Talk:Alex Ferguson/Archive 3

Edit request from 195.59.127.194, 31 May 2011
Ferguson is described as a 'Striker'. While this is modern parlance for an attacking player who regularly scores goals, the role has changed since Ferguson's playing days. He was an old-fashioned 'Centre Forward' who led the line, wore the number 9 shirt, and was in the vanguard of his team's attacks on the opposition goal. Therefore, the word 'Striker' should be deleted and 'Centre Forward' substituted for historical accuracy. Thanks. David Nettleton.

195.59.127.194 (talk) 08:31, 31 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Got a reliable source to back that up? — James (Talk • Contribs) • 10:17pm • 12:17, 31 May 2011 (UTC)

Scorer for 1998 Champions league
The 2nd goal scored was by ole gunnar solksjaer. NOT paul scholes.

Jermywormy
 * Are you sure you're not looking at the FA Cup final scorers? – PeeJay 15:49, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

Edit request
Honours; Managerial;

Last line: "20 consecutive seasons, Since the 1991–92 season." Shouldn't be a capital "S" on since. 86.177.170.54 (talk) 10:16, 22 July 2011 (UTC)
 * ✅. Well spotted, doom gaze   (talk)  10:27, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from Narrowdog, 12 August 2011
Under "Managing Manchester United" > "Appointment and first years", change paragraph 9 to: ...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 by Pete Molyneux, and many journalists and supporters called for Ferguson to be sacked.

Referenced from: The Alex Ferguson Story (Part 2), ITV, Tuesday 22 September 1998  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNsAPwwboIE

Narrowdog (talk) 13:57, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

– HonorTheKing (talk) 14:22, 12 August 2011 (UTC)
 * ❌, please give a reliable source that Pete Molyneux was the person behind the banner.

Edit request
Add sentence to 10 Honours...10.2 Managerial Section.

In 2011 to celebrate his 25 year tenure as manager of Manchester United, the North Stand of Old Trafford was renamed in his honour to the 'Sir Alex Ferguson Stand'.

...or something to that effect. Maybe it could be put in at the top instead? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Daedulun (talk • contribs) 23:20, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

– HonorTheKing (talk) 02:52, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

rivalry with wenger
has somebody a statistic on the match-up score between the two? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Paranoid Android1208 (talk • contribs) 16:29, 22 January 2012 (UTC)

– HonorTheKing (talk) 22:07, 23 January 2012 (UTC)
 * You can use Arsenal F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry as a guide. with Wenger joined Arsenal on 30 September 1996, and the two never met against eachother apart from Arsenal–United games.

error in summary
The summary should be corrected to read

"He was knighted in 1999 for his contributions to the Labour party". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.25.211.43 (talk) 16:55, 22 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Is that meant to be tongue-in-cheek? No categorical evidence that his allegiance to Labour played a part in the Queen's decision. Was knighted for his services to football. See here or here. – Lemonade51 (talk) 19:08, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

Ferguson Buying Shares in Accrington Stanley
Sir Alex Ferguson has become Accrington stanley's 500th Shareholder, this should be mentioned somewhere as Ferguson is helping promote the club in their hour of need. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.137.130.27 (talk) 17:17, 13 February 2012 (UTC)

CBE? KBE?
The first sentence - Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE (born 31 December 1941) - shouldn't it be KBE instead of CBE as mentioned in "10.4 Orders and special awards"? Sophiayq.gu (talk) 06:39, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
 * The KBE is represented by the sir I think. He also has a CBE. Secretlondon (talk) 13:57, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
 * You're both wrong. Alex Ferguson is a Knight Bachelor (KB), not a Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). He is also a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), which means he is referred to as Sir Alex Ferguson CBE. – PeeJay 15:57, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
 * You are right. He is Knight Bachelor, the abbreviation of which shall be "Kt." Would you mind edit the 10.4 line again? Sophiayq.gu (talk) 09:32, 1 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Done. – PeeJay 12:04, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Number of games Ferguson has managed Manchester United.
Sir Alex has being in charge of Manchester United for 1,497 games with a record of 894 wins, 337 Draws and 266 Defeats, not 1,496 games as according to the official Manchester United Stat's website http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/managers/ferguson.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.2.237.90 (talk) 20:44, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Adding of the information that he has retiered
'Adding of the information that he has retired' PLEASE ADD THAT HE IS NOW RETIRED IMMEDIATELY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BEFORE! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Apurv1999 (talk • contribs) 10:53, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Chill out, dude. He hasn't retired yet, he is retiring at the end of the season. Cheers. – PeeJay 12:31, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, he's going to do it at the end of the season.

More refs for rebuilding section
Queiroz, Blanc, Rio, van der Sar. 85.167.111.116 (talk) 22:10, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

26 or 27 years as manager?
Ferguson became the manager of Manchester United in November 1986. He will not have reached 27 years in the job at the time of his retirement. The mathematics of 2013 - 1986 = 27 is misleading. The BBC has got it right and gives 26 years as manager.-- ♦Ian Ma c M♦  (talk to me) 17:23, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Very true, though worth noting: he will have managed 27 seasons at United at the end of this one. --Mosmof (talk) 03:30, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

If you want to get technical. He has served as Man Utd Boss for 26 years 7 months by the time he steps down. 146.90.74.244 (talk) 07:20, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

As the article is blocked...
I will post it here. This [BBC story about Ferguson contains some good vignettes that could be woven into this article. I particularly liked the one where he came on for St Mirren in a pre-season warm up in Guyana and kicked the shit out of some centre backs who had been hurting his players. Respect. [[Special:Contributions/86.177.63.27|86.177.63.27]] (talk) 16:05, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

Bob Paisley
Despite his record, Alex Ferguson is still striving to match Bob Pailey's record of 13 major trophies in 9 seasons. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.8.224.196 (talk) 21:53, 28 May 2011 (UTC)

As pointed out above Sir Alex Ferguson has not won 13 major trophies in 9 seasons but Ferguson has also achieved numerous feats that Paisley didn't achieve in his career as highlighted below:

Ferguson- Man.utd- 12 Leagues, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 9 Charity Shields, 2 U.E.F.A. Champions Leagues, 1 Cup Winner's Cup 1 U.E.F.A. Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 F.I.F.A. Club World Cup (36) Aberdeen- 3 Leagues, 4 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, 1 Cup Winner's Cup, 1 U.E.F.A. Super Cup (10) ST.Mirren- 1 Scottish First Division(1)to give Ferguson 33 major trophies and 47 competitive trophies overall

Paisley - 6 leagues, 3 League Cups, 5 Charity Shields, 1 UEFA Cup, 3 European Cups, 1 UEFA Super Cup (19)to give Paisley 13 major trophies and 19 trophies overall.

By the same token you could say Paisley will never win as many major trophies or competitive trophies as Ferguson and Paisley will never win the same amount of League Championships, FA Cups or win as many professional games in management as Ferguson. The only upperhand Paisley has on Ferguson is that he has won one more European cup/Champions League than Ferguson, though Ferguson has reached one more final and could yet equal Paisley record in the future.217.137.130.27 (talk) 21:00, 30 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Whoever wrote this illogical crap is a complete idiot. Aside from "statistics", Fergie and "Uncle Bob" got along extremely well and were never in direct competition. The facts are that Liverpool faded post-Hillsborough and, under Fergie, the MUFC star rose and shone. Until Fergie in 1994, MUFC did not win the title for 27 seasons and it looks as if Liverpool are about to emulate that. Why can't so-called football supporters support football instead of trying to score brownie points and confirming the view of all intelligent persons that they are a set of brain-dead morons? Enjoy the game, cretins, and never mind who won what in 199x. --109.156.147.92 (talk) 21:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 16 May 2013
Nbello0015 (talk) 13:40, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Sir Alex First Signing was Viv Anderson and his last signing was wilfried zaha alhphabetically  VW and AZ what a style of finishing his managerial Carear which should be add to his page
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: The signing of Viv Anderson is already included in the article. If you want the signing of Zaha included, please provide a reliable source and explain why that particular player is relevant enough to the article on Alex Ferguson to include it. Simply including it to get an "A-to-Z" comment into the article won't get it done for you (per WP:SYNTH, WP:TRIVIA, and probably a few other things). Thanks, -- El Hef  ( Meep ? ) 13:53, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

"Fergie"
The usage of Fergie is under discussion at Talk:Fergie (singer) -- 65.94.76.126 (talk) 05:24, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Citation for playing in friendly
Article is blocked to edit, so leaving note here. Under category "appointment and first years" a citation is need for Ferguson playing for Man U in a friendly against Somerset. Here's a link to the official Man U website discussing it.--Halmass (talk) 13:07, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 17 September 2013
To remove the mention of David Cameron saying "Ferguson is a remarkable man" in the retirement paragraph. That adds nothing to this article and sounds like political marketing. The paragraph would then be as follow: — Preceding unsigned comment added by Weeollyw (talk • contribs) 16:43, 17 September 2013 (UTC) Retirement On 8 May 2013, Ferguson announced that he was to retire as manager at the end of the football season, but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. The Guardian announced it was the "end of an era", while UEFA president Michel Platini said that Ferguson was "a true visionary". Former Manchester United players Paul Ince and Bryan Robson agreed that Ferguson would be "a hard act to follow". Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer said "His determination to succeed and dedication to the club have been truly remarkable." Ferguson revealed that he had in fact decided that he was going to retire back in December 2012 and that it had been very difficult not to reveal his plans.

Weeollyw (talk) 16:32, 17 September 2013 (UTC)


 * I haven't done this. I believe the intention of the comment is to show the level of attention that Ferguson's retirement attracted ie that the Prime Minister of the time commented on it. --Super Nintendo Chalmers (talk) 11:40, 30 September 2013 (UTC)

1986 image
The of this image are very sketchy, and the small size (169 × 283 pixels) suggests that it may be a copyvio. Further detail is needed here.-- ♦Ian Ma c M♦  (talk to me) 05:55, 22 October 2013 (UTC)


 * It is a crop from this image, which looks almost certainly to be a press photo. This image has been removed unless clearer attribution is given.-- ♦Ian Ma c M♦  (talk to me) 06:05, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

Keys to his Success
I wish to propose a new section, "Keys to his Success". I am referring to Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph, Losing title to City was biggest blow of my 27-year reign, 21 Oct 2013, Total Football, p F1, Online but as Paul Hayward is the co-author of My Autobiography, the same things should be findable there:


 * Huge ambition and will to succeed.


 * Strong father-son relationship to his players.


 * Economy of language (makes a leader more forceful).


 * Total control of the club, forcefully leading it to the top. "Back me or sack me".


 * Demanded obedience but not conformity or subservience.


 * Knew when to stop.

I think Ferguson set a wonderful example to those who hope to lead and this section (reviewed and revised by others) would be a useful summary and a fine memorial to his career (so far).

Budhen (talk) 14:14, 21 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure that's appropriate. This is supposed to be a biography, not an elegy. – PeeJay 16:11, 21 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Well it's certainly a biography. But a biography surely is more than just a catalogue of what happened. The continued success of this man shows that he has a strong personality which repeatedly shaped those around him into outstanding winners. The article deserves some analysis of his methods, just as a player's biography would analyze his playing style and skills. Perhaps the answer is to use the autobiographies of his players and the writing of other journalists to find out what qualities are widely agreed to be present in this man's leadership style. Budhen (talk) 13:49, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

The 'hairdryer treatment'
Given how famous that description of Ferguson's method is, it's a shame we can't get it into this article somewhere. Maybe we should have a section on 'Phrases associated with Ferguson' (the article already mentions 'Fergie time', 'squeaky bum time' and 'football, bloody hell'), or one on his management style. Robofish (talk) 22:27, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

Freedoms of the City/Borough
Should they not be included in the honours, somewhere? He has the Freedoms of Aberdeen (1999), Glasgow (1999), Manchester (2000) and Trafford (2013). The entire article only mentions the Aberdeen honour.  VEO one five 06:45, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Feel free to include it. One thing I have noticed is this article's in dire need of a cleanup; I've just started to rewrite his recollection of the treble season and retirement u-turn. If this can ever get to GA or even FA standard, it needs to be restructured with clear themes as Ferguson has done with his autobiography (Relations with others: media, other managers, former players; Managerial style: "mind games", hairdryer treatment) instead of the vague controversies and listing everything chronologically. Lemonade51 (talk) 19:21, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

Percentage win rate as manager
The Maths doesn't add up for the % win rate, it is given as 58.14, should be 49.13?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tonykellyuk (talk • contribs) 20:13, 27 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Where do you get that idea? 1253 / 2155 = 0.5814, does it not? – PeeJay 23:39, 27 February 2014 (UTC)

It includes drwan probably

Honorary Degrees
Sir Alex Ferguson recently received his 9th honorary degree.

Surely a man with 9 honorary Phd's needs to have that mentioned in his esteemed biography

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2250459/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-Harvard-Manchester-United-boss-honorary-degrees.html

Please kindly view & consider giving this man his due recognition in this manner of his achievements as well.

Thank you

Dave Singh Glasgow, Scotland — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.171.134.150 (talk) 12:38, 3 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Not one of those honorary degrees is a PhD, so I don't know where you're getting that from. – PeeJay 13:29, 3 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Isn't "honorary" a very polite way of saying "pretend"? I'm not sure if picking up a piece of paper that doesn't make you a doctor counts as an "achievement", especially for someone who's won a few hardware as manager. Mosmof (talk) 14:16, 3 April 2014 (UTC)

Managerial stats
I spent last night correcting them for his time in Scotland, a lot of them seemed well off to other sources. I do have a couple of queries:
 * Spring Cup – The competition only lasted for one season, following the reorganisation of the Scottish league structure from 1975–76. It is seen as a precursor to the Scottish Challenge Cup, competed between clubs in tiers 2 and 3 as they were left with fewer league games after the reshuffle.  I have omitted them for now but should we include the stats for this competition, yea or nay?
 * {| class="wikitable" border="1"

! ! Pld ! W ! D ! L ! GF ! GA
 * St. Mirren
 * 9
 * 6
 * 0
 * 3
 * 21
 * 5
 * }
 * }


 * Aberdeen – Article says he joined in June 1978 and was in contact with the club whilst he was at St. Mirren, however the table says he joined in August.

 VEO one five 13:04, 6 April 2014 (UTC)

Admired and Respected
I'd dispute the statement about him being admired and respected mentioned in the first few paragraphs. In my family we were sick of the man's behaviour moaning about referees despite some of the most scandalous decisions ever regularly going in his team's favour and also seem to remember it was a regular thing that there'd be no post match interview from him if they lost and someone like Phelan would be trotted out. Amongst fans of other clubs there's a large number of people who I would say didn't and don't admire or respect him. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.41.225.252 (talk) 00:05, 31 December 2014 (UTC)
 * You and your mates are one thing, but Ferguson was remarkably well respected among the football community. – PeeJay 13:21, 31 December 2014 (UTC)

Number of trophies won by Alex Ferguson
At one point in the article it says "He has won 49 trophies as a manager, making him the most successful British football manager in history."

yet, it seems to me that he actually won 50 (1 with St. Mirren, 11 with Aberdeen and 38 with Man. Utd.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:304:CDBE:4AD0:7DF1:2B97:D689:517F (talk) 06:28, 19 April 2015 (UTC)
 * The trophy with St. Mirren was the Scottish Football League First Division championship, which was the second tier of the Scottish football league system at the time. Yes it was a trophy, but it was not possible for any of the top level clubs to win that trophy without themselves being relegated in the previous season. Whereas all of the other trophies were open for top level clubs (in Scotland with Aberdeen or England with Man Utd) to win, or to at least stop him from winning by preventing qualification (Charity Shields, European trophies). Jmorrison230582 (talk) 16:38, 27 September 2015 (UTC)