STRAIGHT TALK
Steve McMahon
Football managers tend to come and go with embarrassing ease these days in the result-orientated business of football.
But there is one man who has stood the test of time. He is none other than Sir Alex Ferguson who has virtually won everything there is to be won as a manager.
When I was first starting out in the dug-out, I have always sought his advice. And whenever I have spoken to him, he has given me very good advice.
To be honest, it's always about players and loaning players. At the level I was managing, I was never in the position to buy players for millions with my budget. I just wanted to loan players. He would then tell me about which player is ready to come over on-loan or which player is mature enough to handle the pressure. He would tell you straight up and let me know who else was available.
The best thing about Sir Alex is he always returns your call. If he was not available at that moment in time, he would always return your call.
He wouldn't tell me how to do my job because everybody's different. But you just get a good vibe with his honesty - he tells it like it is. Probably the best compliment to me is that Ferguson is willing to loan players out to me because our teams played with the same style which suited their learning process.
So Manchester United were more willing to loan out their youngsters to us to gain the right experience and play in the right way as well.
Ferguson is also someone who knows his game inside out. He's learned over the years how to deal with players and their egos. It's also an open secret that he's a fantastic motivator..
The Scot portrays a far more relaxed demeanor nowadays. I try to have a word with him whenever the ESPN STAR Sports team goes to England to do a live shoot. He looks so calm and you can tell he has mellowed a little. That's understandable because you have to stay mellow in this day and age. He's dealing with players from around the world - for instance the treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo. He treats players differently. He doesn't treat everyone the same. He has his own discipline for different players and that's what you must do.
For his part, there have been lots of great signings and there have been some less so. But what was Ferguson's best signing? It's a difficult one but I have got to go for the Frenchman Eric Cantona. He was a different player and boy was he a controversial character. You've got to give Ferguson credit for taking a chance on such a notorious player and he handled him very well. What's more the striker cost pittance. Just look at the titles United won when he came on board. So I mean he was a bad boy if you like and Ferguson took a chance and crafted a fine player out of him.
I don't know if Ferguson's experience as a professional footballer helped him. He was a decent player I have to admit. But I have to say it definitely benefited me by playing it week-in, week-out and training under great managers like Kenny Daglish - it does help in one way or another. I always like to say there is no substitute for experience.
It also helps to have a bit of luck as well. I am sure everyone - including United fans - remembers the early years of Ferguson's reign. He was under tremendous pressure to find success after the first three barren years.
He didn't have that long left and suddenly results came and he turned it around.
After surviving a potential FA Cup third round upset by Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in 1989, United went on to win the FA Cup that season.
Ferguson has not gotten that close to the sack ever since. That's an amazing story because he has now been around for twenty odd years with 500 top-flight wins in England under his belt. Fair play to Manchester United. They have stuck by him and now he's repaid them.
So, I salute Sir Alex Ferguson, who has consistently stood at the summit of his profession, as one of the true champions of the game.
Former Liverpool and England midfielder Steve McMahon is an ESPN football analyst.
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