Alex Ferguson: May 31, 1999 issue of New Thinking

May 31, 1999 New Thinking:
Alex Ferguson

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May 31, 1999

Alex Ferguson

By Gerry McGovern

For those of you who don’t already know, Alex Ferguson is the manager of the Manchester United Football Club. For those of you who don’t know, Manchester United (Man United) on Wednesday 26th May 1999, won a unique football treble: The European Cup, The English Premiership and the English FA Cup. It was an amazing achievement won in amazing style by an amazing team. It was, quite literally, the stuff that dreams are made of.

But there is something even more amazing than this particular achievement. It is that in an age whose very meat increasingly seems to be hype, and short-term action for short-term gain, Man United achieved through long-term vision and planning. Money alone didn’t buy the treble for Man United. Time, wisdom, strategic thinking, a focus on developing young talent, total commitment and a never-say-die attitude did. Sure, Man United spent big, but that was only part of the equation for success.

Alex Ferguson is a driven man. A man who knows what he wants, sticks to his plans and is prepared to wait and let things mature. He is known to have a ferocious temper. He drives everyone around him very hard; expects nothing but total commitment from his players. His players know that he will stand by them, that he will never ridicule them in public, that he will defend them to the last. He has time-honored qualities, often derided in this shiny, new age.

One evening, Ryan Giggs’ mother opened her front door. There was a man there who wanted her son to play for Man United. His name was Alex Ferguson. She knew that Man United was a great club, but Ferguson’s presence told her something more important; that the manager cared enough to come to her home.

The ‘good old days’ had as many bad days and bad ways. Today, is a great time to be alive. But those of us lucky to play a part in this great period of change should not dismiss the past out of hand. Because there are values that are as valuable today as they ever were.

Alex Ferguson became manager of Man United in 1986. After three years, he had brought the club no major success. Many were calling for him to resign. But the board of Man United held resolute, looked to the future. In 1990 came their first major title but it was not until 1994 that the planning and the patience truly began to pay off. That’s a long time to wait in football, a sport notorious for getting rid of managers who do not deliver immediate success.

With our Internet stocks frenzy and our quarter by quarter expectations, it is easy to forget that a year isn’t really all that long, that five years isn’t really all that long. Substance grows slowly. Solidity needs to settle. Style is a finely honed art. Success can take time.

Man United have proven that sporting (and commercial) success of unheralded proportions can still be achieved in the age of the press release, by the time-honored practices of perseverance, self-belief and attention to detail.

Gerry McGovern

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Success of unheralded proportions can still be achieved in the age of the press release, by the time-honored practices of perseverance, self-belief and attention to detail.