Thirty years ago today (Sunday), Manchester United confirmed the name of the club's new manager - Alex Ferguson, the firebrand boss who had won the European Cup Winners' Cup and every major trophy in Scotland with Aberdeen. Here's the story of how Martin Edwards, then the Reds' chairman, engineered arguably the most pivotal appointment in the history of British football...
In the autumn of 1986, Manchester United were languishing in the top flight’s relegation zone - a year after being apparent shoo-ins for the league title. With the club’s demands of excellence scarcely realised since Sir Matt Busby’s abdication, the board of directors recognised the time for change had again arrived.