August 28 – Fergie Gets Pally
AT the start of his reign Alex Ferguson was scratching his head and trying to figure out how to deliver the League title back to Old Trafford for the first time since 1967. As he often does, he decided that he needed to throw money at the problem and today in 1989 he broke the English record between two English clubs by paying £2.3m for Middlesbrough centre-back Gary Pallister.
By 1989 Fergie had almost been at Manchester United for three years and a lack of trophies meant that he was feeling the pressure. Pallister meanwhile was establishing himself as one of the best young defenders in the country at crisis-hit Boro that had seen the gates at their Ayresome Park ground padlocked by liquidators and only avoided folding in 1986 when board member Steve Gibson stumped up £350,000 for League registration ten minutes before the deadline.
Pallister had been instrumental in the club clawing their way back up to the leagues, as he forged a formidable partnership at the back with now-West Brom manager Tony Mowbray. Financial problems still loomed over Boro and they were relegated from the First Division in 1989 after a season of rumours linking Pallister with United. The drop meant that Pallister’s move was inevitable and help the Smoggies live to fight another day.
At United Pallister wasted no time in forming one of the best central defensive partnerships seen in years, as he hit it off with fellow north-easter Steve Bruce and the foundation for United’s resurgence was formed.
United’s title drought was ended in 1993, with Pallister at the defensive heart of the side. During his spell at Old Trafford three more titles followed, as did three FA Cups, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.
In one his worse decisions Pallister left United in 1998, the season before they would win their historical treble, but the man remained pretty philosophical about it, saying: “I might have made a mistake that could have lost United the treble.”
Instead of featuring in ‘that night in Barcelona’ as Mr Tyldesley occasionally calls it, Pally was back at Boro where he played out his final three years before retiring in 2001.
There’s a distinct lack of Pally action on YouTube, so see if you can spot him in United’s 1996 FA Cup Final song, which is undoubtedly the worst ever football song we’ve put on OTFD, leaving the likes of Guillet, Hoddle and Waddle trailing in it’s wake. If we haven’t offended your eardrums too much then have a gander at what we were on about last year here and join us tomorrow for more history lessons.
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