I asked Sir Alex Ferguson a stupid question moments after he offered me Man Utd job – his response spoke volumes
FORMER Manchester United coach and assistant manager Mike Phelan has recalled one of the most telling things Sir Alex Ferguson ever said to him.
Phelan, 62, played 138 games under Sir Alex as a player for United, before working alongside him as a coach for 12 YEARS.
After working as a coach for the Red Devils between 2001 and 2008, Phelan was promoted to be Ferguson’s assistant.
It was in that position that he helped United win three Premier League titles, two Community Shields and two League Cups.
But after all those years alongside one the greatest managers in football history, it was his first day on the job that lives longest in the memory for Phelan.
The retired pro recalls Ferguson’s answer to his “stupid question” after getting the job as a coach as one of the Scot’s most telling moments.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “I was a player, a coach, and an assistant manager at Manchester United. The only hat-trick I got, to be fair.
“And when I started out coaching, the first thing the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, said when he offered me a job came after I asked a stupid question.
“I said, ‘How do you want me to coach?’ He went, ‘Mick, you’re the coach, I’m the manager. You coach. I’ll manage.’
“Simple as that. What he gave me was ownership.”
Mike Phelan's career
A brief look into Mike Phelan's playing and coaching career...
PLAYING CAREER
- 1980 – 1985: Burnley
- 1985 – 1989: Norwich City
- 1989 – 1994: Manchester United
- 1994 – 1996: West Bromwich Albion
COACHING CAREER
- 1996 – 1997: Blackpool (assistant manager)
- 1997 – 1999: Stockport U18s (manager)
- 1999 – 2001: Manchester United 18s (manager)
- 2001 – 2008: Manchester United (coach)
- 2008 – 2013: Manchester United (assistant manager)
- 2014 – 2015: Norwich (assistant manager)
- 2015 – 2016: Hull City (assistant manager)
- 2016 – 2016 Hull City (manager)
- 2018: Central Coast Mariners (sporting director)
- 2018 – 2022: Manchester United (assistant manager)
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It was that mentality and that kind of leadership that saw Ferguson become the Premier League’s most successful manager, winning the competition 13 TIMES.
That dynasty came to an end over 10 years ago now, and United find themselves about to embark on a new era under the management of Ruben Amorim.
But with a new boss comes plenty of changes, with old pal Ferguson now completely off the books at Old Trafford, Phelan has questioned whether an entirely new setup will bring success back to the Theatre of Dreams.
He said: “It’s a completely changed environment [at United] now.
“The proof of the pudding will come further down the line, as to whether they can achieve what they are setting out to do, but there seems to be a lot going on there.
“They’ve got rid of a lot of people — some good people.
“It needs streamlining in the right areas but has it still got that unity it had when it was successful? There is more exposure now to open up those cracks.”