Scholes on Sir Alex; A Landmark

An article written by Paul Scholes for The Sun UK

THIS picture of the gaffer with his arm round my shoulder is hugely symbolic because Alex Ferguson has always been a father figure to me — and to the rest of the lads who have come through the Old Trafford ranks.

We have all learned so much from him down the years. Even the football gospel preached to us by our coaches Brian Kidd and Eric Harrison when we were boys came from the manager originally.

Obviously the relationship has developed over the years since I first met him when I was a little boy of around 12. Now, a quarter of a century later, I'm 36 and not quite so scared of him. But as you grow up you understand why he does what he does. Occasionally he'll ask the opinion of the senior players. Usually it will be to do with the mood of the camp, perhaps if we've had some bad results. Of course, even when he's heard what we have to say he will do what he wants.

One of the manager's strengths is also getting the best out of people. We have such a big squad these days and if a player's been training all week then he'll believe that he's got a chance of making the team on Saturday. Managers differ dramatically in the stress they place on performances on the practice pitch. When Kevin Keegan was coaching England, he was always a great believer in selecting the players who trained the best. Our manager's not like that. Of course, he likes you to train well but being brilliant on a Thursday at Carrington certainly doesn't guarantee you'll be in the team at Old Trafford. It can't be easy to keep us all motivated but the manager has a way of doing it, and that's a part of his greatness.

In terms of handling the Press, he could write the book. He's at Manchester United where there are big stories all the time but, to him, big stories are nothing. He knows absolutely everything that's going on. He's ready for anything and I think he always will be.

I still remember his 20th year at United. We were playing well, reaching the FA Cup final and the last four of the Champions League, which augured well for the future.

It represented an incredible achievement by the manager, who had put together a succession of exceptional teams. No matter what star players came and went, Sir Alex just kept rolling along, and so did United. I can hardly believe my own good fortune in being part of the story for so long. Last year Barcelona set a standard for United to aspire to when they beat us in the Champions League final.

That is the goal now — and I see no reason why it cannot be attained over the next few years. The manager won't stop trying to lift United to that exalted level because he can never resist a challenge — and he's a long, long way from the finishing line.