| An Interview with Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United |
What are the main qualities required by a coach at the top level?
I have thought about that a lot, and there are a number of things. As I progressed as a coach, I learned that observation was vital. To coach and watch at the same time is difficult. If you are involved too much in the coaching you miss many things. I started to delegate more things to my assistant and to stand back sometimes. Observation is definitely an important issue to make sure that the quality is high and you get what you want out of a training session. Next, I think you need perseverance because coaching at the top today is not an easy job. If you come in on a Monday morning after a defeat and you lack the quality of perseverance, it will show and affect the players. So on Monday morning you have to have the fire in the belly, the passion and be ready.
I also think that a top coach needs an imagination. When people ask you what was your best-ever goal as a coach, you want to identify a perfect goal that you influenced. It is about your imagination, inculcated into a training session, and which the players take on board. They then do it by habit. I remember as a young coach teaching takeovers in important areas of the field, which was unusual at the time. So you put this imagination into the player’s mind, and he can take it to another level, because he realizes that you both want to try things. You create a chain reaction, which produces thinking players, and this is a wonderful thing to develop.
It is also important to have simple communication. You see those training sessions where the coach is talking all the time and the message is lost—the words get lost in the wind. Keep it simple, be brief, but be decisive. Make it perfectly clear what you are after in a session. Remember when we were players—we were standing there, we wanted to get on with it and coach was rambling on. Talking too much is a big danger for a coach.
How did you develop as a coach?
Well, I was an apprentice toolmaker, and then at 22 years of age I got the chance to become a full-time player. I decided to take the gamble, but I was determined not to fail, so I wanted to learn everything I could about the game. I started going to the Scottish coaching school when I was 23 years old. In my first year I earned my B license and then quickly progressed through to the full badge. I had decided that when I finished playing I was going to be prepared to be a coach. My ambitions were not necessarily focused on becoming a manager or a coach, but I did want to stay in the game in some capacity, and I wanted to be ready for that. I used to read all the coaching books—not that I wanted to replicate everything I read, but I was curious and hungry for knowledge. I was fortunate that the Scottish FA’s courses were very practical and the staff coaches were top professionals.
What is your advice to a young coach?
Most young coaches have been players, and they are cocooned, protected by agents or coaches. Most players live in a fortunate environment. Yes, you need to sacrifice to be a top player. But make no mistake, when you become a coach there is a bigger sacrifice to be made, because you are giving up your whole day, every day. Coaches not only work with their team, but also travel all over the place to watch players or opponents. When you go into this game, you have to work extremely hard—you and your family have to sacrifice. You need a natural work ethic. The really good coach is the one who is happy to work; believe me, it is not easy to work hard in coaching your whole life. The drive, the hunger, the passion must be inside you, because players need to know that you care. And of course, the aim is to get the players to care along with you. If the young coach has these qualities that I am referring to, and they have the ability, then they have a chance. One last point—they must take their steps. I started the right way at the lowest level and built my way up. But don’t forget, everyone needs a bit of luck along the way.
What are the biggest problems coaches face?
There is a player ego that you have to deal with. As a coach, the one thing you must have is control. You can’t afford to have players take charge of the training session. There has to be a strong discipline in training and in general. Simple rules must apply such as timekeeping, concentration in the training session, etc. Another thing, of course, is the pressure for results. When I came into the game, the media demands were less than today. No agents or freedom of contract back then. More and more we are dealing with player power. I grew into all that, but a young coach must realize that he is walking straight into all that. They have to find a way of navigating all of these pressures. Also, if you have a good chairman and board, then you are lucky. If not, then you have to handle that situation as well. You need to understand your bosses and their expectations. Some chairmen expect to win a title every year. The main advice I would give young coaches is to stay focused on your job. Forget all the peripheral things; don’t get involved in the politics and just concentrate on the job, on your team, because players are the best weapons you have.
Do you believe in the use of technology as an aid to coaches?
Yes, I use various IT tools because it quickly gives me all the information I need about opponents, etc. In the old days, you would painstakingly take notes. And for me, it has always been out of the question to read out notes at a team meeting, or to give the notes at a team meeting, or to give the notes to the players. We at Manchester United do the video analysis very well now. We have two full-time people taking care of that.
Many top coaches have a big staff – do you believe in that?
In terms of staff, things have progressed over the years. When I first came to Man United, I had a staff of only eight. We had no full-time doctor. Today we have an optometrist who does all the treatment for eyes; we have a full-time doctor, five physios, a fitness coach and a weight coach. I never thought I would work with a back room team of this size. As you get older you learn to delegate better. You can’t do everything yourself at a major club. For example, with the youth program, I put it in good hands and I simply oversee what is happening – it’s not possible for me to immerse myself in the youth work as I once did.
Apart from you, who are the role models in coaching today?
I look at coaches who have a difficult job and do it well. And I look at coaches who win with different clubs. Because Italy has been at the forefront for years in terms of success, I look at someone like Marcello Lippi, who has won a World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and titles in Italy. Fantastic. And he started the right way – at the bottom end and worked his way up. Also he survived time. Fabio Capello is the same – he was a success at Roma, at AC Milan, at Real Madrid, etc. These colleagues are good examples for young coaches. And if the young coach is still coaching in 15 years time he will know what I mean – it’s not easy to stay the course. It needs a good constitution, great stamina and a little luck.
A young coach might say, “How am I going to reach Lippi’s level? Even if I can, how many years will it take?” But there are also examples of young coaches who have quickly risen to the top. Look at Rafa Benitez, who started as a youth coach at Real Madrid, went to Valencia and then to Liverpool, where he won a Champions League. Then you must look at Jose Mourinho, who entered the top level as an interpreter but had ambition and a hunger to listen and to learn. He went on to win a UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. This shows young coaches what can be achieved. There are two more examples of young coaches today, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard. But I like to think about coaches who have survived time and had success with different clubs, clubs that present different challenges. These are the coaches we should look up to and admire. Look at what they have done, because winning in this profession is not easy.
Is the coaching profession in good shape?
I think it is as good as we can expect, given there is an ever-changing process in our game. But it is not healthy that a coach can lose four games and lose his job. That is not good for the industry, especially if the coach was not given time to produce. I wish the presidents of the clubs and the supporters were as patient as the coaches. We are asking for miracles; this is a very emotional game, and the expectations are too high. That has always been the case and won’t change. For many supporters their whole life is entwined in the club, and that spiritual connection is very strong. You can, therefore, understand how losing four games cannot be tolerated. Because of that there is a change in the coach. However, there is no evidence that changing coaches will bring results. Coaches such as Fabio, Marcello, Arsene and me suggest otherwise, that longevity can bring success. Also, the relationship between the coach and the player is enhanced over time.
As the honorary leader of the UEFA Coaches Circle, do you have a message for practicing coaches?
I can only think back to when I was a young man and how keen I was to learn. That enthusiasm for knowledge should never be lost. For example, I had a great discussion with Lippi about Italy’s tactics in the World Cup. I thought the final was tactically interesting and he thought the semifinal against Germany was better. And in terms of spectacle, he was right. The main thing is that we are curious and we talk. Apart from remaining inquisitive, my advice to all coaches is to persevere. We all have bad days. I have had some but I always bounce back. At Aberdeen we lost a final on Sunday, and on Monday I told the players that would not happen again—and it never did. You have to have that vital drive to deal with disappointments. Players today don’t have the same feeling when they lose as the coach. So the coach has to deal with the situation. Coaches often feel they are alone, but they are in the same situation as many fellow coaches. It is important to relate to your coaching colleagues because we are all in the same boat.
Editor's Note: Soccer Journal would like to thank the Technician and UEFA for the following interviews. It appeared in the March-April 2009 issue.
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