Simon would have been well up for the ‘hairdryer treatment’ from Fergie
Simon Donnelly believes Celtic recruiting Alex Ferguson in 1997 would have been a signing for the ages.
Hoops’ majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond, has revealed how he once tried to lure the Scottish knight away from Manchester United.
He said he offered to double his wages – money he was prepared to fund personally – in a desperate bid to stop Rangers’ march towards 10-in-a-row
Ferguson preferred to stay put at Old Trafford, and pursue his dream of winning the Champions League, which he achieved just two years later.
The Hoops, for their part, succeeded in halting their rivals anyway, with Wim Jansen stopping the run at nine through the title win of 1998.
At that, he was off and replaced with Jozef Venglos.
“I think it would have been magic,” said Donnelly, a regular in the side at the time.
“Bringing Fergie up to Celtic Park would have been a massive statement.
“There was a lot he had yet to achieve back then, but everyone still regarded him as the greatest
manager we had ever seen.
“I think it would certainly have raised eyebrows because of his background of having been at Rangers as a player.
“However, I am sure he would have been accepted by the players, coaches and fans.
“You would have known he was the guy who gives you best chance of winning things you can get.
“In 1997, that is absolutely what we needed.
“Rangers were dominant, and there was a lot of apprehension on our part about 10-in-a-row.
“As it was, we stopped them. Tommy Burns left, Wim came in, made a few changes and we won the league.”
Ferguson was a renowned disciplinarian as a manager.
He became notorious for giving players the “hairdryer treatment” if he felt their performance or attitude had fallen below acceptable limits.
That would have been a problem for some players, but not Donnelly, now assistant manager of Brechin City under Mark Wilson.
“I think there is no question Fergie was ruthless,” he said.
“But I was always a big admirer of his, and would have happily taken whatever he threw at me.
“My dad, Tom, played for Sir Alex at East Stirling, his first managerial post, and that was his claim to fame!
“Because of that, I probably paid extra attention to Sir Alex’s career, and I just loved the way he got his teams playing the game
“They were always set up to attack, so were very entertaining.
“He always gave young players a chance. I liked that about him, too.
“Of course, he would have a go at folk if they didn’t do what he wanted. But when you are playing at the top, top level, you have a strong belief in your ability to succeed.
“So, for me, Sir Alex coming to Celtic Park would have been a magic thing to happen.
“You get these sort of ‘Sliding Doors’ moments in sport all the time, as there is a lot of movement and people get choices to make throughout their careers.
“This would definitely have been a big one, though.
“Who knows just how successful we could have been?”