Page 149 - Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography

land economy degree. Mark became a great success in the City. All my sons have done well. They are
all driven people, as is Cathy, who is clever and has a determination about her.
People used to say I was like my dad. But people who really knew me said I was more like my
mother, who was a very determined woman. My father was too, but was much quieter. My mother,

like all good mothers, was the boss. She ran the family. Cathy made all the family decisions in our
house, too, which was fine by both of us.
When Darren was 14, Brian Clough called and said he wanted to sign him for Nottingham Forest.
Brian was full of contradictions. He would never answer the phone to me. It was always Ron Fenton,
Clough’s assistant, who picked up the receiver. At Aberdeen I went south to see Forest play Celtic in
the UEFA Cup on rock-hard frosty ground. I knew Ron Fenton reasonably well. As I entered the
directors’ lounge, Ron said, ‘Alex, have you met the boss?’ I hadn’t, and was quite looking forward

to making his acquaintance.
Ron introduced me and Brian said, ‘What did you think of the game?’
My opinion was that Celtic had deserved to win. I then told him Forest would beat them at Celtic
Park. ‘Well young man, I’ve heard enough,’ said Brian. And walked out. Archie Knox burst out
laughing.
In the event, Darren stayed with us at United. The problem was keeping him in the first team. Cathy

never forgave me for selling him. He started the first 15 games in the year we won the League for the
first time. But, in a Scotland U-21s game, he sustained a really bad hamstring tear that kept him on the
sidelines for three months. That was him out until February, and by that time Bryan Robson was back
fit. Neil Webb, Mick Phelan and Paul Ince were also on the scene. Then Roy Keane became available
for £3.75 million. That killed Darren as a first-team player.
He came to see me and said it wasn’t working for him. He said he would need to move. He was
also sensitive to the difficulties for me. So we sold him to Wolves, a club in turmoil, with big

expectations and a large fan base.
I watched Darren play there a lot. He was easily the best footballer, but they changed manager so
many times after Graham Turner was sacked. Graham Taylor, Mark McGhee, Colin Lee. When
McGhee came in, his appearances started to dwindle.
He then moved to Sparta Rotterdam and once more did well. They changed the coach while he was
away on holiday and the new man didn’t want him. He then came back to Wrexham and became

settled there. As his playing career wound down, Barry Fry called from Peterborough and asked what
Darren was doing. He ended up as manager there and got them promoted to the Championship, where
they punched well above their weight. Tensions crept in with the chairman and he resigned and went
to Preston, which was a disaster, before a second stint at Peterborough displayed his qualities again.
Darren’s approach is to play penetrating football with players who pass the ball and move. That’s
hard when you’re bottom of the League because teams down there tend to be desperate. It was
poignant for me to see Darren face the struggles I encountered in my early years, with budgets and

chairmen and players. I reminded him all the time about that motto of ours: ‘Sweeter after
difficulties’. My advice to any young coach is to be prepared. Start early. Don’t leave it until you are
40 to acquire your coaching badges.
I was totally opposed to fast-tracking coaches. It is a disgrace. In Holland and Italy it might take
four or five years for you to receive your badges. The reason they need to go through that intense,
prolonged scrutiny is to protect them from what’s to come in management. It cost Darren £8,000 to

earn his badges at the Warwick Business School. By fast-tracking big names, the FA rode roughshod
over all the people who scraped together to get their qualifications the proper way.