Alex Ferguson - manager and striker

Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United was involved in the Glasgow apprentices strike and a walkout at Falkirk FC.

Stephen Kelly wrote in the New Statesmen that Ferguson was born in Govan two years into the second world war.

His father worked in the local shipyard, his mother looked after the family. For Alex football was a sideline: at 16 he began an apprenticeship as a toolmaker at the Remington Rand typewriter factory in Hillington. It wasn't until three years later that the game offered him a full-time career.

Working in Glasgow inevitably meant a schooling in trade unionism. "Trade unionism was an integral part of the community," his old pal Jimmy Reid explains. Ferguson became a shop steward, attended branch and district meetings, and in the early sixties took part in the notorious engineering apprentices' strike that swept Glasgow's shipyards in the 1960s.

Gus Macdonald, now chairman of Scottish Television but then a young shipyard apprentice, was one of the ringleaders. He and another apprentice, one Billy Connolly, "marched up to Remington," he recalls, "met with Ferguson and the other apprentices and soon had them out on strike."

Ferguson has applied the lessons of his trade unionism to some effect in the dressing room. Over many years he was an activist in the Scottish Professional Footballers Association and at Falkirk, as player-coach, he even led the players out on strike when the manager docked their expenses after a 6-1 defeat.

The club bowed to player pressure and the manager was reprimanded.

Source: Profile: Alex Ferguson - manager of Manchester United Football Club PLC New Statesman, Oct 10, 1997

Comments

And then in 2005, he sold his

And then in 2005, he sold his arse to a gnome. Now he's little better than a scab.

Quote: Now he's little

Now he's little better than a scab

Bravo! couldn't have put it better.

I've had enough of seeing this masticating bore being wheeled out as an example of a working-class radical - he needs to take a look at the wanker millionaires he has playing for him as they hockle in the face of the saps that buy the tickets and shirts.

cue overpaid professional

cue overpaid professional athletes debate....

Chilli Sauce wrote: cue

Chilli Sauce

cue overpaid professional athletes debate....

Solidarity with the NBA players!

And American Football

And American Football players!

plasmatelly wrote: Quote:

plasmatelly

Now he's little better than a scab

Bravo! couldn't have put it better.

I've had enough of seeing this masticating bore being wheeled out as an example of a working-class radical - he needs to take a look at the wanker millionaires he has playing for him as they hockle in the face of the saps that buy the tickets and shirts.

Well, my main criticism about Ferguson is not so much that the Manchester United Franchise TM has millionaire players (what else would you expect from the Premier fucking League?) but that he's clearly the Gimp's bitch. I say FCUM!

Also a longterm Blairite/New

Also a longterm Blairite/New Labour donor cunt: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7750155.stm

Working class hero pffffffffft.

Now now... don't let small

Now now... don't let small time footballing rivalries muddy the water. As a football manager, Ferguson is absolutely brilliant. As a human being, he's no better, no worse than most other football managers... and as for not an athelete, when he was younger, he was indeed an accomplished footballer.

But what annoys me is when his radical working class roots are touted so he can be shown to be some kind of example in the 'local boy made good - rags to riches' stylee. It's utter shite.

As a lifelong United fan who first went to Old Trafford in the days of Matt Busby, Best, Law and Charlton, I always had a lot of respect for Ferguson, and his militant background. But when the Gimp took over, he soon showed where he really stood. His attitude to FC United fucking stank, what with his 'attention seekers' and 'go and watch Chelsea' comments. I'd have been just disappointed but not surprised if he'd only said nowt about the rebel strike club, but the fact that he denounced us makes him a total fucking scab.

Caiman wrote: Working class

Caiman

Working class hero pffffffffft.

Serge

what annoys me is when his radical working class roots are touted so he can be shown to be some kind of example in the 'local boy made good - rags to riches' stylee. It's utter shite.

Seems a bit of a ridiculous category/tag - "celebrity working class heroes"?! By fact of being rich celebs they hardly qualify as working class, and so what if some of them once had working class jobs - they're "heroes" for just having had an ordinary job?? Similarly their occasional celeb liberal/lefty politics is no big deal; usually a passing phase and not connected to any real effort or risk in their present elevated life. So why praise someone for having (usually pretty crap) lefty politics as if it's heroic? This is all perpetuating the glorification of celebs and celebrity culture - as if when they do something it's much more important cos they're much more important than the rest of us. Strange to see on a site supposed to be promoting anti-hierarchical politics.

Red, 'celebrity working class

Red, 'celebrity working class heroes' (as well as the 'celebrity scabs' tag) is just supposed to be a little bit of fun.. like flicking through a copy of Heat Magazine or whatever..

It's weird how every year someone seems to complain about libcom having stuff about celebrities on it as if it detracts from the overall message of the site and we'll inadvertently trick some brainless proles into hero-worshipping the Manchester Utd manager..

PS Tommy Ascaso is right, he is scum..

Ed wrote: PS Jim Clarke is

PS Tommy Ascaso is right, he is scum..

Predictable ABU nonsense. I bet you say 'Man U' as well :roll:

Mind you, I agree he is scum, but so is virtually every other Premier League manager.

Ed wrote: It's weird how

It's weird how every year someone seems to complain about libcom having stuff about celebrities on it as if it detracts from the overall message of the site and we'll inadvertently trick some brainless proles into hero-worshipping the Manchester Utd manager..

Weird how what I said got so easily distorted into the above.

Red, 'celebrity working class heroes' (as well as the 'celebrity scabs' tag) is just supposed to be a little bit of fun.. like flicking through a copy of Heat Magazine or whatever..

So it was your idea then? ;) The articles under that tag don't bear out your description at all, they do promote the 'heroism for their politics' aspect (thereby not "detracting", but expressing, some of the contradictory character of the site). Not much "fun", either...

Promoting heroism is a bit

Promoting heroism is a bit over-the-top.. it's lefty celebrity trivia. Do you think the site would be greatly improved if we deleted those articles?

Red Marriott

Not much "fun", either...

Well, I'm not sure there's a great difference between "not much" and "a little bit" apart from initial expectations.. do you find that your glass is usually half empty as well? ;)

Jim Clarke wrote: Chilli

Tommy Ascaso

Chilli Sauce

cue overpaid professional athletes debate....

You can tell you're American. He's not an athlete, he's scum.

Athletes in general comrade, not this particular manager...

Also, the celebrity working

Also, the celebrity working class heroes/scabs bit of libcom is fucking great. Clearly a bit of lighthearted fun when distraction is needed from the heavy business of revolution :kropotkin:

The articles clearly praise

The articles clearly praise the subjects for some supposed working class cred and for their lefty politics, that's the whole point of them. But I can see why you want to try to depoliticise the concept by saying now it's just 'a bit of fun' - as the politics clearly contained in the articles (that someone bothered to write for a tag they created) are pretty dubious and contradictory, as I already stated. Funny we never used to hear the same response when Class War's populism was slagged off. Heroes'n'scabs - good cop/bad cop, good celeb/bad celeb.

Now call me humourless for pointing out the obvious. I'm sitting here happy as Larry, enjoying every minute.

Cops and celebrities are not

Cops and celebrities are not synonymous. I can't speak for others, but I personally think Class War tabloidism was fine (and they knew what they were doing), it's just that their politics were shit. Same for Crimethinc for that matter, great graphics and, for better or worse, they did make anarchy look sexy--fucking horrific politics, tho.

Red, I've met you, you're not

Red, I've met you, you're not humourless.. but you do love a row over nothing..

Oh no I don't... Still,

Oh no I don't...

Still, another lame defence from libcom - don't ever start a football team.

(No subject)

:roll:

I'd have you know that Libcom

I'd have you know that Libcom would have a great defence: I'd be the Mertesacker to Ed's Koscielny! ;)

HDon't get rid of the article, just re-consider the tag. he's no fucking hero, nor working class.

The article here and the info

The article here and the info about Fowler's landlordism recently posted under it neatly illustrate the obvious contradictions - a token populist gesture v capitalist class reality;
http://libcom.org/library/robbie-fowler-fined-supporting-liverpool-dockers

as if ... we'll inadvertently trick some brainless proles into hero-worshipping the Manchester Utd manager..

The only people you appear to have tricked are yourselves.

Ha, Jon Snow suggests

Ha, Jon Snow suggests Ferguson's a Stalinist and has thin skin to his face:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid601325122001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAEabvr4~,Wtd2HT-p_Vh4qBcIZDrvZlvNCU8nxccG&bctid=2761698660001

wojtek wrote: Ha, Jon Snow

wojtek

Ha, Jon Snow suggesting Ferguson's a Stalinist and has thin skin to his face:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid601325122001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAEabvr4~,Wtd2HT-p_Vh4qBcIZDrvZlvNCU8nxccG&bctid=2761698660001

I think the problem with Ferguson's 'Stalinism' was not the control aspects but the 'peaceful co-existence', which Snow also commented on there.

Devrim

Devrim wrote: wojtek

Devrim

wojtek

Ha, Jon Snow suggesting Ferguson's a Stalinist and has thin skin to his face:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid601325122001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAEabvr4~,Wtd2HT-p_Vh4qBcIZDrvZlvNCU8nxccG&bctid=2761698660001

I think the problem with Ferguson's 'Stalinism' was not the control aspects but the 'peaceful co-existence', which Snow also commented on there.

Devrim

This should be remembered for best post of the year.

I'm a lifelong United fan and

I'm a lifelong United fan and Fergie was arguably the greatest manager here or anywhere in the game but the man is a millionaire player in a capitalist playground.
His politics are pro capitalist and ergo anti working class.A solid backer of the scum Blair and the rotting edifice of the Labour Party these are just a few anecdotes relating to his sad politics.
As the greatest manager of the greatest club though I'd be reluctant to shoot him ;)

Arsene Wenger is a

Arsene Wenger is a centrist.

Arsène, are you a socialist?
Nabhas, India

What is socialist for you? For me, a socialist is trusting connectivity to sort the problems of a society. First, you need a collective environment that favours the expression of the individual. After that, I think it’s down to an individual’s initiative to make the most of their life. But the dominant thing is a collective environment for me.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/oct/11/arsene-wenger-arsenal-manager-football