Alex Ferguson quotes
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“Only true champions come out and show their worth after defeat- and I expect us to do that.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I always used to say to players at half-time, 'Be patient. The last fifteen minutes throw the kitchen sink at them. It's worth a gamble'. You are going to lose the game anyway. There is nothing better than when you get to that last fifteen minutes and you actually win the game late on. The fans are going out of the gates I gave it a try and it worked.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I never worried about teams who spend what they want to spend. It never bothered me. At the moment we have a lot of Middle Eastern owners, we have American owners of course, Russian owners. It never bothered me one bit. All I was concerned about was that we at United maintained our level of expectation, be competitive, be at the top part of the Premier League.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“I can't believe it. I can't believe it. Football. Bloody hell.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : "Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years at Manchester United - in quotes" by Benji Inwood, www.theguardian.com. November 4, 2011.
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“Manchester United might not win Premier League every year, but we'd always be up there competing for it every year.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : "Read the Fergie interview transcript... on holding grudges, listening to American Civil War tapes on the way to work, handling Man United's millionaires and why he thinks Pele is THE all-time No 1". Interview with Charlie Rose, www.dailymail.co.uk. October 2, 2013.
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“I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cockier spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : Source: www.blackfilm.com
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“I'm a Pele fan from way back when I was a kid, and then there was always this thing later about Pele and Maradona. I was young and impressionable as a kid but it was always Pele for me.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“They say he's an intelligent man, right? Speaks five languages! I've got a 15-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast who speaks five languages!”
-- Alex FergusonSource : "Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years at Manchester United - in quotes" by Benji Inwood, www.theguardian.com. November 4, 2011.
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“There was one or two offers that did come along during my time at United, but I always came back to this point; why would you leave United? Where is the bigger challenge? And the thing about challenges is, once you have won something, you can't live on that. Not at Manchester United - you have got to win the next one. And that's the challenge. Maintaining that consistency of winning which is a mentality that I have had.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is unbelievable. His stats are incredible. Strikes at goal, attempts on goal, raids into the penalty box, headers. It is all there. Absolutely astounding.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I was doing all the coaching schools so that I'd be able to stay in the game, and I gave myself a chance by doing that. I was only an average player, could score a goal or two, that sort of thing, but I wasn't a Bobby Charlton or a Messi, or Ronaldo. There are very, very few really great players who have become great coaches.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“That lad must have been born offside.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years at Manchester United - in quotes" by Benji Inwood, www.theguardian.com. November 4, 2011.
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“I do like to try and see myself in football players. Everybody is different and express themselves in different ways. There are different kinds of talents of course and there are many who I would never have had the talent that they have when I was a player. But I still had that determination to be successful and try my best.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I think that fear does come into it in some respect in the sense of when I lost my temper I didn't hide behind a bush on it in respect to the times that I did lose my temper. But you know the quality that I had when I lost my temper, I never, ever brought it back again.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“They say it was Cesc Fabregas who threw the pizza at me but, to this day, I have no idea who the culprit was.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“If you were in a game of football always think you need maybe eight to win the game. Three can on an off day or semi off day but you always hard. And the players recognize that and they'll do that extra to make sure they get winning. The essence of the team is to understand and trust each other and to trust me.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“If you're going to be a footballer, be a great one.If you're going to have a dream, dream big.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I always say prepare to be a coach to anybody who wants to be a coach. At 24 years of age when I left engineering to become full time in football, I made sure that I was never going back to engineering.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“When an Italian tells me it's pasta on the plate, I check under the sauce to make sure.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years at Manchester United - in quotes" by Benji Inwood, www.theguardian.com. November 4, 2011.
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“You start with what you believe in. I believe in building a football club rather than building a football team.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : Interview with Charlie Rose, www.huffingtonpost.co.uk. March 10, 2013.
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“I tell the players that the bus is moving. This club has to progress. And the bus wouldn't wait for them. I tell them to get on board.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Her Majesty said she hoped I would have time for my horses - I own two and have shares in four.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“Well, football is a hard game; there's no denying it. It's a game that can bring out the worst in you, at times.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I used to have a saying that when a player is at his peak, he feels as though he can climb.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I always said to the directors that the minute a player becomes more powerful than the manager of Manchester United, it's not Manchester United. You have lost control of the whole club. So I always made sure that I was in control. They always knew who the manager was.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : Interview with Charlie Rose, www.huffingtonpost.co.uk. March 10, 2013.
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“I bet him he wouldn't get 15 league goals and I'm going to have to change my bet with him. If he gets to 15 I can change it and I am allowed to do that because I'm the manager. I'm going to make it 150 now!”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“Players know that they can trust me which is really important. They know that I had the ability to adapt to change, and they have seen that many times over the years. I think these are important parts of being in control of footballers.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Sometimes in football you have to hold your hand up and say, yeah, they're better than us.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : "Biography/Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.
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“The best have the courage and I say this all the time. The courage to take the ball all the time, the courage to make sure that they are not going to be intimidated by their opponents, and the courage to express themselves at all times and I think that all the great players have got that.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I'm going to tell you the story about the geese which fly 5,000 miles from Canada to France. They fly in V-formation but the second ones don't fly. They're the subs for the first ones. And then the second ones take over - so it's teamwork.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“David Beckham is Britain's finest striker of a football not because of God-given talent but because he practices with a relentless application that the vast majority of less gifted players wouldn't contemplate.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“The work of a team should always embrace a great player, but the great player must always work.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“If I have my health I can carry on. There will be a point when I do quit but I have absolutely no idea when that is.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“The credit to them, the better team won and there's nothing we can do about that now.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“My greatest challenge is not what's happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f*****g perch. And you can print that.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : "Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years at Manchester United - in quotes" by Benji Inwood, www.theguardian.com. November 4, 2011.
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“At the last minute, from what I can gather, either Emmanuel Adebayor or his agent phoned us after they had agreed a deal with City and then did the same with Chelsea. He was desperate to get to either Chelsea or us.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I've got a temper if I need it. Nothing wrong with losing your temper, if it's for the right reasons.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Jose understands winning and losing are twins in a way. When you win you don't gloat and when you lose you don't go bananas.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose, he inspired all around him. I felt such an honor to be associated with such a player.”
-- Alex FergusonSource : "A-League talking points: Melbourne City fail another test of character" by Jonathan Howcroft, www.theguardian.com. November 1, 2015.
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“If Chelsea drop points, the cat's out in the open. And you know what cats are like - sometimes they don't come home.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I think he was an angry man. He must have been disturbed for some reason. I think you have got to cut through the venom of it and hopefully he'll reflect and understand what he said was absolutely ridiculous. (On Benitez)”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I'm going to tell you the story about the geese which fly 5,000 miles from Canada to France.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“They had Jan Venegoor of...whatever you call him.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“They (the press) have a hatred of Manchester United.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“You are responsible to each other because when you win a game of football, you only need eight players to perform well.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“There are members of the London press who seek to antagonise me, deliberately.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“The culmination of three trophies was the pinnacle of my career and it has been rewarded with a knighthood.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“In England, it's a rare thing to see a player smoking but, all in all, I prefer that to an alcoholic. The relationship with alcohol is a real problem in English football and, in the short term, it's much more harmful to a sportsman. It weakens the body, which becomes more susceptible to injury.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“If my parents were still alive, they would be very proud. They gave me a good start in life, the values that have driven me, and the confidence to believe in myself.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“You have to put all the criticism of this club down to jealousy. United have produced more players who have played for their country, more world-class players and more players who have won European Footballer of the Year than any other team in this country, so we must be doing something right.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I understand the intensity of the supporters. I wonder how they could turn up for work on Monday morning after we lost 5-1 to Manchester City.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I feel sympathy for the working class lad. I've always championed about ticket prices and try to equate that to people's salaries.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Sometimes you're not sure about a player. Sometimes you doubt. Sometimes you have to guess. Sometimes you just know.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“Kindness is a universal language regardless of age, nationality or religion.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I think Sepp Blatter is in danger...or has reached a point now, where he is being mocked within the game. Whether he's getting too old, I don't know. But things can happen to people in power. Look at some of the despots in Africa... From a position of great power, he has uttered so many ridiculous statements that he is in danger of seriously damaging his credibility.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“He's a novice - he should keep his opinions to Japanese football”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Promise is one thing. Fulfilling that promise is quite another.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“All they can talk about is Manchester United.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Football management is such a pressurized thing - horse racing is a release. I'm also learning to play the piano - I'm quite determined - it's another release from the pressure of my job.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Look at me – it's taken 10 years off me today. It's these tablets, they're great!”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it's a better cow than the one you've got in your own field. It's a fact. Right? And it never really works out that way.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“I don't like losing but I've mellowed. I maybe have a short fuse but it goes away quicker now.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Gianfranco Zola once sent Gary Pallister the wrong way to such an extent that he needed a ticket to get back in.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Jose was one of those guys on a surfboard who can stay longer on the wave than anyone else.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Lampard, for me, was a marvellous servant for Chelsea, but I didn't think of him as an elite international footballer. And I am one of the few who felt Gerrard was not a top, top player.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“It's great news. The reality of negotiations today is that they take time. But these have always been conducted in a good spirit and we are very pleased with the outcome. We can now look forward to the future.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“It was our worst-ever day, the worst result in my history, ever. Even as a player I don't think I ever lost 6-1.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“The lads really ran their socks into the ground.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Myths grow all the time. If I was to listen to the number of times I've thrown teacups then we've gone through some crockery in this place. It's completely exaggerated, but I don't like people arguing back with me.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“We got anxious at the end of the weekend in our urgency to try to score the winning goal. Ended up playing far too many long balls forward. That style of play doesn't suit Manchester United. We must continue to play football and enjoy the game. If we do that, eventually things will come right for us.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“You are not going to be happy if you lose to a goal in the last minute. It is difficult to take and difficult to get out of your mind.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Everyone remembers Stuart Pearce as a determined, aggressive player, who played with great heart and enthusiasm that gave him a great career in the game.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“If he was an inch taller he'd be the best center half in Britain. His father is 6 ft 2 in - I'd check the milkman.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Keeping players happy is not easy and I think anyone with a big squad will tell you that.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I'm no f****** talking to you. He's a f****** great player. Yous are f******* idiots.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“Go make your mistakes in the first team. You'll learn more in a month in the first team than you will in two years in the reserves.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“As long as there are games to play its not over”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Liverpool can play for only five minutes and win the game, that is the way they are. They pump the ball into the box and with good set-piece delivery they keep you under pressure.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“Distinguish between power and control, delegate, be decisive - and always remember people's first names.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“The philosophy of a lot of European teams, even in home matches, is not to give a goal away.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn't happen again. If I could, I would have carried on playing.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“Cole should be scoring from those distances, but I'm not going to single him out.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“As with every young player these days, Ronaldo is 18.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. It is an indictment of our game. You see referees abroad who are as fit as butcher's dogs. We have some who are fit. He wasn't fit.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“He was taking 30 seconds to book a player. He was needing a rest. It was ridiculous.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“Everest in his slippers. That's what he was like.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“If ever there was one player, anywhere in the world, that was made for Manchester United, it was Cantona. He swaggered in, stuck his chest out, raised his head and surveyed everything as though he was asking: 'I'm Cantona. How big are you? Are you big enough for me?'”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“To not apologize for the behavior of the players to another manager is unthinkable. It's a disgrace, but I don't expect Wenger to ever apologize...he's that type of person.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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“Pardew has come out and criticized me. He is the worst at haranguing referees. He shoves them and makes a joke of it. How he can criticize me is unbelievable. He forgets the help I gave him, by the way. The press have had a field day. The only person they have not spoken to is Barack Obama because he is busy. It is unfortunate but I am the manager of the most famous club in the world. Not Newcastle, a wee club in the North-East. I was demonstrative. I am always demonstrative. Everyone knows that. I am an emotional guy but I was not abusive.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“We are very focused this time and our preparation has been better. We maybe made one or two mistakes last time, but not this time.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
“There has been a lot of expectation on Manchester City and with the spending they have done they have to win something. Sometimes you have a noisy neighbor and have to live with it.”
-- Alex Ferguson -
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