SIR ALEX AND SALFORD CITY

I got quite excited reading the Times this morning, looking at those headlines about Harry and the Spurs, Hudd and the Terriers; what a great weekend of football. I was captured also by the article about Sir Alex (who else) when he delivered a motivational speech at the opening of the 5,000 capacity Salford City Peninsula Stadium. You Tube has it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXdCfosNvFo

There was quite a lot of "brilliant" apparently though I listened to the 5 mins and 30 secs which is quite long enough for any speech, and found it interesting but not exactly stunning. What he has pointed out to those lucky enough to be invited to the occasion, is that the work ethic is so important in anything you do.

Lew Grade worked until he was in his 70s and got up at 6am every day to get on with stuff. Sir Alex reminded us that Manchester United scored 166 "last minute goals" in his time-surely a sign of grafting till the bitter end.

Gary Neville was always in bed early ready to prepare for his next successful day on the training pitch. Nicky Butt spent his lunch hour hitting a ball against a training wall. Phil Neville, when he moved to Everton (boy could they do with him now) he set the trend and encouraged players to do gym worked for an hour before the official training started. Then there is David Beckham who would go join the United U15s after his 1st team sessions and Paul Scholes who never stopped "visualising" the game.

No doubt the great Eric Harrison, United Youth coach had much to do with all this, but it has to come from earlier-upbringing doesn't half help.
Ferguson we know is not a "qualified intellectual"but he was brought up through the shipyards of Govan and that is where he learned his work ethic and saw the importance of social solidarity.

Nicky Butt was signed at his home over a cup of tea with his parents being reminded that United was not a club it was a family.
He was setting the scene for the future not just for the next game. he said "If your managers and coaches are hard on you, you know why? You need to develop your character so that it never lets you down."

Let us hope that the Class of '92 do not let him down!
Here are some of the chaps at the ceremony.