

Ferguson is well known for using what the press have called "mind games" with fellow Premiership Managers. This approach normally involves making a derogatory comment at a pre-match press conference about the opposition Manager or their team. This has led to several spats in the past with Managers such as Kevin Keegan, Arsène Wenger, Rafael Benitez and this season with Mark Hughes.

Referees

Not one to back off criticising referees, Ferguson has received numerous punishments:

• 20 October 2003 - Two match touchline ban and fined £10,000 after using abusive and/or insulting words towards Fourth Official Jeff Winter.
• 14 December 2007 - Two match touchline ban and fined £5,000 after using abusive and/or insulting words towards Mark Clattenburg.
• 18 November 2008 - Two match touchline ban and fined £10,000 after confronting Mike Dean after a game.
• 12 November 2009 - Four match touchline ban (two suspended) and fined £20,000 for comments made about the fitness of Alan Wiley.

Legacy

One recurring theme of Ferguson's management of Manchester United has been his view that no player is bigger than the club. He has consistently taken a "my way or the highway" approach in his dealings with players and the pressure of this management tactic has often been the cause of many notable players' departures. Over the years players such as Gordon Strachan, Paul McGrath, Paul Ince, Jaap Stam, Dwight Yorke, David Beckham and more recently, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gabriel Heinze have left the club after varying degrees of conflict with Ferguson. It is also suggested that one of the most inspirational players in the club's history, Roy Keane was a victim of Ferguson's wrath following damning criticism of his team mates on the club's in-house television channel, MUTV. This disciplinary line that he takes with such highly paid, high-profile players has been mentioned as a reason for the ongoing success of Manchester United.

Personal life

Ferguson lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, with his wife, Cathy Ferguson (née Holding). They married in 1966 and have three sons: Mark (born 1968) and twins (born 1972) Darren, currently manager of Preston North End, and Jason, who runs an events management company.

In 1998 Ferguson was named in a list of the biggest private financial donors to the Labour Party (UK)..

Honours

Player

St. Johnstone (1960–1964)

• Scottish First Division: 1962–63

Falkirk (1969–1973)

• Scottish First Division: 1969–70

Managerial

Ferguson was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as a manager. In 2003, Ferguson became an inaugural recipient of the FA Coaching Diploma, awarded to all coaches who had at least 10 years' experience of being a manager or head coach.

He is the Vice-President of the National Football Museum, based in Preston, and a member of the Executive Committee of the League Managers Association, and the only manager to win the top league honours and the Double north and south of the England-Scotland border (winning the Premiership with Manchester United, and the Scottish Premier League with Aberdeen).

St. Mirren (1974–1978)

• Scottish First Division: 1976-77

Aberdeen (1978–1986)

• Scottish Premier Division: 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85
• Scottish Cup: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86
• Scottish League Cup: 1985–86
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1982–83
• UEFA Super Cup: 1983

Manchester United (1986–)

• Premier League: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• FA Cup: 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
• League Cup: 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09
• FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008
• UEFA Champions League: 1998–99, 2007–08
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1990–91
• UEFA Super Cup: 1991
• Intercontinental Cup: 1999
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

Individual

• Football Writers' Association Tribute Award: 1996
• Mussabini Medal: 1999
• UEFA Champions League Manager of the Year: 1998–99
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award: 1999
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award: 1999
• IFFHS Club Coach of the Year: 1999
• LMA Manager of the Decade: 1990s
• Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year: 2000
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award: 2001
• English Football Hall of Fame: 2002
• Onze d'Or Coach of the Year: 1999, 2007
• Professional Footballers' Association Merit Award: 2007
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2007, 2008
• Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992/3 - 2001/2)
  • Manager of the Decade
  • Most Coaching Appearances (392 games)
• Premier League Manager of the Year: 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• Premier League Manager of the Month: August 1993, October 1994, February 1996, March 1996, February 1997, October 1997, January 1999, April 1999, August 1999, March 2000, April 2000, February 2001, April 2003, December 2003, February 2005, March 2006, August 2006, October 2006, February 2007, January 2008, March 2008, January 2009, April 2009, September 2009
• LMA Manager of the Year: 1998–99, 2007–08
• World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 1993, 1999, 2007, 2008

Orders and special awards

• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE): 1983
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE): 1995
• Knight Bachelor: 1999

Statistics

As a player

틀:Football player statistics 1 틀:Football player statistics 2 |- |1957–58||rowspan="4"|Queen's Park||rowspan="3"|Second Division | || || || || || || || || || |- |1958–59|| || || || || || || || || || |- |1959–60|| || || || || || || || || || |- !1957–60 !! Total !31 !! 15 !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! |- |1960–61||rowspan="5"|St. Johnstone||rowspan=2|First Division | || || || || || || || || || |- |1961–62|| || || || || || || || || || |- |1962–63||Second Division|| || || || || || || || || || |- |1963–64||First Division|| || || || || || || || || || |- !1960–64 !! Total !37 !! 19 !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! |- |1964–65||rowspan="4"|Dunfermline Athletic||rowspan="3"|First Division | || || || || || || || || || |- |1965–66|| || || || || || || || || || |- |1966–67|| || || || || || || || || || |- !1964–67 !! Total !89 !! 66 !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! |- |1967–68||rowspan="3"|Rangers||rowspan=2|First Division | || || || || || || || || || |- |1968–69|| || || || || || || || || || |- !1967–69 !! Total !41 !! 25 !! 6 !! 10 !! 4 !! 9 !! 6 !! 0 !! 57 !! 44 |- |1969–70||rowspan="5"|Falkirk||rowspan="4"|First Division | || || || || || || || || || |- |1970–71|| || || || || || || || || || |- |1971–72|| || || || || || || || || || |- |1972–73|| || || || || || || || || || |- !1969–73 !! Total !95 !! 36 !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! |- |1973–74||rowspan=2|Ayr United||First Division |24||9|| || || || || || || || |- !1973–74 !! Total !24 !! 9 !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! 틀:Football player statistics 3317||170|| || || || || || || || 틀:Football player statistics 5317||170|| || || || || || || || |}

As a manager

16 February 2010 기준

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win %
East Stirlingshire		1 June 1974	20 October 1974	17	10	4	3	22	15	058.82
St. Mirren		21 October 1974	31 May 1978	151	63	49	39	300	252	041.72
Aberdeen		1 August 1978	5 November 1986	455	269	106	80	914	374	059.12
Scotland		10 September 1985	13 June 1986	10	3	4	3	8	5	030.00
Manchester United		6 November 1986	Present	1,316	773	307	236	2,387	1,177	058.74
Total				1,949	1,118	470	361	3,631	1,823	57.36

References

• Crick, Michael (2003). 《The Boss: The Many Sides of Alex Ferguson》. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-2991-5. 
• 《Managing My Life》. Coronet Books. ISBN 0340728566. 

외부 링크

• (영어) Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United Managerial Record @ mufcinfo.com
• (영어) A look back at 20 years in charge at Man United, includes video interview with Bryan Robson and Ian Rush
• (영어) Alex Ferguson celebrates 1,000th game with Manchester Utd
• (영어) English Football Hall of Fame
• (영어) Sir Alex Ferguson: A career profile with pictures
• (영어) Sir Alex Ferguson's managerial stats according to the official Manchester United statistics website