Sir Alex Ferguson has taken aim at those who claim he left
behind an ageing squad at Old Trafford by insisting that it was an “insult” to
suggest he left the club in anything other than rude health. The former
Manchester United manager also bemoaned Louis van Gaal’s bad luck with injuries
that had left the Dutchman taking “one step forward and two steps back” and the
side “fragile at the back”.
But he said he had “no doubt” that Van Gaal was the right
man for the job and had “the stubbornness and the determination” to put things
right.
At an event at London’s Theatre Royal to promote the release
of the updated paperback version of his autobiography, Ferguson said he left
behind the core of a successful squad when he handed the reins to David Moyes
at the end of the 2012-13 season.
Asked about the suggestion that his final league title was
the last hurrah of an ageing squad, Ferguson said: “That’s an insult. We won
the title by 11 points. We could have won by more if we hadn’t had that blip
against West Brom.”
Ferguson said that he left behind a nucleus of young players
including David de Gea, Rafael and Fábio da Silva, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling,
Jonny Evans and Danny Welbeck.
“Then there were the older players; you’re talking about
guys like Van Persie, Carrick, Evra, Vidic,” said Ferguson, who was lightly
grilled by the actor and lifelong Manchester United fan James Nesbitt over 90
minutes. “The early 30s today are your peak, the way they are training today,
the modern pitches,” he added, referring to the fact that both goals in United’s
draw with Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday were scored by strikers in their
thirties.
He said the charge that he had left behind an ageing squad
was “an easy one to defend because the facts are all there”.
Exploring the extra chapters that he added to his
autobiography, covering the troubled 10-month tenure of Moyes and the
subsequent appointment of Van Gaal, he maintained that the former Everton
manager had made a mistake in not retaining the services of his assistant Mike
Phelan.
“I thought he should have kept Mike Phelan,” he said. “He
was one of these real United men. He was loyal, hard-working and a good judge
of things happening with the players. He [Moyes] wanted to bring in his own
staff. That’s fine. My only advice in those early days was to keep Mike
Phelan.”
But he predicted that Moyes would go on to have a successful
career and would be stronger for his ill-starred experience at Old Trafford.
“He’s a decent manager, a hard working guy, he’ll do well.
There’s a lot of managers who have faced adversity and done well,” said
Ferguson, citing Carlo Ancelotti’s post-Chelsea haul of trophies and Ron
Atkinson’s experience at Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa after leaving
Manchester United.
Ferguson also attempted to give an insight into what had
made him the most successful manager in United’s history with 13 league titles,
pointing out that on the six occasions his side had finished second in the
league they had gone on to reclaim the title the following season.
“Complacency is a disease. If you get complacent during
games or during a run you’re going to suffer,” he said, before listing his
prerequisites for success: “Intensity. Speed. Concentration. Work ethic.”
Ferguson admitted selling Jaap Stam was a “mistake”, said
his best signing over his 27 years was not Ryan Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo but
the Carrington training complex and that the worst present he ever bought his
wife Cathy was a pair of moon boots.
He listed the qualities of each of the “Class of 92” in
great detail, saying that they gave United a DNA for success.
But over 90 minutes, the only passing mention of his former
captain Roy Keane – who has been liberally distributing his views on Ferguson
as part of his own book tour – was to bemoan a goal that he once had
disallowed. As with most things during his career, this was an event conducted
entirely on Ferguson’s own terms.
Asked whether he had any regrets, he concluded: “No regrets.
Always look forward to tomorrow. Whatever happens.”
Source-The Guardian
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