A knight to remember

In a 削減（する）-throat world where some 経営者／支配人s last as long as last week's milk Sir Alex Ferguson will walk 負かす／撃墜する the Old Trafford touchline tomorrow night to 統括する over his 1,000th match in 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 of Manchester 部隊d.

Victory over Lyon would 安全な・保証する 部隊d's presence in the ノックアウト 行う／開催する／段階s of the 支持する／優勝者s League.

But by far the most remarkable thing on show will be the 耐えるing energy and ambition of the man whose obsession with winning football matches has taken on demonic 割合s these past 18 years.

The 一致する so far stands at 563 won, 248 drawn and 188 lost.

But even as Ferguson approaches a milestone which in itself is 証言 to his greatness there are those who argue he has reached his sell-by-date, that no longer does he 所有する the genius or 戦術の nous of old.

They would tell you that Chelsea and 兵器庫 are now the 首相 軍隊s in the 首相の職 and the 現在の league （米）棚上げする／（英）提議する would support that. But the Ferguson doubters should beware 宣言するing the 落ちる of the empire just yet.

True, 現在／一般に 部隊d are a 影をつくる／尾行する of the Ferguson teams which amassed eight 首相の職 肩書を与えるs, five FA Cups, one League Cup, a Cup 勝利者s' Cup and, most treasured of all, the European Cup on that heady night against Bayern Munich in Barcelona 支援する in 1999.

Ferguson has a problem in goal where neither Roy Carroll nor Tim Howard are of the necessary pedigree.

The defence has not 論証するd the 要求するd consistency. The midfield, in which Roy Keane is no longer a dynamic 軍隊, 欠如（する）s creativity.

Most perplexing of all, the attack has struggled to 得点する／非難する／２０ goals.

But Ferguson is working on all that. And when it comes to building teams 法外なd in the Old Trafford tradition of beauty and 企業 he is a past master.

Heaven knows, as a 62-year-old with grandchildren, a string of racehorses, money beyond 推論する／理由 and トロフィーs galore Ferguson could be excused for putting his feet up and savouring the rewards of his 労働s.

You might 同様に 需要・要求する Mick Jagger stop 激しく揺するing.

Competing is in Ferguson's 血. He 保持するs a desperate zeal to continue 証明するing himself, one 法外なd in his Govan shipyard roots.

That's why you are just as likely to see his 握りこぶしs punching the 空気／公表する or a touchline jig of delight, or that famous 冷淡な-注目する，もくろむd glare, tomorrow night as you were the November day in 1986 when he took 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 of his first 部隊d match, an ignominious 2-0 敗北・負かす at the Manor Ground against Oxford 部隊d.

They say his temper has mellowed, though David Beckham, 同様に as the copious reporters routinely banned from Old Trafford 負かす／撃墜する the years, would perhaps not agree. Yes he can be a bombastic いじめ（る）.

But Ferguson's temper is the litmus 実験（する） that he is still alive and kicking boots around the Old Trafford changing room. It is a not-so-subtle 計器 that he still cares, still 所有するs the passion which has driven him to such 高さs for so long.

The late Brian Clough 競うd that Ferguson had made a "big mistake" when he 延期するd his ーするつもりであるd 退職 three years ago to carry on at 部隊d.

"It would be heartbreaking to see him 乱用d from all angles should things not go によれば his 計画（する）s," said Clough. "That is the 危険 he takes by staying in the ざん壕s."

Clough was underestimating Ferguson's 耐えるing instinct for a 捨てる.

And if those instincts led to the distraction of his ill-裁判官d 戦う／戦い with John Magnier and JP McManus over stud 料金s for the racehorse 激しく揺する of Gibraltar and to embarrassing questions over his son's 関与 in 部隊d 移転 取引 then he recognised the danger 調印するs just in time.

Yet, there have been so many defining moments in the Ferguson story since he 長，率いるd south from Aberdeen where, let's not forget, he had already won an array of honours 含むing the European Cup 勝利者s Cup, to take 支配（する）／統制する of a club whose 失敗 to 勝利，勝つ サッカー's really big prizes was 脅すing to erode its 大規模な 可能性のある.

Putting in place a you th 学院 of such excellence that home-grown players such as Ryan Giggs, Beckham, the Neville brothers, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes grew into some of the most 尊敬（する）・点d footballers in Europe was 決定的な.

So was the 見通し which, after the dodgiest of starts, turned 部隊d into the nation's most prolific トロフィー 勝利者s and the biggest money-making machine in world サッカー.

No-one in British football history can lay （人命などを）奪う，主張する to such all-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 業績／成就.

Not Jock Stein. Nor Brian Clough, にもかかわらず 支援する-to-支援する European Cup 勝利s with Nottingham Forest.

Not 法案 Shankly, who 配達するd a unique 王朝 at Liverpool but never fully enjoyed the fruits of its birth.

Nor （頭が）ひょいと動く Paisley, who with 13 major トロフィーs was the 後見人 of Shankly's 遺産／遺物 rather than a true innovator.

Ferguson's success has not made him the most loveable of football men, either with his own players or with the football world in general. He has a love-hate 関係 with the 圧力（をかける） in as much as he loves to hate them and the atmosphere of some of his マスコミ 会議／協議会s is not dissimilar from a coiled cobra waiting to spring on its 最新の prey.

But love him or hate him the 底（に届く） line is that Ferguson's 業績／成就s 需要・要求する 尊敬（する）・点.

He can have 移転 aberrations - Juan Sebastian Veron at £28million 存在 the most 著名な, the ruthless 除去 of Jaap Stam 存在 another and the 現在の clutter of Eric Djemba-Djemba, David Bellion and Kleberson doing him few favours.

But then we remember the 忠義 of Brian McClair, the wonder of Eric Cantona, the presence of Peter Schmeichel, the 耐えるing talent of Ryan Giggs and the goal-得点する／非難する／２０ing machine which is Ruud 先頭 Nistelrooy.

Next season Ferguson's 取引，協定 逆戻りするs to a one-season rolling 契約 and with the political machinations at a club 存在 stalked by US 実業家 Malcolm Glazer nothing is 確かな .

But it is possible to see Ferguson, even in the 予測できない maelstrom which is 最高の，を越す-level football, going on for years yet - even becom ing the septuagenarian king of Old Trafford.

Why should he give it up? Why should he bequeath the fruits of his 労働s to someone else when there are 戦う／戦いs to be fought, トロフィーs to be won and history to be made?

There are a thousand 推論する／理由s not to.