Back in 1999, roughly halfway through his reign at Manchester United, the newly-knighted Sir Alex Ferguson granted FourFourTwo a rare interview at UnitedâÂÂs then training ground, The Cliff. In it he speaks about the future of his Treble-winning team, how he stays motivated after achieving so much, and what he looks for in a player.
Talking openly of âÂÂthe family feelâ at United, Fergie acknowledges how his authority had been established through âÂÂtime and controlâÂÂ. Clearly he recognises the value of continuity within the team and club: âÂÂThe one thing a player always respects is when he knows the manager is going to be his manager the next day.âÂÂ
However, when a team struggles, uncertainty about a managerâÂÂs future âÂÂdilutes the control of the whole place.â It is a feeling that he admits to experiencing first-hand, thinking back to his darkest days in 1989 and describing âÂÂthe unavoidable feeling, percolating throughout the team and the clubâ that his influence was on the wane.
The interview is a fascinating look back on an exciting time at United, especially with the benefit of hindsight. Ferguson speaks of how the club expected âÂÂthe likes of Scholes and Butt and Beckham and the Nevilles and Giggs to be peaking in the next five years.âÂÂ
On the other hand, FergusonâÂÂs attitude towards wages shows how different things were at the tail-end of the last century. Noting how "until this summer United's wage structure limited its playersâ basic pay to around a million pounds a yearâ â now roughly a month's wage for Wayne Rooney â he fears being left behind financially by Italian clubs, perhaps not envisaging the financial power rival English clubs would come to wield.
Ferguson's somewhat guarded approach to the media means that in-depth interviews with this managerial legend have been scarce. It's a fascinating piece, yet another we've uploaded from the magazine to the ever-expanding online archive. Enjoyâ¦
Sir Alex Ferguson speaks to FourFourTwo, Nov 1999
FFT's interview archive
