Manchester United's Alex Ferguson...
A Coach Who Stands Above Them All
By DAVID WALDSTEIN, NYT
Long before he started filling up Manchester United’s trophy cases and long before he became a household name in much of the world, if not necessarily the United States, Alex Ferguson was doing remarkable things as the soccer coach of the modest team St. Mirren in Scotland.
He took over for that also-ran club in 1974, and in 1977 he led it to a title in the first division, one rung below the top league. Not bad.
In 1978, he moved to Aberdeen, a well-respected Scottish club but hardly the match of Celtic and Rangers, the perennial powers. Still, in 1983 he achieved the remarkable, leading Aberdeen to a European title — the Cup Winners’ Cup — over the Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. In all, he helped Aberdeen to three Scottish league titles.
That alone would make for a distinguished coaching career. But what he went on to do in nearly 27 years at the helm of mighty Manchester United would seem to make him a candidate for the title of greatest coach, or manager, in history — not only in soccer, but in any sport on any continent.
In the United States, of course, many would point to Phil Jackson, with his 11 N.B.A. titles with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. Or they might single out Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel, who each won seven World Series as the manager of the Yankees. Or they might even pick Connie Mack, who amazingly managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 seasons — in a jacket and tie, no less.
(More here.)
Long before he started filling up Manchester United’s trophy cases and long before he became a household name in much of the world, if not necessarily the United States, Alex Ferguson was doing remarkable things as the soccer coach of the modest team St. Mirren in Scotland.
He took over for that also-ran club in 1974, and in 1977 he led it to a title in the first division, one rung below the top league. Not bad.
In 1978, he moved to Aberdeen, a well-respected Scottish club but hardly the match of Celtic and Rangers, the perennial powers. Still, in 1983 he achieved the remarkable, leading Aberdeen to a European title — the Cup Winners’ Cup — over the Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. In all, he helped Aberdeen to three Scottish league titles.
That alone would make for a distinguished coaching career. But what he went on to do in nearly 27 years at the helm of mighty Manchester United would seem to make him a candidate for the title of greatest coach, or manager, in history — not only in soccer, but in any sport on any continent.
In the United States, of course, many would point to Phil Jackson, with his 11 N.B.A. titles with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. Or they might single out Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel, who each won seven World Series as the manager of the Yankees. Or they might even pick Connie Mack, who amazingly managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 seasons — in a jacket and tie, no less.
(More here.)
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