Fergie’s brawl with gang of Turkish players took team spirit to new level

Classical Mechanic

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Deserves its own thread, story told by Steve Bruce. Credit to @17Larsson

One started giving Eric some gyp, so Eric decided to give it back. Now we're all getting battered. Bryan Robson, captain of England, he's in there. Typical Bryan, he's swung this punch and there's a hook on the wall. Nowhere near the fella he's trying to hit, but he's caught his elbow on it, ripped his arm completely open.

"Blood everywhere. He's screaming, and a big Turk comes in and boots him. So now we're tearing into them, trying to fight our way out of there, and over my shoulder I see Fergie come flying back down the stairs. He's taking his jacket off as he comes. He's over 50 years old, but he's straight in, wades in. We eventually get back to the dressing room.

"Fergie comes barging through. His hair's all over the place, his tie is under his ear and he says, "None of you have been fighting have you? No team of mine has been fighting, eh?" And we're all, "No, boss". So he says, "Didn't think so", and goes out and tells the world that his players have been assaulted in the tunnel.

"And I remember the door closed behind him that night, and we all looked at each other and said: 'He'll do'. He created that spirit."
 

ZAGREB RED

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He grew up in Govan - the shipbuilding area of Glasgow - and I remember he was asked about his upbringing and he basically said you had to look after yourself and also something about a Glasgow wedding not being a real wedding unless there was at least one fistfight at the reception when the booze started to flow.
I think he is the type of guy you just don't mess with.
 

Adisa

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That kind of thing can't happen today.
Parliament would be involved.
 

17Larsson

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It was all so natural for him.
He didn't need to check the notes from a leadership course before he jumped in to the middle of that or ask his PR team what he should say to the press.
He was a natural leader and worked off those instincts and real world experiences his whole career
 

Red Royal

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And Moyes, also being Scottish, would have shat his pants, locked himself in the dressing room and later told the press what a let down his team was to this club....
 

United never give up

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And Moyes, also being Scottish, would have shat his pants, locked himself in the dressing room and later told the press what a let down his team was to this club....
Moyes would have called up Jagielka and held a video conference with him in the tunnel, whilst jagielka gave the rest of our players instructions for the upcoming brawl
 

Kostov

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I remember reading about this incident some time back, typical Fergie :devil: He represented everything I love about this club, a fecking legend.
 

VeevaVee

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:lol: didn't expect him to be a brawler tbh. I'd like to see him in the next wwe game slamming blokes through tables (not an innuendo)
 

Ish

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Moyes would have called up Jagielka and held a video conference with him in the tunnel, whilst jagielka gave the rest of our players instructions for the upcoming brawl
Or he’d have been offered the chance to sign Brock Lesnar for the brawl. Dithered because he hasn’t heard of Brock Lesnar yet. And ended up signing Jagielka instead :lol:
 

RexHamilton

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Fergie had won The League, The Cup, The League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup with United by this point. As great a story as it is, I doubt this is what "won the squad over."
 

Craig Bellendy

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I miss that man so much! I think myself very lucky to have lived through his era, i was born the same year fergie took over at united so i grew up watching us dominate the league for years.
Football was better in them days not just because we were more dominant but because it felt soo much more intense, Our rivalry with Arsenal sticks out for me more than anything else, Im sad my children wont ever experience such things as now days before a big game its all cuddles and kisses in the tunnel.
 

whatwha

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Such a legendary man. :drool:
Fergie had won The League, The Cup, The League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup with United by this point. As great a story as it is, I doubt this is what "won the squad over."
Yeah that sounded a bit weird. Probably endeared him further to them though.
 

RexHamilton

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Such a legendary man. :drool:

Yeah that sounded a bit weird. Probably endeared him further to them though.
Of course. They see a different side to him, a side that shows he's willing to literally fight for and with you. But he was at the club 7 years and had won a lot, so it's not like the players wouldn't have been won over already.
 

M4YON

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Fergie had won The League, The Cup, The League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup with United by this point. As great a story as it is, I doubt this is what "won the squad over."
Why not? Mourinho has won the Europa league and Carabao cup already would you say he has already won the squad over in the same way? I wouldn't.

When you see your manager throwing off his jacket and pulling punches, literally, to defend his players... there is not a cup in the world that could match the kind of respect and spirit that would of generated amongst the team.

It's not the kind of thing you see in professional football, sure the lads would have known SAF was a winner already and he knew his stuff but i imagine it was at this point those lads knew when the chips were down he would defend them no matter what.
 

RexHamilton

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Why not? Mourinho has won the Europa league and Carabao cup already would you say he has already won the squad over in the same way? I wouldn't.

When you see your manager throwing off his jacket and pulling punches, literally, to defend his players... there is not a cup in the world that could match the kind of respect and spirit that would of generated amongst the team.

It's not the kind of thing you see in professional football, sure the lads would have known SAF was a winner already and he knew his stuff but i imagine it was at this point those lads knew when the chips were down he would defend them no matter what.
We hadn't won the league in 26 years while our bitter rivals had dominated for the majority of that time. He ended that dominance and ended our 26 year drought. He had also won our first European Trophy in over 20 years and an FA cup when it still meant something.

I think it's safe to say those things won players and fans over more than a punch up.