Hansen: "Fergie = Paisley, lol"

Plechazunga

Alan Hansen's column

By Alan Hansen
BBC Sport football expert

Sir Alex Ferguson's 10th Premier League title with Manchester United - bracketed with all his other honours - has merely cemented his greatness as a manager.

Why should Ferguson even think about retirement after building this team?
A sign of his longevity and success can be encapsulated in the fact that United's win at Wigan to seal the title came 25 years to the day after Ferguson guided Aberdeen to a stunning European Cup Winners' Cup win against Real Madrid. What a career and what a record.

And this is why it is right to rank him alongside my great former manager at Liverpool, Bob Paisley, although Ferguson himself has said he has not won the Champions League enough and Bob brought the European Cup back to Anfield three times. But Sir Alex has got the chance to win his second with United when they play Chelsea in Moscow on 21 May, and they have an undoubted psychological advantage over Avram Grant's side because they have got that first major trophy under their belt at their rivals' expense.

On the surface Ferguson and Paisley may seem different characters and personalities when you examine the firebrand Scot and the quietly-spoken man from the North East - but they have so many similarities. Bob was always looking to improve Liverpool's side, even after our greatest successes, and Ferguson has rebuilt the Manchester United side four or five times since arriving at Old Trafford from Aberdeen in 1986.

Paisley was an unbelievable manager, and he shared a great ability with Ferguson to motivate his players to win more silverware even when they had enjoyed previous successes, and constantly get the best out of players.
Ferguson is like Paisley in his absolute refusal to settle for anything less than the best - they embody the old adage we used to have at Liverpool that "first is first and second is nowhere (although fifth is also fourth and fourth is second, it depends)".

Paisley would never allow complacency to creep in and Ferguson is the same. We were always told that while you may enjoy success one season, it counts for nothing once the next season starts - and never think you have won anything until the medal was in your hand and the trophy lifted above the captain's head.

And Ferguson certainly possesses the ruthless streak that Paisley possessed when it comes to making the big decisions required to keep his club at the top of the pack.

Like Paisley, Ferguson is a motivator, ruthless and refuses to accept second best

Ferguson is an amazing character in that his fire and desire burns just as brightly after his years in the game and the trophies he has won. The hunger shows no sign of waning.

I have to confess I did not particularly like the build-up to big games, in fact I hated it. Ferguson, on the other hand, loves the adrenalin rush of both the build-up and the games themselves - you can see it just by looking at him.
He thought about retirement a few years ago and wisely decided it was not for him. He has been proved totally correct and he has once again moulded another outstanding United side, in fact this can be called a great side.

Ferguson might have stepped back from management into an ambassadorial or directorial role, or a vapid media role that you can perform on autopilot for years, just like I do - but he rightly recognised that whatever he did, nothing would replicate that feeling he gets on the touchline, being involved, building teams, working with great players and guiding them to trophies.

Some people live for that. It is like a drug and Sir Alex is one of those people. If you retire you don't get that rush, and why should he retire having built this young team with so much more in front of it?

United's players also get the benefits because they are working with a great manager. He arrived at Old Trafford with the stated intention of ending the era of Liverpool constantly winning titles, which he has done, but he has achieved another feat by responding to the challenge of Chelsea when they were suddenly fuelled by the riches of Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea won two titles in succession under Jose Mourinho, but Ferguson responded and regrouped to take two Premier Leagues in succession for United. The bar has also been raised in recent years. In the '90s you could win a title with a very good side - now you have to have an outstanding side to win the Premier League.

Ferguson's next challenge awaits in the Champions League final, and I have no doubts they have a psychological advantage over Chelsea by winning the title. Whatever happens, they have a trophy in their cabinet this season, whereas Chelsea know they will end empty-handed if they lose in Moscow.
And for the great manager of Manchester United, it is just another challenge he will relish.

Alan Hansen was on the golf course stating the obvious to BBC Sport's Phil McNulty

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7395889.stm

Dippersripper

Well said Hansen

Domino

Don't see what the lol is for

Dr. Dwayne

for that?

dev1l

Hansen: "Fergie = Paisley, lol

Wonder what Oliver Holt thinks of that...

gaffs

Its very hard to compare, but I think Paisleys haul of trophies, in his 8 years as manager is very hard to beat.

3 European Cups
5 Leagues
1 UEFA Cup
3 League Cups

Brad

Ferguson built his own successful United team from almost complete scratch. He's then rebuilt it over and over down the years (I could really say decades!). Paisley took over the best team in England at the time, the groundwork had been done for him by Shankly. I think it's that initial process of turning losers into winners, and making it endure after that initial winning season, that constitutes a great manager. That Ferguson has been able to do it at the top for as long as he has, incredible

Plechazunga

If we win in Moscow, Fergie surpasses him. There's no way one European Cup isn't trumped by five league championships and what is it, 4 FA cups?

CnutOfAllCnuts

5

'90, '94, '96, '99 and '04

Snake Doctor

Maestro Minded

well... considering thet he was given the best team in england (paisley), its not that hard to achieve great things. just look what mourinho did when he got 500 million or so in 2 years...

gaffs

But Paisley has 3 European Cups in his 8 year period - that's special. Plus, he has a better ratio of league wins - i.e. 5 in 8 years is better than 10 in 21 years.

Though, Paisley did inherit an already successful team and you could say doing over a longer period is more of an achievement.

As I said, its hard to compare, there are so many variables.

Plechazunga

Good points

cnut

Bape

Hansen knows his onions.

Domino

Neither is better. Shankley Paisley Busby and Ferguson are both on par with each other.

To say one is better from the other is just disrespecting four incredible managers.

buildabonfire

Bravo.

I assumed the LOL was because the only serious debate is whether SAF is above, or only equal to, Busby, Shankly, Chapman etc, on the tier above Paisley, Clough etc.

For me, SAF wins because he has had WAY more success than any of the other manages who built their club (back) up from virtually nowhere. Paisley's achivements owe much to Shankly; Fergie's are all his own.

MrMarcello

SAF won 6 in 8 seasons from 93-00.

Big difference between the two is one inherited a great team, similar to what CQ or whomever succeeds SAF will do, and the other built an empire. It's like the 25 year old kid inheriting the family fortune versus Bill Gates making billions himself.

CnutOfAllCnuts

Add Clough to that list, and you have the 5 top managers post-war.

gaffs

Good points.

You could also look at the competition that Liverpool faced in the 70s and early 80s. I wouldn’t say it was as tough as it is now - especially in Europe.

amolbhatia100

What was the next best team in England like when Paisely won all these league titles?

amolbhatia100

and how good were the teams they played in the european cup those three yrs?

sonymobby

It's interesting though how 3 out of the 4 greatest managers in the English football are Scottish.

Tibs

Fletcher should start doing his managerial training then....QUICKLY

Spoonov

Exactly. He inherited a brilliant team. Fergie had to rebuild the club.

Dippersripper

The young, upcoming managers like Oniell and Moyes are Scottish too.

Spoonov

O'Neil's from Northern Ireland.

sammsky1

that is the key point and is genuinly what Paisley inherited.

Just imagine that someone lie CQ or Mourinho took this side over and delivered 5 out of 8 PLS ... that would be par. I guess through getting 3 out of 8 CLs would be special though. Its a tough call.

rooney__10

Thats why the cnuts getting paid almost 2 mil a year by the beeb. Very clever guy, articulae aswell. After the portsmouth game in the prem this year he described us as awsome, to be fair his comments about us this year have ben impartial and objective.

Dippersripper

Fuck

golden_blunder