ONE of the joys of football is that the measurement of greatness is so imprecise.

The cups can be counted, the goals tallied but the definitive statements still owe more to personal feeling rather than to any statistic. It is what adds the energy to any football argument.

The debates rage on without a certain answer but it does not stop the fan from asking the question.

The candidates for the best manager in the world are as wide as planet football itself. Is Sir Alex Ferguson the best ever?

“Yes,” replies Craig Brown, who played with Ferguson in the Scotland under-18 team and was part of his coaching staff at the 1986 World Cup. “To me there is no doubt. He scores highly across so many fields. When one goes to coaching seminars, the cvs of the speakers are put on the screen. If Alex is talking, the screen is full. He simply has won so much for so long,” says the Aberdeen manager.

The heavyweights in the game line up to place Ferguson ahead of the field. Incidentally, the man himself would nominate Jock Stein for the ultimate accolade.

But Brown says of Ferguson: “If you look at his record, if you listen to the man, if you listen to those who have worked with him, then it becomes obvious that you are dealing with an extraordinary manager.”

The 25 years at Manchester United have yielded 37 trophies but Brown points out Ferguson’s achievements at Aberdeen were perhaps even more praiseworthy. Under Ferguson, the Pittodrie club won three league titles, four Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup, alongside the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, both in 1983.

“He has a wide range of abilities that make him the best,” Brown says. “First, he is highly intelligent. Do not oppose him in a pub quiz. Second, he has an extraordinary memory. He can recall moments from games decades ago. If he sees something, it sticks in his mind. He also makes the big decisions quickly and moves on. Look at how he came to a decision on Carlos Tevez. Many people thought that was wrong at the time. I wonder how many hold the same view now?”

Ferguson’s decision-making has caused the abrupt end to the United careers of such as Paul McGrath, Norman Whiteside, Paul Ince, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Jaap Stam.

“He has remained true to this principle of being straightforward with players but, of course, he has had to change his style a bit over the years. His intelligence helps him there. He can adapt and he has an advantage in that no player could match him for words,” says Brown.

Ferguson is also a keen observer of the game. “I have spoken to players who have worked with him and say he is brilliant at spotting something during a game and changing it immediately,” says Brown.

Howard Wilkinson, who as Leeds United manager sold Eric Cantona to United, praises Ferguson’s man-management style that has yielded success for United. “You manage each person differently. When you think you have the chance of making it work, you continue. If you think a situation is beyond redemption, then, of course, you don’t,” he says.

The Yorkshireman may have been alluding to his dealings with Cantona. The Frenchman was sold to United, where Ferguson managed him deftly and Cantona repaid his new manager by leading a young team to the title that broke a 26-year-old championship drought.

Wilkinson said Ferguson could use a “different approach” with different people but emphasised that the Scot would always stay true to certain values. “If he thinks that the best way to solve a problem is to give someone the harsh truth, he will do so,” said Wilkinson.

This observation is backed by Dion Dublin, who played for United from 1992 to 1994. “Some people need the hairdryer treatment. I had it,” says the former striker. “I had a stinking first half, missed a load of chances and he was right there at half-time, told me what he thought. I went out and scored in the second half. I respect the man for knowing what kind of character I was to get the best out of me.”

He adds: “What he does is that he looks after people like Cantona, people like [Cristiano] Ronaldo; they are personalities that you cannot treat the same as you would treat me or you would treat Lee Sharpe. They are different characters. Some people need an arm around them, some people need the hairdryer. You have to know how to do that and Sir Alex is the best at it.”

Intriguingly, Dublin also relates in an ESPN documentary another tale that speaks to the manager’s eye for detail. The striker suffered a broken leg and ankle and was regularly visited by Ferguson, who one day handed him the keys to an automatic car, thus ensuring his player could drive despite the injuries to one leg. Dublin was amazed that a manager leading a team to a title would have time for such thoughts.

George Graham, once the Arsenal manager and a rival to Ferguson, maintains his fellow Scot’s claims to greatness have not yet been fully made.

“What he would like to do is win another Champions League,” he says. Ferguson, he insists, will be seeking to build another team to end the supremacy of Barcelona. “Alex would like to challenge them with a team that could take them on playing the beautiful football Barcelona play. Alex would love to beat them.”

That desire has not diminished in 25 years. Graham places it high on the list of positive Fergie traits but he adds: “People always say you know what makes a successful manager but there is no one thing. It is all little things, like timekeeping and players’ behaviour on and off the pitch. You know you are almost like a father to some of the players. You have to look after them on and off the pitch.”

Of Ferguson, he says: “He injects his DNA into a club. His personality and character runs throughout the club, not just on the pitch on a Saturday, but behind the scenes.”

The list of challengers for Ferguson as the best ever range from countrymen such as Stein, through fellow Brits such as Brian Clough, through Europeans such as Arrigo Sacchi and Giovanni Trapattoni.

However, Ferguson’s journey has been breathtaking in both its scope and trajectory. He is a former East Stirlingshire manager who led Aberdeen to victory in a European final against Real Madrid and has stood at the helm of the biggest club in the world for 25 years.

It is the greatest of all managerial tales about surely the greatest of them all.

  • ESPN Classic are broadcasting a series of programmes paying tribute to Ferguson this week. Visit espnclassic.com for more information.