Mclean the toughest rival I faced – Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Jim McLean, describing the former Dundee United manager as the toughest opponent he ever faced in the opposite dugout.
Mclean, who died this weekend at the age of 83, shook up Scottish football along with Ferguson in the 1980s as their United and Aberdeen teams challenged the traditional hegemony of Old Firm pair Celtic and Rangers.
Inside three days in May 1983, Ferguson led Ab erdeen to their European Cup Winners' Cup triumph and Mclean guided United to their one and only league title.
Former Manchester United boss Ferguson said: "My adversaries in England were always Jose Mourinho, Rafa Benitez or Arsene Wenger. But, believe me, my biggest adversary in football was Jim Mclean."
Ferguson described Mclean, who managed United from 1971 to 1993, as" one of the greatest coaches to come out of Scotland". "Certainly no-one ever surpassed him," he added. "Jock Stein recognised that and brought him into the Scotland set-up."
Ferguson's relationship with Mclean started in 1964 when the pair met on a coaching course at Largs.
"He helped me greatly then and I knew then that he would go on to become an influential and special coach," he said.
"I was only a young man but his football knowledge was obvious to me. He was intelligent and clear-sighted on football."
Mclean was then playing at Dundee but he was to make his name as a coach across the road at Tannadice. When he made the short journey, United were not even the best team on their own street. A decade or so later they were one of the top teams in Europe.
As well as the title, Mclean led United to two League Cup triumphs, six Scottish Cup finals, the European Cup semifinals and a Uefa Cup final.
Ferguson said: "When you think back, it is almost absurd what he achieved. He took a club and changed it completely. He took players and made them better.
"His legacy in football is that anyone who came across him - whether as an opposing manager or as a player - knows he was a fantastic coach."
Ferguson, who will celebrate his 79th birthday on Hogmanay, said of his friend: "Yes, he could be prickly. But deep down he was a good man. He was always ready to help. I learned so much from him. I am so sad at this loss and send my deepest condolences to his family."
Former United captain Maurice Malpas hailed the former Scotland assistant manager as a forward-thinking coach.
"He was never one to shout from the rooftops," said Malpas. "But actually, he was miles ahead of his time. In the mid80s, we had sports scientists, we had dieticians. That was down to wee Jim and his desire to get every ounce from us. He really was a forward-thinker.”
MCLEAN TRIBUTE, PULLOUT