“There was a lot of hype around the game and it was always a difficult place to go, the Manor Ground. There were no frills and spills with Fergie, it was all black and white. That’s the one thing you can say about him, he was always honest and to the point. He had to make an impression from the start. I remember we were all on to Gordon Strachan straight away asking him what the manager was like as he’d known him from his Aberdeen days. I’ve seen him a lot since and he’s always got time for his ex-players.”
MIKE DUXBURY,
47 Right back, 299 lge apps, 6 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Head coach of the Manchester United Soccer Schools programme in Dubai
“I think it was a pretty windy day. Oxford had a good home record and we conceded a penalty quite early. Almost from the start it was clear things were going to be different under Alex than under Ron [Atkinson]. They were two very contrasting styles. Ferguson was a tough taskmaster but he was always very honest. He always made it clear how he wanted things done and you can’t complain with that. I think he has been an inspiration for so many young managers and his door has always been open. Twenty years in charge of a club like United is some achievement.”
KEVIN MORAN,
50 Centre half, 231 lge apps, 21 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Helped to set up Proactive Sports Management, one of Europe’s leading football agencies that looks after the interests of Wayne Rooney, among others
“My only real memory from the game was giving away a stupid penalty to John Aldridge, and Alex was not too happy afterwards. From the start, it was clear things were going to be a lot different than they had been under Ron Atkinson. There was a serious side to him that we’d been warned about by Gordon Strachan. He came with an impressive record from his time in Scotland, although I don’t think anyone could quite have imagined what he would go on to achieve.”
GRAEME HOGG,
42 Centre half, 83 lge apps, 1 lge goal
WHERE IS HE NOW?
HGV lorry driver who also coaches Falkirk Under-10s
“We were all keen to impress but, given that we lost 2-0, I don’t suppose we did. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I thought I started quite well under him and then he went out and bought Steve Bruce and that was it for me. He was prepared to offer me some sort of contract but said that games would be limited and I wanted to play. In hindsight, I should have taken his offer and stayed, if only because of the stature of the club, but I do feel privileged to have played under him.”
ARTHUR ALBISTON,
49 Left back, 379 lge apps, 6 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Works in local media
“I remember the media building the game up as David versus Goliath and the whole country waiting for us to fall flat on our faces. I remember the flashbulbs and mass of photographers, if not much about the game. We had a decent side then but a lot of injuries and Oxford were enjoying a purple patch. I’d obviously known Alex when he succeeded Jock Stein as manager of Scotland and he was meticulous and good at getting his point across. I underwent an operation on my stomach the following month, didn’t get fit until February or March and that was about it, but he had his own ideas and I respect that. I don’t think people will quite appreciate what he has done for that club until he leaves, but I think he’ll be around for a few more years yet.”
CLAYTON BLACKMORE,
42 Right midfield, 186 lge apps, 19 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Player-manager of Bangor City in the Welsh Premier League
“It was the first time I had been at a club and a new manager had come in, so I was trying desperately to make a good impression. We had heard all the stories from Gordon Strachan, that he was a strict disciplinarian and all that, so I don’t mind admitting it put the frighteners on me. I remember him holding his first meeting and I couldn’t understand a word he was saying but didn’t have the bottle or heart to tell him. I think the accent’s mellowed a bit now and he’s a little easier to understand. I was a young player coming through at the time and it was just great to work under a manager like that. I think that all his players have inherited some of that driving force he possesses and have taken that with them in life.
PAUL McGRATH,
46 Defender-cum-midfield 163 lge apps, 12 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Recovering alcoholic who has just published his autobiography
“Ferguson was appointed on Thursday and we assembled in the gym at the Cliff the next day. It was an unremarkable meeting. He said little beyond the customary ‘we’re all in this together’ kind of stuff. Rightly or wrongly, I came to the immediate conclusion he didn’t rate me. I came off after an hour and was convinced he was trying to prove a point. I discovered from subsequent conversations with Bryan Robson that he did express doubts about my ability, or, maybe more pertinently, my discipline. The next Monday, back in the gym, Fergie offered us the first glimpse of that fabled hairdryer and a whole new era was dawning. We felt like errant schoolboys being whipped into shape. In hindsight, you can’t help but admire the dedication of the man, but, at the time, all I could see was a cold, autocratic figure hell-bent on taking the laughter out of the dressing-room. He should have got rid of some of us earlier than he did.”
REMI MOSES,
45 Midfield, 150 lge apps, 7 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Gas engineer who runs a roller-hockey team in Manchester
“He was a very professional manager, different than we’d had before, and that really suited me because I wasn’t into drinking and that kind of thing. He had a great eye for spotting talent and I enjoyed playing under him. It was just a shame with injuries because, as we’ve seen in later years, he has always seemed to like tough-tackling midfielders. Just look at Roy Keane. It is incredible what he has done for the club.”
PETER BARNES, 49
Left midfield, 20 lge apps, 2 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Property interests. Also works in local media
“Fergie wanted to build a young side, but if it had not been for Manchester City coming in, I’d have stayed to fight for my place because there was only Lee Martin coming through who played on the left. After he sold me, he bought Ralph Milne, which I don’t think was Fergie’s best signing. Credit must go to [chairman] Martin Edwards for sticking with him when things got sticky. Fergie was a disciplinarian who wouldn’t suffer fools gladly. Things had been much more laid-back under Ron, but from day one, Fergie had the blackboard out, had us do extra stamina training because I don’t think he thought we were fit and we were all looking around wondering what was going on. There was no drink culture, but Fergie didn’t want us drinking at all.”
FRANK STAPLETON,
50 Forward, 223 lge apps, 60 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Works in the media, having previously managed at Bradford City and coached at Bolton Wanderers and the New England Revolution, the Major League Soccer team in the United States
“It was a pretty mundane match. Alex made his presence felt from the start and he knew that he had to rebuild. It was still the best-supported club in the country but we hadn’t won the league championship for a long time and something needed to change. I suppose it was a bit of an eye-opener. It was certainly different to how things had been under Ron. Everybody wants the quick fix these days but the fact that Fergie was allowed more time at United should be a huge lesson to the current chairmen of clubs not to make rash decisions.”
PETER DAVENPORT,
45 Forward, 92 apps, 22 lge goals
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Manager of Colwyn Bay in the Northern Premier League first division
“It was a scrappy game and Aldridge scored a penalty. He never used to miss many of them. I don’t think anyone could possibly have predicted what Alex would go on to achieve at Old Trafford. You could tell he had that passion and desire straight away, but he had a lot to do. He just made it clear what he wanted. That’s the thing about Alex, he is always honest and straight to the point. You know where you stand with him. United had difficulty replacing Sir Matt Busby when he went and I think it will be the same with Fergie.”
MAURICE EVANS
Oxford United manager, Ferguson’s opponent in the home dugout that day. Evans, a former Reading player, was succeeded at Oxford two years later by Mark Lawrenson, the former Liverpool player. Evans died of a heart attack in August 2000, aged 63
