Not many learn at the right hand of one of the greatest managers ever known, and Steve McClaren was giving with his time as he spoke to Off The Ball about what separated Alex Ferguson from the rest.
McClaren worked under Ferguson at Manchester United, and identified three parts to Ferguson's philosophy.
Ferguson: learning from the best
"When we won that, I wanted a holiday - I was exhausted and expected three weeks away. After the celebrations, the ticker tape and the bus journey around the city, he said 'See you tomorrow, 9am at The Cliff.
"[A few] bacon butties, cup of tea, 'Put your medals away, what are we going to do next season?' That sets him apart from everybody else because people win, the manager may be on it and the players are not.
"He made sure he was on it, his staff were on it, and his players when they came back. A serial winner, who had tremendous trust - and trust is a big thing - with his staff and his players. He trusted them to do the job.
"The key thing was that he was so adaptable to being successful for a few years - a decade is a miracle, 27 years with so many trophies is testament to his adaptability.
"Creating one team, dismantling it; creating another, dismantling it and knowing what players were his players - Manchester United players, and winners.
"Those three ingredients were integral to his success."
Trust
McClaren reiterated that the trust he had in his coaching staff was key to the silverware at Old Trafford.
"From the first day, I went into his office when we had just beat Nottingham Forest 8-1. I wondered what the hell to coach on the Monday morning. He just said 'What did you coach at Derby?'
"Before I got the answer out, he said 'that's why you're here, go out there and coach.' I had a clean sheet of paper and he trusted me to do the job. It was a lot of pressure, don't get me wrong, but it was the key knowing that he could come out to training, he could walk around and have his influence over individual players.
"He left me to do all the training, and that takes courage and guts but he has had years of that. He came alive on matchdays, they were his days; the game, winning.
"My job was just making sure that we got the players ready Monday to Friday for Saturday."
High performance
That being said, high performance culture is a high tightrope, and coaches needed to ensure they were on top of their particular game.
"The gaffer was demanding of them, of his staff. If you couldn't do the job, you were gone. But the players were so tested, it was war every day.
"I like to keep training intense and competitive, and keep it on a 'line' - if it goes above the line it's chaos, if it's under the line it's too sterile. You have got to keep it on that line, and many times we went over.
"It showed me that top players, top management, environment and culture - what it was all about. It was kind of the finishing school for me as a coach."
'Ferguson just gets every decision right'
McClaren recalled a conversation with a former Manchester United player about the success of Ferguson.
"[Ferguson] had 25/26 players he knew he could rotate, play them in some games and get them ready for others. That was his masterstroke, managing the season.
"I once had a conversation with Jordi Cruyff, I said 'You've worked with him for a couple of years, what is it about him?'
"He said: 'He gets every decision right, he makes changes and it works.' He makes changes in the game - formation, personnel, whatever - you think he hasn't got a clue and you win the game.
"Andy Cole is the perfect example. We were losing to Tottenham, he brings him on and Andy scores the winner. He has that unbelievable knack for keeping players on their toes, they're ready for it when they're called upon.
"He was unbelievable at it."
Football on Off The Ball, with Paddy Power’s SaveOurGame, Donating 10k to Irish football for every goal England score at the Euros.
Download the brand new OTB Sports App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to Off The Ball's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
