Sir Matt Busby

[Tomtom]

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/3529/smb.jpg

SIR MATT BUSBY

Nationality: Scottish
Manager From: 01 Oct 1945
Years as Manager: 30
Football League Titles 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967
FA Cup 1948, 1963
European Cup 1968
FA Charity Shield 1952, 1956, 1957
FA Charity Shield Joint holders 1965, 1967

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The man who was to become one of English football's greatest-ever managers was born in Scotland, in the village of Orbiston, Lanarkshire, on 26 May 1909.

As a player, he represented two English clubs. He joined Manchester City on 11 February 1928, and made his debut the following year against Middlesbrough. Busby was then transferred to Liverpool for a fee of £8,000 in March 1936.

Busby became United's first boss after the war, having turned down the job of assistant manager at Liverpool. He accepted the position on 19 February 1945, and then joined the club full-time
on his demobilisation from the armed forces in October 1945. In doing so he filled a post left vacant since the resignation of Scott Duncan in 1937 and temporarily filled by club secretary Walter Crickmer.

Following demob, Busby took charge of a club with a bomb-damaged stadium and a £15,000 overdraft. His first signing for United was Jimmy Murphy, his great assistant manager who served the club until 1971. Together they created United's first great post-war team built around the defensive capabilities of Johnny Carey, John Aston and Allenby Chilton and the attacking skills of Charlie Mitten, Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson.

United were FA Cup winners in 1948, defeating Blackpool 4-2. Then, after finishing runners-up four times in 1947-49 and 1951, Busby's men brought the title to Old Trafford in 1952.

Far from being blinded by their success, Busby and Murphy had the foresight to plan ahead and prepare for the day when their first great team would need replacing. The club's scouting system was expanded and reorganised and in the early 1950s, the new youth policy bore its first fruit as Jeff Whitefoot, Jackie Blanchflower and Roger Byrne stepped up to the first team. By 1953 a new team was being blooded in the First Division as
Bill Foulkes, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Liam Whelan, Eddie Colman and Duncan Edwards all broke through. League success soon followed as this new young side, soon christened the 'Busby Babes', won the League title in both 1956 and 1957 and reached the FA Cup final in 1957.

Busby was still looking to the future, trailblazing the way for English clubs by entering the European Cup in 1956/57 - initially against the wishes of the Football League. United reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners Real Madrid.

The following season, 1957/58, bristled with promise and United were still
challenging in all three competitions by February when disaster struck. On 6 February 1958, the aeroplane bringing the team home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade crashed after refuelling in Munich. Twenty-three people were killed, including eight of Busby's players - Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan. Three club officials also perished - secretary Walter Crickmer, trainer Tom Curry and coach Bert Whalley.

Busby almost lost his life as well - he was twice given the last rites while lying gravely ill in a German hospital.
Fortunately, he survived and returned to Manchester 71 days after the crash. In the meantime, Jimmy Murphy - who missed the tragedy because of his commitments as manager of the Welsh national side - brilliantly guided a patched-up team to an emotionally charged FA Cup Final. Bolton Wanderers beat United 2-0 at Wembley.

After taking up the managerial reigns again in August 1958, Busby began to add some big money purchases to his homegrown talent. The likes of Albert Quixall, Noel Cantwell, Denis Law and Pat Crerand joined United in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This group of players reached the FA Cup final in 1963
and beat Leicester City 3-1 to claim the club's first trophy after Munich.

League titles followed in 1965 and 1967, giving Busby the chance to conquer Europe in the following seasons. In 1965/66, United reached the semi-finals, just as they had done in 1956/57 and 1957/58. But in 1967/68 they went further, to the final at Wembley where they faced Portuguese side Benfica.

On another night of great emotion, United triumphed 4-1 after extra-time to win the European Cup for Busby. It was a fitting tribute to the players and staff killed and injured 10 years before and was
Busby's crowning achievement as United manager. They almost retained the Cup in 1968/69, before bowing out to AC Milan in the semi-final.

Busby retired at the end of the '68/69 season, but stayed on as general manager while Wilf McGuinness became the man in charge of the team on a day-to-day basis. The new arrangement lasted little more than a year - on 28 December 1970, Busby was invited by the Directors to return to his old job and replace McGuinness until the end of the season.

A respected figure throughout his career, Busby was awarded the CBE in 1958 and made the 66th
Freeman of Manchester in 1967. In 1968, he was named Manager of the Year and was knighted following United's European Cup triumph.

In 1972 he was made a Knight Commander of St. Gregory by the Pope. He became President of Manchester United in 1980, was elected Vice-President of the Football League in 1982 and went on to become a life member. In 1993 Warwick Road North, the road which runs past the front of Old Trafford, was renamed Sir Matt Busby Way in honour of the man described as 'Mr Manchester United'.

In addition to managing United, Busby also guided the British Olympic football team
to a semi-final place in the 1948 Olympics and in 1958 was manager of Scotland, giving an 18 year-old by the name of Denis Law his first cap.

Sir Matt Busby died on 20 January 1994 at Alexandra Hospital, Cheadle, after a short illness. His funeral a week later saw thousands line the streets of Manchester as his cortege drove from Chorlton to Old Trafford and finally to Manchester's Southern Cemetery. Tributes to Sir Matt came from around the world and supporters of many different clubs sent thousands of shirts, wreaths, pictures and scarves to create a multi-coloured memorial. A bronze statue of Sir Matt was
unveiled on 27 April 1996 at the Scoreboard End of Old Trafford as Manchester United remembered the man who epitomised the club.

Five years after Busby's death, the modern United side emulated his greatest feat by winning the European Cup. Poignantly, the date of that triumph, 26 May 1999, would have been Matt's 90th birthday.

[Andi Istiabudi]

Wah kok gak ada yg kasih comment ? Sepi-sepi aja nih...
Padahal ini pelatih besar dan legendaris MU lho ...
Kemungkinannya cuma 2, yaitu banyak yg tidak kenal sosok Sir Matt Busby atau banyak yg gak ngerti bahasa Inggris krn artikelnya pakai bahasa Inggris, huahahahaha...

[Ucup Carrick]

legenda united yang awalnya berkarir di liverpool dan city....

[rondwisan]

klo penampakan wajah George Best mejeng di lembaran uang di belfast, kini Opa Matt Busby mejeng di perangko nih :shakehand::-bd

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news.stv.tv/scotland/ - 07 October 2009, 15:40
Sir Matt Busby celebrated on new stamp

http://files.stv.tv/img/articles/128645-sir-matt-busby-celebrated-on-new-stamp-410x230.jpg

Manchester United legend unveiled on new commemorative stamp celebrating eminent Britons.

Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to football legend Sir Matt Busby as he unveiled a new stamp celebrating the former Manchester United manager's achievements. He said the footballer, born 100 years ago in the Lanarkshire mining village of Orbiston, was "one of the truly great football managers".

He managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and is the longest serving manager in the history of the club, winning the FA Cup twice and the league championship five times.

He also guided the team to victory in the European cup in 1968, 10 years after 23 people, including eight Manchester United players, were killed in the Munich air crash of February 1958.

The former Manchester City and Liverpool player, who died of cancer in 1994, is one of ten people to be honoured in the Royal Mail's eminent Britons series of stamps. The stamps "celebrate individuals who have made a remarkable contribution to British life".

Sir Matt's stamp was unveiled at Old Trafford by fellow Scot, Sir Alex.

He said: "They are all illustrious names in this latest issue of commemorative stamps.

"Great Britons indeed and there can be no doubting that Sir Matt Busby deserves his place amongst such eminent company. He was one of the truly great football managers.

"Everyone at Manchester United will take great pride from this honour which has been bestowed on the late, great, Sir Matt Busby."

A framed print of the stamp was also given to the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

Other people celebrated in the series include Scots writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Samuel Johnson, Mary Wollstonecraft, Fred Perry, speed record breaker Donald Campbell, astronomer Sir Martin Ryle and disabled rights campaigner Judy Fryd.

[rondwisan]

http://www.norvic-philatelics.co.uk/2009/images/091008-sir_matt_busby_manchester_united_stamp.jpg



klo ini post card apa tiket yaa ... ???

http://www.picturedrome.net/images/autographs/watermarked/mattbusby.jpg

[rondwisan]

ada serie yang lean nih dari pic di atas ...

http://www.picturedrome.net/images/autographs/watermarked/bobbyc-n-ticket.jpg

http://www.picturedrome.net/images/autographs/watermarked/Gbest.jpg

[eMJi_197]

wewww.....kerennnn :thumbup:

[Redsbusby]

http://www.tshirtsunited.com/images/designs/goodenough_design.jpg

[Redsbusby]

Sir Matt Busby saat memenangkan Trphy Cahampions Eropa

http://dhekywardana.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/113matt_468x689.jpg?w=468&h=689


Show Off Time :D

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Red marauders: Manchester United and Busby show off their trophy after becoming the first English team to lift the European Cup in 1968.

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Berkat seorang Gregg, penjaga gawang United era 58 bersama DUncan Edwards dan Bobby Charlton, nyawa Sir Matt Busby terselamatkan sesaat setelah kecelakaan Pesawat yg dikenal dengan "Munich Disaster".

http://dhekywardana.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/munich-thebusbybabes.jpg?w=260&h=260

European Cup semi-finalists

United's magical Busby Babes had already won two league titles and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1958 before eight of their players were killed in the Munich air crash. It remains one of football's darkest ever days.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/04/28/article-1174512-0009CC5A00000578-486_468x348.jpg
Tewas terlalu dini : Ray Woods, Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor, Billy Whelan, Geoff Bent, Bill Foulkes, Jackie Blanchflower, Colin Webster, Dennis Viollet, Eddie Colman dan Johnny Berry. Edwards, Bent, Taylor, Whelan and Colman tewas saat "Munich air crash of February 58"


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Bersama penerusnya, Legenda terbesar yang segera dibuat patungnya :D, Sir ALex Ferguson!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3r0VgRQqz50/Sp2I5TNfr5I/AAAAAAAAARc/upWZ5GUOG8I/s320/3.jpg


__________________________________________________ ___________


Patung untuk penghargaan kepada SIr Matt Busby, pelopor sistem pembinaan pemain di seluruh level Klub Man United hingga bisa menjadi sehebat ini.

http://www.tmwmtt.com/blog-extreme-groundhopping/2008/2008-06-03SirMattBusby.jpg

Ok, capek dulu :D :ngacir:

[Andi Istiabudi]

klo ini post card apa tiket yaa ... ???

http://www.picturedrome.net/images/autographs/watermarked/mattbusby.jpg

http://www.picturedrome.net/images/autographs/watermarked/bobbyc-n-ticket.jpg

http://www.picturedrome.net/images/autographs/watermarked/Gbest.jpg

Mungkin saya bisa membantu, untuk amplop bergambar yang disertai perangko di kalangan kolektor perangko (filatelis) disebut sebagai First Day Cover (FDC). Di Indonesia biasa disebut Sampul Hari Pertama (SHP).

SHP/FDC ini biasanya diterbitkan perusahaan pos suatu negara bersamaan dengan diterbitkannya perangko seri tersebut. Namun SHP/FDC selalu dicetak terbatas sehingga selalu menjadi incaran kolektor perangko karena harganya yang meningkat terus. Nah, di kalangan filatelis ada kebiasaan untuk meminta tanda tangan orang yang berkaitan dengan tema perangko tersebut. Misalnya SHP Final Champions 1968 yang ditandatangani Sir Matt Busby, SirBobby Charlton dan George Best karena akan mempengaruhi harga SHP tersebut yang tentunya menjadi semakin mahal di masa datang.

Semoga penjelasan dan informasi tersebut bermanfaat ...

[rondwisan]

hehehe ..., thanks pencerahannya Oom ... :peace:
sebenernya udah tau juga kok ..., nanyanya cuman iseng ... :hammer:
pas ambil pic-na klo gak salah udah ada keterangannya juga sih .... :malu:

[Andi Istiabudi]

hehehe ..., thanks pencerahannya Oom ... :peace:
sebenernya udah tau juga kok ..., nanyanya cuman iseng ... :hammer:
pas ambil pic-na klo gak salah udah ada keterangannya juga sih .... :malu:

Ya mudah-mudahan informasi tadi bermanfaat dan berguna bagi member lain yang belum mengetahuinya. Bebagi ilmu dan wawasan kan berpahala, hehehe ...

[rondwisan]

gak ada bosennya baca historis salah satu United legend ini :peace:
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ManUtd.com - 27/10/2010 07:10
Sir Matt remembered

http://picsrv.manutd.com/?fif=/manu/img_10_24176_5241.jpg&obj=iip,1.0&wid=480&hei=179&rgn=0.00808080808080808,0.06472919418758256,0.9696 969696969697,0.23645970937912813&cvt=jpeg

Today (Wednesday 27 October 2010) marks the 65th anniversary of Matt Busby's first match in charge of United.

The arrival of one of English football's greatest-ever managers was heralded by a home fixture in Football War League (North) against Bolton Wanderers - however, with Old Trafford rendered unusable by German bombs, the game was played at Maine Road. The Reds won 2-1 with goals from Johnny Carey and Harry Worrall.

A former Manchester City and Liverpool player, Busby had in fact accepted the position of United manager on 19 February 1945, but he had to wait until October to join the club full-time following his demobilisation from the army.

Together with his loyal assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, Busby created a team good enough to win the FA Cup in 1948 and to challenge for the League Championship. After finishing runners-up four times, Busby's men won the title in 1952.

Far from being blinded by their success, Busby and Murphy had the foresight to plan ahead and prepare for the day when their first great team would need replacing. The club's scouting system was expanded and reorganised, soon yielding a young team that won the title again in 1956 and 1957 and reached the FA Cup final in 1957. This young team was christened the 'Busby Babes.'

Busby trailblazed the way for English clubs by entering the European Cup in 1956/57 - initially against the wishes of the Football League. United reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners Real Madrid.

The following season, 1957/58, bristled with promise and United were still challenging in all three competitions by February when disaster struck. On 6 February 1958, the aeroplane bringing the team home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade crashed after refuelling in Munich. Twenty-three people were killed, including eight of Busby's players and three club officials.

Busby almost lost his life as well - he was twice given the last rites while lying gravely ill in a German hospital. Fortunately, he survived and returned to Manchester 71 days after the crash. Taking up the managerial reigns again in August 1958, Busby began to rebuild United, bringing in some big money purchases to add to his homegrown talent. The new group of players reached the FA Cup final in 1963 and beat Leicester City 3-1 to claim the club's first trophy after Munich.

League titles followed in 1965 and 1967, giving Busby the chance to conquer Europe in the following seasons. In 1965/66, United reached the semi-finals, just as they had done in 1956/57 and 1957/58. But in 1967/68 they went further, to the final at Wembley where they faced Portuguese side Benfica.

On another night of great emotion, United triumphed 4-1 after extra-time to win the European Cup. It was a fitting tribute to the players and staff killed and injured 10 years before and was Busby's crowning achievement as United manager. Busby retired at the end of the following season, but stayed on as general manager while Wilf McGuinness became the man in charge of the team on a day-to-day basis. The new arrangement lasted little more than a year - on 28 December 1970, Busby was invited by the Directors to return to his old job and replace McGuinness until the end of the season.

A respected figure throughout his career, Busby was awarded the CBE in 1958. Ten years later, was knighted following United's European Cup triumph. In 1993 Warwick Road North, the road which runs past Old Trafford, was renamed Sir Matt Busby Way in honour of the man described as 'Mr Manchester United'.

When, after a short illness, Sir Matt died on 20 January 1994, thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester and similar numbers of shirts, wreaths, pictures and scarves were laid in tribute at Old Trafford. A bronze statue of Sir Matt was unveiled at the stadium on 27 April 1996, as a permanent memorial to the man who epitomised the club.

Five years after Busby's death, United won the European Cup for the first time since 1968. Poignantly, the date of that triumph for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, 26 May 1999, would have been Matt's 90th birthday.

[Supernan]

Sir Matt Busby: Tribute to the original master of Manchester United

Last updated at 7:58 AM on 16th December 2010

When Sir Alex Ferguson takes his place in the dug-out for Sunday's Barclays Premier League match at Chelsea he will become Manchester United's longest serving manager, passing Sir Matt Busby's mark of 24 years, one month and 14 days. Busby was manager over two stints from October 1945 to January 1969 and from December 1970 to June 1971.

Fergie's first day of work at Old Trafford was November 6, 1986. United's boss has often attributed his astonishing success to the ethos which Busby built at the club and regularly sought his predecessor's advice before Busby's death in 1994. The two Scots even share the same first name - Alexander - with Busby known by his middle name of Matthew.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/12/15/article-0-00398F0D00000258-180_634x350.jpg
Boss with his Babes: Busby before successfully defending the title in the 1956-57 season


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Pipe dream: the Scot oversees pre-season in 1967

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/12/15/article-0-0C783A95000005DC-291_306x320.jpg
and mucks in to sort fan mail at Old Trafford

[Supernan]

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His master’s voice: United players report for training in the 1950s

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Wayward son: manager and star player George Best (left) attend an FA hearing after Best was sent off against Chelsea in 1971

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Busby (right) in his office during the 1957-58 season. The league championship trophy sits on his cluttered desk

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Fighting spirit: Busby battles back from the brink in a Munich hospital (right) following the 1958 air crash before returning to a hero’s welcome in Manchester more than two months later (left)

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Inspiration: the United boss makes use of the break in play to focus his side for extra-time in the 1968 European Cup final win over Benfica


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Happy days: Busby proudly shows off the European Cup

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Brains trust: the warmth between manager past and present is clear as Busby and Ferguson chat in 1991

[Sir Busby Ferguson]

the great manager of OT..

hanya SAF yg pntas brdiri sjajar dgn sang master..:-bd:devil3:

[rondwisan]

http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/2011/0822/sirmattbusbyandsiralexfergusonmanchesterunited2011 0822_576x324.jpg

Sandy Busby interview
Fergie's resurrection of club Busby built
Soccernet, Mark Lomas - August 28, 2011



When the BBC aired a film about the 1958 Munich air disaster earlier this year, it provoked a mixed response from fans and critics. The production of 'United', a new tribute to the great Manchester United side that was decimated by a plane crash more than half a century ago, was praised for keeping the legend of the Busby Babes alive for a wider audience. However, actor Dougray Scott's portrayal of Sir Matt Busby left the family of the team's iconic boss incensed. Among other issues, his son Sandy condemned the failure to depict the United boss in a tracksuit, saying: "The film-makers have put my dad in an overcoat and a trilby hat. He looks more like a gangster than a football manager."

http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/2011/0823/sirmattbusbyandbobbycharlton20110823_205x285.jpg
Sir Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton survived the Munich air disaster and, along with Bill Foules, went on to lift the European Cup a decade later

But it is difficult to imagine Sandy Busby ever being incensed about anything. With a cheerful demeanour and an infectious enthusiasm about all things United, Sandy spends an hour discussing the legacies of his father and Sir Alex Ferguson, while also giving a vivid and emotional account of how February 6, 1958 and its aftermath unfolded for him.

Talking to Busby Jnr about Munich is a poignant experience. He describes how the city of Manchester was united in shock and grief as news emerged that the plane carrying a team of some of the world's most promising players, along with club staff and journalists, slid off an icy runway as United returned from a European Cup quarter-final victory over Red Star Belgrade.

"I was coming back from Blackburn Rovers, where I was on the books, late in the afternoon and on all the newsagents' placards was written 'Manchester United in plane crash'," Sandy tells ESPNsoccernet. "I ran into the nearest telephone cubicle, phoned home and my aunty who was staying with us at the time was screaming her head off for me to get home."

What followed was an anxious wait for news about who had perished and who had survived; Busby Jnr flew out to Munich to be with his gravely ill father, who was twice read the last rites in hispital before eventually pulling through. Sandy recalls how his dad had "tears streaming down his face" upon hearing of the players who had died - Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Billy Whelan. The name of 21-year-old Duncan Edwards - described by Busby Jnr as "the greatest" and a "giant of football" - was added to the list of 15 days after the crash.

On hearing the full extent of the tragedy, Sandy remembers his distraught father stating "well that's it, I'm finished with football," before being convinced to continue in memory of the Babes by his wife. It was a decision that would further shape Manchester United's future as Busby went on to build another great side which, led by George Best, Denis Law and Munich survivor Bobby Charlton, won the European Cup in 1968.

"When my father became manager in 1945, the club were in financial difficulties but his idea was to build a young side that would take the club straight to the top, which they had succeeded in doing until the disaster," Sandy explains. "The great Liverpool manager Bob Paisley said that team would have won everything for the next ten years.

"My dad never lost his faith in blooding young players but he realised he couldn't wait for them in the same way as he had done before. He had to go out and buy a few players to help rebuild the team. When they finally won the European Cup, I think a big weight was lifted off his shoulders. After the game was over, he and Bobby Charlton were hugging each other with tears in their eyes and I'm sure they were thinking about the boys who had died. They lost eight players and two others never played the game again. So what an achievement it was to build a new team and to win the European Cup."

The 4-1 victory over Benfica at Wembley proved the pinnacle of Busby's illustrious 24-year career with United and his move upstairs a year later left a void at Old Trafford that remained unfilled until another ambitious Scottish manager travelled down south from Aberdeen in 1986: Alex Ferguson.

"The managers that followed my dad didn't think quite command the same respect as him. He was still around the club and, though it was tough for him to take a back seat, he said that when he took over as manager he told the directors 'nobody interferes with my football teams' and he promised to do the same. It was hard for him, especially when the club weren't doing well, He got himself upset as he only wanted one thing: success for Manchester United Football Club.

"Then of course along came the great one, Alex Ferguson. I'm not just saying it now because he's had success, but my father turned round and said 'I think we've got the right one' when he first came. The first two years didn't go too well but he was building even then. My father was the foundation of Manchester United, Sir Alex was the resurrection."

Things did not immediately go to plan for Ferguson and after three trophyless years in the job, he was thought to be an FA Cup third-round defeat to Nottingham Forest away from being fired. United won the game and the Cup that year to begin two decades of near-ceaseless silverware. Busby Jnr, though, is not convinced the board would have pulled the trigger had Ferguson's side lost to Forest.

"I don't think the board had any intention of giving him the sack. He went in there and shook the carpet, the club was a bit stagnant and there was nothing coming through until he arrived. People think that Alex came out of the blue but he had had so much success up in Scotland, he took Rangers and Celtic on and won, and even beat the great Real Madrid in the Cup Winners' Cup final. His CV was impressive when he came down. Gradually he bought certain players in and the league title came."

While the bosses before him struggled with the shadow of Busby looming over them, Ferguson thrived on it. Sir Matt's office was a place that the young United manager frequented when he needed advice and it's possible that it is also where Ferguson's antipathetic attitude towards the press was moulded.

"They got on very well," Busby Jnr says. "Alex now and then went to visit my dad in his little office and he'd knock on the door and they'd speak. During Alex's bad spell, he told my dad that the back pages were giving him some stick. My dad always had a clever simple reply and his reply was 'Alex, why do you read the back pages? Don't read them, just get on with your job. After my dad died, he said he missed the smell of my dad's pipe when he walked along the corridor."

The similarities between Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby went beyond the pair's Glasgow roots, with Sandy recognising that shared traits, including an insatiable will to win and an emphasis on family, played a big role in their respective triumphs. The biggest point of comparison, of course, being their vision for Manchester United to blood the country's best youngsters, giving them an opportunity to shine and reaping the rewards of their superior abilities.

"I used to run the United souvenir shop and when Alex first walked in with [assistant] Archie Knox, they came in and shook hands with us and wished us all the best and I think he bought every book in the shop, he immersed himself in all things Manchester United. From the laundry women up to the chairman, he knows everybody and it's a happy family atmosphere. My dad used to do that, too. They are similar in their knowledge of players and in the way they treat them. And also the way they treat people. They give people respect and they get respect.

"The group of players that Sir Alex brought through obviously brought comparisons with the Babes and I think they were very similar. That was another thing Alex did, building up the training ground at Carrington. I remember him saying that he wanted to build the most modern, state-of-the-art training ground there is, for both the first team and developing young players. The new complex is unbelievable. And they're expanding again now.

"It was the same with my Dad - the first thing I can remember my dad doing when he took over at United was transforming the Cliff training ground. It was a broken down place and the first thing he did was to get some floodlights put in so on Tuesdays and Thursdays the young players could come and train and the coaches could get together. He put that in place; Sir Alex put Carrington in place.

"I'd guess that maybe the differences come in the dressing room. My father had a very easy way of telling a player that he wasn't doing too well or he'd made a mistake. I think Sir Alex is a bit different and gets quite highly charged in the dressing room. But they are very similar - family always came first for my dad and it does for Sir Alex too. At Manchester United he's resurrected that feeling."

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Sir Alex Ferguson recently overtook Sir Matt Busby as Man Utd's longest-serving manager

The barren 26-year spell between Busby's last league title and Ferguson's first exemplifies how difficult it can be for a club to replace a manager who permeates every pore of a club. It is a situation that directors, players and fans are nervously bracing themselves to face again when Ferguson finally decides to end his record-breaking association with United. With the Red Devils' return to prominence coinciding with the prosperous Premier League era it may seem unlikely that they can ever now be knocked off their pedestal and it is certainly difficult to conceive that they could meet the same fate as the 1974 side, who were relegated six years after the club claimed European glory. But for Busby Jnr, Ferguson's potential retirement should certainly be met with caution.

"I think he should stay for as long as is possible. Someone was recently asking me, 'who do you think they'll get next?' I said that if I were a director at Manchester United I'd put a gun to his head and say you've got to sign a new contract for the next ten years. He'll keep going for a while yet. He's a fit man, he looks after himself.

"I'd fear for them when he leaves. Where are they going to find another Matt Busby or Alex Ferguson? It will be very, very hard for a new manager to come in. If a scout went after a young player and said 'Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson are interested', the young player wouldn't need to think twice. Those two names are synonymous with success and it was like that with my dad.

"During my dad's time, his achievements were second to none. His idea and dream was starting to fill the team in with young boys. He hit the jackpot with the Babes but then came the disaster, and he had to go again. Now, of course, you've got Sir Alex, winning the 19th league title was remarkable and I know my dad will be over the moon up there. I think Alex would love to beat Paisley's record of three European Cups. I remember the first one he won, coming back on the plane from Barcelona. He was coming down the aisle and he said, 'Sandy, I still can't believe it'. He was like an excitable little lad. It means everything to him."