Sir Alex Ferguson's hairdryer treatments are legendary but this player felt the full force of his ire despite Manchester United being 3-0 up against Everton
Louis Saha speaks on In The Mixer
Louis Saha caught flak from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United soon after joining(Image: In The Mixer)
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Louis Saha says Sir Alex Ferguson lambasted him at half-time despite Manchester United leading Everton 3-0. But the manager's anger was remarkably justified during this 2004 clash.
United travel to face the Toffees on Sunday afternoon with David Moyes welcoming his former side to Hill Dickinson Stadium. Moyes was the failed successor of the iconic Ferguson at Old Trafford, the man who, in his 26 years as United boss, cemented himself as one of, if not the, greatest manager in Premier League history.
A whopping 13 league titles and two Champions League crowns were the highlights of Ferguson's tenure and he also guided his team to five FA Cup wins and four League Cup victories.
One not-so-secret aspect of Ferguson's management style was his tendency to fly off the handle when players displeased him. Saha recalled an exchange from a clash with Everton on February 7, 2004, that left him bewildered - but the incident turned out to be eerily foreboding.
Saha joined United in January 2004 from Fulham and in just his second game for the club, he travelled to Goodison Park. Things were going swimmingly, with Saha scoring inside 10 minutes and strike partner Ruud van Nistelrooy adding a second in the 24th minute.
Before half an hour had been played, Saha bagged his second and United went into half-time 3-0 to the good. But Ferguson felt they could have been even further ahead and unleashed upon both Saha and Van Nistelrooy, who had just scored his 100th goal for the club.
Saha and Van Nistelrooy
Saha and Van Nistelrooy had given United a commanding lead(Image: Getty)
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"We go into the dressing room and the manager just starts to shout," said Saha, speaking on All Out Football'sIn The Mixer. "Crazy. Throwing things. But we were 3-0 up? I could not understand this.
"It was my second game and he just blamed Van Nistelrooy and me for missing sitters – some easy balls. I didn't think they were, but he was very upset and I started to realise that this guy wanted too much, maybe. It was very dedicated. If it's six, seven or eight, he wanted it."
But Ferguson's frustrations were mind-blowingly vindicated. David Unsworth scored for Everton in the 49th minute before a John O'Shea own goal made things 3-2. In the 75th minute, Kevin Kilbane equalised, but Van Nistelrooy rescued the three points at the death, a minute from time.
Doubting Ferguson was done at one's own peril, as this 4-3 win indicates, but asked if players were scared to speak back to him, Saha said: "You could and I had seen it because he understands that you are human. You'll react and you have tendencies, especially with a lot of egos. That's normal.
"He will almost respect that. But you have to do it with respect and that is a part of life in the dressing room, especially at a big club. I think it was well balanced, but what I learned was the dedication, the way that players have to perform, especially when things are not going well.
"This is where he will destroy you if you hide. This is the worst thing. You are losing 1-0, 2-0 and you started to hide because you are scared, you are dead.
"You are not going to play. It's over. So you take responsibility, you are Manchester United, you have the talent, that's why you are here. I respect that. I think every player respected that."