Quotes from Alex Ferguson

people who feel like outsiders do one of two things: they either feel rejected, carry a chip on their shoulder and complain that life is unfair, or they use that sense of isolation to push themselves and work like Trojans.

I placed discipline above all else and it might have cost us several titles. If I had to repeat things, I'd do precisely the same, because once you bid farewell to discipline you say goodbye to success and set the stage for anarchy.

If you need one person to change your destiny, then you have not built a very solid organisation.

Only true champions come out and show their worth after defeat- and I expect us to do that

Inexperienced, or insecure, leaders are often tempted to make any infraction a capital offence.

Peter Schmeichel, Paul Ince, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane, Mark Hughes and Eric Cantona could all start a fight in an empty house.

advice often comes when you least expect it, and listening, which costs nothing, is one of the most valuable things you can do.

With young people you have to try to impart a sense of responsibility. If they can add greater awareness to their energy and their talents they can be rewarded with great careers. One

No matter how hard we worked to blood youngsters, Barcelona is still able to do this better than any club. The way they develop boys into some of the best players in the world is breathtaking.

There is a psychological dimension also to handling indiavidual players. With errant behaviour it helps to look for a moment through their eyes. You were young once, so put yourself in their position. You do something wrong, you're waiting to be punished. What's he going to say?' you think. Or, What's my dad going to say?' The aim is to make the biggest possible impact. What would have made the deepest imprint on me at that stage of life?

Many people cannot stop long enough to listen - especially when they become successful and all the people around them are being obsequious and pretending to hang on their every word.

there are two forms of observation: the first is on the detail and the second is on the big picture.

I always wanted to watch with my own eyes without having my judgement swayed by the filters of others.

There is nothing wrong with requiring time to consider a question or an argument and you can gain it without appearing to be a dithering idiot. I might say, 'I've never considered that angle – can I give it some thought?' By praising the other person's ability to make me think, I increased his willingness to wait for an answer.

I certainly found more virtue in patiently working towards the right decision as I got older. In my early days as a manager I could be impetuous - always in a hurry to get things done and stamp my authority on a situation. It takes courage to say, 'Let me think about it. When you're young you want to fly to the moon and you want to get there quickly. I think it's usually enthusiasm that causes this. As you get older you temper your enthusiasm with experience.

One obvious aspect of management is identifying people who can help you get where you are trying to go. Talent-identification sounds like a straightforward business. If it were, every team would be successful.

La autoridad y el control se basan en ganarse la confianza de las personas a las que se va a dirigir.

the very best footballers were competing against themselves to become as good as they could be.

Un líder no es uno de los chicos.

if I had to choose between someone who had great talent but was short on grit and desire, and another player who was good but had great determination and drive, I would always prefer the latter. The former might work well for a brief period, but they never have the staying power that gives a great club stability and consistency.

One player's drive can have an enormous effect on a team - a winning drive is like a magical potion that can spread from one person to another.

If you are a boy who has just had his tenth birthday, your next one seems an eternity away. That's because the single year that stretches ahead amounts to 10 per cent of the time you have been on earth. It's a different sensation when you turn 50, because the distance to your 51st birthday amounts to just 2 per cent of the time you have been alive. As you get older and more experienced, you start to think about how you allocate time.

The minute you start intruding too far, you take the drive out of the man.

If you overemphasise opponents strengths, you just plant seeds of doubt in your players.