“Happy Mother’s Day” to all mothers; Great respect and appreciation too, to a famous sporting father!”

May 12, 2013 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft
“Mama – You know that I love you; you are the Queen of my heart!  Loving you is like food for my soul” – Boys to Men.
“Dear Mama – Ain’t a woman alive who can take your place.  You always were the Queen.  Sweet Lady, don’t you know that we love you?” – Tupac Shakur.
Special days and people come around so that we could fully celebrate and appreciate them, allowing us to deviate from standard stuff of wars, stress, money, religion and politics!

For female parents, this is your very special day, the only one in 365 just for you; absolutely!
Even if you are male, especially if you are doing twin jobs of both father and mother;
“Happy Mother’s Day!”
As my ‘Queen’ often joked; “I can tell you that anyone is your father. I am very sure that I am your mother!”
Or, in stark, open, logical warning, if she was in a bad mood; “I made you.  Therefore, I can kill you!”
You really have to love mothers!  They are the most precious, unique beings!  Revere them!
Sylvia has been “away” since June 1993, but I still have other mothers to salute; Lynette, Gail, Marcia, Lydia, Shelisa; for being actual parents of my two off-springs, and as very best friends!
Thanks, Mommies!
Anyway, Sir Alex Ferguson is, like me, a donator to parenthood, but he is much more fortunate.  He has his own biological family, but also, he has that other family, including me, that is Manchester United.
Strangely, I was among few who were not surprised that he had decided to retire this year.  Somehow, I really expected it, and said such to others, even before MUFC had won its 20th Premier League title.  Sir Alex had been badly stung last year, unbelievably embarrassed, after his arch-enemies, the blue side of Manchester – City – had won English Premier League championship by only better goal difference.
Ironically, as things have transpired this last week, it was Everton, with a tremendous come from behind 4-4 draw last season, which saw to United’s goal difference being inferior; agonizingly so!
“The Boss” had to take one last repair shot.  Having already “been there, done everything else”, he had to redeem himself this year; fitting finale; by winning 2012/13 English Premier League.  He did!
Now, another manager who also has much respect coming his way, David Moyes, of said Everton, is to take over at MUFC.  Ambition is always a very good trait; made of sterner stuff.  So let it be with Dave!
Sir Alex has been staggering at MUCF.  To replace, in some minds, another legendary Manchester United manager, Sir Matt Busby, is a tremendous achievement all by itself!
I have even heard suggestions that Sir Alex coming to that club, back in 1986, had sporting similarity to Nelson Mandela coming out of prison, in 1990, to later lead South Africa, or, indeed, Mahatma Gandhi leaving that very country, in 1915, to return home, to lead India to its independence in 1947!  Uncanny!
SAF’s statistics at MUFC are extraordinarily incredible; 26 years of real, total genius, winning an unprecedented 38 trophies overall!
13 English Premier League championships, 5 Football Association (FA) Cups, 4 Football League Cups, 2 European Champions League trophies, one each of Cup Winner’s Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, EUFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and 10 Football Association Charity/Community Shield championships.
Whew!  What an astronomical haul!  I am betting that no-one, but no-one, in the rest of history, will do that well.  Even the stock market reacted badly, MUFC’s shares falling slightly on the NYSE!  That is power!
But the crowning glory year for MUFC must be 1999, a year that had many other noted firsts too!  That was also the very same year when, for the very first time ever anywhere, “Wisden – Cric-Info”, the superlative cricket web-site, broadcast international cricket commentary, ball by ball,  over the world-wide-web, covering ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, with yours truly also included in the broadcast team!
I can also clearly remember where I was on Wednesday 26 May, 1999, when Manchester United beat German team Bayern Munich in Champions League Trophy Final, culminating that treble for “Red Devils”.
Scotland and West Indies were to meet the next day at Leicestershire’s cricket ground, Grace Road, where present Ireland head coach Phil Simmons played.  Few paid any attention to cricket stuff that afternoon!  We were all around televisions, all computers paused or completely downed, cricket journalistic work ignored, especially if you were a Man U supporter, as I was, and am.  That evening was absolute magic!
MUFC scored two goals in what is now known as “Fergie’s Time”, those last few minutes in any game where oppositions, even if ahead, relax enough to let United in.  What a game that was!
Several of Sir Alex’s MUFC “prodigies” have given open homage and total credit to their “father”.
David Beckham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Andy Cole, Paul Ince, Eric Cantona, Mark Hughes, Dwight Yorke, Gary Neville, Steve Bruce have all lauded  the man’s worth, bringing tears to eyes.
Few mothers have ever developed such talent.  Enjoy!

 

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