There's a very good chance that Sir Alex Ferguson's legendary dynasty at Manchester United will never be replicated again. It's rare to see managers stay at clubs for longer than a decade in modern football, let alone the 17 years the Scot managed at Old Trafford.
Overseeing numerous star-studded teams, 'Fergie' claimed a record 13 Premier League titles at the Theatre of Dreams, two Champions League trophies, and numerous domestic cups too. No head coach has claimed more trophies than the former Red Devil, with him in a class of his own when it comes to legendary gaffers.
Coaching for as long as he did, though, meant that Ferguson encountered numerous characters throughout his career. He's never been shy to share his thoughts on a player, whether it's to do with their talent or their temperament. And he had some very choice words for a former Chelsea star.
Ferguson on 'Nasty' Chelsea Star
Alex Ferguson
Ferguson encountered Chelsea on 72 occasions in his career, more times than any other club, as both teams battled for silverware in the 21st century. And one of the fiercest meetings between the pair came back in 1999.
The Blues hosted their northern counterparts in the Premier League, with the Red Devils unbeaten since December 1998 when they lost 3-2 to Middlesbrough. But within 27 seconds, the treble-winners were behind after Gus Poyet beat Massimo Taibi and Denis Irwin to head the ball home.
Chris Sutton nodded in a second before disaster then struck for the visitors. Dennis Wise clattered into Nicky Butt with a high boot as both players ended up on the turf. A bit of needling from the Chelsea man led to his opponent retaliating, as he was subsequently shown a red card, while Wise only got a yellow.
From there, United imploded as tempers flared. Poyet grabbed his second, Henning Berg slid in to turn a cross from Gianfranco Zola into his own net, and Jody Morris then rounded off a famous 5-0 result for the Londoners.
But Ferguson was still seething with the challenge from Wise in the early stages of the game. Speaking after the match, the Scot criticised the player's temperament with one of his most iconic quotes.
"He could start a row in an empty house."
Butt and Scholes, speaking years later on the Football Greatest's Podcast, via the Metro, both agreed that Wise was one of the toughest players they came up against. Butt said: "He was horrible with me. He got me sent off. He pinched me in the balls and got away with it.
"He got away with murder. He two-footed me in the head and when we were on the floor he’s grabbed my balls. I should’ve booted him or punched him because I got sent off anyway. I only gave him a little knee."
"Dennis Wise was horrible, weren’t he? He did some of the weirdest things ever," Scholes added. "I remember rolling on the floor with him during a game – not fighting or anything – and he’s got his finger in my mouth.
"He’s trying to like rip my mouth open. He was a nasty piece of work."
Wise Insisted he Wasn't a Dirty Player
Dennis Wise and Paul Scholes
Wise, who amassed 21 caps for England, built a reputation for being an old-fashioned midfielder, someone who was never afraid to dish out punishment on the pitch. He consistently got under his opponents' skin, with Roy Keane later stating that he wanted to hit him at points during matches.
Amassing a career total of 127 yellow cards and 10 red cards in all competitions, the Chelsea icon once picked up four red cards in the 1998/99 season. Those, combined with his 11 yellows, meant that he missed 14 matches during that term.
However, Wise insisted that despite his disciplinary record, he wasn't a dirty player. Writing in his autobiography, he said: "I honestly don’t think I am what you would call a dirty player.
"I am hard but I am fair. I won’t let anyone take liberties with me, though. If someone does something to me, then I will get my own back. That is the way it was when I was growing up and that is the way it is now. And, no, I don’t care how big they are."
While he might dispute it, Wise certainly earned a hardman reputation for his style of play in his career. Supporters can only guess just how many more red cards he might have got had he played in VAR's age.