EGO IS KING

Last updated : 04 October 2006 By Editor
Fergie addresses a manager's biggest concerns, from an interview with UEFA's magazine:

"There is a player ego that you have to deal with. As a coach the one thing you must have is control.

"You can't afford to let players take charge of a training session, there has to be a strong discipline in the training and in general.

"Simple rules must apply such as time-keeping and concentration at training.

"More and more we are dealing with player power. I grew into all of that but a young coach must realise that he is walking straight into all of that.

"They have to find a way of navigating all of these pressures.

"Another thing of course is the pressure of results. When I came into the game the media demands were less than we have today, and there were no agents or freedom of contract back then.

"Also, if you have a good chairman and board you are lucky, if not then you have to handle that situation as well.

"It's not healthy that a coach can lose four games and then he is out of a job - that is not good for the football industry especially if the coach has not been given time to produce.

"I wish the presidents of clubs and the supporters would have the same patience that the coaches have - we are asking miracles of course.

"It is a very emotional game and sometimes the expectations are too high.

"There's no evidence to suggest that continual changing of coaches brings success. Coaches such as Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, Arsene Wenger and myself suggest the opposite and that longevity can bring success."