Buzzin Football

alex ferguson greatest achievment ever?

As his Manchester United past swept past a weary and punch-drunk AC Milan side, inspired by the imperious Wayne Rooney, team manager Alex Ferguson is edging ever closer to what could be regarded as his greatest ever achievement in football.

In light of what he has already conquered, that in itself seems an unimaginable concept. His re-construction of the Old Trafford club in the 1990s and the subsequent continued success this century is nothing short of inimitable. Indeed, with eleven league titles, two champions league victories and countless other Cup successes, the man’s decorated career history is hardly short of treasured memories and notable accomplishments.

Of course the 1999 treble will go down in the club’s history as the most spectacular success story to date, whilst another noteworthy conquest was the 2007 re-capturing of the Premiership crown following  the three-year drought amidst the London backlash in the form of Arsenal’s 2003/04 “Invincibles” and of course the subsequent arrival of the Russian mega-millions and Jose Mourinho  at Chelsea.

Fergie’s had great teams and world class players and memorable performances throughout his twenty-four year reign, yet with everything he’s developed to date and in particular all that he’s had to deal with this season in particular, he could be making his greatest mark yet.

Consider just what he’s had to face this last nine months and how on earth he’s managed once again to line his team up for the two biggest pieces of silverware available, with the League Cup already in the bag. Last summer saw the sale of megastar and top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo; he wanted to leave the club a year earlier but Ferguson shrewdly managed to effectuate another fruitful season out of him.

Yet Ronaldo was never replaced; only a fraction of the mammoth transfer fee received for the Portuguese was re-invested in players, particularly Antonio Valencia. Now, although he has improved as the season has progressed he is not nor ever will be the same class of player as his predecessor, yet somehow Ferguson has managed to harness the combined skills of the Ecuadorian with Nani and Ji-Sung Park and of course Wayne Rooney to heal the gaping wound inflicted by such a potentially devastating departure.

Tactically, he has disproved the doubters who refuted the impact of Rooney as a lone-striker at the head of the 4-3-2-1 formation, with the England striker currently on the form of his life, leading the line, also now scoring headed goals and singling himself out as the hottest striker in Europe.

Of course, the United boss has relied heavily on the fitness of Rooney in a season where his team has been decimated at times by injuries, particularly in defence, and the fact that United are still very much in the thick of the title race is testament to the Scot’s ability to get the best out of a player in an unfamiliar position. He has persevered and rewarded the industry of players like Park and Darren Fletcher and now they are rewarding his faith with moments of inspiration to add to their irrefutable endeavour.

As has been highlighted particularly with the David Beckham homecoming, his ability to support and sustain the consistency of the senior professionals like Giggs, Scholes and Neville is a testament to the core values central to his managerial ethos. Whereas Arsène Wenger at Arsenal tends to show players the door at 30, Ferguson actively encourages an omnipresent core of senior professionals to set the example and maintain the motivational standards of the club.

The final minutes of the Milan match illustrated the Old Trafford chief’s latest footballing headache, as the United supporters continued their fervent opposition to the Glazer family’s ownership of the club. This storm has threatened to sweep up Ferguson in its trail, and he has thus far managed to stay loyally respectful to his employers whilst at the same time voicing his empathy to the disconcerted fans’ perspective; meanwhile the club charge relentlessly towards the top honours once again.

A Premiership title this season would be a momentous nineteenth league title and knock Liverpool into second place in the history books, not to mention what would be a record fourth successive League success, with the prospect of a third successive Champions League final entirely conceivable.

He has steadied the Old Trafford ship countless times now and has fought the fires that threatened to engulf the club’s success and ambition.  After the catalogue of crises and circuses that have plagued the club this season in particular, he may soon be able to look upon this 2009/10 season as his greatest campaign to date and his most monumental achievement ever.