This Is the One: Sir Alex Ferguson - The Uncut Story of a Football Genius

by Daniel Taylor (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2007

  $3.25

  When Manchester United deposed Chelsea as Premiership champions at the end of the 2006-07 season Sir Alex Ferguson described it as the 'greatest achievement' of his twenty years in charge. A year earlier his managerial career had reached its nadir amid speculation he would be forced out of Old Trafford. He was taken to the limit over the Roy Keane scandal, his volatile relationship with the media, the political fallout of Malcolm Glazer's takeover and a miserable six-month run in which the team were humbled in Europe, embarrassed by the Conference side Burton Albion and barracked by their own fans. Ferguson, it is claimed, came close to quitting. But the great man has used his inimitable managing skills and bloody-minded determination to turn it around yet again and remind everyone he is still the most formidable manager in the business.Written over the course of two hugely eventful, diverse and controversial seasons, This Is The One offers a unique, warts-and-all portrait of Ferguson from a privileged behind-the-scenes position. As a football writer for the (italics) Guardian , Daniel Taylor has been there from day one and seen every side of Ferguson, from the flint-faced authoritarian to the kind, quick-witted man with the heart the size of the Old Trafford trophy room. Entertaining, revelatory, sometimes shocking but always affectionate, this is the close-up look at one of the most talked-about figures in sport, in good times and bad, and culminating in the glory of his ninth title win.

• Used

  Paperback
  2008

  $4.15

  This is the One is a fascinating insight into the mindset and winning temperament of the recently retired Sir Alex Ferguson, the most success manager in English football. When This Is The One was first published in 2007 it was hailed by Michael Crick as 'one of the all-time Manchester United classics' and featured by The Times in their quest to find the 'Best Ever 50 Sports Books'. Written over the course of two eventful and controversial seasons, it offers a unique portrait of Sir Alex Ferguson from Daniel Taylor's position behind the scenes as a football writer covering Manchester United for the Guardian. During the 2005-06 season, Taylor saw Ferguson at one of the lowest ebbs of his quarter of a century in charge, with a failing team, explosive fallouts with Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy, a disenchanted fan-base and speculation that he might be forced out of the job. The season that followed demonstrated why Ferguson deserves to be seen as the greatest manager the modern game has produced, with Manchester United deposing Chelsea as Premier League champions and eventually seeing off Jose Mourinho. Ferguson would later call it the 'greatest achievement' of his time at England's biggest football club. This Is The One is the close-up, warts-and-all account of what happened during those two helterskelter seasons - the excruciating lows and the exhilarating highs. It is also a fascinating exploration of the many different facets of Ferguson himself, from his infamous 'hairdryer' treatment to the softer, more humane side of the most successful manager in the business.