I wonder, now in his 73rd year, sat as he does, in the stand, looking increasingly like a Harry Enfield character, whether Ferguson ever contemplates his drive to work on the morning of 1st September 2008?
That probably marked the high point of his tenure at united. European Champions and manager of a team with genuine attacking menace, he had also cemented his own position of invulnerability within the club, following the wobbles surrounding the "99 questions" posed by the Coolmore boys. Uncle Malc had come in, Taggart had backed him (for reasons at which one is tempted to wonder) and the Trophies had kept rolling in. He probably knew Ronaldo would be able to force a move to Madrid, but he could hold that off for another season at least. Him, Rooney and Tevez really were a force of nature that further cemented his timeless reputation for swashbuckling football.
And to the challengers? Jose had gone, Arsenal were on the decline and Liverpool were never going to win a 38 game season under Benitez. He could go on for another few years and keep those he had tamed easily at bay. He'd played the game to perfection.
One thing he almost certainly wouldn't have given a minutes thought to,at least in any meaningful sense, was his not so noisy neighbours. He'd probably heard murmurs that they were in the shit financially. Again. And had a little chuckle to himself. 'You can always rely on City to brighten up your day' he might have thought to himself.
And now, less than six years later, he sits in the stand while we effortlessly overtake the fruit of his labours for twenty six years. In pretty much every respect we will be a bigger and if not, better force in the years ahead - and he probably knows it. He must sit there and wish with all his heart that he was, once again, sat on the A34 on 1/9/08 thinking about where he could best deploy Berbatov after he'd signed him later that day.
Watch it. Drink it in.
