Discipline, work ethic and ego

Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club, in his new book ‘Leading’ doles out tips that made him to lift numerous titles in his stellar career. It is a refreshing read despite not having the stellar revelations like his previous book

When David Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager of Manchester United in 2013, there was subtle dissent from all quarters. A tabloid in Portugal claimed that Jose Mourinho was upset as he has been vying for the post and sections of Old Trafford faithful were disappointed as names like Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti weren’t managing the club.

However, in his new book ‘Leading’, which Alex Ferguson co-authored with Michael Moritz, clears the air stating that first choices Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti weren’t available, while Jose Mourinho promised Roman Abramovich that he would return to Chelsea, paving way for David Moyes.

Like all books authored by sport personalities, ‘Leading’ offers more insights into Fergie – as Alex Ferguson fondly called, but this time around it focuses on what made him the greatest manager of the beautiful game. As Fergie admits in the very first chapter of the book, that success of his talk at Harvard Business School in October 2012, drove him to pen down what according to him were the necessary ingredients that helped him to lead Manchester United to a staggering 20 title in a career spanning 27 years.

The book starts off with a typical Fergie style, which lays great emphasis on discipline and work ethic. The wily scot admits that he has inculcated these from his father and also from his Glaswegian upbringing. For those who have been following Manchester United, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that the so called ‘Controversial Decisions’ (Boot to Beckham, Tevez’s transfer saga or Paul Pogba’s contract fiasco) boils down to Fergie’s emphasis on these very traits. Nevertheless the septuagenarian hasn’t expressed any guilt and his trademark style reiterated that “Club is bigger than player”.

Fergie has a towering presence in Old Trafford and even bigger ego. The very fact that he demanded to be paid more than that of United’s talismanic striker Wayne Rooney, stands a testament. There weren’t many great revelations in this book except not naming Beckham and Rooney in the ‘World Class’ players he managed, he named Cantona, Giggs, Scholes and Ronaldo.

An honest admission that can catch people of guard was agreeing to transfer failures of Sergio Aguero, PetrCech and Lucas Moura. Contrary to the popular belief that he has left United high and dry, Fergie stated that he has tied young players to contract and bought Powell, Zaha and Henriquez. Sadly, the trio aren’t part of Manchester United squad now.

For a man who gained notoriety for extensive use of patented ‘Hair Dryer Treatment’, Fergie says that he has used it sparingly and doles out advice that there is no use in throwing temper tantrums. Instead, the wily scot impresses upon traits like communication, listening, delegation and others to manage players.

As Fergie honestly states, the book narrates traits that made him a successful manager. But, he admits that these traits cannot be replicated in their true form at any club or any organisation. Instead he asks the managers / leaders to customise it to suit their needs, as he often did.