Alex Ferguson Popular Books
Alex Ferguson Biography & Facts
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and has won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football. Ferguson is often credited for valuing youth during his time with Manchester United, particularly in the 1990s with the "Class of '92", who contributed to making the club one of the richest and most successful in the world. Ferguson played as a forward for several Scottish clubs, including Dunfermline Athletic and Rangers. While playing for Dunfermline, he was the top goalscorer in the Scottish league in the 1965–66 season. Towards the end of his playing career he also worked as a coach, then started his managerial career with East Stirlingshire and St Mirren. Ferguson then enjoyed a highly successful period as manager of Aberdeen, winning three Scottish league championships, four Scottish Cups and both the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 1983. He briefly managed Scotland following the death of Jock Stein, taking the team to the 1986 World Cup. Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986. During his 26 years with Manchester United he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles. He was knighted in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours list for his services to the game. Ferguson is the longest-serving manager of Manchester United, having overtaken Sir Matt Busby's record on 19 December 2010. He retired from management at the end of the 2012–13 season, having won the Premier League in his final season. Early life Alexander Chapman Ferguson was born at his grandmother's home on Shieldhall Road in the Govan district of Glasgow on 31 December 1941, the son of Elizabeth (née Hardie) and Alexander Beaton Ferguson. His father was a plater's helper in the shipbuilding industry. He grew up in a tenement at 667 Govan Road, which has since been demolished, where he lived with his parents and his younger brother Martin, who also became a footballer. He attended Broomloan Road Primary School and later Govan High School. He began his football career with Harmony Row Boys Club in Govan, before progressing to Drumchapel Amateurs, a youth club with a strong reputation for producing senior footballers. He also took an apprenticeship as a toolmaker at a factory in Hillington, being appointed a union shop steward. Playing career Club Ferguson's playing career began as an amateur with Queen's Park, where he made his debut as a striker, aged 16. He described his first match as a "nightmare", but scored Queen's Park's goal in a 2–1 defeat against Stranraer. Perhaps his most notable game for Queen's Park was the 7–1 defeat away to Queen of the South on Boxing Day 1959 when ex-England international Ivor Broadis scored four of the Queen of the South goals. Ferguson was the solitary Queen's Park goalscorer. Despite scoring 20 goals in his 31 games for Queen's Park, he could not command a regular place in the side and moved to St Johnstone in 1960. Ferguson was on a part-time contract with St Johnstone, and he combined working in a Govan shipyard with training at night in Perth. Although he regularly scored goals for St Johnstone, he was unable to command a consistent place in their team. He regularly requested transfers, and even considered emigrating to Canada. St Johnstone's failure to sign another forward led the manager to select Ferguson for a match against Rangers, in which he scored a hat-trick in a surprise 3–2 victory at Ibrox. Dunfermline signed him the following summer (1964), and Ferguson became a full-time professional footballer. In the following season (1964–65) Dunfermline were strong challengers for the Scottish league title and reached the Scottish Cup Final, but Ferguson was dropped for the final after a poor performance in a league game against St Johnstone. Dunfermline lost the final 3–2 to Celtic, then failed to win the League by one point. The 1965–66 season saw Ferguson notch up 45 goals in 51 games for Dunfermline. Along with Joe McBride of Celtic, he was the top goalscorer in the Scottish league with 31 goals. Ferguson then joined Rangers for £65,000, which was a record fee for a transfer between two Scottish clubs. He performed well in Europe during his two seasons with the club, scoring six goals in nine appearances in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup including two against 1.FC Köln in the 1967–68 competition, and an important strike against Athletic Bilbao in the 1968–69 edition which helped Rangers into the semi-finals, but on both occasions they were knocked out by English opposition. He was blamed for a goal conceded in the 1969 Scottish Cup Final, in a match in which he was designated to mark Celtic captain, Billy McNeill, and was subsequently forced to play for the club's junior side instead of for the first team. According to his brother, Ferguson was so upset by the experience that he threw his losers' medal away. There have been claims that he suffered discrimination at Rangers due to his marriage to a Catholic, Cathy Holding. Ferguson said in a 2021 documentary film about his life and career (Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In) that he 'assumed' that his exclusion from the first team after the 1969 cup final was due to her religion. His autobiography noted that Rangers had known of his wife's religion when he joined the club. In March 2021, he added that when he was signed, a Rangers director had questioned whether the Fergusons had been married in a (Catholic) chapel, and that the director had replied "oh, that's okay" when told they had married in a registry office. Ferguson left Rangers reluctantly, as he had grown up locally and had dreamed of succeeding there. He was upset by how newspapers would refer to him as an "ex-Rangers player" after he had left, and rarely attended gatherings of their former players. The following October, Nottingham Forest wanted to sign Ferguson, but his wife was not keen on moving to England at that time, so he went to Falkirk instead. He remained at Brockville for four years, gaining more league appearances than he had elsewhere; in recognition of his experience he was promoted to player-coach, but when John Prentice became manager he removed Ferguson's coaching responsibilities. Ferguson's time at Falkirk was soured by this, and he responded by requesting a transfer and moved to Ayr United, where he finished his playing career in 1974. International Ferguson's only involvement with the Scotland national team was during an overseas tour in 1967. For many years none of the tour matches were recognised by the Scottish Football Association as full internationals, and so Ferguson was deemed to have never played for Scotland. A BBC Sport article in June 2020 identified him as one of the best Scottish players to have never played.... Discover the Alex Ferguson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Alex Ferguson books.
Best Seller Alex Ferguson Books of 2024
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The Anatomy of Manchester United
Jonathan Wilson & Jonathan Wilson LtdAwardwinning football writer Jonathan Wilson selects ten landmark matches from Manchester United's history, from the first time they lifted the FA Cup, beating Bristol City in 1909...
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Playing With Fire
Nasser HussainNasser Hussain was acclaimed as England's best cricket captain since Mike Brearley. Under his leadership, a side more famous for its batting collapses and ability to seize defeat f...
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The Ultimate Leadership Book
Carol O'Connor, Sue Stockdale, Clive Steeper & Martin ManserIf you want to be the best, you have to have the right skillset. From decision making and motivating people to vision and inspiration, THE ULTIMATE LEADERSHIP BOOK is a dynamic col...
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The Book of Leadership
Anthony Gell'Full of seriously good leadership wisdom a must read for those who aspire to greatness' Richard Koch, bestselling author of The 80/20 Principle 'One of the most stimulating books...
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On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin & Natalie RammThis exciting anniversary edition has a new introduction and scholarly references by William Bynum, and the cover design is by Damien Hirst. It replaces our existing 1968 edition. ...
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Alex Ferguson
Alex FergusonWidely hailed as Scotland’s most successful football manager since Jock Stein, Alex Ferguson’s achievements with Aberdeen are unparalleled, creating and consolidating a new force i...
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The Football Ramble
Marcus Speller, Luke Moore, Pete Donaldson, Jim Campbell & The Football Ramble LimitedDownloaded over ten million times a year the Football Ramble podcast has established itself as the essential, independent voice of football punditry. The weekly podcast has resonat...
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Rio
Rio FerdinandRio Ferdinand is widely acknowledged as one of the most talented and skilful defenders in the world. His transfer from West Ham to Leeds was a British record at the time, a feat he...
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Guillem BalaguéThe definitive biography of Cristiano Ronaldo, named Football Book of the Year at the Cross Sports Book Awards 2016Fully updated to include the 201718 season and Ronaldo's transfer...
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Clough The Autobiography
Brian CloughFor the last three decades Brian Clough has been the most charismatic manager in football. Funny, outrageous, sentimental, he stands out sharply from the bland men in suits. Though...
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The Second Half
Roy Keane & Roddy Doyle'ENDLESSLY ABSORBING' Mail on Sunday'MASTERPIECE' The Times'RUTHLESS' Daily Telegraph'INCOMPARABLE' Sunday Mirror'SEARINGLY HONEST' The SunThe No.1 bestselling memoir of Roy Keane,...
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Me, Family and the Making of a Footballer
Jamie Redknapp'a wonderful book ... a great read' Daily Mail'a fascinating book ... I really enjoyed it' Piers Morgan, Good Morning Britain'a heartwarming, funny and insightful read. Perfect for...
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Alex Ferguson
Alex FergusonAlex Ferguson, once king of Scottish football, gave up the easy life in Aberdeen to follow in the famous footsteps of Sir Matt Busby. Others had flickered and then faded in the sha...
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Forza Italia
Paddy AgnewWhen journalist Paddy Agnew and his girlfriend Dympna touched down in Rome in 1985 in search of adventure, sunshine and the soul of Italian football (well, Paddy was looking for th...
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Alex Ferguson
Alex FergusonEfter 27 år som træner for Manchester United er Alex Ferguson nu trådt tilbage. Han satte et flot punktum for sin karriere med Uniteds trettende Premier Leaguemesterskab, og han bl...
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Mourinho
Jose MourinhoMourinho is a beautiful illustrated book which is both a sumptuous celebration of The Special One's managerial career so far, and an enigmatic insight into his unique brand of foot...
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The Club
Joshua Robinson & Jonathan CleggThe Club is the inside story of how English soccer’s Premier League became the wildest, richest, most popular sports product on the planet, "a narrative that is part Great Exp...
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Four Men in a Boat
Tim Foster & Rory RossWhen Great Britain won gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics coxless four, seven million people watched and voted it the greatest sporting moment of the year.This moment, and Steve Redg...
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Whistle Blower
Mark ClattenburgThe outspoken and hardhitting autobiography of one of the most highlyrated, recognisable and controversial football referees of modern times.Mark Clattenburg found himself in the c...
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Mad for It
Andy MittenA celebration of the classic football derby matches. From the Celtic–Rangers rivalry and Tyneside derby to the biggest global clashes from Barcelona to Buenos Aires, journalist And...
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Behind the Curtain
Jonathan Wilson & Jonathan Wilson Ltd'Epic... Wilson writes captivatingly with humour...anyone with an interest in eastern European sport will be consulting this book for years to come' FINANCIAL TIMES'This fascinatin...
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The Book of the Year 2018
No Such Thing As A Fish‘My favourite geeks. Hilarious. Sideways. Brilliant.’ Tim MinchinIn a year dominated by Russian collusion and Brexit confusion, The Book of the Year returns with another dose of ba...
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ALEX FERGUSON My Autobiography
Alex FergusonSir Alex Ferguson's compelling story is always honest and revealing he reflects on his managerial career that embraced unprecedented European success for Aberdeen and 26 triumphant...
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Messi vs. Ronaldo
Jonathan Clegg & Joshua RobinsonEssential World Cup Reading | Featured in The New York Times' 'What to Read During the World Cup'Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply rep...
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Abroad in Japan
Chris BroadTHE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER'Chris Broad explores Japan in all its quirky glory..Endlessly fascinating!'Will Ferguson, author of Hokkaido Highway Blues'Carves a unique path across Jap...
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The Quality of Madness
Tim RichMarcelo Bielsa is one of football's greatest eccentrics and greatest enigmas. This will be the first English biography of one of football's most contradictory characters.He has coa...
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Horses for Courses
Anne HollandThere can be no better way of getting to know Ireland than by visiting its racecourses: from the glamour of Leopardstown and the class of The Curragh to the majestic mountains arou...
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Sonia
Sonia O'SullivanSonia O'Sullivan is one of the greatest sporting figures Ireland has ever produced. In a career which saw her competing at the highest international levels for over a decade, she t...
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Leading
Alex Ferguson & Michael MoritzAfter an astonishing careerfirst in Scotland, and then over 27 years with Manchester United Football Club Sir Alex Ferguson delivers Leading, in which the greatest soccer coach of ...
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The Art of Winning
Dan CarterInstant Sunday Times bestsellerTen timeless truths on leadership, purpose and potential from the unique culture of the All Blacks, and the mind of a living legend.You might think ...
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Secrets of Great Leaders
Carol O'ConnorWHAT ARE THE 50 SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS THAT THE REST OF US SHOULD KNOW?The Secrets of Great Leaders reveals the 50 things you need to know to motivate and inspire those around yo...
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The Outsider
Jonathan Wilson & Jonathan Wilson Ltd'The everreadable Wilson explores the psychological pressures of being cast in the role of the scapegoat ... Thoughtprovoking and full of interesting detail ... this book scores on...
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Sir Matt Busby
Patrick BarclayThe Man Who Made A Football ClubSir Matt Busby, who took Manchester United to unprecedented glory before seeing the club through profound tragedy, created the global entity that sp...