by James Kent

Created on: August 31, 2011   Last Updated: November 20, 2011

Sir Alex Ferguson is really part of the furniture at Old Trafford and it is very difficult to sum up in so many words what this Manchester United legend has achieved in Manchester.

Ferguson hails from Scotland and managed East Stirling, St Mirren and Aberdeen before joining Manchester United in 1986. His spell in charge of Aberdeen provided some evidence of his managerial talent.

It is common knowledge that the Old Firm (Celtic and Rangers) dominate the Scottish Premier League (SPL), but Ferguson managed to break them up during his spell in Scotland. He won the SPL in 1980, 1984 and 1985.

Sir Alex Ferguson started off his managerial career at Manchester United slowly, but the United board kept faith with their man. It was a decision that has paid off big time in Manchester. Ferguson is the longest serving Premier League manager, having spent over 24 years in charge at the club. Such a record also makes him the longest-serving Manchester United manager.

Sir Alex Ferguson won his first Premier League title in 1993 and has now won 12 Premier League titles. Ferguson has also been successful in domestic cup competitions and twice winning the European Cup (Champions League).

Other teams such as Chelsea have won the Premier League during Ferguson's time at Old Trafford. However, as other managers at United's rivals have come and gone, Ferguson has remained and proved time after time, what a great manager he is.

The Ferguson Way

One of the reasons that Sir Alex Ferguson has continued to be successful, is his style and strategy. Other clubs had tried things in the past with some success, but none of them have had the longevity that Manchester United has enjoyed under Ferguson.

Manchester City and Chelsea have gone down, the major spending road and tried to build a successful team that way. Arsenal under Arsene Wenger have leaned more towards developing players. Ferguson's strategy, probably comes somewhere in the middle.

The first stage of it is to develop youth players and every United squad that Ferguson has built has included, players that have come out of the youth system. In the early days, these included David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes, to name a few. This season, you can look towards Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverly for instance.

A continuation of this first stage is to invest in English players. This has been seen this summer with the signings of Phil Jones and Ashley young. Ferguson realises the value in having quality English players, just think about the money that was spent on Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney. 

The second stage is being prepared to spend big on quality players. Ferguson has done this. Throughout his time at Manchester United, and although he doesn't always get it right, he usually does and it's a signal of intent to his Premier league rivals.

The final stage of the strategy is the importance of experienced players. Think about the fact that Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have effectively spent their entire career at Manchester United. Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney may not have started their careers at Old Trafford, but they are unlikely to move on anywhere now.

Sir Alex Ferguson is no doubt a legendary manager. His impact at Old Trafford has been immense in nearly 25 years. But it is really down to strategy and planning, and that little bit of managerial instinct in decision-making. It is also a lesson in the rewards that can be reaped by having a little patience and faith in your manager.

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