''Mark Bosnich was a terrible professional. We played down at Wimbledon and Bosnich was tucking into everything: sandwiches, soups, steaks. He turned up for training three hours late. He was overweight. Goalkeepers are not my strongest point.'' - Sir Alex Ferguson, October 2013.
While Sir Alex Ferguson may have lynched almost every ex-pro he has laid eyes on in his latest autobiography, one can't help but feel there may have been an element of truth behind his tales of the Aussie keeper. With Bosnich having forged a reputation as something of a maverick in the game, and eventually a cocaine addict, professionalism was never his strongest suit. Having taken in a virtually anonymous spell with the Mancunians in the early 90s, Bosnich returned to the club in 1999 as Ferguson tried in vain to replace the heroic Peter Schmeichel. To demonstrate his willingness to act in a dignified manner for the club, he was arrested on the eve of his wedding for allegedly punching a paparazzo - just one day after penning a lucrative four year contract at the Red Devils. Bosnich played 23 games in his first season, before being unceremoniously dropped for his follow-up campaign in favour of the equally flappable Fabien Barthez. His manager was given further headaches when a tabloid exposed a sex tape scandal with team-mate Dwight Yorke, recorded while the two were at Aston Villa. Suffice to say, the Aussie keeper was more trouble than he was worth, and Ferguson noted the madness in his eyes quick enough to parcel him off to Stamford Bridge before he truly self-destructed.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
