Special: Sir Alex Ferguson interview

0:00This BBC Podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Fall flavors are waiting for you at Whole Foods Market. Cozy picks all through the store, like maple leaf cookies from 365 brand. Swing by the bakery for pumpkin cheesecake, here for a limited time, and pumpkin turmeric bread freshly baked every single day. Sip the season with 365 brand Cinnamon Spice Coffee and pumpkin spice creamer, while you still can spice up fall at Whole Foods Market. Hello, footballs, babygames. It's me and the water's set from BBC News.

1:03I've sat down with Sir Alex Ferguson. Again, I mean, he needs very little introduction to you. Does he? The trophy speak for themselves, but it wasn't just the trophies. It was the way he won the reinventing squad after squad and creating that spirit of never giving up. In his latest book, Games of My Life, he pegs 21 chapters to 21 matches, and we're taken from the warmth of his childhood tenement flat in Glasgow, where they've sublected a bedroom to an Irish family. Right through to his disillusionment with football completely, he almost emigrated to Canada, and then he talks us through building the radical class of 92, which at the time was controversial. He talks about the patience it took. And coming back after the bleed on the brain, whereas he puts the great ref in the sky, almost decided his number was up. It was a pleasure to sit down with him a couple of weeks ago in Chesha. Sir Alex, good to see you again. Thank you. You're looking very well. You're feeling well. Yeah, feeling quite good, yeah? Yeah. Despite small injuries.

2:05We've all got them, I'm sorry. So your book, The Games of Your Life, your plucks out 21. Why did you do it this way? Why did you decide to peg your entire history to matches? With my choice, you know, of games that really matter to me, going right back to these early days, because my career didn't just line the hands of Manchester United, you know, and I won't career from 13 years of age right to my retirement. A really significant game that I remember clear as day was your return to all traffic against walls in 2018. We as the fans felt, the nation felt, and perhaps you felt that was a day that may not have happened after the bleed on the brain. Yeah. What was that feeling like walking out? Oh, that was, I was terrified actually. I wish that I could say it was comfortable. I wasn't.

3:07Really? I wasn't comfortable. Because I didn't know what the reaction was, you see, you go there and then make the unknowns with the manager. And then of course, the road applause was, it was, it was heart-wending, you know. What was that? It was, and my wife was with me, and she was new with Claim, you know, she was, and then just that doing, she's, that's fantastic. Did she? Yeah, she's not some reason. And then one of these things, I think, that the generosity of her support and recognizing her time there, you know. You look really well when you look back at the footage of your emerging, and you look fantastic. It's easy to forget just how bad the injury was when you see the scans of your brain. I know. The things could have been so different. Well, it was, I won't recover it really. It was one of the seven or eight months. I wasn't allowed to travel or drink or anything like that.

4:12And I always remember my grandson, the community, to see me, my grandson's, and I was my voice. I couldn't speak. And then they brought in this therapist and she started doing things like, name, write down, names of birds, names of animals, names of rivers, and that way my voice come back. We've frightened. I was, when I can't talk, I must be framed. So yeah, that was a, that was a frame and more than that. Let's go to Gov. High School against Adelphi Teres. So it's 1955, you're 13 years old, you're first final, and you say about this, this was the moment I realized I really enjoyed winning medals. And we've got the medal there, haven't we? And we made up a big castle cup, six nil, a score two. It was a great moment because everyone, we went two

5:13years without losing a game. So that was my starting point, for a glass of schools, then for Scotland schools, Scottish youth team. So the starting point of a career was there and that's when I can look back in with a great satisfaction. And what I love about this chapter is you paint a beautiful picture of the flat that you were in, the flat that you lived in, the tenement flat in Gov and Glasgow. It was the making of me. It's where I developed my inner confidence from my mum and my drive to succeed from my dad. Walk us through that flat in your mind. From my brother and I, we had, we had our own bedroom, we had another bedroom which my mother and father rented out to an Irish family. So where are your mum and dad sleeping at this point? The recess bed in the kitchen. It was in the wall. My dad used to keep his books and I loved above the bedroom. Wow. And you say in the book that your dad, he wasn't a demonstrative man, he wasn't an emotional man, but his way of showing his love to you and your brother was to

6:15breaking the leather on the boots. He was so proud of you, you know. And he was a hub task, because he would then, I would be a schooler, I would go to school and my mother would go, I would sleep, but I would say, I never shoot. I never shoot. That's impossible. So keep keeping in your place, not letting you get in carried away in your cell. Let's go forward to 1963. Alex Ferguson is 21 years old, plain for St Johnston, flu strikes the scores. All of his sudden Alex Ferguson's off the bench. It's changed my life. Yeah. Because on the day before the game, I went to this one by some of the polls because we could get a shower there and things like that. And I got my brother girlfriend to phone the manager and say, I'd be for you. That was a position I was there because I wasn't enjoying it, I wasn't playing the frosting football, I was in the reserves all the time. And then a broken eyebrow and a broken nose point of game hadn't played for six weeks,

7:22came back, was three games the reserves. You don't? So you played to nail this? Yeah. And I went to Canada House and took out forms. Four and a half years ago in Canada, because you needed a sponsor then. And they never told me, I'm going to fall in love with them. And I said, I'm going to fall in love with them. And you're in the newspapers. I've often seen this, but I don't. And I say this to seeing young people, don't miss the biggest opportunity in your life. Yeah. It's recognised. You think without that hat trick, I know I've been on that boat to Canada. What do you mean? Amazing. Absolutely. Let's jump forward to a three-year win against Bolton at Old Trafford. It's 1995. You'll never win anything with kids. Why would that? You described that third goal going in. It happened in a matter of seconds, but 10 years in the making. Yeah. We were what real hard? Yeah.

8:22Again, you put into the club again. These bunching and words. They became the spirit of Manchester, and he did. It's easy to forget how young they were. I know. And how good they were. I know. And the confidence between schools gave them back home. Apart from the great abilities they had, the desires, you know, the great games, if the real events. Yeah. You know, so they created a sort of a pose in my being in terms of why you don't have, they brought them this far to a let them go, put their food back in and won to press them. He thought we were trying to get rid of them, which was not true. Because David was the last to really develop because he's physique. Right. Although he grew to six foot, whether he was small and thin as a young kid. And then all of a sudden he got to about 17. He up and came. But it was still a gamble. Was there any point at which he thought this might go

9:28wrong? No, I know. I'll tell you why I believe myself. Yeah. I did this exam with the same as some of them. And I did exactly the same. I was good. And you were the belief in young people. Because if you give them an opportunity, there's two things happen. They become real stars, and they could remain loyal to you as a manager. You got some stick from the fans. I think we've got some letters here. Oh, right there. Don't sell inseater-inter or regret it. So that's like a threat. Not sell Paul ins. What miracles do you propose to perform with your pieces of silver? Every red is disgusted with you. And this is just because you were bringing the class of 32, and prioritising them. Paul was a tremendous footballer. There's no doubt about that. It's an incredible ability. And he said a few, and he just carried away a bit of time. And then he got this offer from Inter online. And I'm trying to weigh up one thing against

10:31the other. And I'm working at schools and working at, but that's this. It should be. And then it went from some moments, it's in a half. And I said, do it. Because those decisions are all on your shoulders. Yeah, but that's real job. This is a manager. You have to meet hard decisions. Then some decisions don't suit everyone. Could you read out from this? This is a note pad that Jason you saw at. Amazing, highly glyphics. Well, it does look a bit like higher glyphics. But I'm quite interested in the words that you've written here. Can you read some of them out? Enter into preparation. Rewide on instinct. And knowledge of game. Tactics. Quarters. Wadership. Make decisions. Preparation. Determination. Churchill. Montgomery. Battles. Religion. Armory. Patients. Observation. With Ro. McGraft. Authority. Presence. Control. Ends. Ends. The last one. Ends.

11:34It's kept in there. He was living in your head. That's why I wasn't there. It was. It was. So what is this stream of consciousness that you've written down here? Because it's a couple of pages. These are all in front of the squad of that time. So that's obviously your thought process. Yeah, that they have a doodling to my things that are important. And my job, you know. Just words that you're thinking about. Memories. Yeah, the words. First, a lot of things. The words. And itself. Paul Inscribes. I didn't know. What's that before? Montgomery Churchill. Inns of Keck. I couldn't escape him. You did eventually. He's a great lad, you know. He was my favourite. Oh, he's a great lad. He sometimes goes over and used to come over and play with it. Snooker. Oh, did he? Yeah, you know. Oh, so you became friends again? Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, did you? Oh, absolutely. If it takes me thus long ago. Oh, so you still you became friends again? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's a good friend of mine. Oh, good.

12:35Hi. It's 2021. You're finally presented with your Scotland cap. Yeah, no. Scotland 3 is rail 2. What did it feel like to finally get it? Well, you know, some, it took me from 96 to 77. Yeah. Until that next 2020 won to get that. Yeah. They awarded two or three other players on the same night. So you got your cap. Your own cap. And just finally, Sir Alex, it was Scott McTomony from the United Youth side who scored the winner. That's right. In extra time, which really puts a bow on your head. Oh, yeah. Doesn't it? That's the only way. Well, remember, saying in McTomony 70 years of age. Did you? Yeah. Emily's father. Come in. I'm the winner. Thank you very much for your time. No pleasure. Absolutely pleasure to see you. Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful British manager of all time. Nobody is above him or this football club.

13:36So how did an apprentice toolmaker from Glasgow become one of the most iconic figures in sporting history? He strength the carabays determination, the fight and he can be persuasive. He can be charming. He can be frightening. I'm Kelly Cates and this is sporting giants Sir Alex Ferguson. I don't want to feel, I couldn't feel. Listen on BBC Sounds. Technology made banking easier. Travel easier. Shopping easier. Home insurance is still catching up. Kin is changing that smart technology that helps you find coverage fast and real people when you actually need them. Simple tools faster help no trade-offs. Home insurance that finally makes sense. Go to kin.com slash podcast. That's k-i-n dot com forward slash podcast. Kin refers to Kin Distributor Insurance Services, a licensed California Circles Lines broker. Insurer that is not licensed or regulated by the California Insurance Commissioner. Looking for a financial partner that truly cares about your success? From great rates to financial coaching and exclusive member perks, experience simple banking in person and virtually.

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