It's fair to say I've had a turbulent life as a manager so far.
I've worked under Barry Fry and Darragh McAnthony, two of the most colourful people you will ever meet. I took a team with a 'little club' mentality from the wilderness of League Two to the Championship in just 3 seasons. I was accused of betraying Peterborough United by agreeing to take a job whilst I was still under contract there - these allegations weere completely false, and this coupled with Peterborough's unwillingness to trust me in the transfer market by bringing in more experienced players led to me leaving the club. I was then approached by two Championship clubs; Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End. I took the Preston job with the Lancashire side lying in 17th place, and I was confident that we could sneak into the play offs. The job was a lot more difficult than I had imagined. I had to deal with a player revolt, fans refusing to back me as they called for sacked manager Alan Irvine to be reinstated, scraping survival with just 3 games to go, a transfer embargo and the club almost entering administration. Things haven't been good off the field either. I was charged with assault of my former wife, Nadine Metcalfe before marrying my current wife Nicola in 2009. It's been hectic to say the least. But the thing that will always follow me is the comparison between myself and my father, Sir Alex Ferguson. Everyone in football calls for me to be my own man, but whenever my name is mentioned, my father is too, so what can I do? I feel for Nigel Clough at Derby who is in a similar situation. I would love to emulate my father's achievements, and whilst that seems a long way away, I am only 38 and have got plenty of time. But first, I have to turn things around here. Expectation has risen here as fierce local rivals Blackpool and Burnley have recently won promotion to the Premier League. Preston is a big club surrounded by even bigger clubs so it's difficult to get the sort of fanbase you want when the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are so close by. It's my aim to get Preston to where they belong, in the Premier League.
I've worked under Barry Fry and Darragh McAnthony, two of the most colourful people you will ever meet. I took a team with a 'little club' mentality from the wilderness of League Two to the Championship in just 3 seasons. I was accused of betraying Peterborough United by agreeing to take a job whilst I was still under contract there - these allegations weere completely false, and this coupled with Peterborough's unwillingness to trust me in the transfer market by bringing in more experienced players led to me leaving the club. I was then approached by two Championship clubs; Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End. I took the Preston job with the Lancashire side lying in 17th place, and I was confident that we could sneak into the play offs. The job was a lot more difficult than I had imagined. I had to deal with a player revolt, fans refusing to back me as they called for sacked manager Alan Irvine to be reinstated, scraping survival with just 3 games to go, a transfer embargo and the club almost entering administration. Things haven't been good off the field either. I was charged with assault of my former wife, Nadine Metcalfe before marrying my current wife Nicola in 2009. It's been hectic to say the least. But the thing that will always follow me is the comparison between myself and my father, Sir Alex Ferguson. Everyone in football calls for me to be my own man, but whenever my name is mentioned, my father is too, so what can I do? I feel for Nigel Clough at Derby who is in a similar situation. I would love to emulate my father's achievements, and whilst that seems a long way away, I am only 38 and have got plenty of time. But first, I have to turn things around here. Expectation has risen here as fierce local rivals Blackpool and Burnley have recently won promotion to the Premier League. Preston is a big club surrounded by even bigger clubs so it's difficult to get the sort of fanbase you want when the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are so close by. It's my aim to get Preston to where they belong, in the Premier League.
