Michael Vaughan is the England cricket captain, and he was able to Thursday night’s function at Old Trafford to celebrate 25 years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign at Manchester United.It was a huge honour for me to be in that room, filled with the great players of the last quarter century and beyond.
Probably the only significant figures who weren’t there were David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane. Other than that, you saw everyone, from the senior generation of Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and Paddy Crerand to the big names of the 1980s and 1990s: Bryan Robson, Paul Ince and Gary Neville.
The attention to detail was minute. There was a video montage of highlights for all the major players, running all the way down to recent arrivals such as Ashley Young.
Sir Alex himself went around the room, speaking to all the guests and making them feel welcome. People who don’t know him probably hear all the hair-dryer stories and think he is some sort of ogre, but in fact his ability to connect with people is extraordinary.
What came across is the way he has turned Manchester United into one big family. Everyone who has ever played for the team still feels part of the club.
And so do the people who work in support roles. You hear about staff who have been at Old Trafford for 50 years, or the women at the Carrington training ground who go back 30 years. Sir Alex makes them all part of the first XI’s success, from the physios to the cooks, no matter how small or big a job they do.
That’s probably why there was a real sense of warmth around the room, both towards the club and towards Sir Alex himself. He leaves no stone unturned.
I think he’s the best psychologist in the world. My time as England cricket captain gave me some small insight into the way successful teams work, but he’s got it all.
He probably doesn’t know he’s doing it half the time — it just comes naturally to him — but he knows what to say at the right time, when to turn the volume up and when to be gentle with people. He deals brilliantly with the daily challenges of sport, the triumphs and the disappointments, but he is also a mentor to the players, someone who helps them with their lives away from Old Trafford.
He is like a father figure to them, and I’m sure they are petrified of him, in the way that some fathers inspire a sort of devoted but fearful affection.
When he arrives at training, they’ll have a quick look and check he’s there, and the intensity will just pick up by 20 per cent. But it’s not all about being stern. He has a very humorous side and will make them laugh.
And although they might look at the floor when he is telling them off, they wouldn’t be afraid to go and see him for a quiet chat either. That’s the real skill of leadership.
Sir Alex will be 70 in December and he has a wealth of experience that no other manager can match. I’m 37 and still learning, so I listen carefully to everything he says, and I find I can always relate to it.
He has been there as a player and as a manager, he has done it all. For anyone who works in sport, he is the ultimate role model.
Probably the only significant figures who weren’t there were David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane. Other than that, you saw everyone, from the senior generation of Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and Paddy Crerand to the big names of the 1980s and 1990s: Bryan Robson, Paul Ince and Gary Neville.
The attention to detail was minute. There was a video montage of highlights for all the major players, running all the way down to recent arrivals such as Ashley Young.
Sir Alex himself went around the room, speaking to all the guests and making them feel welcome. People who don’t know him probably hear all the hair-dryer stories and think he is some sort of ogre, but in fact his ability to connect with people is extraordinary.
What came across is the way he has turned Manchester United into one big family. Everyone who has ever played for the team still feels part of the club.
And so do the people who work in support roles. You hear about staff who have been at Old Trafford for 50 years, or the women at the Carrington training ground who go back 30 years. Sir Alex makes them all part of the first XI’s success, from the physios to the cooks, no matter how small or big a job they do.
That’s probably why there was a real sense of warmth around the room, both towards the club and towards Sir Alex himself. He leaves no stone unturned.
I think he’s the best psychologist in the world. My time as England cricket captain gave me some small insight into the way successful teams work, but he’s got it all.
He probably doesn’t know he’s doing it half the time — it just comes naturally to him — but he knows what to say at the right time, when to turn the volume up and when to be gentle with people. He deals brilliantly with the daily challenges of sport, the triumphs and the disappointments, but he is also a mentor to the players, someone who helps them with their lives away from Old Trafford.
He is like a father figure to them, and I’m sure they are petrified of him, in the way that some fathers inspire a sort of devoted but fearful affection.
When he arrives at training, they’ll have a quick look and check he’s there, and the intensity will just pick up by 20 per cent. But it’s not all about being stern. He has a very humorous side and will make them laugh.
And although they might look at the floor when he is telling them off, they wouldn’t be afraid to go and see him for a quiet chat either. That’s the real skill of leadership.
Sir Alex will be 70 in December and he has a wealth of experience that no other manager can match. I’m 37 and still learning, so I listen carefully to everything he says, and I find I can always relate to it.
He has been there as a player and as a manager, he has done it all. For anyone who works in sport, he is the ultimate role model.
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