Sir Alex Ferguson's fights with local and national journalists are now the stuff of legend. Photo: Getty Images/John Peters
Those who use the blunt instrument of media control, namely newspaper bans, do so based on the perceived power dynamics that, with his current record and Manchester United's current position, for Eric ten Hag simply doesn't exist.
United's ban on various media outlets on Tuesday was a bad move. One might note United's explanation that stories should first be shared outside the club, but the backlash has seen an embattled Ten Hag turn a one-day story into a long-running saga that could become even more toxic.
The bans on Sky Sports News, the Daily Mirror, ESPN and the Manchester Evening News appear to have been driven by the manager's desire to regain control, and one cannot blame him for that desire. However, it would be better for him and the club to avoid this battle.
Much has been written about Sir Alex Ferguson's push to ban the media, which by all accounts was a rather inglorious era when newspapers and journalists, myself included, would have been better off getting their act together. However, Ferguson's approach of the early 2000s, before the digital revolution in traditional media, before the advent of social media and before the emergence of the footballer as a mini-corporation in its own right, is completely unnecessary in the modern world.
< p>Ten Hag with this he might as well have had his players running up and down the terraces or past the recovering Woodbine at half-time. The old rules do not apply, and it is doubtful that they were ever so effective.
As Ten Hag learns, the bans imposed under Ferguson never stopped what he saw as unfavorable coverage. To the old man they were a crude demonstration of his strength. He was the biggest show in town, and so the media – national and local – loved to be in the room when he performed. They had no particular desire to fight a longer battle with him. For Ten Hag there is no such confidence.
At the turn of the 21st century, Ferguson was a hugely influential figure in what now appears to be a much smaller English game. My reporting work in Manchester began in January 2002 when all national newspapers were banned from accessing the Carrington training ground, which was soon lifted, but not for the Daily Mail. The reasons are forgotten – it hardly matters – but, as with Ferguson's long-running feud of that decade with the BBC, it was less about wrongdoing than about power.
Then there were the Friday press briefings for reporters held in a small room next to the old reception in Carrington and conducted off camera. There will be recriminations, insults, accusations, arguments, bad language – and that was before Ferguson came along. Then everything will get much worse.
Ferguson banned newspapers because he knew he could get away with it. The rivalry meant that newspapers did not support each other. Moreover, Ferguson felt like an eternal presence. In 2002, for example, he canceled his retirement after learning of the salary that Sven Göran Eriksson would receive as his replacement. There was a strange feeling that Ferguson could continue his career forever. Newspapers that would have been much more controversial in other areas simply saw their bans and returned.
That changed in May 2002 with the infamous “You're idiots” outburst. A number of newspapers, including this one, decided to publish Ferguson's words in full. Previous generations of reporters who knew Ferguson better might have simply sighed and let it slide, but at least for those of us in the new generation, attitudes have changed. Opinions are still divided as to whether this decision was correct. Since then, Ferguson has become especially careful about what he said and did.
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Despite this, the bans continued. I had one in 2004, which Ferguson delivered with mild anger next to the baggage carousel at Lyon airport during a Champions League away trip. I only have a few memories left. Firstly, I had no idea about the offensive story, which turned out to be harmless.
Secondly, I should try to remember as much of it as possible, since it will most likely be one of the few events in my life. careers that I would be asked to talk about in 20 years. I was right about that.
Ultimately, Ferguson understood power. He knew when to use it and when to make a play to gain sympathy, as he sometimes did at press briefings. He did this to an older generation of reporters during the difficult early years of his United career in the late 1980s, and then again when the Rock of Gibraltar saga threatened his hegemony.
The bans were just a little folly. A grumpy old Scotsman's revenge on his media irritants. Ten Hag's mistake was that he took it seriously and turned a small story into a big one.
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