Alex Ferguson’s influence on English football is unmatched and more complex than it might appear at first glance.
Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles in the 27-year Ferguson era, adding a pair of Champions League wins and a vast collection of domestic cups. The Red Devils were feared for decades and everything they touched turned to silver.
Beneath the surface, Ferguson helped to nurture a generation of managers. Many of them played under him at Old Trafford but others did not. Ferguson’s willingness to offer advice and guidance to managers making their way in the game is legendary.
"He came straight over and gave me his number"
Sean Dyche was among them. After a short spell in charge of Watford, where he had been a player, Dyche was appointed by Burnley in 2012 and spent the next 10 years in charge at Turf Moor.
Ferguson extended his generosity to the rookie boss.
“It started very quickly,” said Dyche on The Good, The Bad & The Football, in partnership with Midnite.
“I went to a charity gig just after [landing] the Burnley job and to be fair, to his credit, [Ferguson] came straight over and gave me his number.
“It wasn’t really mentoring because that presupposed as though he was ringing me all the time. It wasn’t like that.”
The Clarets have a proud history of success but Dyche was responsible for their biggest modern achievements, leading them to the Premier League in 2014 and again, as Championship winners, two years later.
“He did give me a brilliant bit of advice,” said Dyche.
“When we were pushing for promotion the first time at Burnley and we got to about March, I was thinking, ‘How much longer can we keep this [promotion charge] going?’
“I was fearful it was going to hit the wall. So I rang him and I said, ‘What do you think?’
“He said: ‘Tell everyone how fit you are, how strong you are, and how you’re going to be relentless this season. I said that about Manchester United and I had no foundation – I just put it out there. Keep saying it, and saying it, and saying it.’”
Inspired by Dyche and facilitated by 21 league goals from Danny Ings, Burnley won automatic promotion in second place behind Leicester City, ending the 2013-14 season with 93 points and finishing eight points clear of Derby County in third.
They lost just two Championship matches after the turn of the year, both at home, and started 2014 on an unbeaten run of 15 league games.
“We just kept winning, and winning, and winning,” recalled the former Burnley boss.
Dyche’s team were relegated from the Premier League in the following season but won the Championship – again with 93 points – in 2015-16. They remained in the top flight until 2022 and were relegated weeks after Dyche was sacked.
Burnley have been promoted or relegated in every season since.
