Autobiography. Autobiography of Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson my autobiography fb2

Dedicated to Bridget,

sister Katie, true support and best friend

My Autobiography

First published in the English language in 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton, an Hachette UK Company

Published with permission from Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. with the assistance of the literary agency Synopsis Literary Agency

Copyright © Sir Alex Ferguson 2013

Endpapers © Sean Pollock, © Phil Richards/Mirrorpix (front, b & w) and © Man Utd/Getty Images (back, b & w)

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank many people for their help in creating this book.

First, credit must go to my editor, Roddy Bloomfield, and his assistant, Kate Miles. Roddy's vast experience and support were a real boon for me, and Kate's diligence and diligence made this a great team.

Paul Hayward was a true professional and very easy to work with. He kept me on track and did a brilliant job of piecing together my scattered memories. I'm very pleased with the way he presented them in this book.

Photographer Sean Pollock, who took photographs over four years, also created something amazing. His relaxed and careful shooting style was completely unobtrusive and at the same time allowed him to capture everything he wanted.

My lawyer, Les Dalgarno, advised me on several occasions during the writing of this book. He is my most trusted and loyal advisor and true friend.

In general, there were many more people who helped me work on the book. I really appreciate their efforts and it has been a real pleasure to work with such a great team.

Thanks for the photo materials

Action Images, Mirrorpix, Popperfoto/Getty Images, Reuters/Action Images, Rex Features, SMG/Press Association, SNS Group, Simon Bellis/Reuters/Action Images, Roy Beardsworth/Offside, Jason Cairnduff/Livepic/Action Images, Eddie Keogh/ Reuters/Action Images, Chris Coleman/Manchester United/Getty Images, Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Mark Leach/Offside, Clive Mason/Getty Images, Tom Parslow/Manchester United/Getty Images, John Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images, Gerry Penny/AFP/Getty Images, John Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images, Matthew Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images, Nick Potts/Press Association, Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters/Action Images, Ben Redford/Getty Images, Karl Resin/Livepic/ Action Images, Martin Rickett/Press Association, Matt Roberts/Offside, Neil Simpson/Empics Sport/Press Association, Darren Staples/Reuters/Action Images, Simon Stackpoole/Offside, Bob Thomas/Getty Images, Glyn Thomas/Offside, Kirsty Wigglesworth/ Press Association, John Walton/Empics Sport/Press Association, Dave Hodges/Sporting Pictures/Action Images, Ian Hodgson/Reuters/Action Images, All other photographs used by kind permission of Shaun Pollock.

Introduction

Many years ago I began collecting material for this book, taking notes in those rare free moments that I had after work.

I always wanted to tell a story that would be interesting both to members of the football community and to people who are not particularly interested in the sport.

Although my retirement took the sports world by surprise, I had been thinking about this autobiography for many years. It complements my previously published book, Managing Your Life. In this autobiography I focus on my magical years in Manchester, with only passing mention of my youth in Glasgow and the friends I made forever in Aberdeen. As an avid reader myself, I was looking forward to the opportunity to write a book that could shed light on a number of mysteries in my work.

When you dedicate your life to football, you are bound to encounter setbacks, failures, defeats and disappointments. In my early years at Aberdeen and Manchester United, I immediately decided that if I wanted to gain the trust and loyalty of my players, I had to behave accordingly towards them. This is the foundation on which all great organizations thrive. My powers of observation helped with this. Some people enter a room and see nothing in it. Open your eyes, there is so much here! I used this skill to evaluate players' training habits, moods, and behavior patterns.

Of course, I will miss the jokes in the dressing room and my rivals in the coaching department, those wonderful representatives of the old school, famous already when I arrived at Manchester in 1986. Ron Atkinson showed no resentment or anger after leaving the club and he always spoke positively about us. Jim Smith is a wonderful person and a wonderful friend. His cordiality kept you up all night, and your shirt was covered with traces of the ashes of his cigars.

John Sillett, who managed Coventry City, was another great colleague of mine. I will never forget the late John Lyall, my mentor in the early years of my coaching career; He always took the time to share his experience with me. My first meeting with Bobby Robson was in 1981, when my Aberdeen side knocked his Ipswich team out of the UEFA Cup. That evening Bobby came into our locker room and shook hands with every player. He was a great man and I will always treasure my friendship with him. His death was a real loss for all of us.

There were other old school coaches whose work ethic never ceased to amaze me. If I went to a reserves game, I was sure to meet John Rudge and Lenny Lawrence, as well as one of the brightest football personalities, whose Oldham team caused a lot of noise in its time. Of course, I mean Joe Royle. Yes, Oldham gave us heat more than once. I miss it all. Harry Redknapp and Tony Pulis are other great representatives of my generation, and Sam Allardyce and I became great friends.

I have been truly fortunate to work with wonderful and loyal people at Manchester, many of whom have been with me for over twenty years. My secretary, Lyn Laffin, followed me into retirement, but she continues to be my personal assistant in her new post. Thanks to them all: Les Kershaw, Dave Bushell, Tony Whelan and Paul McGuinness. Kat Phipps, who worked in the Manchester administration for over 40 years and was in charge of my post-match rest at Old Trafford. The retired Jim Ryan, my brother Martin, our scout in Europe for 17 years (very hard work, believe me), and Brian McClair.

Norman Davis - what a man! A faithful friend who passed away several years ago. His replacement as Equipment Administrator, Albert Morgan, was another excellent comrade whose loyalty I never doubted. Our doctor Steve McNally, the team of physiotherapists led by Rob Swire, Tony Strudwick and his hardworking researchers, the laundry staff, all the cooks. Head office staff John Alexander, Anne Wiley and the rest of the girls. Jim Lawlor and his scouts. Goalkeeping coach Eric Steele. Simon Wells and Steve Brown from the video analysis team. Lawn specialists led by Joe Pemberton and Tony Sinclair. Service staff: real hard workers Stuart, Graham and Tony. All these people deserve my gratitude. I may have left someone out, but I'm sure they all know how much I respect them.

I could not have achieved such success without my assistants and assistants. Archie Knox was a great ally in my early years at the club. Thanks to Brian Kidd, Nobby Stiles, great youth mentor Eric Harrison. Steve McClaren, a progressive and energetic trainer. Carlos Queiroz and Rene Meulensteen, two incredible coaches, and my assistant Mick Phelan, a truly insightful, observant and truly footballing man.

I owe my longevity as Manchester manager to Bobby Charlton and Martin Edwards. Their most priceless gift was time - time that allowed me to build a football club, not just a football team. David Gill has been a huge support at the club over the last ten years.

I am going to tell you a lot in this book and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Preface

Nearly thirty years ago, nervous and feeling terribly vulnerable, I walked through the tunnel and onto the field for my first home game. He greeted the Stretford End and went to the center circle, where he was introduced as the new head coach of the Manchester United club. Today, already full of self-confidence, I walked onto the same field to say goodbye to him.

Few coaches have been lucky enough to have the amount of power in their hands that I had at Manchester. And as optimistic as I was when moving south from Aberdeen in the autumn of 1986, even in my wildest dreams I could not have imagined how well everything would turn out in the end.

After leaving Manchester in May 2013, memories of turning points in my career began to pop into my head. Like the FA Cup third round win against Nottingham Forest in January 1990, when Mark Robins' only goal paved the way for us to the final and reputedly saved me from being sacked. We then spent a whole month without a single victory, which deprived me of all my inherent confidence.

If it hadn't been for that FA Cup final win against Crystal Palace, I probably would have lost my job. Spend four years at a club and not win a single trophy?! Naturally, this raised questions about my suitability for the position of head coach. However, we will never know how close I came to dismissal then, because the proposal for my removal was never brought up for discussion by the Manchester board of directors. But if it hadn't been for that win at Wembley, we might have lost the support of the fans and the club would have been very unhappy with me.

Bobby Charlton would probably oppose my dismissal. He knew perfectly well what I was doing, what kind of foundation we were laying for Manchester’s future victories thanks to the development of our school, how much effort, how many hours I spent reforming management at the club. The chairman of the club's board of directors, Martin Edwards, also understood all this well. The fact that they had the courage to support me during troubled times sums them up perfectly. Martin would have received many angry letters demanding my resignation if we had not won that Cup.

Winning in 1990 gave me some respite and reinforced my belief that Manchester was the club with which I could win more than once. After this win, good times came for us. But I’ll never forget how the morning after our victory one of the newspapers said: “Okay, you’ve proven that you can win the FA Cup, now go back to Scotland.”

Chapter first
Reflections

If I were asked to sum up what Manchester United is all about, I would say: “Look at my last, 1,500th game. The match against West Bromwich Albion ended with a score of 5:5. Crazy. Startling. Entertaining. Incredible. This was my Manchester.”

If you were going to watch a Manchester game, you had a right to expect goals and real drama. Nerves strained to the limit. Could I complain that we blew a three-goal lead in the last nine minutes of that game? It's clear that no. Of course, I in no way hid my emotions, my irritation, but the players understood that this was my way of telling them: “Thanks, guys. What a damn wonderful send-off you gave me today!”

Everyone knew that David Moyes would be my successor, and as we sat in the dressing room after the match, Ryan Giggs joked: “David Moyes has just resigned.”

Even though our defense didn't play well that day, I was very proud to be leaving such a great team in David's hands. My job was completely done. Here at the home stadium of West Bromwich Albion, in the Regis box, my family was next to me, and a new life awaited me.

It was a great day, just a dream. West Brom were amazing, they looked after me brilliantly; then they even sent me the starting protocol with the team lineups, signed by the players of both clubs. Almost my entire family was next to me: my three sons, eight grandchildren, several close friends. I was happy that we were all watching this my last match together.

Walking down the steps of the team bus, I loved every second. No, it wasn't hard for me to resign; I knew the time had come. The night before the match the players gave me a gift. It was a beautiful Rolex watch from 1941, my age. The time on the clock was set to 15:03 - at that minute on December 31, 1941 in the city of Glasgow I was born. They also gave me a book of photographs commemorating my years at Manchester, with a photograph of my family and grandchildren on the centrefold. The man behind the main gift was Rio Ferdinand, a great watch connoisseur.

After I was handed the book and watch and applause sounded in my honor, I noticed a strange expression on the faces of some of the players. It was as if they didn’t know how to behave or what to do, because I was always there for them. With some - more than 20 years. And some have simply never worked with another coach in their career. I read the silent question on their faces: “What will happen next?”

However, we had one more game ahead of us, and I wanted everything to go as it should. We were 3-0 up after the first half hour, but West Brom weren't going to give me an easy send-off. On November 22, 1986, Jon Sivebak scored Manchester's first goal under my leadership. The last goal was scored by Javier Hernandez on May 19, 2013. With a score of 5:2, we could have won 20:2. If the score was 5:5, they could have lost 5:20. Our defense was in complete chaos. West Brom scored three goals in 5 minutes, with Romelu Lukaku eventually scoring a hat-trick.

Despite conceding three goals at the end of the match, there was joy in our locker room. After the final whistle, we remained on the field to greet the stands with Manchester fans. Giggsy pushed me forward, all the players stepped back, and I found myself alone in front of a mosaic of happy faces. Our fans spent the entire match on their feet, singing, screaming and jumping. I would have been happy if we won with a score of 5:2, but in some ways the final result of 5:5 was more suitable for such a moment. It was the first 5-5 draw in Premier League history and the first such draw in my career. One last piece of history in my last 90 minutes.

In Manchester, my office was simply overwhelmed with a flood of letters. Real Madrid sent the most beautiful gift: an exact silver copy of Plaza Cibeles, where the club traditionally celebrates its victories. The gift was accompanied by a kind letter from the club's president, Florentino Perez. Another gift came from the Dutch Ajax, another was sent by Edwin van der Sar. My secretary Lin had to work hard to process all the correspondence.

With the possible exception of a guard of honour, I could not have imagined what I might expect at my last home game at Old Trafford against Swansea City. I ended up having a very busy week telling family, friends, players and staff that I had decided to retire and start a new chapter in my life.

The seeds of this decision were planted in the winter of 2012. On the eve of Christmas it became clear to me that I wanted to retire.

- Why do you want to do this? – Katie asked me.

“I can’t survive another season like the last one, when we missed out on the title in the last game,” I told her. “I just hope that this time we can win the Premier League and reach the final of the Champions League or FA Cup. This will be a wonderful end to my career.

Katie, who was having a hard time with the recent death of her sister Bridget, soon agreed with me. In her opinion, I was young enough to try to do something else with my life. According to my contract, I was obliged to notify the club of my decision to resign in the summer by March 31st.

As luck would have it, David Gill called me on a Sunday afternoon in February and asked if he could come to my house. “Sunday afternoon? I bet he's going to resign as CEO,” I said at the time. “Or he’s going to fire you,” Katie said. In the end, I was right: David informed me that he wanted to retire at the end of the season. “No damn thing!” – I exclaimed and told him that I was going to do the same.

One of the following days, David called me and warned me that I should expect a call from the Glazers. When this happened, I assured Joel Glaser that my decision had nothing to do with David's wishes. I told him that I had come to this decision at Christmas, and explained the reason: the death of my sister Katie in October had changed our lives, and my wife felt lonely. Joel understood. We agreed to meet in New York, where he tried to talk me out of retiring. I replied that I appreciated his efforts and thanked him for his support. He responded by expressing gratitude for the work I had done.

Joel was unable to convince me, so the conversation turned to the topic of who should replace me. Here he and I were unanimous: David Moyes was such a person.

David soon came to us to discuss his possible transition. It was very important to the Glazers that a new head coach be named as quickly as possible following the announcement of my resignation. They didn't want to hear any speculation about it.

Many Scots are people with enormous willpower. If they leave their native land, it is usually for only one reason: to achieve success. They leave not to forget about the past, but to improve their lives. There are countless examples of this, especially in the USA or Canada. To leave your homeland requires a certain fortitude. And this is not a mask, this is genuine determination in achieving the goal. The severity of the Scots, which many people talk about, also applies to me.

Scots living abroad do not shy away from humor; David Moyes is a famous wit. However, when it comes to work, Scots get very serious. They often told me: “I haven’t seen you smile even once during matches.” To this I always answered: “I’m not here to smile, but to win.”

David has the same character. I knew his family a little: his father, David Moyes Snr, was a coach at Drumchapel, the club I played for in my youth. This is a nice family. I don't think that's a good enough reason to hire someone, especially for such a senior position. But I liked that David came from a good family. I left Drumchapel in 1957, when David Snr was still a very young man, so we didn't have any direct contact with him. But I knew about him.

The Glazers liked David and immediately made an impression on them. They quickly realized that he was a very direct and frank person. Not everyone is able to speak honestly about themselves. And, naturally, I was in no way going to get in his way. Why would I need this after 27 years as a head coach? No, it's time for me to leave this part of my life behind. David had no problems accepting our traditions. He is excellent at identifying talent and his Everton side have been great when it comes to signing quality players.

I told myself that I had no regrets about leaving. Nothing could change my decision. When you're over seventy, your health, physical and mental, can quickly go downhill. But I have been very busy since the moment I decided to step aside, pursuing new projects in America and abroad. There was no threat of idleness, because new challenges awaited me.

In the days leading up to the announcement of my resignation, it was very difficult for me to communicate it to the staff at our training complex in Carrington. But when I mentioned changes in my life at the base, about the death of my wife’s sister Katie, I always received only sympathy and compassion in response. And it became much easier for me. I was very moved.

Rumors about my imminent resignation began to circulate the day before the official announcement. By then I still had not told my brother Martin. This was not very easy to do, given the impact it could have on the New York Stock Exchange. So the partial news leak hurt my relationships with some people I wanted to come out to personally.

On the morning of Wednesday, May 8, 2013, the entire coaching staff was gathered in the video analysis room, the club staff in the dining room, and the players in the locker room. The minute I walked into the dressing room to tell the team I was leaving, we posted the news on the club website. The use of mobile phones was prohibited; I didn't want anyone to know what I was going to say before I said it myself. However, given the rumors circulating, everyone understood that this would be something very important.

Autobiography of Alex Ferguson in Russian is in front of you.

Sir Alex Ferguson, a long-time mentor of Manchester United, left his post as head coach of the Manchester United team in 2013 and sat down to write his autobiography. Autumn book "Alex Ferguson. Autobiography" saw the light. Needless to say, it sold out in crazy numbers?

Alex Ferguson's autobiography is one of the best football books in history. The great coach shed light on many hitherto unknown situations in life. Here we talk about relations with Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, and about conflicts with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney, and about the confrontation with Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, and about Manchester United's rivals - Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City "and others.

Every self-respecting football fan simply must read the book “Alex Ferguson. Autobiography". This is not just interesting reading, but also a kind of encyclopedia - many facts are simply not found in other sources.

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To be honest, I feel uncomfortable. I don’t know if there are any footballers left in Russia for whom playing on the Old Trafford pitch is their life’s dream. I have no idea if there are players in our country for whom it is important to sit in the locker room where the boots flew on the Ferguson-Beckham route. I doubt it, although I really hope that Boby Charlton’s handshake on the sideline means something to some of those who make money from football in Russia. But I still had the feeling that I had accidentally received someone else's dream as a gift.

Performance by Manchester United fans. //Manchester United Twitter

"People often say to me, 'I've never seen you smile during games.' To which I usually respond: “I’m here to win matches, not smile.”»

Ryan Giggs was gloomy. In his restaurant, we cheerfully picked lobsters and cheerfully sawed steaks and for some reason discussed the problems of the coal industry. And he himself, quietly ascending to the second floor, studied us with detached interest.

“We” are a dozen Russian journalists to whom Aeroflot, the official carrier of Manchester United, decided to show Old Trafford from the inside. Not only to show - the next day we were supposed to have a real match on the field of the legendary arena, at the edge of which Sir Alex chewed his cud for a quarter of a century. But Old Trafford was waiting for us only the next day. And now a real Manchester United legend stood before us. Albeit with a little longer and grayer stubble on his face than was required by the decency of a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Giggs wasn't even tired, more like exhausted and sad

Giggs didn't even look tired that evening, but rather exhausted and sad. But it was only the next morning that British newspapers reported that it was on this day that he had a meeting with Louis van Gaal, after which the midfielder finally announced his retirement. Giggs flashed the club logo on the lapel of his jacket, patiently posed for photographs with us, quietly answered non-committal questions (“not about today’s Manchester United, please”), but seemed to be silently counting down the minutes after which he would leave would not look like a hasty escape.

So before meeting one Manchester legend, we unexpectedly said goodbye to another.

“It's all the fault of the youth teams, many of whom use these outdated tactics. Too many people play hit-and-run... How does technique compensate? The guys are good physically. They have the right approach to football, they play with their sleeves rolled up. But they won't become great football players. With this system they will never win the World Cup»

Sir Alex Ferguson "My Autobiography"

No one can, it seems, step onto the Old Trafford pitch in the home team's brick shirt without first ending up at Fortress Carrington, Trafford's training centre. Here is the Manchester United base and the club's academy. It was called a fortress for its impenetrable fence, three meters high, and a security strip of tall trees. Not a single rival scout, not a single journalist should even think that he is capable of taking these barriers. Add barbed wire on the lower floors of the masts of high-voltage lines protruding nearby, and a ban on photographing anything related to the main team, and you understand: Sir Alex, who established the local order a dozen years ago, must be a real paranoid.

Even when taking a shower, Manchester United academy students are expected to control the ball.

During that hour and a half of preparation for the game, they tried to hammer into us the main thing: if you came to the Carrington Fortress in a Manchester United uniform, you must do absolutely everything here with the ball. Any exercise, even stretching. Perhaps even when going to the shower, academy students are supposed to control the ball and look with their eyes for someone to pass to from the booth. During our hour of training there was a minimum of empty running - only feints, controlling the ball with the head raised so as not to miss the moment of passing, and a series of shots on goal.

If this is how every session goes at Manchester United's academy, the old English school in the Carrington area is already dead, buried behind the outermost of its 14 pitches.

“He was about four meters away from me. Someone's boots were lying between us. David swore. I moved towards him and kicked my boot. It hit him in the face a few centimeters from his right eye... We used a plaster, but it was no longer possible to heal the wound»

Sir Alex Ferguson "My Autobiography"

United's dressing room at Old Trafford is so small that it's a miracle the boot hit only Beckham without killing half the team. 40 square meters, dark wood paneled walls, simple benches, two coat hooks for each player and a huge TV, protected from the wrath of the coaches by thick glass.

In the next room there are three ordinary bathtubs, after each game they are filled with ice. There are showers nearby, which can accommodate no more than six people at a time and which seem to respond only to the English “f...”: no matter how much you exercise, cold water flows out of them first.

And behind the wall, the Manchester United club photographer was giving a tour: “The coach comes in here, Rooney is sitting in that corner, and here, on the wall to the left of the door, there are places for goalkeepers.” My T-shirt hung over the place where Nemanja Vidic used to sit.

The last person Manchester United players see before entering the field is Kanchelskis

Three dozen steps along the corridor to the tunnel from which the players enter the field. On the left are portraits of Manchester United legends with trophies (the last of them is 24-year-old Andrei Kanchelskis smiling at us with the cup for winning the Premier League in his hands). Another five minutes of waiting in the tunnel where the teams line up before appearing in front of the stands (how windy it is in the winter, and how the iron gates behind you must be knocking under the pressure of the wind). And another 60 meters to the center of the Old Trafford pitch to slap the plush paw of a red imp (I wonder where they announce a competition for such a job as the guy sitting inside the Manchester United mascot).

“Now I can enjoy games like Bobby Charlton did when he retired. After a successful match, his eyes lit up and he happily rubbed his hands. Charlton enjoyed life. This is what I dream about too"

Sir Alex Ferguson "My Autobiography"

To become an official Manchester United legend, it is not enough to have a dozen great seasons for the club. The candidate must pass the test of time, and then a special commission will consider how worthy he is to become an ambassador of Manchester United. This is the whole of Manchester - a club in which every step is spelled out under all circumstances. Aeroflot's contract with CSKA is six ordinary pages; the same five-year agreement between the Russian company and Manchester United fits on only 257 pages.

The position of the Manchester United legend is official and paid

The position of the Manchester United legend is official and paid. United currently has six ambassadors - Dennis Lowe, Bryan Robson, Gary Neville, Andy Cole, Peter Schmeichel and the head of United's diplomatic corps, Sir Bobby Charlton. Aeroflot wanted David Beckham as our coach. He was not on the list and Schmeichel led us onto the field. But he flatly refused to approach the Old Trafford gate even after the match:

“Guys, I quit this business ten years ago and I don’t want to start it again.”

“Sometimes defeat is the best possible cure. You just need to be able to react correctly. There is a great saying: “It’s just another day in the history of Manchester United.”

Sir Alex Ferguson "My Autobiography"

I was the last one to leave the Old Trafford dressing room and now I know how hard it takes to kick a boot to make it fly away from the doors and into the far corner. We lost this match. If there was a video of this game, I probably wouldn't bother watching it. But when the next evening we met with former Spartak and Fulham player Andrei Shtoltsers in a bar in a distant suburb of London, instead of telling us why he disappeared from Tarasovka so abruptly in December 2000, he spent a quarter of an hour asking what it was like now there - in the center circle of Old Trafford.

Yes, perhaps I received the fulfillment of someone else’s dream as a gift. But I'm glad I didn't give up on it.

Autobiography of Alex Ferguson

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Title: Autobiography
Author: Alex Ferguson
Year: 2013
Genre: Biographies and Memoirs, Foreign applied and popular science literature, Foreign journalism, Sports, fitness

About the book "Autobiography" Alex Ferguson

"The Autobiography" of Alex Ferguson is a reference book for every football fan. Written in 2013, the work not only covers the various stages of the legendary British coach's career, but also presents a professional view of modern football.

Alex Ferguson was born in 1941. At the age of 45, he headed the little-known and not very promising football club Manchester United at that time. Today it is one of the most successful clubs in the world. Ferguson became Britain's No. 1 coach and was even knighted in 1999.

Manchester United have won dozens of matches since 1986. The club won 38 tournaments (5 FA Cups, 13 English Championships, 2 Champions Leagues, etc.). Unfortunately, in 2013, Alex Ferguson announced that he was leaving the coaching bridge. He did this immediately after the team’s next victory in the English Premier League. At the end of his career, he wrote the book “Autobiography”, which became a bestseller.

In his work, the author talks about how he began his career and how he coached Manchester United football players. The good thing about the book is that the writer talks not only about himself, but also about legendary players. David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney - all these brilliant football players achieved success thanks to the efforts of a great coach.

After reading the Autobiography, you will also learn what difficulties the author had to face during his career. The coach says that it was very difficult for him to work with some football players. In addition, he is open and honest in his assessment of other English coaches - his fellow rivals. Thus, in the book, Ferguson talks about Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger and Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez.

If you love football, Alex Ferguson's book is a must read. The author shows the “behind the scenes” of the sports world and offers his professional view of it. His opinion, as a specialist, cannot be ignored.

But even if you are not a particular fan of this sport, the work has a lot to offer you. Firstly, this is a success story - and this genre will appeal to many. Secondly, the thoughts of a strong and talented person will undoubtedly be of interest even to those who have watched football only a couple of times in their lives. The coach clearly shows that victories in life are achieved only through failures and disappointments.

On our website about books, you can download the site for free or read online the book “Autobiography” by Alex Ferguson in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.

Quotes from the book "Autobiography" by Alex Ferguson

Want to know what it's like to be a Manchester United manager? Watch the last 15 minutes of any of our games.

Crazy. Startling. Entertaining. Incredible. This was my Manchester.

Childhood in Glasgow. Friends. Family. First steps at United

Reflections on retirement in 2001. United assistant managers. The last 15 minutes of the match.

About the relationship with David Beckham: becoming a media star, character, physical characteristics.

Purchase of Rio Ferdinand and his career at Manchester United

Transfer cases: about purchased players and those who could not be acquired

Cristiano Ronaldo: purchase, facets of talent, features of the game, scandal at the 2006 World Cup, comparison with Messi

Keane's role in the team, complications in relationships and leaving the club, Keane's characterization, 2002 World Cup, current controversies

Political views, Kennedy hobby, racehorses, daily routine, health, reading

Rood's apology for past grievances, killer instinct, relationships with players in the team, the clause in the contract to sell to Real Madrid, comparison with other strikers

The beginning of the confrontation in England. First meeting with Mourinho in the Champions League. Mourinho's style. Season 2004-05. Roy Keane's departure. Farewell to George Best. The arrival of Evra and Vidic. Gerard Pique. Carrick.

Characteristics of Wenger. Wenger's arrival in England. Rivalry at the turn of the century. The Pizza Episode. How to play against Arsenal.

Great Manchester United students. Paul Scholes. Ryan Giggs.

Gerard Houllier. Purchases: unsuccessful - El Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou; successful ones - Milan Baros, Luis Garcia, Vladimir Schmitser, Dietmar Hamann. Accusations of working with judges. Rafael Benitez. Shopping - Torres, Reina, Kuyt, Downing, Spearing. Brendan Rodgers.

The Glazers purchase Manchester United. The choice between Tevez and Berbatov. Henrik Larsson. Anderson. Nani. The most memorable victories. Failure with Hargreeves. Cleverly, Chicharito, Smalling.

Unlucky statistics before the final. Memories of the match, choice of tactics and rearrangements. Red card for Drogba. Talk about Chelsea. Results.

Tricks. Mind games. Coach's tools are harshness, coldness, criticism.

Undoubtedly the best team to play against. Final 2009: disgusting hotel, Giggs's failure, Messi's movements, the merit of his opponent. Final 2011: line-up for the match, again failed to cope with Messi, absence of Berbatov, analysis of errors. Changes in composition.

On the principles of communication with the press. Relations with leading media. Problems with refereeing.

About the history of rivalry with Liverpool. Record titles. Attitude to simulations. The core of the new squad: De Gea, Young, Evans, Smalling, Jones, Cleverley, Carrick. Results of the 2011-12 season. Attitude to working with the England team.

Progress of the 2011-12 season. The defeat of Arsenal. Rivalry with City: defeat 1:6 and the decisive game for the championship. Relegated from the Champions League and FA Cup. Conflict between Suarez and Evra. Relation to Mancini. City's incredible comeback in the golden match. Other results from the 2011-12 season. Health complaints.

Wife Katie. Sons - Darren, Mark, Jason. Darren's football and coaching career.

Difficult negotiations with Everton and Rooney's transfer to Manchester United. Characteristics of Rooney. A game that is mature beyond its years. Records. Form problems. Rooney's intentions to change clubs.

Changes in Manchester United's game with the arrival of van Persie. The progress of negotiations with Arsenal about the transfer. Young hopes of the club. Scandal in the game with Chelsea. Elimination from the Champions League by Madrid. It all depends on your ambitions.