>> rose: welcome to the program. tonight, sir alex ferguson, the great manager of manchester united on football and life. >> the best moment has to be, of course that was the trophy i never won. this is always the opportunity, and winning that, and the way we did it, you can never forget it. i think that encapsulate my life is to have 27 years at manchester and 18 defeat is an achievement. the continuity and the consistency that i created and going out to the chop, i can't ask for anything more.

that's for me an achievement that i ever wanted to achieve. >> rose: sir alex ferguson next. captioning sponsored by rose communications

from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. >> call to order. the most respective tribute for the man they all call the boss. >> rose: sir alex ferguson is here. he retired as manager of manchester united football club earlier this year. he won 13 premiership league titles over his 26 year career, among many other trophies. "the washington post" has said, compared to john maddon, or vince lombardi winning 13 super bolles during their careers, of course that really didn't happen but you get the point. ferguson's extraordinary success has seen his influence extent way i -- way beyond soccer game he loves

so much. former british prime minister tony blair roms calling him for advice on his cabinet and they have called him britain'srrel f jobs. here's his speech. >> in the his tray of this club has won five fa cups, four league cups, a european winner's cup, one european super cup. two champion league titles, a world cup and 13 primary league titles. >> it doesn't mean the end of my life with these clubs. i'll be there to enjoy watching them while suffer with them. but if you think about those last minute goals that come

back, even to defeat -- unbelievable for all of us. thank you for that. [applause] and also, i would like to remind you that the club stood by me. all my staff stood by me, the players stood by me. steve job knows to stand by their new manager. >> rose: i should say that's a new manager that you chose. >> yes. >> rose: but you left him in a very tough place to be because he's following you. >> yes. >> rose: some would say you don't want to follow the guy who follows alex ferguson you want to follow the guy that follows alex ferguson. let's begin, sitting here at this point before an american

television audience. manchester united. tell me about manchester united. >> well, the thing is i think this goes back to the 1950 disaster, sympathy which it was justified because it was a young team going. it could have been a great team. and all the players were 21 years of age. and most of them had a wife. but that was only the start of the story. i think the real story was when the european cup within ten years. i think that created what was that got bigger and bigger and bigger. my first trip out to taiwan in 1988, thousands outside in the corridors knocking on doors. and that love of the club has

only grown. >> rose: what accent do i detect in your voice. >> west region. you have some scott in you also. >> rose: i do indeed. i don't say it as well as you do though. >> no, no. >> rose: that wouldn't be your nature. >> no, no. >> rose: here's one thing you said. for a player and for any human being, there's nothing better than hearing well done, those are the two best words ever invented in sports. you don't need to use superlatives. >> people get carried away. i just minimize it, getting all that. i'm satisfied and then i'm craving to any level i want to take it. well done. >> rose: when you arrived, i mean you had been a player and a

manager. when you arrived there in 1986. >> it was a club. my main force was with young players and developing young players. manchester did not use the system where we should expect go back to the 58 mark and all that. i decided i must build a super club. they do know their nature what we were hired to develop the use system which give me a stream of players continually through year after year and right up to present day. it was just a day. >> rose: think about this. just recently, today, when we have to make sure, you call it football, we call it soccer just for everybody, for the sake of different references. we read every season of somebody going from one team to another. some team buying some player

because they think that will take them. >> yes. well the way that the game as changed in terms of television and satellite television, the money that comes in by television gives the club the opportunity, even teams spending 25 million in players, you know. we do buy players but we also have this great use system. >> rose: but the best dynasties always have some capacity to create a dynasty is to create a system that will constantly produce new players. and a system that allows them to grow into their own. >> time. >> rose: time. >> that's the secret. and of course with young players, not just you can create your teams for three, four, five, six years, you also create a great loyalty. there's always the manager giving them the first chance. they will always appreciate that

opportunity given them. and yet getting young players at 16 years of age in games at 16 years of age has never been lost and giving players the ability to play for united. >> rose: did all the money sometimes cause you to say it's not worth it for me to create the unity of a team, you know, to have somebody that makes as much money or be as caught up in all the stardom. >> absolutely. i've never worried about teams who spend whatever they want to spend. at the moment we're getting a lot of american owners and russian owners. it never bothered me one bit. all i can say is how we can maintain our level of expectation, be a competitor, be at the top part of the league. don't win every year but always compete every year.

make sure we are there. there are different ways. we spoke of the young players that's very important but from time to time we have spent big money and the player can make the difference. >> rose: who is the best player you ever saw? >> i'm -- as a kid was never this great -- >> rose: right. >> the present day you've got to look at them they are unbelievable. >> rose: the best have what in common? >> i think it's courage. i say this, the courage to take the ball, the courage to make sure they're not going to be intimidated by their opponents. the courage to express themselves taught. >> rose: are they born with it? >> yes, possibly. >> rose: but you can't acquire it. >> you can develop it through coaching. but i don't think you can develop the courage. >> rose: you either have

courage or not. >> yes. >> rose: just like the best basketball players want the ball in the last 15 seconds. >> yes. you always see here's a player wants the ball all the time. here's the one that wants to take the free kicks all the time. here's the one that dominates. >> rose: that's the one you want because that's a winner. >> yes, absolutely. >> rose: this is what the magazine said but. mr. ferguson could reasonably be described as britain's steve jobs given his unorthodox obsessed and sometimes bruising approach to making something beautiful. we'll talk about all those things, but did you think you were making something beautiful? >> i think that the encouragement i got from the airway part once they called -- >> rose: people wanted you fire. >> yes, exactly. one or two banners were up

saying things. it was the combination and i knew the things it was doing was correct. so the board, the chairman and bobby in particular stood by me because they knew what was happening. by doing that, they knew we had something special in these young players back from scores. they all come to the first team roundabout the same time. when people were fascinated of today maybe they don't understand that those boys were the spell of the club. they created a fantastic spirit in manchester as it is today. >> rose: this is part of business for you. you went up there and they developed the taste test. what was the question. generally these things have a question. >> the main central point of the discussion was love and hate.

>> rose: love and hate. >> and do the players love me or do the players hate me or was there a balance. and of course there was also many different opinions of that. that's all it's for. >> rose: somebody said they either love you or respect you, you would say respect every time. >> yes. >> rose: suppose they said love or fear. >> fear, i think fear does come in some respects in the sense of i don't hide in terms of i lost my temper. but do you know when i lost my temper i never have brought it back again. >> rose: yes, right. in other words you just popped off and then you didn't hold grudges. >> never, never hold a grudge. that's very very important. and then you understand what you are and who you are.

and they can get support from that. >> rose: you're a fan of doris kearns goodwin and her book team of rivals which was lincoln choosing his rivals for his cabinet because he respected the talent and that's who he wanted. >> he chose his cabinet and he was aware, you know. very clever. and of course i think that lincoln in that time faced the most difficult period for a president in terms of the north and also he was very good at not making quick decisions. he thought it all through and ordered his cabinet to have a say and then decide thereafter. >> rose: did you see the movie lincoln. >> yes. >> rose: did you like that. >> i didn't think it was a great movie, i thought the essential piece of the time, the period had to deal with was fantastic and the acting was unbelievable. >> rose: but understanding he

had to do everything he could, push, pull. >> yes, yes. >> rose: in order to get emancipation because that was the goal and he understood the consequences so let's go all out for emancipation. >> and after that would not say a particular -- to get emancipation proclamation. it was important, you know. >> rose: you were kind of a student of the civil war. >> a little bit. i think it's a great history, it's a young history. the funny thing about it is i bought a couple boots, i went to a boot store and i discovered boots of interest. this went back 14-15 years ago. i was in london one time doing something with the young apprentices. and he said what are you reading. i started a couple books in the civil war.

he sent a dozen tapes of a professor at the university. and i was playing my card every morning going to work. and i got fascinated by it, you know. it was fantastic history. >> rose: the battlefield sites. >> i've been there. >> rose: gettysberg. >> gettysberg. >> rose: bull run. >> the first part of course. and i went up to princeton to meet james mcpherson, the great historian of the civil war. great battle cry of freedom. he was terrific, he was really very very engaging and very accommodating in terms of how he saw it and things like that. >> rose: but not world war ii, not world war i, not the war of 1812. it was the civil war that speaks to you as an object. >> i took on, i grew more interested and more interested.

and i went to a gentleman, and he does every armament was used in the civil war and he showed me sherman. it was fantastic. >> rose: burned. >> finished the whole thing. >> rose: famously saying the war is hell. >> yes. >> rose: destroyed all the tracks and i think he may have said i'm not sure but the people are the ones who fight him. patton may have been an exception. do you remember he said i love it. >> he loved the war. >> rose: i think he loved command is what he loved, patton. and the challenge or napoleon probably loved it too. >> i think before you enter war or enter an army you think it's great to joint army. when you get there and you go through these combats.

>> rose: it changes you. and that's where you develop you're not fighting for your country but your comrades, the people next to that you've grown to be. so you go to harvard business school and they want to do this case study about all of this the question of love versus hate. you come up with this thing called the ferguson formula a formula for leadership, a formula for what? management. >> i think leadership comes along there's no question for that control. everyone seems like a bunch of millionaires you know and the money is there and football is extraordinary. you have to control that part. i think there are certain things

i would like, you know actually to me, they are human beings. development of character so that when they leave me, they can go anywhere, you know. and i think that is really important part. some things is education. it's not always teaching them history or mathematics, some things inspire them to be the best. >> rose: i think teaching them life. >> absolutely. i think that is important. and you also developing the character. you know they're going to develop the right character many times. once they go in that field they're playing for all the things you ever taught them. the winning mentality, the determination, how to handle defeat. it's also just as important. and therefore you develop a group of people, you should see yourself in them. and i think i tried to do that all the time. >> rose: so every team member plays for you, you look at him

and see yourself. >> not all of them. >> rose: if you don't, do you -- >> you keep developing. everyone's different of course. they express themselves in different ways. they have different types of talents of course. and some i would never have the talent they had when i was a player. but i still had the determination to be success or trying my best. >> rose: you talk and i talked, we had a meeting on sunday messenger and we were talk -- meeting and we were talking about often players don't make good coaches or managers because they don't understand someone who doesn't have the same skills you have. >> yes. that's a factor. i remember speaking to bobby over that and he was the manager at the north end and he couldn't understand why the players, he couldn't understand them. so he gave up on that. he was honest to say this is enough for me. it's a fact of life. i think if you can make clear in a sense everyone wants to be a

coach, prepare to be a coach. and 24 years of age when i left engineering, i made sure i was not going back to engineering. so i did all the coaching skills, i prepared to stay in the game. i gave myself a chance. but you know. there was another good player scoring goals and that type of thing but it wasn't a bobby -- and there's very view really really great players who have become great coaches. you talk to beckham of course, he went the world cup of germany -- a great player and won many trophies in barcelona. i can't think of the really great players maybe don't want to be a coach. >> rose: would it have been for you impossible to manage anywhere else? you couldn't go somewhere else no matter how much money they offered you, no matter what the opportunity. or, you might have for the right circumstances to prove to

yourself that you could do it again. >> somewhere else. one or two offers came along, but i always come back to this point. why would you leave. what is the bigger challenge. and the thing of the challenge is once you win something, you can't win enough. manchester united is a great winner. and that was a challenge. grating and maintaining that consistency of winning. it was a mentality that, you know, i've had. everything, the next day's a holiday for me whether we're going forward. so therefore when clubs came to me and offered me jobs, i thought to myself where is the bigger challenge. creating his manchester united or going somewhere else and starting again and the

philosophies are hard when i first came to united. >> rose: so you stayed at night. >> i stayed at united. >> rose: let me talk about the principles that are in this article what's called the ferguson formula. first one, start with the foundation. what does that mean. >> well the foundation is starting with you believe in. i believe in the football club and the football team. i can understand coaches who concentrate on the football team because it gives them their job. there's no industry. you always work it. i was last week five games into the season, they wanted to spend 19 million pounds. to me there's no evidence. so they're building a funeral club. i wasn't interested in losing my job because of the results of the first team. i knew i had to do a job in terms of building a soccer club. we used really hard with the

youth system, making sure we had a solid foundation that would hold its force for years and years. when you see a manchester united team and you got to the position where i could climb ahead. so i could see three years ahead where this team is going, know that i saw players coming through the youth system would support the team. >> rose: and could step into the role you had defined for them. >> yes. >> rose: the second one you say is dare to rebuild your team which is what. what you mean by that, even though they may have, a team might have another great season ahead of them, if in fact you know that to have a good team the next year and the next year you got to rebuild. even at the sacrifice of say winning. >> well, the horrible part of the job is when you have players over the years and evidence is always in the football field, you know. >> rose: evidence is always on the field.

>> so when you see a player and then you see the level just start to dip there's no use in another few years. you only hurt yourself. you recognize the day has come where he's had his time, you know. and when you say that to a player and make a change is very very difficult. you can only do that if you have the system that can fill the gaps and then build, rebuild the team. over the years probably about maybe five teams, you know will you the consistency of being there as the manager and continue the youth system. and the players that you have are not going to last, even the ones we buy are only going to last for two or three years. you want them to last six, seven, eight years. so buying a good age, maybe 23,

24 is good ages. they have 20 years left in them so you can build a continuing team. >> rose: the importance here is you've got to be ruled by your head and not your heart. >> absolutely. >> rose: you have to say i see it and it better go now. >> that's the hard part. >> rose: even though the person might have helped take you to the best moments of your life. >> absolutely. >> rose: you rode on his shoulders. >> absolutely. that's the horrible part. you treat them like family. and because they're your family, it becomessen -- becomes even more in the sense you say son i'm sorry. but you can create elsewhere at a different level. and that's happened a few times. it's not easy. >> rose: then you say you got to set high standards and hold everyone to them. >> absolutely. in the session the expectation, the level of concentration.

all manifests itself. that's what we look for at united. we never, i never envisioned having to buy a session in term of their training, making sure the players were completely concentrating. >> rose: the training sessions had practice you knew what they were going to be doing to get ready for saturday. >> absolutely. >> rose: the next one is never, i believe in this one two. never ever cede control ever. >> no. >> rose: you got to be in control. >> the point i'm making is you're dealing with very young men, rich young men. the minute a player becomes more powerful than the manager, manchester united, it's not manchester united. you control the whole club. i always made sure i was in control because then you knew who the manager was. i always knew who the manager was. >> rose: your word wasilla.

>> yes. if you want to put it as blunt as that, yet. you don't necessarily need to use, the control is just nice. they know i'm going to make the decisions. they know they can trust me which is really important. trust. and i know how to adopt the change and i've seen that many times over the years. and i think these are important parts of being in control. >> rose: what does this mean. match the message to the moment? >> the moment that we look for is there's no industry, there's a way that this game and every game is winning. we tried to mention of course this is the moment where we have to win every game. the expectation is great. my high expectation of years to win as much. >> rose: but to come back, to be able to say and to find

within yourself. that part, that close to defeat. and someone said it's a bit like hanging from a noose, nothing -- >> there's a moment where you realize that character comes through here or after the character they overcome this. there are some great moments in half time winning games. >> rose: i love that. >> i'm a gambler that way because i always say in the half time be patient. the next 15 minutes throw in the kitchen sink because it's worth the gamble. you're going to win the game anyway. you have the last 15 minutes and actually win the game in the final, it's a fantastic place to be. so yes. that's wonderful. >> rose: prepare to win is obvious. you talked about that. rely on the power of

observation. >> yes. it's an important part that people don't recognize, i actually utilize. i don't know when it first dawned me -- said to me why am i here. and i says what are you talking about. he says well i do nothing. you do nothing. you shouldn't be doing all the training, you should be in control of a training sessions and let me go on with it. i say now wait a minute, i'm not for that. he says well i think you're wrong. i had an old trainer there at the time, he was a great old man. he says boss, he's right. it's that way. i said let me think about it. so i gave it a try and it worked. it's amazing when you're actually watching and seeing the players have it. even seeing the defects and the performance and the habits. you could see sometimes it's not quite right, i wonder what's wrong with them. it's a million things. and that observation of carry

through is clear and i used that really well. >> rose: you have to, i have a theory that you really do have to make sure that you're in the moment, you know. because if you're only in the moment can you see with great focus. and you always have to ask yourself what is happening here. what is going on. >> yes. that's the power of observation. >> rose: yes. >> by doing that all the time, you increase your ability to see things happening. >> rose: and people sometimes say things that's not quite what they're saying. you got to listen so carefully you know what they're really saying even though they're not using those words specifically, do you know what i mean. >> yes, of course. >> rose: and then there's never stop adapting, you constantly have to change. >> always. if you look at united, the training trials is fantastic. there's only one thing you don't do in training is operations. you got mi's, scans, cat scans,

you can do dentistry, they can do all sorts of things. and then that was one of the things i really embraced -- i said you want to make sure of this club is when a player's here he says the best facilities that we're always adapting. sports science for instance, ten years ago a doctor came to me and says you know i think we really should be thinking of sports science. i said tell me. he says there are two or three clubs that use it and we have to be ahead of the times. it always made it difficult for us by making sure he was convincing me. i do that all the time but it's a game i play with them. >> rose: you make them convince you. >> yes. and then we got this sports scientist and he then built this team, very young men, great ideas, ideas jumping over our head, great energy. and it's taking united up again, you know.

and i would say that to adapt, you only adapt with only 1% improvement of progress and we always work on it. and every year united adapt in different things all the time. it's quite amusing. >> rose: let me talk about some of the great players. ryan gates you mentioned. >> yes, wonderful. he was at age where i used to train him in the city. >> rose: you and i talked about it the other night. this happens in sports in terms of basketball coaches recruiting young kids because they go there early when they're 13. you said to me you've got to get to their mother. >> i went to my assistant, i've been up every second night at the level when ryan's mother says we'll be back on thursday. she was buying tea for us. >> rose: becoming the best

friend. >> the mother's always the secret in the family without question. it's always get the mother. >> rose: get the mother, you'll get them. >> yes. >> rose: because the mothers have, and they want what's best. sometimes they want the best coach because they think that that coach or that manager will bring their son's talent out. >> yes. there's always a danger with the father. he tries to live his life through. you get a little bit of that. not all of them. i've seen evidence of that and therefore the mothers, i want more in my boy. >> rose: how about gary nevil. >> fantastic character. he gets up every morning at 6:00. reads every newspaper. he wants to know what's going on in the world and more about everything, you know. he's such an essential person. he's really good, really good. he's also doing his own business. i wanted to bring him on the

staff. he didn't want to do that. very very determined character. >> rose: and then there was a fellow named david beckham. >> david, yes. amazing boy. i mean how he's created himself. it's nice transferring young people, it's fantastic. >> rose: how did he do that? >> well, it was all his smile and he always presents himself well. but as a young kid years of age has great desire with football. a fantastic trainer, practiced all the time and at nighttime he would come back with the school boys and practice with them. and he was in that collection along with schools. and then of course his life changed when he married the girl here. and his focus changed. >> rose: what did it become. >> well he got drawned into that

celebrity status, you know. for me i'm a football man. it wasn't my -- >> rose: you had to go to david. >> yes, he has to focus. >> rose: what did you do? tell me what you said to him when you believe that he was becoming more interested in celebrity than football. >> i think i've always said. i always remember, there's nothing you can do with that, you know. and therefore it was to focus. i saw him. he did well. the thing i couldn't believe, i couldn't understand that. i never would have allowed him to do that. he was going to make sure he went to the best outside united. and but he reinvented himself. he was in milan and the european

tie. then last year he won the european cup. it was unbelievable. you can't argue with the status of life. >> rose: it would have been better if he stayed at manchester united. >> for me? for me it wouldn't please me more to see him, you know. but how can you argue with life. for young people it represents himself the proper way. >> rose: was he one of those guys. you said you looked for guys that was a bad loser. >> oh, david definitely. >> rose: he was a bad loser. >> grumpy, yes. >> rose: those are the ones you want, though. >> yes. >> rose: they're driven not to be unhappy. >> winning's the name of the game, don't forget that. >> rose: are you born with that or is that something you acquire. is that in your dna.

>> it must come from your family somewhere along the line. some people look back and they win entirely in a different way. some are more emotional and demonstrative about it. and david was very demonstrative about it. i think it must come from somewhere in the genes. >> rose: you've given advice to tony blair, even about some strategic and how to handle people, yes. >> yes, there was sometimes 20 and number 10. i always thought tony was best at question time. i loved him at question time. he destroyed those boys. >> rose: you like the competition. >> i love to see him unite, yes. we spoke of many things. one thing i always said to him at the election time, why don't you take your therapist with you. >> rose: the other thing that's interesting me about you

is that is that the as soon as of mission. you know how to infuse the sense of mission. and you know how so that everybody knows they're playing for themselves. they're playing for their person to their right and their left. and they're playing for something larger than themselves. >> the team ethic. >> rose: the team ethic. >> looking at the team beside you and trust him. that's the essence of a team where they can understand the qualities and the failures and weaknesses of the teammates. >> rose: and accountability too. >> yes. so if you were in a game of football always think you need number eight to win the game. three on an off day or semi off day. but always will v and the players recognize that and they'll do that extra to make sure they get winning. and the next week can be changed around of course.

the essence of the team is to understand and trust each other and to trust me. >> rose: to trust you. >> absolutely. >> rose: in other words, trust your plan, trust your strategy. >> yes. >> rose: trust your -- >> team selection. which is always difficult because we have to weed five or six players out each week. i speak to them individually as to why they're not playing. it's not easy because they all want to play. but next week they may -- >> rose: what would you say to them. give me a speech. >> i say to them i could be wrong. >> rose: i could be wrong. >> yes. i always say that i it could be wrong but i think it's the right team for this game. on other occasions, maybe picking a team for two or three weeks ahead. i leave the player for that occasion and i would say get yourself ready for three weeks from now you'll be playing in that game. therefore you're giving them a boost. >> rose: something to look forward to. >> yes. >> rose: not playing tonight but i will be playing three

weeks from now. >> yes. i was able to do it that way. and also to make changes for three or four games ahead. >> rose: now what about this. i think this is in 1999 when you won all three major competitions which is unheard of. and up until the last minute of the european cup final, it looked to everyone like you were not going to win, you were going to lose. and your assistant manager at the time has said that your belief, your belief never wavered. even though it looked like you were going to lose you didn't think so. >> no. it was an accident. it wasn't an accident. that was the character of the team. too many times we did it that season winning down to matches. so it wasn't an accident. but you have to say it was luck. it happens. you don't know where that happens or how it happens but it happens. we got that little break on the

first goal and you could tell that we were finished for that time. it's the second goal is inevitable. >> rose: when the glazer family bought it in 199 5. >> yes. >> rose: what did it change. >> it changed nothing, charlie. there's a misconception about the blazers buying the club that created hostility and different factions of supporters. and because a single member was owning the club. you forget, the member became a plc. someone was going to buy it. somewhere along the line someone's going to buy that club. the glazers did buy it. and my time with them they're nothing but support. very strong single-minded people. but always supportive of the manager and the things that happen in the club. it's very good.

no hesitation in supporting and the way going about the job. very low key. fairly seldom never give me a phone call. maybe once a week to go over the various things about the club but never the team. >> rose: didn't buy it to run it, they bought it to see what it all could be. >> yes. >> rose: when you think about the record, the career, the wins, the losses, do you, what do you remember? do you remember the losses or the wins? >> that's a good one. i could tell you about the losses we've had. we have games that you never forget. but remember we lost a city game and i came home and i put my head under the pillow. >> rose: under the pillow. >> oh, absolutely. i was going no where. and my wife came in and says what's wrong with you. i said we lost 5-1. she said know, you couldn't have

lost 5- 1. it was a mad one. >> rose: your wife is wonderful and you told me a story the other night about. they're putting a statue up of you and they got it under the hood and she comes to you and you said to her, who do you think should be here for the presentation. maybe prince williams. >> she said prince williams, and i said no. i'm standing there and he announces my wife. i couldn't believe it. >> rose: she never told you. >> she doesn't go to the games either. >> rose: she wouldn't go to the games. >> no. >> rose: why would she not come. >> he's not comfortable. >> rose: so she's getting ready to jerk the cover off and she says, she does it rather

gently. >> when the head comes rolling down. it was amazing. i think she was absolutely the correct person to do it. >> rose: what did she mean to you? >> well, brought up the kids all the children. she brought them up. you go back to my earlier years we had houses in glascow. we were running two bars in glascow, you know. she had mean well, she got to get them dressed going to school, doing the homework with them, put them to bed. and that was fantastic, there's no question. i always remember she used to say to me when they get to 16 they will be daddy's boys. i say why do you say that. you wait. >> rose: she was right. >> she's always right. >> rose: it was like a

conclusion. >> the years is always the support system. and to tell the truth, you know, when she says you're wrong. >> rose: she would tell you. >> i'm good enough. >> rose: she would tell you. >> absolutely. >> rose: two things that remind me of you that's interesting. what happened to you and wayne roomy. >> well, i don't think anything really happened. >> rose: really? >> that i have a say b -- abou. he came to me, this expectation again. i manage a team who i see, you

see you got to also look at the media. what's unfortunate in this answer is someone's big white hope internationally he's a big white hope. so therefore the media's always centered around him. people advise him and that's where all that's coming from. i never felt that way. sometimes i would disappoint him but not to the extent you would think there was some sort. >> rose: how would you discipline them. >> you fine them a week's wages.

>> rose: know putting them in the line up. >> no, i wouldn't do that. >> rose: that would hurt you. >> yes. you see in some way i've hoped to bring that right and i've done the righted thing. make them away. >> rose: you weren't thinking about what i'm doing for him, you were thinking about it just doesn't work. >> it's for the team. >> rose: for the team. >> yes, absolutely. >> rose: but it so happened that it became good for him because he had to bring it together. >> yes. when the club refuse him to say i went to chelsea, they realized his only draw is with manchester united and brought back his focus, brought back his work ethic and his purpose and he's doing well again. >> rose: what do you think of -- speaking of chelsea. >> it's a change one, chelsea, the change of managers so many times. the european cup over that time

but winning the cup three times, they keep changing the coach, you know. that was in terms of winning. they have been, the last few years they've been our main competitor. so it's a very competitive. >> rose: suppose he came to you, maybe he has. >> he was an agent when he first came and approached me and i said no, no chance. >> rose: you couldn't do that. no chance. you didn't even want to have the conversation. >> no. >> rose: you didn't want to see what they would offer. >> no. >> rose: you said no chance. i could never be that way with a team as a rival to be my home. >> manchester is my team, my club. >> rose: somebody speculated you would be back in football in any way is simply wrong. >> the job come up there, 80-1

ferguson. good odds? you will be throwing your money down the drain. >> rose: no way. no way ferguson is back in football. >> i made my decision charlie. the timing was perfect. i went out a winner. there's no way back. i look forward to the challenges of a new life and doing the things i've been waiting maybe 75 years to do. i want to go to the kentucky derby, i want to go to the masters. don't tell kathy that. there are a lot of things i want to do. i want to go to the vine yards of tuscany and france. >> rose: you've done that. >> i've done france a couple times but i want to go to tuscany, you know. >> rose: so you are now having a very good time. >> yes. >> rose: you can go to a battlefield, you can go to the

masters, you can go to the kentucky derby. what else is on the list? you have a bucket list. do you know what a bucket list is. >> yes, of course, yes. from the movie, it was a great movie. >> rose: with de niro, no, nicholson. >> the masters and the cup in france. there are a lot of things. these are challenges which i see because once i made my mind to leave united i was never going to think thatqdecision. i was looking forward. i'm not interested in managing. i'm not interested in getting myself worked up over the results. do a good job. >> rose: you're still behind him. >> absolutely, 100%. and all the club will be. that's the great thing about the club. they will support the manager and he will be fine, he will be

good. >> rose: here's my scenario. let's say -- has got a lot of money, you know that. he's got more money than god. >> that's a good one. >> rose: you love horses. >> yes. >> rose: you love horses. >> yes. >> rose: he says to you look, come manage chelsea. i will give you the greatest stable of horses you ever seen. >> the temptation. everyone dreams. >> rose: you have to know a man's weakness do you know what i mean. >> you always dream to be a derby winner. i had a share in a horse that was looking at the derby this horse. good horse. will come back next year, a very very good horse. everyone's dreams a winner, derby winner, whatever. but you know, as i said, i made my mind up. i'm looking forward to my career and my few challenges.

>> rose: what's the knew career. >> i'm -- of united, i'm the chairman of the manager's committee. i'm an ambassador for unicef which is a great work. it's a great association for the last ten years or so. seen these child persecution in thailand, i've seen all that. you know the workers at unicef do, they need support, they need funding of course but you see what they're doing and it's really worthwhile stuff. i kind of enjoyed doing that with them. it's a challenge, it's a different type of challenge. >> rose: you're a big labor party man, aren't you. >> yes. that won't change ever, i won't change that ever. i've been tempted to go to the national party. >> rose: why don't you like

scottish nationalism. my friend sean connery is very for it. >> yes, sean's for it. >> rose: what's wrong with you. >> he's from edinburg. no, i grew up with socialist background, my father and mother were socialist. >> rose: so there you are. why change. >> it's never helped me not change through my wife. and i think that united is okay. >> rose: but with -- they're ahead in terms of the polls against the torries. maybe if he wins he might have a job for you, another job. >> that's one thing getting into politics. that's a different life for me that's not my scene. >> rose: let me close with you. you've written your own biography, you did that about ten years ago. you got this case study at harvard in which you talk about leadership. what's the best moment ever for

you in football? >> the best moment has to be barcelona of course. that was the trophy i never won. this is always, winning that one in the way we did it, you can never forget it. but i think with my wife is to have 27 years in man chest -- man chester and the continuity i created there and going to the top, i can't answer that more. that's for me, you know, an achievement i ever wanted to achieve. and i'm a happy man. >> rose: thank you for coming. >> thanks charlie, it was great. >> rose: sir alex ferguson. thank you for joining us. see you next time.

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10/01/13 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] from new orleans public television, this is democracy now! a shutdown will have a very real economic impact on real people. >> government shutdown. it is the first in 17 years. eight hundred thousand federal workers will be furloughed, more than one million of us will be asked to work without pay. >> we will go to washington to speak with reporter tim murphy. as