Alex Ferguson (1)Reseñas
Autor de Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography
Para otros autores llamados Alex Ferguson, ver la página de desambiguación.
Reseñas
An interesting read, though more for Manchester United fans than for those looking to study principles of leadership. As a Salford lad who was fortunate (with regards to football, at least) to come of age during the time Sir Alex Ferguson was winning everything with the club, it was good to take a trip down memory lane and to be reminded of players and matches I had not thought about in a long time.
Ferguson's book is not an entirely candid, let alone forensic, accounting of his tenure at United, and it limits the lessons of the book when the writer plays some cards very close to his chest. If you weren't a fan of the club, you would never know, from reading Leading, that Fergie and Roy Keane had such a bitter end to their relationship. Furthermore, the sensitive matter of the Rock of Gibraltar racehorse would have been discussed in a more courageous book, as a worrisome example of the divides that can be caused between managers and owners when side-business interests are allowed to fester, but here there is not a single mention.
Ferguson, commendably, does not throw players under the bus after the fact (regarding the two Champions League final losses to Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, he says that "two or three players ignored our plans and played their own game" but does not specify who (pg. 73)), but some potentially interesting statements are not expanded upon (he never met Malcolm Glazer in person, for example (pg. 201)). He is reluctant to criticise the Moyes transition (though some of the more abstract statements about new leaders "eager to stamp their imprint on everything" (pg. 323) and "display their manhood" by changing players' routines (pg. 326) could be seen as pointed, if anonymous, criticisms of that fiasco). Of the Jaap Stam sale, he has the following equivocating summary: "It was the right decision for United, even though Jaap continued to play well for several years after he left Old Trafford and, in retrospect, his sale was premature" (pg. 90).
In general, though, Ferguson gets the balance right in this retrospective of his career. Certainly he had more successes than failures and it's natural that Leading would focus on them, and be reluctant to dissect the more painful of the failures. Ferguson was at the top of the tree for more than two decades in one of the most competitive, high-stakes sports in the world, and there's value in listening to his impressions of that time. He cuts loose on owners and agents and, on a happier note, he was right, eventually, that Ole Solskjaer's managerial talent was "bound to be recognised by a more appreciative owner" (pg. 234). And it's good to know that he remembers the appropriately-named Cüneyt Çakir, right down to the use of cedilla and umlaut.
For the United fan, then, the book is worthwhile, but for principles of leadership it is harder to say. Ferguson's co-writer, Michael Moritz, writes in the (over-long) epilogue that it is "easy to make too many trite analogies" (pg. 352) between sport and the world of business and, despite one or two clumsy mentions of Kim Philby or the Cuban Missile Crisis, for the most part Leading avoids this triteness. There's certainly none of the grift or hustle that usually accompanies books about how to lead or inspire or suchlike. Ferguson writes that he doesn't "pretend for a moment" that the lessons he learned in his career "can be easily transplanted elsewhere, but I hope that readers will find some ideas or suggestions that can be emulated or modified for their own use" (pg. 5).
It's always good to think critically about one's own approach and level of professionalism, whatever your role or circumstances, and Leading can induce that. Much of the advice might seem obvious – and much of the anecdotal colour only of interest to a United fan – but there is a lesson to be learned from the fact that such a successful man can be driven by such simple and uncompromising principles.
The whole book, however, has little coherence. For example, The chapter may be on Mourinho but Ferguson ended up talking about other things not even remotely related to Mourinho. names pop out everywhere as well. For example, Rooney 's name will pop out everywhere. same for Scholes and Giggs. I think these three players made the most impact in ferguson ' s 20 years tenure.
I don't think this is a must read as the content is all messed up and most of it are just some short dialogue and small insights like oh we shouldn't have lost the match or the scoreline flattered the other team. The book only has 60% reading material. the other 40% are football results and photos.
The whole book, however, has little coherence. For example, The chapter may be on Mourinho but Ferguson ended up talking about other things not even remotely related to Mourinho. names pop out everywhere as well. For example, Rooney 's name will pop out everywhere. same for Scholes and Giggs. I think these three players made the most impact in ferguson ' s 20 years tenure.
I don't think this is a must read as the content is all messed up and most of it are just some short dialogue and small insights like oh we shouldn't have lost the match or the scoreline flattered the other team. The book only has 60% reading material. the other 40% are football results and photos.
¡Misión cumplida!
My Autobiography fue publicado en el 2013, seguido de la última temporada de Ferguson con el Manchester United. Es un libro que encierra detalles que los fanáticos regulares desconocen. Cosas que pasan en el campo durante un partido, lo que pasa entre bastidores, la personalidad de los jugadores, encuentros con otros DTs (directores técnicos), la media y mucho más.
Conoceremos bastante sobre Ferguson, sus inicios, su carrera como jugador y, por supuesto, su carrera como director técnico. Los jugadores que admiró y aquellos con los que tuvo problemas. Además, su punto de vista en relación a otros equipos, otros entrenadores, otros jugadores, etc. Pero, sobretodo, su gran amor hacia el club que dirigió por tantos años.
Their biggest gift to me was the time to build a football club, rather than a football team.
My Autobiography está dividido por capítulos, cada uno nombrado con la temática principal a tratar, por ejemplo, apellidos de jugadores (Ronaldo, Rooney, Beckham, Keane, Van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand), entrenadores (Mourinho – ‘The Special Rival’, Competing with Wenger), equipos (Liverpool – A Great Tradition, Barcelona (2009-11) – Small is Beautiful, Man City – Champions). También, por supuesto, capítulos dedicados a su club (The Class of ’92, A World of Talent, United’s 19th Title y The Last Campaign, para mencionar algunos). Capítulos como Glasgow Roots y Family tocan temas más personales. En total son unas 25 partes, finalizando con las estadísticas de Ferguson (como jugador y técnico) y luego con una sección dedicada a fotos. El libro se extiende a poco más de 400 páginas.
Disfruté mucho la prosa de Ferguson, quien escribió junto a Paul Hayward. Pocos capítulos tienen desperdicio y el mejor, personalmente, fue el dedicado al Barcelona de Pep Guardiola.
At Barcelona they had these wonderful mites, 5 feet 6 inches tall, with the courage of lions, to take the ball all time and never allow themselves to be bullied. The accomplishments of Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta were amazing to me.
My Autobiography es un libro muy bueno, rico en detalles y que se disfruta plenamente aún cuando no se es fan del Manchester United. Alex Ferguson es un personaje interesante, uno con quien podría cenar afablemente conversando sobre cosas de las que poco sé y disfrutando de una copa de vino de su extensa colección.
I’m glad to say that the simple act of reading is a marvellous release from the hassles of work and life.
This book has been well quoted in the media. I have to say after reading it the quotes of course are accurate but highly taken out of context. The well quoted opinions on Beckham and Rooney although accurate are largely taken out of context. What is missing from these quotes are the other highly supportive and complimentary opinions which Sir Alex includes. Of course positives don't sell as many papers and in all honestly may not have sold so many copies of the book itself.
The book details certain players and events in Sir Alex's managerial career. Although not chronological this is a fascinating insight to one of the most successful mangers ever. Mixed within the fact and opinions about Manchester United are antidotes and facts that will keep any football fan interested irregardless of which team you support.
This book took me longer to read than normal mainly because of the wealth of information that has to be digested. There were moments when I found myself realising that Sir Alex was talking about a match I had actually seen. As well as events you expect to be covered such as The Class of 92 and The David Beckham Boot Incident there are also other smaller events that are just as entertaining and were never reported in the media.
This is an amazing insight into one of the most successful football clubs and one of the most successful managers ever. For anyone who is interested in management, football or the man himself, this is a must read.
It's simple to read, goes well in to the time he spent as manager and also takes you in side some of the times (good and bad) he had with players, and that's quite eye opening.
I love it!
Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography by Alex Ferguson is not one of those fine autobiographies we sometimes come across. Nevertheless, it is still a good read. Written after he has gone out in a blaze of glory, the book contains interesting chapters which reflects his personality: reflections, Glasgow roots, retirement u-turn, a fresh start, lean times, outside interests, the class of ’92, Liverpool – a great tradition, a world talent, one night in Moscow, psychology, Barcelona (2009-11 – small is beautiful), the media, United’s 19th title, Man City – champions, family and the last campaign.
The autobiography is an interesting one with two chapters devoted exclusively with two of his greatest rival managers: Mourinho – The ‘Special’ Rival and Competing With Wenger. It also sheds light on his relationship with some of the biggest names to have ever played under him, devoting six chapters : Beckham, Rio, Ronaldo, Keane, Van Nistelrooy, and Rooney.
As a life-long fan of the Gunners, I love the book as Fergie has some kind words for Arsene Wenger and admired him as a manager of one of the best teams in the world. But as a huge, huge fan of David Beckham, I was a bit disappointed as I feel the former Manchester United manager was a bit too harsh on him.
Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography is not a sensational one. Fergie confines himself mostly within the ambit of the game. It is a good read for football fans, irrespective of club colors.
What is missing is Fergie’s relationship with the Glazers who owns the club. It would have been nice if the former manager had written something about them. And I feel the chapters are poorly organized, and badly titled. The book would have been much better if these aspects had been taken care of.
Something grated about the style and vocab of this book. Some words were finely used, but the combination of English words produced a half baked idea of a book. It's as if the man simply cobbled together his notes and glued them with a hefty thesaurus. There was absolutely no insight into the man's psyche. Can we really believe that he kicked a boot that happened to land on Beckham's eye? Can he really make us believe that he doesn't hound referees? Does he think he can make us forget the way Arsenal was stopped in their invincible mindset? How can he not address ignoring Mourinho in favor of fellow compatriot Moyes?
As a bored football watcher, I found few bits of info that was unknown to me. All of which I've forgotten. I was so geared up for this book. I knew this book would be a bigger success than United's season. The book 'Champions At Last' was so fun to read. It helped that the football on show was exciting. It's a book I recommend. It's also rueful that no chapter was reserved for Eric Cantona. But we do get one for Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Hillsborough has more coverage than the Munich Air Disaster. Ferguson left it late to both retire and write his book. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth nor is he silver tongued. Verdict; somethings definitely rotten in the kingdom of Mancunia.
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Ha nem hisszük, hogy ez egy útmutató a sikeres cégvezetéshez, akkor nem rossz olvasmány a könyv, tele érdekes Manchester United történetekkel.
A könyv végén van egy fejezet ahol a könyv társszerzője (Michael Moritz) próbál párhuzamos vonni a Manchester United és a Szilícium-völgy cégeinek vezetése között. Írt ő könyvet Steve Jobsról is, szóval értem a motivációt, de ez rettentően erőltetett volt.
A legvégén pedig némi infografikát találunk, van pár nagyon jó ábra és elég sok közepes.