Brutal on Roy Keane, careful about Wayne Rooney, respectful about Arsène Wenger, admiring of Jose Mourinho, critical of Rafael Benitez and largely silent on Rock of Gibraltar.
Sir Alex Ferguson has settled a few scores (or, as he might prefer, put the record straight), but My Autobiography is not a hachet job.
The book deals largely with events since the treble-winning triumph of 1999, which is when his last autobiography, Managing my Life, was published. This is a marginally slimmer tome but still lengthy, and packed with asides and anecdotes about Ferguson's years at the helm of Britain's biggest club. He re-iterates that Wayne Rooney asked for a transfer last season ('he asked away' is the phrase used) and that his agent repeated the request, but adds Rooney lacked fitness at the time and his performances had dipped. He concludes by stating he is “hoping to see many more great performances” and he said yesterday 'Do you think I would drop him if he was playing the way he is now?'
Ferguson also reveals he was twice offered the England manager's job, in 1999, before Kevin Keegan took the job and 2001 before it went to Sven-Göran Eriksson. He was never remotely tempted
The observations include:
- Collen Rooney: 'A stabilising influence'
- Mesut Özil. When he asked for his transfers request Rooney said United should have bought him when the now-Arsenal player moved to Real Madrid.
- He never thought Wenger would leave Arsenal.
- Pizzagate: Wenger was 'livid' and had 'his fists clenched' [Ferguson actually revealed exclusively to The Independent some months afterwards that Wenger came at him 'with fists raised'], but he has no idea who threw the pizza which ended up 'all over me'.
- The Glazers: A supporters group told him he would have to resign after the Glazers brought the club. “there was no temptation for me to agree to that request.” He adds “United stayed solid under the new ownership, irrespective of the borrowings people talked about and the interest payments incurred.
- Ruud van Nistelrooy was never the same players after agreeing a new contract with a buy-out clause stating Real Madrid could buy jim for £35m. He would pick fights with Gay Neville, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Queiroz. Eventually even Paul Scholes told Ferguson Van Nistelrooy had to be sold. In 2010 the Dutchman rang Ferguson to apologise for his behaviour.
- Rafa Benitez: Ferguson found his teams dull and unimaginative and he could not understand why Benitez played Steven Gerrard in wide positions. Ferguson later says 'I am one of the few who thought Gerrard was not a top, top, player. When Scholes and Keane were in our team Gerrard seldom had a kick against us.'
- Roman Abramovich: Ferguson one told the Russia billionaire the wine he served at Chelsea was 'like paint-stripper'
- Michael Owen: If Michael had joined us at 12 years old he would have been one of the great strikers.
- Mark Bosnich: A terrible professional, which we should have known.
- Wayne Rooney's generous response to Cristiano Ronaldo, in the wake of the furore that followed Ronaldo winking after Rooney was sent off in the 2006 World Cup tie between Portugal and England, was a key factor in Ronaldo staying in England – as was Ferguson comparing his situation with Beckham's after the 1998 World Cup and asking if Ronaldo had the same courage.
- Ferguson tried and failed to buy Paolo Di Canio and Ronaldinho.
- Stuart Downing: 'Not the bravest or the quickest'.
- Coaches found it so difficult refereeing matches in United's training sessions the club considered hiring proper refs to do it.
- His knighthood is barely mentioned.
