Sir Alex Ferguson is famous for his straightforward approach to Manchester United, with many star players having felt the wrath of his management over the years.
Ryan Giggs was once fined two weeks’ wages for hitting back at Sir Alex Ferguson. The former Manchester United winger admits the overbearing manager may have punished him for talking back, but he was actually hoping for some bite from his players in the dressing room.
The 52-year-old has been at the club for more than 20 years, making 963 appearances and scoring 168 goals and providing 271 assists. The Red Devils icon has won everything there is to win in club football, including two Champions League titles and 13 Premier League titles.
However, Giggs was once a rising star at the club and confronted Fergie in several tense moments. Speaking at the 2020 beIN SPORTS Champions Club, he said: “There was definitely some fear, especially in the early days.
“As he got older, he calmed down a little bit, but not by much. Definitely in the early days, especially as a young player, he had an audible cough. And if you heard that at The Cliff, our first training ground, you would turn away very often.”
“When I was 18, 19, 20, I didn’t want anything to do with him because I had no idea how he felt. So there was definitely fear, but ultimately, whether he was trying to challenge you or just falling out with him, there was always respect.”
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Giggs recalled times when he had been unfair to Ferguson, saying: “I’ve had a lot of falling outs with him. I mean over the course of my career there have been six or seven times I’ve been fined several weeks’ wages for talking back or arguing.”
“I wasn’t feeling very good at the time. I was in the dressing room and I had just lost or had a bad performance. So I just had to go back.”
However, Giggs said that while he respects Ferguson in every sense of the word, he would appreciate it if the young player gave something back in the dressing room. She added: “He actually told me later in his career that he liked it and it meant you cared.
“He would still fine you two weeks because he wanted to show he was responsible, but as long as you didn’t cross the line or over the course, he actually quite liked it.
“The good thing is, the next day the job is done. He’ll fine you two weeks’ wages, one week’s wages. The next day he’ll take you and that’s it. Let’s move on.”
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