Alex Ferguson’s best decision, ever
Decision making sets a good manager apart from a mediocre one. But what is a good decision? How can one distinguish a good decision from a bad one?
Let’s take as a starting point the best decision by arguably the greatest manager ever in Football: Manchester United-manager Alex Ferguson signing the French player Eric Cantona in November 1992.
United were looking for goals. A shortage of goals had costed them the Premier League in the previous season and early in the 1992-1993 season United’s goal scoring was further impaired when their striker got injured. This showed in their 10th position on the ladder, way below the teams competing for the title.
After Ferguson signed Cantona for just £1.2 million, United started to score goals, found their winning ways and even won the league that season for the first time in 26 years. Ferguson was voted manager of the year, while the eccentric Frenchman, despite him speaking little English and a string of incidents overshadowing his talent, became a legend of his own. King Eric ‘gave’ United four Premier League titles by making other players better – and score goals.
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