TV presenter and diehard Red, Eamonn Holmes, pays tribute to the boss, the man behind the success...
Sir Alex is a man who inspires people to follow him. He’s like a religious leader: wherever he goes he spreads the Red gospel, and he’s the man you want leading you when the chips are down. At the Battle of El-Alamein you had Montgomery; during the Second World War there was Churchill; and at Old Trafford we have Sir Alex. He has the gall, the strength and the steel to stand up to anybody and anything in any onslaught; he is our Braveheart.
He’s also a winner, and one who gets results by playing attractive football. He’s nurtured talent and made fantastic signings over the years, but to be able to combine a winning ethos with flair is an incredible skill and, in my opinion, his greatest achievement. Some managers can win, others can play attractive football, few can put it together as one package. To do that he’s had to make some difficult decisions over the years, and at times has had to be ruthless. He dropped Jim Leighton for the 1990 FA Cup final replay, while Bryan Robson missed out in ’94 and Steve Bruce sat out the ’96 final. It must be very difficult to tell someone who’s been such a great servant that they’re not playing or tell them their time is up at United. But it’s a necessity if you’re going to manage successfully at the highest level.
It’s amazing to think he’s been here more than 22 years, and the success he’s brought us is unprecedented. I often say it’s like being in television – getting the job is hard, but staying there is much harder. Often greatness is judged on longevity rather than peaks, and he scores on all fronts in that sense.
I was working in Manchester when he joined the club in 1986. I knew he’d done well at Aberdeen, but like every United fan, I wondered if he could do the business at Old Trafford. He had a tricky couple of years to begin with, but after the 1990 FA Cup win the Fergie juggernaut rolled on. You could tell from the start that he understood the duties and responsibilities that go with managing this great club, and he’s always been fantastic with the fans. He knows what it’s like to be a Manchester United fan because he is one – you can see the passion he has for the club. He’s therefore very attentive to what the supporters say and how they feel. As a fan, his unwavering enthusiasm for the game and desire to win is something I have always admired. You can see how much he hates losing – winning is everything to him, it hits him hard when he doesn’t win. He feels it like the fans do. To have maintained that appetite for success for so long is staggering. I really do despair about what we are going to do when he decides he’s had enough – it’s not a day I’m looking forward to.
As well as the many ups, there has been the odd down, but Sir Alex is the master when it comes to responding to adversity. He’s always talked about the importance of bouncing back positively to either a shock defeat or elimination from a competition. And not only is the boss a great tactician and motivator, he’s one of the game’s great characters. You can say what you want about him, but he’s certainly not dull. He has a great sense of mischief and I love the ability he has to wind up other managers. At the same time he’s someone who always has time for people, from players to opposition managers to fans. If he can do you a good turn, he won’t hesitate in trying to help.
I’ve been lucky enough to play in one of his teams – the two of us paired up for a special charity episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? [in December 2004], which was a real thrill for me. He loves quizzes and is extremely knowledgeable, and we left with £32,000. We were both desperate to get a million, but ended up using all our lifelines on the £64,000 question!
He’s an unbelievable man and unquestionably the best football manager that there has ever been – we’re just so blessed that he’s ours.
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