University challenge: Sir Alex Ferguson opened up
earlier this year for an essay at Harvard
An in-depth study of Sir Alex Ferguson and his
management techniques has revealed the Manchester United manager at
his most candid.
Put together with Ferguson’s help by Harvard Business
School in America, the study is entitled ‘Sir Alex Ferguson:
Managing Manchester United’ and provides a genuine insight into how
the 70-year-old has been so successful for so
long.
Here, Sportsmail’s Ian Ladyman picks out his
highlights and provides his own analysis of Ferguson’s
methods...
ON PLAYER POWER
Sir Alex Ferguson:
Some English clubs have changed managers so many times that it
creates power for the players in the dressing room. That is very
dangerous. Football management in the end is all about the players.
You think you are a better player than they are, and they think
they are a better manager than you are.
Ian Ladyman: At
one English club in the North West the captain tries to tell the
manager what he is doing wrong. That wouldn’t happen at Old
Trafford. Ferguson welcomes input from his players, but only when
he asks for it.
ON HOW ANDREA BOCELLI INSPIRED
A TEAM TALK
SAF: I once heard
a coach start with: ‘This must be the thousandth team talk I’ve had
with you,’ and saw a player respond with: ‘Yeah and I’ve slept
through half of them.’ So I tell different stories and use my
imagination. I remember going to see Andrea Bocelli, the opera
singer. I had never been to a classical concert in my life. But I
am watching this and thinking about the co-ordination and the
teamwork — one starts and one stops, just fantastic. So I spoke to
my players about the orchestra — how they are a perfect team.
You can get help from some of the players. Bryan Robson, for
example, was brilliant.
IL: To Ferguson,
the team ethic is everything. He encourages and seeks out
individual brilliance, but won’t tolerate anything or
anyone who begins to feel they are bigger or better than anybody
else. Several players have discovered this to their cost over the
years.
Tenor for a team talk: United boss Ferguson revealed
Andrea Bocelli has inspired him
ON MOTIVATING
PLAYERS
SAF: There is no
room for criticism on the training field. For a player — and for
any human being — there is nothing better than hearing ‘well done’.
Those are the two best words ever invented in sports. Also, you
can’t always come in (after a game) shouting and screaming. That
doesn’t work. No one likes to get criticised. But in the dressing
room, it’s necessary that you point out your players’ mistakes. I
do it right after the game. I don’t wait until Monday, I do it, and
it’s finished. I’m on to the next match. There is no point in
criticising a player forever. And I never discuss an individual
player in public. The players know that. It stays
indoors.
IL: To hear
Ferguson criticise a player in public is rare. He did it with Rio
Ferdinand after the defender refused to wear a ‘Kick It Out’
T-shirt this season and regretted it immediately. The issue
was sorted in private at the training ground the next day. Compare
that with Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, for example, who
constantly seems to criticise Mario Balotelli. Two different
methods. Who is to say which one is best?
ON MANAGING
MILLIONAIRES
SAF: We fine them,
but we keep it indoors. You can’t ever lose control — not when you
are dealing with 30 top professionals who are all millionaires. And
if anyone steps out of my control, that’s them dead.
IL: The speed at
which United hustled Roy Keane out of the door in 2005 shows how
quickly Ferguson moves when he feels one player has started to have
a negative effect on the rest. As for fines and internal
discipline, you can be sure it happens at United. It’s just that
they never tell anyone.
Shifted: Roy Keane was shown out of the door at Old
Trafford in 2005
ON UNITED’S YOUTH POLICY AND
LETTING OLD PLAYERS GO
SAF: The first
thought for 99 per cent of new managers is to make sure they win —
to survive. They bring experienced players in, often from their
previous clubs. But I think it is important to build a structure
for a football club, not just a football team. You need a
foundation. And there is nothing better than seeing a young player
make it to the first team. The idea is that the younger players
are developing and meeting the standards that the older
ones have set before. The hardest thing is to let go of a player
who has been a great guy. But all the evidence is on the football
field. If you see the change, the deterioration, you have to start
asking yourself what it is going to be like two years
ahead.
IL: Players like
Phil Neville and Nicky Butt — founder members of the modern United
— were both struck dumb when Ferguson told them their time was up
at Old Trafford. Did their manager and mentor make the right
decision, though? Absolutely.
ON AGGRESSIVE
PLAYERS
SAF: One of my
players has been sent off several times. He will do something if he
gets the chance — even in training. Can I take it out of him? No.
Would I want to take it out of him? No. If you take the aggression
out of him, he is not himself. So you have to accept that there is
a certain flaw that is counter-balanced by all the great things he
can do.
IL: So who is
Ferguson talking about? Almost certainly it is Paul Scholes. So
much for the theory that all the United midfielder’s tackles are
merely ‘mistimed’
ON TALENT AND HARD
WORK
SAF: I tell
players that hard work is a talent, too. They need to work harder
than anyone else. And if they can no longer bring the discipline
that we ask for here at United, they are out. I am only interested
in players who really want to play for United, and who,
like me, are bad losers.
IL: Ferguson’s
work ethic is legendary. He is at United’s training ground at 7am
every day. It’s his club and he sets the mood and the
standards. As for him being a bad loser, well, there are
referees across the land who will testify to this.
Experience: Veteran midfielder Paul Scholes has not
been tamed by Sir Alex
ON JOSE MOURINHO
SAF: He is very
intelligent, he has charisma, his players play for him, and he is a
good-looking guy. I think I have most of those things, too, apart
from his good looks. He’s got a confidence about himself, saying
‘We’ll win this’ and ‘I’m the Special One’. I could never come out
and say we’re going to win this game. It’s maybe a wee bit of my
Scottishness?
IL: It’s nothing
to do with being Scottish, Ferguson is merely too cute to brag
before he has achieved anything. Ferguson has always liked
Mourinho, ever since the two men first clashed in 2004. He
particularly admires and empathises with the Portuguese’s ability
to inspire and motivate players.
ON NAMING HIS TEAM
SAF: We never
reveal the team to the players until the day of the game. We think
of the media and the players’ agents. And my job is to give us the
best chance possible of winning the match, so why should we alert
our opponents to what our team is? For a three o’clock game, we
tell them at one o’clock.
IL: Ferguson is an
obsessive man and his obsession about his team line-ups leaking out
has long been high on the list. He got rid of one very high-profile
player, for example, because he suspected he had leaked
the team to the opposition before a big Champions League
game.
Sparring partners: Ferguson and Jose Mourinho have had
their fair share of battles over the years
ON DROPPING PLAYERS
SAF: I do it
privately. It’s not easy, but I do them all myself. It is
important. I have been dropped from a Cup final in Scotland as a
player at 10 past two, so I know what it feels like. I’m not ever
sure what they are thinking, but I tend to say: ‘Look, I might be
making a mistake here,’ — I always say that — ‘but I think this is
the best team for today.’ I try to give them a bit of
confidence, telling them that it is only tactical, and that there
are bigger games coming up.
IL: Some managers
tell players they are playing or not playing by text message.
Sometimes the old-fashioned ways really are the best.
ON GETTING READY FOR THE
HALF-TIME TEAM TALK
SAF: There are
maybe eight minutes between you coming up through the tunnel and
the referees calling you up on the pitch again, so it is vital to
use the time well. Everything is easier when you are winning: you
talk about concentrating, not getting complacent, and small things
you can address. But when you are losing, you know that you are
going to have to make an impact.
The last few minutes of the first half I’m always thinking
of what I’m going to say. I’m a little bit in a trance. I am
concentrating. I see other coaches take notes, but I don’t want to
miss any of the game. And I can’t imagine going into the dressing
room, looking at my notes, and saying: ‘Oh in the 30th minute, that
pass you took...'. I don’t think it’s going to impress the
players.
IL: Managers and
their bits of paper can look ridiculous. What do they write on
them? ‘In the second half we must try to score’? Each to their own,
of course, and it’s certainly the case that Ferguson’s coaches
write things down. Sometimes, though, your eyes are your best
tool.
Getting ready for the break: Ferguson prefers not to
take notes while watching
ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH DAVID
GILL AND THE GLAZERS
SAF: My best
relationship in this club is with David. Sometimes we disagree, but
we respect each other and we know that arguments are just
arguments. He’s very fair. The Glazers decide (on transfers). They
have generally been very supportive. The Glazers are very low-key.
If I owned United and they won the league, I would be over the
moon. I remember when I played with Rangers, when the directors
were under the shower with their clothes on, dancing about. But the
Glazers shook a few hands and had some photographs taken, that was
it.
IL: United fans
feel uncomfortable when they hear Ferguson talk so fondly of the
Glazers and that’s understandable. They don’t choose players, by
the way, they merely sanction, or otherwise, the spending.
Ferguson’s relationship with Gill, meanwhile, is the concrete on
which the club is built. I have had run-ins with both men but were
it not for Ferguson and Gill’s combined effectiveness, United
would have sunk during the years of Glazer ownership.
ON THE SHAPE OF THE
SEASON
SAF: We don’t
start the pre-season training at one hundred miles an hour. We do a
gradual build-up. And we’re not normally the strongest in the early
part of the season, but October is usually a month where we get
ourselves going again.
I always tell the players, every season, that if we
are within three points from the top come New Year’s Day, we’ve got
a great chance at the title.
IL: This is
interesting because United have tweaked pre-season routines in
recent years to try and keep pace with Chelsea and Manchester
City, who tend to come out of the blocks at lightning speed in
August. Ferguson realised United were getting caught cold and has
tried to address it. Mind you, they lost their opening game this
season...
Mr Motivator: Sir Alex has his own ways of getting the
best out of his players at Old Trafford
ON MOVING WITH THE
TIMES
SAF: Some managers
are ‘pleasing managers’. They let the players play 8-a-sides —
games they enjoy. But here, we look at the training sessions as
opportunities to learn and improve. Sometimes the players may
think: ‘Here we go again,’ but it helps to win. The message is
simple: we cannot sit still at this club.
IL: Ferguson
admires managers like Sam Allardyce, younger men who innovate to
improve. He is happy to take ideas from them. The club are
currently building a ‘sleep room’ and have installed tanning booths
at the training ground so players can top up their Vitamin D
levels.
ON PRACTISING FOR FERGIE
TIME
SAF: We practise
for when the going gets tough, so we know what it takes to be
successful in those situations.
IL: I have no idea
how you can replicate the pressure of added time but it
clearly works. Look at what happened in the Manchester derby
recently.
ON TELLING THE REFEREE ABOUT
FERGIE TIME
SAF: All I do is
point at my watch to help the referee make the right
decisions.
IL: Ferguson has
always intimidated referees, sometimes on purpose and other times
not. Has it worked? Occasionally.
Watch it: Fergie time is usually a good time to grab a
goal
ON HOW HAVING BEEN A PLAYER
HELPS HIM AS A MANAGER
SAF: Do you think
Rooney cares? He’ll laugh at me and say: ‘Boss, it was so long ago,
and in Scotland. Are they still part-timers up there?’
IL: Ferguson’s
success debunks the old myth that you need to be a successful
player to earn respect as a coach. It’s brains and not medals that
get the job done.
ON MELLOWING OVER THE
YEARS
SAF: Players live
more sheltered lives. They are more fragile than 25 years
ago. I used to be very aggressive. I am still very passionate and
want to win but I have mellowed. Age does that to
you.
IL: Try telling
this to Nani, David de Gea and Alex Buttner, all of whom have been
monstered by Ferguson in the United dressing room this
season.
Revealed:
The Fergie blueprint - Man United boss reveals secrets of his
success to Harvard academics
I want to
pass on my expertise to the next generation of bosses, explains
Fergie on decision to reveal all to Harvard
professors
Ferguson
installed tanning booths so United players could top up their
Vitamin D levels
ON LOSING THE TITLE TO
CITY
SAF: Another day
in the history of Manchester United, that’s all it was. It created
the drama that only United can produce. I’ve still got a wee bit of
anger in me, thinking of how we threw the league away last season.
My motivation to the players will be that we can’t let City
beat us twice in a row.
IL: This is
slightly disingenuous. The drama last May was largely created by
United’s neighbours across town. You can be sure of the anger he
still feels, though. Very sure.
Agony: Ferguson was on the pitch at Sunderland on the
final day of the season when Man City pipped United
ON WINNING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
AGAIN
SAF: We are in a
country where tribalism is rife so that puts tremendous
pressure on you to win your league. But the European Cup is the
biggest trophy. I made a mistake last season in Europe. I
played too many young players and we went out. It was a
shock.
IL: Ferguson is
obsessed with winning the Champions League again. Defeats by
Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 hurt him more than he ever really lets
on. He still refuses to talk about 2009.
ON A GLASS OF WINE WITH THE
OPPOSITION MANAGER
SAF: You have to
get the game out of your system quickly or it becomes an obsession.
Win, lose or draw. We show our face and keep our dignity. We are
Manchester United.
IL: Some of
Ferguson’s post-match TV comments can lack the dignity he talks
about, but he isn’t alone there. He does always offer visiting
managers a drink, though. One of the reasons Arsenal’s Arsene
Wenger is shown so little warmth by Premier League bosses is that
he has never embraced this tradition.
Unpopular: Arsene Wenger never sticks around for a
drink with other bosses
A few other choice
cuts...
ON TACTICS
SAF: Tactics can
change depending on whom we are playing I tend to concentrate on
one or two players of my opponents—the ones that are the most
influential. Who’s the guy who is taking all the free kicks? Who’s
the guy who’s on the ball all the time? Who’s the one urging
everyone on?
The rest of the time I concentrate on our own team. On
Friday we take our players through a video analysis of our
opponents: their strengths, their weaknesses, their set-pieces,
what their team is likely to be, and so on.
On Saturday, we might give them another, shorter
version—just a recap of the previous day.
ON PEP GUARDIOLA
SAF: Guardiola is
an impressive guy. He’s brought about change in Barcelona, urging
the team to always work hard to get the ball back within seconds
after losing it. They are gifted but work hard. It was a fantastic
achievement. He elevated the status of his players.
Pep talk: United boss Ferguson was impressed by the way
Guardiola transformed Barcelona
ON THE HAIR-DRYER
SAF: You can’t
always come in shouting and screaming. That doesn’t work. No one
likes to get criticized. But in the football dressing room, it’s
necessary that you point out your players’ mistakes.
I do it right after the game. I don’t wait until Monday, I
do it, and it’s finished. I’m on to the next match. There is no
point in criticizing a player forever.
ON HOW BEING A PLAYER HELPS HIM
AS MANAGER
SAF: Do you think
Rooney cares? He’ll laugh at me and say “Boss, it was so long ago,
and in Scotland. Are they still part-timers up there?'"
