A common bombastic one-liner in Indian cinema is - "Son, I have been going about my job longer than you have been walking the face of the earth." Sir Alex, on the Silver Jubilee of his appointment as Manchester United's manager, would be fully entitled to humorously throw this line at a good part of his current squad. As the football world rejoices at having witnessed his reign, reminisces of it, or simply rises in salute, with the awe having bettered the reluctance much like the Gaffer has many a rival, Sir Alex is preening the next set of fledglings expected to keep United soaring in the top flights of English and European football. Yes, the class of '92 were terrific. But, he is looking ahead, at a new line of legends-to-be, a new shelf to hold their conquests. This is but one of a host of his traits that have been spoken and written of for so long, yet with so much enthusiasm, that they have become certitudes that still excite and inspire, like Christmas, like Independence Day.
Sir Alex is a superhero of sorts. His superpowers, though, are invisible and detected only by their effect.
His knowledge of the tack, which has seen United sail through many fogs, between icebergs that have emerged and threatened to threaten before being left behind, and to triumphant ports, is corroborated by a treasure chest of 37 trophies, including 12 of the 19 premiership titles to date, and two terms as Europe's best club.
His tact in getting the right players in, cajoling them till he believes their potential can be coaxed out onto the field, showing them the door when there aren't benches for them to warm, because they or their skills aren't good enough for United, as a club or a team, respectively, has had pundits, players and peers crying hosannas. That he is seen as being transparent when he reaches out to us, the fans is what makes him so loved, and the day he will quit so feared.
Then there is the mythical hairdryer, like Thor's hammer, Shiva's trident, but only verbal. United's 5-3 win at White Hart Lane, when they trailed Spurs 0-3 at half time, and put 5 past their opponents in the second half, was the first time I witnessed the hairdryer blow soggy lassitude away. With the team going through a cascade of changes in the last few years, the dryer's been in action more than Sir Alex might have liked.
The mind games that reflect his astute mental vigour, of course, cannot be ignored. I have read about Keegan being toyed with, and Arsense has been ruffled quite a bit many times in the past 8-10 years. The futility of taking on Sir Alex on the football and psychological planes at once was most recently demonstrated by Rafa Benitez's debacle in 2009. The enduring passion that marks his bid to win has seen him bid farewell to many a manager of United's competitors. In being vocal and seeming ready for a fight, he has also built a commanding presence about him, with the titles as trappings.
It is no surprise then that he is the most important man at Manchester United, the Zeus to the Titans he has loved to mould. He repeatedly keeps pointing out that the manger's predominance, battling to the final whistle etc. are all part of United's ways. These ways might have been fashioned and fostered by his predecessors. Yet, he has been there for a quarter of a century at the hundred-and-twenty-three year old club as its longest serving manager to date. I can only wonder of the dimensions he has given to United's philosophy, a contribution unlikely to have been foreseen twenty-five years ago, and perhaps incapable of being distinctly fathomed on account of its provenance lying in the harmonious conjugation that has seen Sir Alex prop up United's crest, and the club subsume him into its chest.
Thank you, Sir Alex.
Thank you, Sir Alex.
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