Sir Alex Ferguson transformed Manchester United into the behemoth of a football club they remain today, but the legendary manager certainly broke a few eggs on the way.
Fergie dominated English football and ‘knocked Liverpool off their perch’ when he came down from Aberdeen. Despite his triumphs and legacy, those personal battles he picked with some of his players are remembered just as vividly.
One of those stars whose relationship with Ferguson strained was Scottish midfielder Gordon Strachan, who played under Fergie at Aberdeen and Scotland, and later at United. The two enjoyed a successful yet fractious relationship as their two strong personalities clashed numerous times in their decade together.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sport, via Grosvenor Sport, Strachan said: “It got a bit tense with us at Aberdeen for different reasons. You could see his team that won the European Cup playing and Super Cup breaking up, so he got a wee bit tetchy.
“But when I was at the World Cup in ’86, he had a room next to me and he was in one morning talking about who he should pick for the game against Uruguay. And I basically said ‘do what you want as long as you pick me!’
“And I said to him when are you leaving Aberdeen? And he went, ‘I’m only leaving Pittodrie for Barcelona or Manchester United.’ And I went, ‘oh I hope to Christ, it’s Barcelona!’
Strachan was sold by Ferguson for a second time when he joined Leeds United in 1989 after the legendary boss felt Strachan’s best years were passed him as their relationship strained.
However, the midfielder would go on to beat Fergie and United to the First Division title as the Whites’ captain in 1992.
“It got to the time where it was just too much for me,” Strachan said. “I was getting older and I couldn’t be bothered with the stress of that kind of friction we had at that time.
“It was the best thing that ever happened to Manchester United, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me because I left and went to Leeds United, and it went great for me, it went great for him.
“So the both of us we were really successful in terms of when I moved on from Man United and he moved on.”
Strachan joked that Ferguson’s famous hairdryer treatment would never work in this day and age with the way that players now expect to be treated by their manager.
“The funniest thing about it was, I hear nowadays, ‘oh he’s lost the dressing room.’ This is a thing that you hear now – it’s usually from players that are not on the team,” Strachan continued.
“He lost the dressing room every weekend! But he got it back again by Tuesday, and we’d run through a brick wall for him!
“There’s so much nonsense spoken in football, but these great managers are your Jock Stein and Alex Ferguson, Bill Shankly, Matt Busby, they just told you the truth, and you had to deal with the truth.
“Which is unfortunate we don’t get nowadays in school, in politics, we don’t tell the truth to anybody.”