Chapter 66: The Owl
'Even in the face of a hegemon like Ferguson, even against liverpool's kingly power to dominate the English first division, Graham's achievements are successful enough, and he can be called a generation of tyrants."
- Caption
From 1986 to 1995, Graham spent nine years at Arsenal, not a particularly long coaching time, but he played a story that was both brilliant and depraved.
In this 9 years, Graham first became Ferguson's opponent, benchmark, target to catch up with, and then became the rising Twin Peaks, the confrontation of the twin males, and then fell in front of Ferguson, becoming the background board for Ferguson to lead Manchester United to create a treble.
During Ferguson's more than 26 years at the helm of Manchester United, Arsenal's manager was only two, Graham and Arsene Wenger.
Graham spent 9 years, and Wenger remained at Arsenal until Ferguson retired, and finally stayed for 22 years.
What makes fans of both teams more talking is Ferguson and Wenger. The story between them runs through the most glorious era of the Premier League, from not knowing each other to chasing after each other, from mocking each other to feeling sorry for each other, throughout the Premier League for more than 20 seasons. Both have achieved extraordinary things in their respective clubs and have both become legendary managers of their respective clubs. Wenger was very strong when he first arrived in the Premier League, bringing earth-shaking changes to the entire English football world, and creating the curtain on a new tactical wave in the Premier League. But even though Wenger was so extraordinary, Ferguson still relied on his tenacity and hard work, and with his strong ability, he finally overtook his opponent and completely suppressed his opponent.
Some old Manchester United fans can also say that Wenger is the old terrier of the "Manchester Contact Director", but to talk about the conflict between Arsenal and Manchester United before Wenger, to talk about the story between Ferguson and Graham, it is necessary to master a longer historical knowledge.
Before Wenger, Graham was Ferguson's most formidable opponent.
Ferguson and Graham, both from Scotland, the same tough guy personality, the same iron-blooded manager style.
Arsenal's confrontation with Manchester United has gone from winning the game to winning a fight to a title fight... Fierce competition eventually turned into great hatred.
Graham coached the Gunners to break through early, first winning the League Cup early, and then pushing the hegemon Liverpool to win the title, the scenery was enough to overlook Manchester United, and the record of the battle was only cloudy.
That period of time was very depressing for Ferguson and Manchester United. The team was suppressed, the impact was weak, and the fans almost drove Ferguson away. If it weren't for Ferguson's tenacity, if it wasn't for Ferguson's insistence on grabbing the life-saving straw, he might have become Graham's laughing stock, rather than the later Jedi counterattack and the end of the laugh.
Graham is a groundbreaking manager for Arsenal and a legend that sets the pinnacle of Arsenal's history. His achievements are enough to become a generation of famous coaches in England, enough to become the best hero in Ferguson's opponents.
Before he joined the team, Arsenal had not won the league title for 15 years, and the urgency of the team management to break through and seek the championship evolved into full support for Graham.
Graham took up his post and led the team to the championship in his first season. Despite being a league cup title that didn't weigh enough, this was both the first League Cup title in Arsenal's history and the first in 8 years for Arsenal!
The most exciting thing was Arsenal's final victory over Liverpool, the then English football hegemon!
In contrast, Ferguson took over Manchester United halfway through, and the team got out of the quagmire and eventually finished 11th in the league.
Graham's Arsenal finished 4th on points.
The two coaches have met only once in the season, with Manchester United winning the league.
In the 1987-88 season, United rose to the top of the league under Ferguson and Arsenal finished sixth; Arsenal reached the League Cup final for the second time but failed to defend the title.
Neither team succeeded, but Ferguson's results would be a little better. In the league, Manchester United won one draw and one victory, and manchester United in the FA Cup was eliminated by the opponent, and the two teams finally played a draw.
McClair missed a penalty in the FA Cup, Arsenal players were humiliated, the two teams almost opened an all-out fight, the game turned into a brawl, and the hatred quickly mutated.
By the 1988-89 season, Graham had made a difference and led Arsenal to a miracle in English football history. They have been behind the leaders Liverpool in the league, trailing by two points before the final round (when a win is counted as 2 points), four goals on goal difference, and having to face liverpool's home games in the final game. In the face of all kinds of disadvantages, Graham delivered the most exciting pre-match speech, precisely deployed the tactics, played a surprise at Liverpool's home stadium, scored two goals in a row and then defended the whole line, and finally killed the opponent with a fantastic score of 2-0. In this way, Arsenal and Liverpool had the same points and the same goal difference, and Arsenal eventually won the league title with a slim advantage of scoring a large number of goals.
Graham's counterattack was unlimited, while Ferguson's Manchester United fell from second to 11th.
Graham and his Arsenal are on top of English football!
The whole Fleet Street was cheering and cheering for them, and the Arsenal fans were directly offering them to the temple!
Even as a non-Arsenal fan to comment, Graham have been great this season and the success of winning the title is incredible. They have been united throughout the season, have been tenacious in the long game, all the way to the lead by Liverpool, but they never gave up, and finally fought with a hundred times the effort to get the opportunity, and with a miraculous performance to seize this opportunity.
The Gunners won the first battle, and Graham was also crowned a god.
Arsenal not only broke the myth of Liverpool's home invincibility, but also ruined Liverpool's dream of defending the league title, which is a miracle of English football, the glory and pride of Graham!
Arsenal are champions!
Ferguson and Manchester United naturally cannot match, and can only be helplessly reduced to the background. This season, Manchester United lost 1-2 away to Arsenal in the league, returning to the home court to draw 1-1 with their opponents, and the record of the match is also in the ascendant.
Arsenal lost the defending league title in the 1989-1990 season and finished fourth in the table.
Ferguson faced his biggest challenge this season, with his side in trouble, finishing just 13th in the league, setting its worst record in charge of Manchester United. In the middle of the season, Ferguson was on the verge of graduation, losing consecutive battles, the main force was seriously injured, the scene was terrible, and some old Manchester United fans could not help but let him get out.
Fortunately, Ferguson insisted on not resigning, and his team won the FA Cup at the most difficult time, grabbing the last straw.
The FA Cup was Ferguson's biggest redemption, with Manchester United fighting hard all the way and playing a rematch in the final before finally defeating Crystal Palace to win the title.
This season, Manchester United won a 4-1 home win over Arsenal to make the start, but after being beaten 1-0 away from home, they began 11 games without a win.
In the 1990–91 season, Graham made a comeback and once again attacked the league title. Despite being deducted points for a brawl in the 1-0 win over Manchester United and Adams was jailed for 8 weeks, Arsenal were still unstoppable, they soared all the way, swept all the way, beat the overlord Liverpool, killed Tottenham Everton and other giants, and finally easily lifted the league championship trophy!
Graham's side also set an unusual record, playing a true supremacy, losing only one of all the league games and defending incredibly strongly. After this season, Arsenal's defensive five-old big name was called.
What about Ferguson's Manchester United?
They have also made great progress, rising to sixth in the league points rankings and winning the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Ferguson and Graham have intersected a lot this season, and the two teams have staged a group fight against each other. It was really a large-scale group fight rarely seen in Britain, and almost all the players on the field on both sides participated, really punching and kicking, and the fight was bloody and many people were injured.
In the end, many players on the bench of both teams joined the big melee, and Ferguson and Graham almost fought. The game ended hastily, arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0, but Arsenal was deducted 2 points from the league by the FA, and Manchester United was deducted 1 point, and both teams were heavily fined.
After being taught a lesson in the league, United hit their opponents 6-2 away in the League Cup, and such a big score became a huge humiliation. Manchester United youngster Lee Sharp was a miracle in the game, going down three cities in a row and completely breaking the Gunners' proud backline.
Arsenal are a sight to behold, Graham have won two league titles, and Ferguson is still empty-handed, which has been questioned again by the media and fans.
In the 1991–92 season, Arsenal finished fourth in the league and Manchester United second.
Ferguson worked hard to rebuild the team, which was a basic success this season, but his team finally failed to play the league championship. Another sworn rival, Leeds United, suddenly sprang up and stole Ferguson's league title.
Almost comforting to the fans, this year Ferguson's team won the League Cup and also won the European Super Cup.
In the first year of the Premier League, in the 1992-93 season, Ferguson led Manchester United through hardships and finally soared to the sky and won the league title. Graham's Arsenal are no exception, and although they are only 10th in the league, they have won both the FA Cup and the League Cup.
In the 1993-94 season, Manchester United successfully defended the league and began to establish a domination of English football, and the rudiments of a dynasty loomed. The Arsenal team, led by Graham, went to the European continent and they finally succeeded in winning the European Winners' Championship trophy!
This is the only three European Cup winners in Arsenal's history, and it's a great achievement created by Graham!
In 1994–95 , Ferguson 's side were beaten by Blackburn while defending their titles , while Arsenal finished just 12th in the league.
In the summer of 1995, the Arsenal club exposed a scandal. Graham was exposed for taking bribes from agents, using improper means to buy people, and was finally decisively expelled by Arsenal. Ferguson completed the reconstruction of Manchester United, the alternation of old and new, despite the turmoil, but the new people on the rise smoothly, Ferguson carefully trained 92 class of youth players emerged, becoming a whirlwind of youth in the Premier League.
In the 95-96 season, Manchester United regained the league title and showed their domineering spirit again.
Graham was thrown from Arsenal and was furious and went straight to the Gunners' sworn enemy, Tottenham.
Graham did not succeed in coaching Atttenham and he eventually had to leave English football.
After 96 years, Ferguson began to create a more glorious era for Manchester United.
Graham's loneliness and Ferguson's splendor put an end to this period of feud.
Graham is certainly a generation of English coaches, an Arsenal legend, and his reputation is unquestionable.
Graham is clearly more adapted to the English football environment than Ferguson, and is better at using this environment to build a strong team, with more determined English football tactics to stand out and reach the peak of his career.
Two league titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup, a European Cup Winners' Cup, these glorious honours deserve the respect of Arsenal fans in Graham.
Graham compared to Ferguson is an interesting thing.
Graham took charge of Arsenal a few months earlier and Ferguson came to Manchester United a few months later, both starting from the same starting point and without any honour in League One. The two coaches reborn the team and each created an elite division. Both managers had a resounding success, and by the time Graham left in 1995, he and Ferguson had both won two league titles and one Cup Winners' Cup. Ferguson has 2 FA Cups, Graham 1; Graham 2 League Cup winners and Ferguson 1; just from the trophy data, Graham will not lose to Ferguson in the same period.
Graham had the strength to become Ferguson's "enemy of a lifetime.".
Graham has changed the color of League One and made a comeback in European football, and his coaching ability has shaken european football coaching circles by winning the Cup Winners' Cup. Graham has a distinct style, and the tactics of english football are used skillfully, the defense is strong, the confrontation is fierce, the attack is fast, the high is high, and at one point it played the limit level of this style.
Above the honor, Graham could not clean himself up on corruption cases. Tactically, Graham cannot innovate himself, stick to the rules, will not reform and progress, and will only continue to use his own respected defensive counterattack style.
Such a Graham cannot be re-successful.
The key to Ferguson's success lies in continuous progress, dare to self-revolution, dare to rebuild the team, dare to change the formation of play, actively explore new trends in tactics, overcome various challenges, and finally create the Manchester United dynasty, not only to dominate the Premier League, but also to win the treble, pushing the personal reputation and the glory of Manchester United to the peak.
After eight years of Arsenal's highlights, Graham lost his aura as a manager and was no longer able to become a formidable rival to Ferguson.
The battle between the two famous marshals also came to an end.