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Ferguson finale Man Utd boss seeks more Euro glory in final year
LONDON (AP) -- When Alex Ferguson took over at Manchester United, the biggest star in world soccer was a 25-year-old Argentine upstart called Diego Maradona, and Mike Tyson had just become the youngest world heavyweight champion. Germany was still divided, the Soviet Union was yet to break up and apartheid still gripped South Africa. Fifteen years on, the gruff Scot can look back on a decade and a half of successes at Old Trafford, lifting the proud team from its knees in 1986 to become champion of Europe in 1999. While he has transformed the team on the playing field, United now has the highest value in the world of any other club in any sport. Winning yet another league title and maybe a second Champions Cup during his reign would be the perfect way to go out. After this season, Ferguson steps down as manager at age 60 and the club has found some kind or ambassadorial role for him at Old Trafford. Whoever takes over will do well to follow the same Ferguson philosophy. "We are not looking to compare ourselves to any other club," he says. "We are looking to compare ourselves to ourselves. Each year we try to improve. That is the standard we set. "This is Manchester United's standard and nobody else's. The players have proved over recent years that they have a very special character. "Their depth of character means they will always try," said Ferguson who believes his team is capable of beating anyone. "Nobody is safe," he says, "playing against Manchester United." Ferguson took over from Ron Atkinson in November 1986 after eight successful years at Aberdeen in Scotland where he broke the Celtic-Rangers monopoly of the championship and also won the European Cup Winners Cup. While soccer made dramatic changes with transfer regulations being revolutionized by the Bosman ruling and international stars moving in droves from country to country, Ferguson watched it all happen from his Old Trafford seat. All along he knew that his plans for the Reds would work out. Yet, in the early days, he was close to following Atkinson out of the door. United seemed no closer to capturing the league title it hadn't won since 1967 and Liverpool remained the dominant club. The breakthrough came with an FA Cup triumph in 1990, the first of seven Wembley appearances in seven seasons for Ferguson's team. Even better, United celebrated its return to European soccer with a triumph in the 1991 Cup Winners Cup, beating Barcelona in the final 2-1 in Rotterdam. It was English soccer's first European success after a five-year ban imposed by UEFA. That followed the Heysel stadium rioting that left 39 people dead at the 1985 Champions Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. While lifting the gloom in England, the triumph in Rotterdam also was the springboard to United's stunning run of titles. After Ferguson's team had finished runner up to Leeds in 1992, the big clubs broke away from the Football League to form the Premier League and, in the nine seasons since then, United has won the title seven times, finishing runner up on the two other occasions. Ferguson hired the world's best goalkeeper, Denmark's Peter Schmeichel, and also saw the value of wayward French forward Eric Cantona, who played a major role in Leeds' triumph in '92. He hired the talented Frenchman at a knockdown price of 1.2 million pounds (US$1.68 million) and Cantona, despite his volcanic temperament, became such an integral part of the team that its only slip while he was at the club was in 1995 when he spent eight months under suspension for attacking a Crystal Palace fan. When the aging Cantona moved on, Ferguson made sure that the team's momentum didn't slow. With young stars such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phillip, improving season by season, Ferguson kept the United machine in smooth working order and the reward was a Champions Cup triumph in 1999, the club's first for 31 years. He gave the captaincy to the fiery but effective Roy Keane, hired Dwight Yorke for 12.5 million pounds (US$17.5 million), sharpshhoter Andy Cole, Dutch defender Jaap Stam, Norwegians Ronny Johnsen and Ole Gunner Solskjaer, veteran striker Teddy Sheringham, Mikael Silvestre and useful backup players such as Henning Berg, Jesper Blomqvist, Jordi Cruyff, Quinton Fortune and David May. The only real problem was how to replace the standout Schmeichel when the Dane moved on to Sporting Lisbon. The talented but often outspoken Mark Bosnich didn't meet Ferguson's requirements, leaving after a season, and eventually the United manager went to the top and bought French World Cup goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. Despite a seventh title in nine seasons, Ferguson is only satisfied with more successes in the Champions Cup and he strengthened his squad during the summer by buying Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from PSV Eindhoven and Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron from Napoli for a combined cost of 47.1 million pounds (US$65.9 million). Ferguson knows that he has to spend that kind of money to compete with the biggest clubs in Europe. He believes that, by the time he vacates the Old Trafford hot seat in May, that will have been money well spent.
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