Manchester United stars were made abundantly clear of one ‘bully’ in the Liverpool changing room in an infamous rant before the two heavyweights of English football clashed
Sir Alex Ferguson’s words cut deep and stayed with you forever – just ask former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince.
It’s April 1998 and Ferguson was giving out tactical advice ahead of a Premier League showdown with Liverpool. His attention turned to the Reds’ star and ex-United player Ince, who had made the controversial switch to Anfield from Inter Milan the summer before.
Ferguson was bellowing – not quite reaching the decibel levels of his legendary hairdryer rants, but forceful enough to command the complete attention of everyone wearing red. It was during this moment that Ferguson – with Granada documentary cameras rolling for ‘the Alex Ferguson Story’ – unleashed one of his most memorable put-downs on any player, let alone one of his former stars in Ince, who celebrates his 58th birthday today (October 21).
“If he tries to bully you he will f****** enjoy it. Don’t ever let him bully you. Right,” the Scotsman was caught saying on film. “You just make sure you are ready for him. That’s all you need to worry about. He’s a f****** big-time Charlie.”
Those closing three words perfectly encapsulated Ferguson’s disdain for inflated egos within the dressing room. Come 2008, the Scotsman confessed he wished he’d never made those remarks, branding them a “mistake” whilst vowing never again to permit cameras during his team talks.
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