Manchester United won the lot under Sir Alex Ferguson, who pushed his players to high levels, year after year in a relentless pursuit of trophies.
There were many great aspects about Sir Alex Ferguson‘s management. One was his ability and desire to reinvent teams, and ensure no player got too comfortable.
Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles for Manchester United, and while he was blessed with many great players he managed, he built those teams and turned the players into the stars they became.
The Scotsman’s method of management was also perfect for his era. Former player Rio Ferdinand has questioned whether today’s players are too soft to cope with the pressure Sir Alex Ferguson would have put them under.
Ryan Giggs and David Beckham feared playing on Sir Alex Ferguson’s side
Ryan Giggs and David Beckham were two of the greatest wingers to ever play for Manchester United, with their own very distinct styles.
Giggs was the type of winger who used to thrive on dribbling past opponents, while Beckham was more renowned for his pinpoint deliveries, in-play and from set pieces. Together they gave United different types of threats and were both hugely successful at Old Trafford.
Yet one trait they shared, according to Ferdinand, was a fear of playing on the side of the pitch shared with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferdinand told Five: “I remember on the sidelines, Giggsy and Becks used to say ‘I hate being on the manager’s side. ‘
“‘Why what you talking about?’, ‘the manager’s there man, he’s on you the whole half on that side’.
“If your on that side of the pitch, he gets out that dugout and puts it on you. And if you don’t run back and chase the full-back for the whole half, you might not come out the second half.
Ferdinand added that he was taken aback by the fact Giggs and Beckham had been so successful prior to his own arrival at Manchester United in 2002, and were still petrified of getting on Ferguson’s bad side.
He commented: “This was Becks and Giggsy, they were probably five of six Premier Leagues deep at that time. Won five or six Premier Leagues, and he was shook to be on the same side as Sir Alex Ferguson, just in case the full-back outrun him, or got beyond him going the other way.”
Modern day Manchester United players, football has changed
Sir Alex Ferguson had a ruthless approach as manager where he encouraged competition within the squad, and if a player was no longer performing, in a match or across the season, he would ship them out.
There has been a big shift over the past decade towards ‘player power’, and Ferdinand questions whether the current Manchester United squad would be able to cope with the pressure and criticism Ferguson used to apply.
Ferdinand said: “I don’t know if these man are getting that. I don’t know if that fear’s there. Or are we are in a time where your not meant to make players fear, from a manager’s perspective?”
The issue of player power v manager power has been debated intensely at Manchester United through the years, particularly with Jose Mourinho, who tried to rule with a Ferguson-type approach and ended up being sacked.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was viewed as being too soft, fairly or not, while Erik ten Hag has pushed a strict disciplinarian approach, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho can attest to.
But is Ten Hag the type of manager to scream and rave at his wingers, Ferguson style from the touchline?
Beckham and Giggs would have had an easier ride, that’s for sure. Would they have been the same players without Ferguson pushing them? Possibly not.