12 Things Man Utd Want You To Forget About Sir Alex Ferguson
3. His Ongoing Dispute With The BBC
Ferguson had a well-documented falling out with the BBC throughout his time as manager of Manchester United, a rift which endured until as recently as 2011. The issue arose when the corporation aired a panorama documentary making allegations about Ferguson's agent son Jason, and dealings he made in his job. Ferguson Snr raged:
"They did a story about my son that was whole lot of nonsense. It all made-up stuff and 'brown paper bags' and all that kind of carry-on. It was a horrible attack on my son's honour and he should never have been accused of that. But it is such a huge organisation that they will never apologise."
Ferguson frequently breached the Premier Leagues media regulations requiring him to speak to TV rights holders as a result of the standoff, which only came to an end in 2011 after a meeting with the broadcasters. It was an unseemly dispute, with United fans long having to make do with assistant manager Mike Phelan delivering interviews on the club's behalf on Match of the Day. The bitter falling out also stems from an aspect of Ferguson's personality that many would rather you forgot.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
