Editing Alex Ferguson (section)

===Aberdeen===

====Late 1970s====
Ferguson joined Aberdeen as manager in June 1978, replacing Billy McNeill who had only managed the club for one season before he was offered the chance to manage Celtic. Although Aberdeen were one of Scotland's major clubs they had won the league only once, in [[1954–55 in Scottish football|1955]] under [[Dave Halliday]]. The team had been playing well, however, and had not lost a league match since the previous December, having finished second in the league the previous season.<ref name="boss159">Crick, p. 159</ref> Ferguson had now been a manager for four years, but was still not much older than some of the players and had trouble winning the respect of some of the older ones such as [[Joe Harper]].<ref name="boss171">Crick, p. 171</ref> The season did not go especially well, with Aberdeen reaching the semi-final of the [[Scottish Cup]] and the [[1979 Scottish League Cup Final (March)|Scottish League Cup Final]], but losing both matches and [[1978–79 Scottish Premier Division|finishing fourth in the league]].

Aberdeen lost the [[1979 Scottish League Cup Final (December)|1979–80 Scottish League Cup Final]], this time to [[Dundee United F.C.|Dundee United]] after a replay. Ferguson took the blame for the defeat, saying he should have made changes to the team for the replay.<ref name="boss174">Crick, p. 174</ref>

====1980s and silverware====
Aberdeen had started the [[1979–80 Scottish Football League|1979–80 season]] poorly but their form improved dramatically in the new year and they won the Scottish league that season with a 5–0 win on the final day. It was the first time in 15 years that the league had not been won by either Rangers or Celtic. Ferguson now felt that he had the respect of his players, later saying: "That was the achievement which united us. I finally had the players believing in me".<ref name="boss175">Crick, p. 175</ref>

He was still a strict disciplinarian, though, and his players nicknamed him "Furious Fergie".<ref name="FuriousFergie">{{cite web |last=Haugstad |first=Thore |url=https://timeontheball.net/2017/06/16/furious-fergie/ |title=Furious Fergie: The early years of Sir Alex Ferguson |date=16 June 2017 |access-date=15 December 2020 |work=Time On The Ball |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205021924/http://timeontheball.net/2017/06/16/furious-fergie/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> He fined one of his players, [[John Hewitt (footballer)|John Hewitt]], for overtaking him on a public road,<ref name="boss179">Crick, p. 179</ref> and kicked a tea urn at the players at half time after a poor first half.<ref name="boss180">Crick, p. 180</ref> He was dissatisfied with the atmosphere at Aberdeen matches, and deliberately created a "[[siege mentality]]" by accusing the Scottish media of being biased towards the Glasgow clubs, to motivate the team.<ref name="boss191">Crick, p. 191</ref> The team continued their success with a Scottish Cup win in [[1982 Scottish Cup Final|1982]]. Ferguson was offered the manager's job at [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] but turned it down as he felt that Wolves were in trouble<ref name="boss195">Crick, p. 195</ref> and his "ambitions at Aberdeen were not even half fulfilled".<ref name="boss196">Crick, p. 196</ref>

====European success and Scottish national side====
Ferguson led Aberdeen to even greater success the following season, 1982–83. They had qualified for the [[1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners' Cup]] as a result of winning the Scottish Cup the previous season, and impressively knocked out [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |title=Magnificent Dons eclipse German stars |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19830303&id=mMFAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3582,722075 |newspaper=The Herald |date=3 March 1983 |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |title=Aberdeen emerge as the best of British |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19830317&printsec=frontpage |newspaper=The Herald |date=17 March 1983 |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> who had beaten [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] 4–1 in the previous round.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Lacey |title=Tottenham run on reserve |newspaper=The Guardian |page=22 |date=21 October 1982}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Lacey |title=Spurs lost in Munich fog |newspaper=The Guardian |page=26 |date=4 November 1982}}</ref> According to [[Willie Miller]], this gave them the confidence to believe that they could go on to win the competition,<ref name="boss201">Crick, p. 201</ref> which they did, with a 2–1 victory over [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]] in the [[1983 European Cup Winners' Cup Final|final]] on 11 May 1983.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |title=Dons the Real European masters |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19860512&id=mcRAAAAAIBAJ&pg=4082,2406962 |newspaper=The Herald |date=12 May 1983 |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> Aberdeen became only the third Scottish team to win a European trophy and Ferguson now felt that "he'd done something worthwhile with his life".<ref name="boss203">Crick, p. 203</ref> This was followed up with victory in the [[1983 European Super Cup|European Super Cup]] in December 1983, when [[Hamburger SV]], the [[1983 European Cup Final|reigning European Cup]] champions, were beaten 2–0 over two legs.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |title=Aberdeen are set for superstardom |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19831123&id=O_s9AAAAIBAJ&pg=3873,4955762 |newspaper=The Herald |date=23 November 1983 |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |title=Aberdeen's super heroes take the glory |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19831221&id=8sFAAAAAIBAJ&pg=4085,4146762 |newspaper=The Herald |date=21 December 1983 |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> Aberdeen had also performed well in the league that season, and retained the Scottish Cup with a [[1983 Scottish Cup Final|1–0 victory]] over Rangers,<ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |title=Don't put the blame on Russell – Greig |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19830523&printsec=frontpage |newspaper=The Herald |date=23 May 1983 |access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> but Ferguson was not happy with his team's play in that match and upset the players by describing theirs as a "disgraceful performance" in a televised interview after the match, a statement he later retracted.<ref name="boss204">Crick, p. 204</ref>

After a sub-standard start to the [[1983–84 in Scottish football|1983–84 season]], Aberdeen's form improved and the team won the Scottish league and retained the Scottish Cup. Ferguson was appointed an Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[1985 New Year Honours]],<ref name="OBE">{{London Gazette |issue=49969 |date=31 December 1984 |page=9 |supp=y }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/561724.stm|title=Lewis heads sporting honours|access-date=18 June 2007|date=12 December 1999|work=BBC News}}</ref> and was offered the managers' jobs at Rangers and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] during the season.<ref>{{cite web |last=Murray |first=Ewan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/10/sir-alex-ferguson-arsenal-manager |title=Sir Alex Ferguson rejected 1986 chance to become Arsenal manager |work=The Guardian |date=10 May 2011 |access-date=4 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ley |first=John |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/8505871/Manchester-United-Sir-Alex-Ferguson-turned-down-the-opportunity-to-manage-Arsenal.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/8505871/Manchester-United-Sir-Alex-Ferguson-turned-down-the-opportunity-to-manage-Arsenal.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson turned down the opportunity to manage Arsenal |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=10 May 2011 |access-date=25 June 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Jim |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/why-i-didn-t-go-to-rangers-sir-alex-ferguson-on-advocaat-s-successor-the-scotland-job-and-the-old-firm-in-the-premiership-1.200147 |title=Why I didn't go to Rangers:Sir Alex Ferguson on Advocaat's successor, the Scotland job, and the Old Firm in the Premiership |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=2 February 2001 |access-date=25 June 2014}}</ref> Aberdeen retained their league title in the 1984–85 season. In [[1985–86 in Scottish football|1985–86]], Aberdeen won both domestic cups, but finished fourth in the league. Ferguson had been appointed to the club's board of directors early in 1986, but that April he told [[Dick Donald]], their chairman, that he intended to leave that summer.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}

Ferguson had been part of the coaching staff for the [[Scotland men's national football team|Scottish national side]] during qualifying for the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986 World Cup]], but manager [[Jock Stein]] had [[1985 Wales vs Scotland football match|collapsed and died on 10 September 1985]] – at the end of the game in which Scotland qualified from their group for a play-off against [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]]. Ferguson promptly agreed to take charge of the Scottish national side against the Australians and subsequently at the World Cup. To allow him to fulfil his international duties he appointed [[Archie Knox]] as his co-manager at Aberdeen. However, after Scotland failed to progress past the group stages of the World Cup, Ferguson stepped down as national team manager on 15 June 1986.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YNJAAAAAIBAJ&pg=6630,3393659|title=Fergie Steps Down|date=16 June 1986|work=Evening Times|access-date=10 June 2011}}</ref>

Around this time, Tottenham Hotspur offered Ferguson the chance to take over from [[Peter Shreeves]] as manager, but he rejected this offer and the job went to [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]]'s [[David Pleat]] instead. There was also an offer for Ferguson to replace [[Don Howe]] as Arsenal manager, but he rejected this offer as well, and fellow Scot [[George Graham (footballer, born 1944)|George Graham]] took the post instead.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8092670.stm|title=Ferguson 'almost became Arsenal boss'|access-date=10 June 2009|work=BBC News|date=10 June 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090613050103/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8092670.stm| archive-date= 13 June 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> That summer, there had been speculation that he would take over from [[Ron Atkinson]] at [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], who had slumped to fourth in the English top flight after a ten-match winning start.<ref name=":13" />

It was not the first time that Ferguson had been linked with a move to England. In February 1982, Wolverhampton Wanderers had approached him about succeeding [[John Barnwell]] as manager as they were heading for relegation from the First Division.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tributes to former Wolves chief Harry Marshall|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/09/30/tributes-to-former-wolves-chief-harry-marshall|work=Express & Star|access-date=8 May 2011|date=30 September 2010}}</ref> He rejected this offer, perhaps concerned about the club's financial stability, as they were more than £2&nbsp;million in debt at the time and narrowly avoided going out of business. At the end of the 1984–85 season, it was reported that Ferguson was being considered for the [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] manager's job after the retirement of [[Joe Fagan]] was announced, but the job was quickly accepted by Liverpool striker [[Kenny Dalglish]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YLZAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5732,6946410|title=Dalglish in frame to replace Fagan as manager|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald|date=30 May 1985|page=20|via=Google News}}</ref>

Although Ferguson remained at Aberdeen over the summer, he did eventually join Manchester United when Atkinson was sacked in November 1986.<ref>{{cite news|last=Paul|first=Ian|title=Ferguson agrees to Old Trafford move|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=96RAAAAAIBAJ&pg=4349%2C1816052|access-date=26 March 2019|work=The Glasgow Herald|date=7 November 1986|page=32}}</ref>