Comments on SAF by former Utd player Dong Fangzhuo

[Lj82]

I was watching a football show on a Chinese channel and they show had Yaya Toure and Dong Fangzhou on it. Dong spoke about his time in United, that he was overwhelmed by the scale of the club. Said that he was suffering cramps due to nervousness during his debut for the club.

He shared a nice story about SAF which really highlighted how warm SAF was to his players. Dong said that he first arrived at Manchester near the Christmas period. He was alone, young, and unfamiliar with the whole place. One day after training SAF pulled him aside for a conversation, and Dong was wondering in trepidation if he had done anything wrong or if he had trained badly. To his surprise, SAF called a Chinese friend who runs a restaurant in Manchester and asked the friend to take care of Dong. SAF even got the friend to include Dong in his family's Christmas celebrations. Dong clearly appreciated what SAF did for him and was very glowing in his remarks about SAF. Dong described him as a "strict father" who demands high standards from his players, but never failing to show the warm side of his in taking care of the players, especially younger players.

Thought that I could share the above with the CAF.

 

[roonster09]

SAF was just awesome, so many players have shared their stories and how SAF was more than just a manager. No wonder he is father figure for most players.

 

[Falcow]

Great story, thanks for posting. SAF is just such a legend. Hopefully he will see a league title in the next 3 years, I honestly believe that he will.

 

[TMDaines]

Thanks for sharing! A lovely story.

 

[golden_blunder]

Fergie really was like a godfather, he seemed to know everyone! I doubt many of the modern managers would go to such extremes to look after the young players

 

[Acquire Me]

Thanks for sharing. The man is something else. I love him.

 

[charlenefan]

SAF is a genuine contender for the best man to ever lived

 

[GenZRed]

No wonder players would go through hell of high water for Ferguson. He had that great balance of demanding high standards and being able to put you in your place without being a bad person.

It takes something to be like that. A lot of people are either on extreme (too nice) or the other (being harsh all the time) Ferguson striking that balance was the key to his success.

 

[Adam-Utd]

The best man manager of all time. No doubts.

things like this seem like little touches but they mean a huge amount to people.

Dong wasn’t even a big player for us, just shows how much he cares.

 

[United Hobbit]

That's a lovely story, didn't Ronaldo say how much of a father figure Sir Alex was to him as well?

I'd so looked forward to his second autobiography especially as it was released after he retired I thought it would have more behind the scenes stuff and little snippets of some of the things he did as manager that made him so successful but the book was a little disappointing in the end.

 

[Sandikan]

Another story that shows why it was such a monumental job to replace him!
Top class stuff.

 

[Verminator]

In the late 80's, a family friend had relatives come over from Durban. They reckoned that 90% of black Durbanites, like themselves, were united fans. The rest Arsenal.
My dad took them to the Cliff training ground, to watch the players train.

Fergie came over and spoke to them. He said that he hoped things would improve in South Africa, and asked if they were going to the game. They told him that they were unable to get tickets.
The boss went back into the building and came back with South Stand tickets for them.
It was like fairytale stuff for them. A lifelong memory made.

I think we drew that game, but I don't think it mattered to our friend's family.

 

[He'sRaldo]

In the late 80's, a family friend had relatives come over from Durban. They reckoned that 90% of black Durbanites, like themselves, were united fans. The rest Arsenal.
My dad took them to the Cliff training ground, to watch the players train.

Fergie came over and spoke to them. He said that he hoped things would improve in South Africa, and asked if they were going to the game. They told him that they were unable to get tickets.
The boss went back into the building and came back with South Stand tickets for them.
It was like fairytale stuff for them. A lifelong memory made.

I think we drew that game, but I don't think it mattered to our friend's family.

That's amazing.

 

[predator]

Simply the best

 

[Paxi]

In the late 80's, a family friend had relatives come over from Durban. They reckoned that 90% of black Durbanites, like themselves, were united fans. The rest Arsenal.
My dad took them to the Cliff training ground, to watch the players train.

Fergie came over and spoke to them. He said that he hoped things would improve in South Africa, and asked if they were going to the game. They told him that they were unable to get tickets.
The boss went back into the building and came back with South Stand tickets for them.
It was like fairytale stuff for them. A lifelong memory made.

I think we drew that game, but I don't think it mattered to our friend's family.

Lovely story by OP, and this just tops it off. SAF is just amazing.

 

[Mindhunter]

Great story. Thanks for sharing. If the players know your true intentions and that you have their best interests at heart, they will run through brick walls for you.

Unlike Keane who thinks all people need is a kick on their backsides. The entire world isn't lazy, they crave for attention and meaning in life which SAF was able to provide for each of his players. They all knew what their role was in the team and what the manager wanted them to do.

 

[diarm]

Both those stories are absolute class. The man was just a level above in every regard!

 

[alexthelion]

Wouldn't be at all surprised if Ole doesn't do something similar if he's here long enough. Seems like just the person who would do that sort of thing.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Two fantastic stories in the thread. I love Sir Alex so much that I may name my first born son Alexander

 

[Zlatattack]

Fergie is an absolute legend, a real peoples person. I've read his books and it reflects in that, the value he places on personal relationships. Hard working, leads by example, no scope for disrespect, but a heart of gold.

 

[Hughie77]

That's a lovely story, didn't Ronaldo say how much of a father figure Sir Alex was to him as well?

I'd so looked forward to his second autobiography especially as it was released after he retired I thought it would have more behind the scenes stuff and little snippets of some of the things he did as manager that made him so successful but the book was a little disappointing in the end.

Yes agree I thought his 2nd book would have been better, lot in that book that was already known, 1st book was much much better. There's not many ex players got a bad word to say about the legend.

 

[VeevaVee]

The extra effort he put in must have come natural to him but it’s so above and beyond. It’s no surprise ex players not only talk about him as a father figure, but talk of the atmosphere when they walked in to training. The mentality in the club was perfect.

 

[Oldyella]

The extra effort he put in must have come natural to him but it’s so above and beyond. It’s no surprise ex players not only talk about him as a father figure, but talk of the atmosphere when they walked in to training. The mentality in the club was perfect.

Football has moved away from having managers spend long periods at clubs, but you read stories like those in this thread and can see the benefits of having a patriarch like figure who is really embedded in the club, city and local communities and how that would help players both coming through and new to the club.

 

[FahadiHossein]

An interview with Dong from 2018. He was a youth coach at that time.

No English subs but he talked about:
1. Felt the most pride in scoring during Olympic games. Refusing surgery because he had prepared for the Olympics all the while and did not want the surgery to jeopardize it as he would have to sit out for 6 months.
2. Lots of injury issues when he left United.
3. Retired at age 31 but is happy to return to football rather than other types of businesses after retirement.
4. Many parents heard of his bad reputation of buying expensive cars and getting CR7 to carry his shoes, which he said were all false.
5. Came to Belgium with pressure on his back as he was Chinese and from United. Showed the Belgians the Chinese can play football when he won the golden boot.

 

[Charlie Foley]

We were really spoiled