Britain's most respected sportswriter takes on the greatest football manager of all time
Sir Alex Ferguson is without doubt the most controversial and compelling figure in football today. For many he ranks as the greatest manager of all time. He is certainly the most successful. His reign at Manchester United has seen him win every major footballing honour. And then win them again.
It's been over ten years since that unforgettable night in Barcelona when Ferguson's embattled players triumphed over Bayern Munich in the dying seconds of the Champions League final. Since then Ferguson has presided over the rise and fall and rise again of José ourinho, the arrival and departure of the world's best player, Ronaldo, the removal of one English talisman - Beckham - and the irresistible instalment of another - Rooney.He has been instrumental in making the Premier League the most successful competition in football, and he has endured while the mountains of cash have turned to valleys of debt.
It is only now, as Ferguson nears the end of his career, that conclusions can be drawn about this fascinating man. From Ferguson's combative working class youth in Govan to his role in ushering in the debt-laden Glazer era, award-winning journalist Patrick Barclay has been pitch-side and spoken to all those who know Ferguson best: fellow managers, former players, colleagues and commentators. Barclay reveals Ferguson to be a relentless character whose ability to intimidate, control, cajole and encourage has driven his unparalleled success. In the pages of Football - Bloody Hell! the game's biggest living legend is finally laid bare.