Sir Alex Ferguson made many comments throughout his football career, but there was one particular quip the Govan-born manager made which is still repeated today
Sir Alex Ferguson was a master of verbal warfare, who was never shy of airing his fierce opinions – but few of his comments were as sharp as his description of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince.
Back in April 1998, ahead of a Premier League showdown with Liverpool, Ferguson was dishing out his tactical wisdom. His focus sharpened on his former United player Ince, who had made the switch from Inter Milan to Merseyside the summer before.
Ferguson’s voice rose, not quite to the decibel-shattering heights of his infamous hairdryer rants, but with enough volume to command the undivided attention of anyone donning a United kit. It was during this moment, captured by cameras for the Granada documentary ‘The Alex Ferguson Story’, he unleashed one of his most memorable put-downs.
“If he tries to bully you he will f***ing enjoy it. Don’t ever let him bully you. Right,” Ferguson, who also won the European Cup Winners Cup, three Scottish Championships and four Scottish Cups as manager of Aberdeen between 1978 and 1986, was recorded saying. “You just make sure you are ready for him. That’s all you need to worry about. He’s a f***ing big-time Charlie.”
Those last words encapsulated Ferguson’s disdain for oversized egos within the squad. In 2008, the legendary manager expressed regret over those remarks, labelling them a “mistake” and vowing to keep future team talks off camera.
Indeed, the one person who concurred with Ferguson’s assessment was none other than Ince himself. While speaking to the Manchester Evening News and representing bet365, the ‘Guv’nor’ said: “Am I a big time Charlie? Probably, yeah. I played for the biggest clubs in the world. You’ve got to have that kind of arrogance, not to the extent people don’t like you.
“But you’ve got to have some kind of big-time mindset to play for the biggest clubs in the world. In a way, he was right, but it’s nothing that was ever going to affect me because I know how close we were.”
Ince was able to shake off his comments with barely a shrug. While Ferguson’s stinging quip would go on to be latched to Ince, the ex-midfielder was not concerned or offended. They are still good friends today, who compete on a different green surface. Ince added: “I will always go to his house and play snooker, and kick his a***, and I will always pick my phone up to ring him.”
A decade on from Ferguson’s infamous comment, which had been broadcasted widely, the legendary manager faced Ince, then at the helm of Blackburn Rovers. Prior to their encounter, Ferguson said: “I regret saying that. That was a mistake.
“We let a camera into our dressing room, which we had never done before, and it won’t happen again. It wasn’t a personality issue with Paul. With Paul you could not have a honeymoon all the time, because he was such a volatile character, but he never let us down.”
Reflecting on Ferguson’s rare admission of regret, Ince made it clear that he felt nothing – as the comment never had an effect in the first place. “Listen, people seem to have the impression that me and Sir Alex Ferguson never got on,” Ince said.
“I used to speak to him all the time and when I was managing Blackburn Rovers, I was on the phone to him all the time. When he said it, I was playing for Liverpool and, really, I think he was trying to wind up the likes of Roy Keane and say, ‘Oh Ince, he’s just a big time Charlie,’ and all this type of stuff.
“Things like that didn’t affect me. Maybe it would with players from today, but not Paul Ince back in my time. The fact that he regretted saying it was neither here nor there. The comment did not affect our friendship.”
Paul Ince was speaking on behalf of bet365, the official global partner of the UEFA Champions League. bet365 have given away more than 3000 UEFA Champions League tickets to fans this season, including the semi-finals and final. Full Terms and Conditions apply. Gamble Responsibly. Full interview can be found at bet365 News.