On this day in 1986, Alex Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United and the impossible dream began.
Regarded as the best manager of all time, Sir Alex created an era of dominance and success that will never be seen again in football, an era that is unsurpassable.
He took over United when they were in 21st place and finished the season 11th.
After making several signings and suffering a number of embarrassing defeats, there were calls for Ferguson to be sacked in his first three seasons. A banner was hung at Old Trafford reading, “Three years of excuses and it’s still crap… ta-ra Fergie.”
After overcoming the “darkest period ever suffered in the game” and finishing the ‘89 season having narrowly avoided relegation, Fergie went on to pick up his first trophy as United manager. A 1-0 win against Crystal Palace saw the Reds lift the FA Cup and consequently, buy Fergie more time as manager.
If the United board had listened to the fans and journalists at the time, the club would not have reached the heights it did. A remarkable 38 trophies in total; 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues – to name a few.
He completed a historic treble in 1999, which is yet to be completed by another English club, along with the help of the Class of 92 players – youth prospects that were turned into world-class talents. 1,500 games managed with 895 wins along the way.
The impossible dream made possible
He achieved things that fans never dared to dream of and set the standards of the club for every squad that followed.
26 years of highs, lows, heartache and ultimately success. Memories that will be hard to recreate with any other United manager, Fergie is a part of the club forever.
