Goodmanგუშინ რომ ვერ დაგინახე ცოტა კი შევშფოთდი, მაგრამ რახან კარგად ხარ...........
Paul Scholes says Sir Alex Ferguson still retains his enthusiasm and energy for the game despite closing in on his 20th anniversary at the helm of Manchester United.
The legendary Scottish boss will mark the milestone with a dinner on Monday to celebrate the two decades in which he has brought unparalleled success to the Old Trafford outfit.
After avoiding the Red Devils axe in his early years with a crucial FA Cup win in 1990, Ferguson then became the driving force as United supplanted bitter rivals Liverpool as the pre-eminent force in English football - as well as taking the club to their second European Cup triumph in 1999.
With his anniversary looming large the tributes have been flying thick and fast for the Govan-born boss, and now one of his most trusted lieutenants has had his say on Ferguson's incredible staying power.
Scholes, who has only ever played under Ferguson in his long career, says the Scot's enthusiasm has not dimmed and that he still thrives in the day-to-day rigour of Premiership football as talk of retirement continues to hold little water.
"Who knows how long he will go on," reflected Scholes.
"He is not looking any older and he still enjoys coming out on the training ground every day. He loves it, even in the freezing cold, so I think he will be around for a while yet.
"The thing is, you can't imagine life at United without him.
"One day it will happen, we are all aware of that, and when it does it will be a great shame because of what he has achieved here.
"When a new manager takes over, there will certainly be a big void to fill.
"But, as I say, I don't believe that day will come soon because he is still desperate to win trophies, whether it is the cup or league. Nothing has changed in that sense."
Whilst Scholes says Ferguson has mellowed somewhat from the fearsome Glaswegian motivator who kick-started a tremendous trophy haul that includes eight Premiership titles, the midfielder claims the United boss still retains the potential for dishing out some of his infamous 'hair dryer' treatment.
"When I first met him I was frightened, frightened to death actually. I still am," Scholes added.
"When you are a kid you hear about the fiery side of him and when you meet him that is all you think about.
"He has definitely mellowed since those early days but if he is not happy about something, he will still let you know.
"I have not had a 'hair dryer' for a while, but that means there is probably one just around the corner."
Scholes has always been the most unassuming of Ferguson's famous crop of youngsters that progressed from winning the FA Youth Cup in 1992 to defying critics to win the Premiership title in 1996, and the Salford-born schemer says he owes everything to the United boss.
"He made me what I am today.
"There is only so much any manager can do, the rest is up to the players. He cannot kick the ball for you.
"But what he did was give us confidence by trusting us.
"Everyone remembers the famous Alan Hansen quote about not winning anything with kids. That came after a defeat at Aston Villa on the opening day of the [1995/1996] season.
"But those comments just made the manager even more determined to stick with us. He retained his faith and kept picking us, which was a big risk at a club the size of United.
"Thankfully, we managed to repay him."
Ferguson has already shelved retirement plans once in his career, and Scholes insists those inside the club knew Ferguson could not walk away from the club in 2002.
"I don't think anyone really knew how he would have coped not being able to come into the club every day and seeing someone else do his job.
"He did announce he was going but deep down, we all expected him to stay on.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say the players actively persuaded him to stay. I don't think you can change the mind of someone like that.
"But it was no surprise when he told us he was staying and the players were as thrilled as everyone else."
Many of Ferguson's former players and contemporaries have paid their own tributes in recent days, with near-neighbour and Wigan boss Paul Jewell hailing the man synonymous with United as being the best in the business.
"You have to hold your hands up and say Sir Alex Ferguson is the number one," said Jewell.
"He has been the top for 20 years. His desire is unstinting. His passion and will to win is fierce.
"We have a lunch with him on Monday to celebrate what he has achieved.
"You have to hold your hands up and say he has been magnificent over the last 20 years."
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