Fergie: Class of '92 not a one-off

Fergie: Class of '92 not a one-off

 

Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates 25 years as Manchester United manager on Sunday, insisting it is not impossible to repeat one of the most remarkable feats of his career.

 

Such is the weekly interest in Ferguson's pre-match press conferences that they no longer take place in the media room at Carrington, constructed specifically for that purpose.
Instead, they have been switched to the Academy building on the other side of the vast complex, which houses a full-size indoor pitch on its ground floor and a reception area above, adorned with pictures of some of the most famous graduates of United's youth set-up.
It offers visitors an instant reminder of the famed 'Class of '92', of whom now only Ryan Giggs is still at the club in a playing capacity.
And, as he looked back on quarter of a century in one of the most high-pressure jobs imaginable, it was that squad which Ferguson allowed himself to focus on.
"No, it was not a one-off," said the 69-year-old of a group that spawned Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt, with Robbie Savage and Keith Gillespie also involved and Phil Neville coming up right behind.
"It is going to happen again.
"You can't think that a club like Manchester United could have just one cycle of players as good as that.
"We always keep chasing the dream that you get a bunch like that again. You have to.
"If the academy system changes to what it should be then we are capable of doing it.
"It is ridiculous that in 2011 you can only coach a boy within an hour of Old Trafford. Barcelona have signed a boy from China and one from Japan. That sums it all up doesn't it?"

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Sir Alex Ferguson's Roll of Honour

Premier League (12): 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11

FA Cup (5): 1989-90, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2003-04

League Cup (4): 1991-92, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10

FA Charity/Community Shield (10): 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

Champions League (2): 1998-99, 2007-08

European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1990-91

European Super Cup (1): 1991

Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999

FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

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On such a momentous occasion, it seemed somehow fitting Ferguson should have a little dig at the Football Association over what he has always believed are flawed regulations regarding young players.
However, the real poignancy comes with the arrival of Steve Bruce as the opponent this weekend.
Sunderland boss since 2009, it is over 15 years since Bruce's nine-year stint at Old Trafford came to an end.
During that time he made 414 appearances, won seven major honours, including skippering United to the first three Premier League titles of the Ferguson era.
More significant than that, it was his two headers - the winner coming in the seventh minute of stoppage time - that turned an April encounter with Sheffield Wednesday on its head, propelling United towards the end of that 26-year wait for a championship and changing the course of English football for two decades.
"There are two things about Steve Bruce which I always found remarkable," Ferguson recalled.
"One, he never got an England cap although, in fairness, Bobby Robson apologised to him for that.
"The second is that when he had his medical the doctor wasn't sure he should pass it.
"I was watching the reserves and (then chief executive) Martin Edwards came into the director's box and said his knees are not that good. He hadn't missed a game for five years. Sometimes you have to dismiss these medicals.
"He used to rub his knees and carry on playing. He was absolutely unbelievable. Nobody else I have ever dealt with could play with the injuries he had.
"He carried on until he was 35. Okay, in his last year you could see him dismantle almost. He was starting to break up. But it was amazing how he could play with all these injuries."
Ferguson attributes his longevity to "good health".
"I have been lucky, pray to the Lord. I have also had good energy."
It certainly appears remarkable now that Ferguson should have been so set on retiring in 2002, before eventually performing a U-turn he has never had cause to regret.
So, 25 years on, he has the opportunity to look back to where it all began - a 2-0 defeat at the Manor Ground, Oxford.
"We bloody lost," he said.
"I said to myself 'I have picked a job here all right'.
"The fortunate thing was I was able to get back to Aberdeen that night."