Written by Andy Philips.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s new autobiography is officially released to the general public on Thursday. However, Tuesday brought the official launch and a press conference with the man himself.
It was always a little bit of a mystery as to just how far Ferguson would go in this new book, with people wondering whether he would want to reveal anything that may upset the applecart at Manchester United in a season where the club are experiencing perhaps the biggest managerial transition in the history of the game.
However, after some of the stories that came out of his last attempt, ‘’Managing My Life’’ back in 1999, expectations were high when it came to some juicy gossip and it seems that Ferguson hasn’t disappointed there.
Perhaps the biggest surprise that has come out of the launch is Sir Alex’s criticism of David Beckham and his lifestyle. It seemed that the two had buried the hatchet in recent times after an ugly bust up that resulted in Beckham departing for Real Madrid but despite that, Ferguson seems to have brought that rift back into the spotlight with his latest comments.
He wrote, “The minute a Manchester United player thought he was bigger than the manager, he had to go.”
“I felt uncomfortable with the celebrity aspect of his life.”
The saving grace for United when it comes to those comments is that Beckham is very much in the past. However, something that is very much in the present is Wayne Rooney and his future at the club.
It was one of the biggest stories of the summer transfer window and just when it seems to have settled down and Rooney seems to be enjoying his football again, the fact that Ferguson has brought the story back into the spotlight may not have been taken too kindly by current United manager David Moyes, especially with the club’s stuttering start to the season.
Regarding Rooney, Ferguson wrote that he felt that he had ‘’lost some of his old thrust’’, lacked fitness and also confirmed that he had asked to leave United following the club winning the Premier League title.
“I left him to discuss his future with David Moyes, hoping to see many more great performances from him at Old Trafford.”, he concluded, possibly in an attempt to try and defuse any situation that he may or may not have re-created.
Something that was perhaps much more expected is Ferguson’s criticism of his former captain Roy Keane. Keane famously left Old Trafford back in 2005 after publically criticising several of the team’s players and the two have been very publically at each other’s throats since that time, so there weren’t many that will have been expecting Ferguson to mince his words.
“The hardest part of Roy’s body is his tongue. He has the most savage tongue you can imagine.
“He can debilitate the most confident person in the world in seconds. He was an intimidating, ferocious individual.”
The fact that Keane is now working as a pundit for ITV on the same night as the launch meant that he was able to respond on live television later on; criticising his former manager for being negative about players that had won trophies in the past.
Whether there is any more fallout to these revelations, as well as the numerous other stories in the book remain to be seen over the next few days and weeks but regardless, Sir Alex has once again done what he was so good at whilst he was a part of the game and that is cause controversy.