When I started my coaching career in the late 60s, Matt Busby was my idol. A Scot, Busby was a hugely successful Manchester United manager for more than 20 years. I always thought no one would ever be able to surpass Busby’s achievements. Now as I sit down to write about Alex Ferguson’s remarkable reign at Old Trafford, I realise how wrong my judgement was. The man, who will be completing 25 years at Old Trafford on Sunday, has overshadowed the feats of all other club coaches in football history.

Ferguson has won 38 trophies for the Red Devils, including 12 English Premier League (EPL) and two Champions League titles. It is an outstanding achievement by any standard. It only gives an idea how astute a coach Ferguson is.

Many feel Ferguson’s ability to stay in charge of Manchester United for so many years have given him an advantage over all other club coaches. While agreeing with it to some extent, I would say that his quality to quickly judge a player on the pitch is the Scotsman’s biggest plus point.

Ferguson’s extraordinary match-reading and amazing substitution policy have won many important matches for United in the last 25 years. As an example, I cannot think of anyone else other than Ferguson staging such a coup against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.

That was the day I realised Ferguson’s greatness. Trailing by a goal, United scored two in three minutes of injury time — through Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer — to completely upstage the Germans. Both the late substitutions made by Ferguson changed the complexion of the game.

Ferguson, I believe, is disliked by many for his ruthlessness. Frankly, this is one thing for which I like the veteran coach most. I know several people around him, including well-known players, who have fallen victims to his cold-blooded behaviour. But then, Ferguson remains firmly committed to the club cause.

During his long stay at United, Ferguson had many intelligent signings like Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Edwin van der Sar and Javier Hernandez. He has also groomed players like David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. But when needed, he mercilessly moved many of these players out for the benefit of the team and never succumbed to any pressure.

Of course, Ferguson’s long stay at United has given him a kind of demi-God status and no one can dare to challenge him now. In my opinion, it is Ferguson’s football genius that has given him this elevated position. He not only coaches the high profile side but also looks after the recruitments, develops youngsters, manages the egos of the big footballers and keeps the sponsors happy. That he has been doing it without a break for 25 years is Ferguson’s biggest accomplishment.

Yet, in the end, I would like to say that in many aspects, what Busby has done for United cannot be matched. Coming in as the manager in Old Trafford in war-torn England, Busby took the club to a new level. When half the team was destroyed after the tragic plane crash in Munich, he returned to build a new team that won the European Cup in 1968.

There is one more thing. Both Busby and Ferguson were hardly ever involved with the national teams but the former had greater contributions in producing players for England. Neither Beckham nor Scholes could do for the national side what Bobby Charlton or Norbert Stiles did in 1966. Here, Busby stays ahead of Ferguson.

United have recently lost to Manchester City by a huge margin but Ferguson, who will turn 70 on December 31, has promised to continue for four more years!

Given the shrewd football brain, I am sure he will keep his words.