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Sir Alex discusses Rangers


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He was signed by Rangers, the club he revered as a boy, and became the most expensive footballer in Scotland. But his two years at Rangers, from 1967-69, were soured by sectarianism and Jason stresses that this bruising experience hurt and motivated his father. “I knew how proud he was playing for Rangers, and the sadness he felt with how it ended after a cup final loss where he was made a scapegoat. It became his driving force.”

Ferguson was asked early on by a Rangers director if his marriage to Cathy had been in a Catholic church. When he heard that it had been held at a register office the bigoted director was placated – but Ferguson still sounds irate. “I let my wife down when he asked me that question. I should have told him to bugger off. Cathy was a devout Catholic, I was Protestant. Getting married in a register office was simple and sensible. But I should have stuck up for her.

“The players were great because they had no interest in that kind of thing. So it was a blow when Rangers decided to let me go. For four months I never played. I was training on my own and then I got transferred to Falkirk. But the one thing about playing for a club like Rangers was there’s an expectation and responsibility in terms of the standards they set for a hundred years. I used that a lot in management. I understood what it meant to live up to expectations.”

Half a century later how did Ferguson feel when Rangers won their first league title in 10 years this season? “The only time I really support Rangers is when they play Celtic. The big one. Jason is a Celtic fan. I love phoning him up when Rangers have beaten them. The funny thing is that the one team I always look for on Saturday night is Queen’s Park, my first club. I had a great learning experience as a 16-year-old lad playing for them. People think it’s an amateur team but you had to be tough to play for Queen’s Park. That was a great foundation for me.”

What does Ferguson think of Steven Gerrard’s work as manager of Rangers? “Oh, he’s done magnificent. He really has, both on and off the field. A press interview can lose you your job in management. But Steven’s press conferences are fantastic. He’s cool, he’s composed, he gives the right answers. He’s really top because it’s an art.”

 


https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/10/alex-ferguson-jason-ferguson-interview-manchester-united-aberdeen-donald-mcrae

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1 minute ago, .Williamson. said:

Aye very good, so because your da thought he was dead on it doesn’t matter that he just labels us a sectarian club. Class

Let's face it, we have come along way since '67. And those comments were made 50 yrs ago yet Spiers decides to post it on Twitter and everybody bites. Sad.

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1 minute ago, mitre_mouldmaster said:

To be honest, nothing he says is wrong.

He has never claimed to be a superfan, he is not two faced in that regard. His club is Man Utd, and he will rightfully go down as one of if not the greatest manager of all time.

He is right, its no-ones fucking business who someone chooses to marry and that question was out of line. We as a club have rightfully moved on.

He obviously rates the job Gerrard is doing and that is massive praise. 

He really rated Gerrard as a player. In his Soccerbox interview with Gerrard Gary Neville talks about how SAF always had a plan for him because he was worried what he could do to them.

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3 minutes ago, bluenoz said:

Personally, I'm not a fan of Ferguson probably because I've never liked Man U but I find it strange people say derogatory remarks because he defended his wife. Sounds narrow-minded to me.

I do know for a fact he grew up a Rangers supporter.

And now only cares if we play Celtic, therefore he’s a knob

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31 minutes ago, bluenoz said:

My father knew him well and says nothing but nice things about him yet posters who weren't even born when he played for Rangers think they have a right to degrade him.

What does age have to do with anything?

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Didn’t think of his wife when he was fucking about at St. Mirren, which led to him getting his books. Not a well known fact but my Mum worked at the solicitors that drew up the papers. 

Only interested in us when we play “them”, yet endless stories about how he was in the dressing room after the lesson we gave Leeds?  He is no fan of ours, end of.  That doesn’t diminish his achievements at Man U but he has minimal connection with us and is mainly to blame for the hatred with Aberdeen as he fostered that once he went there. 

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1 minute ago, Peter Pan Fan said:

His opinions on us have always confused me. Half the time he seems like he still supports us the other half he acts as if he couldn't give a fuck.

Probably not far from the truth.

He is probably conflicted in that he was a childhood fan who then went on to have a pretty miserable time with us, where he was judged due to the wife he picked.

The two memories probably combine to exactly the scenario that you describe.

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12 minutes ago, bluenoz said:

Personally, I'm not a fan of Ferguson probably because I've never liked Man U but I find it strange people say derogatory remarks because he defended his wife. Sounds narrow-minded to me.

I do know for a fact he grew up a Rangers supporter.

Not all the derogatory remarks are solely for that reason though, to think so is you being narrow minded.

His wife's a cow fwiw.

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5 minutes ago, mitre_mouldmaster said:

Probably not far from the truth.

He is probably conflicted in that he was a childhood fan who then went on to have a pretty miserable time with us, where he was judged due to the wife he picked.

The two memories probably combine to exactly the scenario that you describe.

He was judged for not picking up McNeil for a corner and not being in the same universe as Colin Stein as a goal scorer.

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5 minutes ago, Peter Pan Fan said:

His opinions on us have always confused me. Half the time he seems like he still supports us the other half he acts as if he couldn't give a fuck.

Born in Govan, grew up a Rangers player, signed for a record fee to his childhood team then blamed for losing a cup final in '69 and the stuff with his catholic wife.

He reluctantly left.

Not sure why this has all resurfaced now ( I think there was an interview before Spiers stupid twitter post).

I would rather focus on the present and that is his good comments on Gerrard.

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