---
title: "Ferguson's ruthless trust"
author: "Tactics Journal"
date: 2026-11-09T06:00:36-05:00
categories: ["Morning"]
url: https://tacticsjournal.com/morning/2026/11/09/
---

# Ferguson's ruthless trust

Good morning and welcome to the international break.

In today's email:

• Simplify\
• Michael Carrick on Sir Alex Ferguson's ruthlessness and making every player want to please him

---

**TACTICALLY INTERESTING**

*Teams and games I am following.*

**Yesterday**

- Atleti 1-2 Barça
- Inter 2-0 Como 1907
- Man United 4-4 Aston Villa
- Sunderland 1-0 Chelsea
- Twente 2-2 Ajax

- [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/08/manchester-united-aston-villa-premier-league-match-report): Dorgu rescues point for Manchester United in eight-goal thriller against Aston Villa — Does this late, late comeback draw keep Michael Carrick in his job?

---

## [Simplify](https://tacticsjournal.com/2026/11/08/simplify.md)

I'm getting a lot of inspiration lately from people who create things that are simple.

They aren't trying to do everything, they are trying to do one thing well.

It is hard to fight the urge to do more.

It is way easier and, in some ways, more fun to make something that people love that is easy to maintain. You can do something you love and it is simple.

For this reason, I don't fault those who focus so heavily on corners.

[Share](https://tacticsjournal.com/2026/11/08/simplify.md) · [Comment](https://tacticsjournal.com/community/?post=2192ab768d8dc4d3877842a8b2d5b4a3)

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## [Michael Carrick on Sir Alex Ferguson's ruthlessness and making every player want to please him](https://tacticsjournal.com/2026/11/08/michael-carrick-on-sir-alex-ferguson-s-ruthlessness-and-making-every-player-want-to-please-him.md)

[Manchester United manager Michael Carrick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z940mj86Vxs&t=328s):

> Yeah, I mean, there's a real balance to it actually, because it wasn't always a nice experience. Now everyone looks back and goes, wasn't it fantastic and wasn't it great with all the players.
>
> He wasn't nice always. He was supportive and he would push you, but it wasn't nice. But you always felt the trust and the respect from him. For whatever reason, you were desperate to please him and you wanted to do well for him.
>
> From the football side and on the pitch side, it was pretty ruthless, to be honest, and it had to be. That's why he built the teams that he did, because he was ruthless.
>
> He speaks to me about why he signed me a little bit, because he knows I moved away from home at 15. In terms of the character, he knew my upbringing, my family, kind of where I was from, what that meant.
>
> So there was a real backstory and underpinned understanding of each player: where they come from, what made them tick, did they have something in them where they could survive adversity or overcome a challenge.
>
> I think sometimes it's not till later on you understand that. But in the moment, he just found a way of pretty much every player I've come across wanting to please him, which in the end is the genius of leadership.

The best coaches or managers of players will be the hardest on the players they believe should be better. They can’t always be your friend to be in that role.

[Share](https://tacticsjournal.com/2026/11/08/michael-carrick-on-sir-alex-ferguson-s-ruthlessness-and-making-every-player-want-to-please-him.md) · [Comment](https://tacticsjournal.com/community/?post=5d418de3be32a08c51f53f3c3b0c36d4)

---

**POLL**

Should a manager prioritise ruthlessness over being liked by players to build a winning team?

- [Yes, ruthlessness comes first](https://tacticsjournal.com/api/poll/2026-11-09?vote=0)
- [Balance both equally](https://tacticsjournal.com/api/poll/2026-11-09?vote=1)
- [No, being liked matters more](https://tacticsjournal.com/api/poll/2026-11-09?vote=2)

Tap a choice to vote. The result is shown on the page.

---

Sponsored by [Board](https://board.tacticsjournal.com): The minimal tactics board that is *yours.*

---

**NEWS**

- [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/08/atletico-madrid-barcelona-la-liga-match-report): Barcelona move clear at the top after Fermín López’s double stuns Atlético Madrid
- [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/08/crystal-palace-pierre-sage-thomas-frank-main-candidate-manager-selhurst-park): Crystal Palace poised to sack Pierre Sage and target Frank after Liverpool defeat — Frenchman under pressure after four successive defeats
- [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/08/michael-carrick-denies-risk-manchester-united-sack-aston-villa-premier-league-draw): ‘I expect to move forward’: Carrick denies risk of Manchester United sack — ‘Is there?’ manager retorts when told of talk over position
- [The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7764812/2026/11/08/matheus-cunha-manchester-united-relegation-zone/): Matheus Cunha says Manchester United squad 'need to look at themselves' with club in drop zone — Michael Carrick’s side go into the international break in the Premier League’s bottom three after Sunday's 4-4 draw vs Aston Villa.
- [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/08/crystal-palace-liverpool-premier-league-match-report): Wirtz provides quality as Liverpool leave Crystal Palace propping up table — Florian Wirtz had timed his run as Liverpool broke up the right and Bradley Barcola’s low pull back was made to measure.

---

**RECOMMENDED READING**

*Everything published yesterday by the writers I follow*

- [A scorer ranking weights each goal, assist and second assist by game state, timing and difficulty](https://abseits.at/fusball-in-osterreich/bundesliga/abseits-at-scorerwertung-der-effizienz-2026-27-12-spieltag) — Goalscorer, assist and scorer lists are not always an indicator of a player's true value.
- [Palmeiras player Marlon Freitas gave up the fifth penalty to Giay, who asked for it in the huddle](https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/palmeiras/noticia/2026/11/08/marlon-freitas-explica-por-que-nao-bateu-quinto-penalti-do-palmeiras-contra-o-vasco.ghtml) — It was at the moment of choosing.
- [Vasco coach Pedro Emanuel picks only the first five penalty takers and lets players decide the rest](https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/vasco/noticia/2026/11/08/pedro-emanuel-analisa-eliminacao-do-vasco-na-copa-do-brasil.ghtml) — We set the first five, and from there it would be each player's moment.
- [Daring Fireball](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/06/us/politics/chinese-spy-agency-nvidia-jensen-huang.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O1E.DRyO.9mNcxhaxhtlI): Jensen Huang Betrayed Nvidia, Not Just His Family — John Rizzo, an Nvidia spokesman, said that the company does not share classified information with its customers, and that customers do not ask Nvidia to press the U.S.
- [Christian Selig](https://christianselig.com/2026/11/iphone-duo-is-fun/): The iPhone Duo is fun — By a mile, the iPhone Duo has garnered more questions about what I think about it than any other phone I’ve ever had.
- [Palmeiras budgets each season as if it will only reach the quarterfinals of both cups](https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/palmeiras/noticia/2026/11/08/palmeiras-garante-r-34-milhoes-com-vaga-na-final-da-copa-do-brasil-e-aumenta-arrecadacao-no-ano.ghtml) — Palmeiras reaching the finals of the Conmebol Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil will give the club's accounts a boost.
- [Hansi Flick planned to play Frenkie de Jong at right back for 15 minutes, then move him up](https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/flick-sprak-voor-zege-op-atletico-met-joker-de-jong-over-rol-bij-barcelona) — I asked him whether he was able to play as a right back.
- [Net defensive g+ credits defenders for interrupting actions, minus the value allowed through their zones](https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2026/11/8/2026-mls-end-of-season-awards-ballot) — Matt Turner put up the highest g+ of any goalkeeper in the ASA dataset at nearly 16 goals prevented on the 60 xG he faced, a truly incredible season.
- [Daring Fireball](https://ourcal.com/?utm_source=daringfireball&utm_medium=sponsorship&utm_content=post-thankyou): OurCal — My thanks to OurCal for sponsoring last week at DF.
- [Daring Fireball](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/08/technology/nvidia-investigation-jensen-huang-china.html?unlocked_article_code=1.O1E.Soow.6UjrM7Ch-C8L): Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Was Banging a Chinese Spy, Who Was Feeding Information Back to Beijing
- [Christian Selig](https://christianselig.com/2026/11/iphone-duo-early-review/): iPhone Duo early review — By a mile, the iPhone Duo has garnered more questions about what I think about it than any other phone I’ve ever had.
- [Referee Joey Kooij says he should have waited a few seconds before stopping a live attack for a VAR check](https://www.voetbalzone.nl/nieuws/joey-kooij-pakt-eigen-collega-aan-onthult-inhoud-gesprek-met-var-tijdens-fc-twente-ajax/blta4267b82b0429bcb) — I heard from the VAR that he had reviewed a possible penalty, a handball in Twente's penalty area.
- [Referee Joey Kooij says play should not have been stopped for a VAR check during FC Twente's attack](https://www.voetbalprimeur.nl/nieuws/2156622/joey-kooij-over-fout-bij-fc-twente-ajax.html) — I hear from the VAR that he is looking back at a possible penalty.
- [Manuel Moreale — Everything Feed](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/the-web-used-to-belong-somewhere): The web used to belong somewhere — There are a couple of related ideas I found myself writing about here and there, either on the IRC server or on Quxnet.
- [Referee Danny Makkelie changed his corner to a penalty on his assistant's word](https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/makkelie-komt-met-uitleg-over-veelbesproken-moment-bij-heerenveen-feyenoord) — I saw a cross coming in, a defender making a sliding tackle, a ball going out behind… At first I thought it was a corner, but the assistant was so convinced: handball, penalty.
- [An arm sliding along the grass in a tackle is not a support arm under the handball law](https://www.voetbalzone.nl/nieuws/danny-makkelie-verschijnt-gedecideerd-voor-camera-na-sc-heerenveen-feyenoord-ik-sta-hier-om/blt416a9789652e6c4d) — At first I thought: corner kick.
- [Referee Danny Makkelie gave a penalty he could not see because his assistant was sure](https://www.voetbalprimeur.nl/nieuws/2156531/danny-makkelie-geeft-tekst-en-uitleg-over-feyenoord-penalty.html) — I see a cross coming in and a defender making a sliding tackle.
- [PSV gives its academy coaches individual development plans with one-, two- and three-year targets](https://nosotrosxp.com/entretien-avec-colin-bergmans) — That said, progression isn't just about moving up an age group.
- [Lech Poznań midfielder Pablo Rodriguez uses a hyperbaric chamber at home before sleeping after late matches](https://weszlo.com/dwa-garaze-i-grounding-tak-wyglada-zycie-pablo-rodrigueza) — Przegląd Sportowy revealed that before the player arrived in Greater Poland, he had his own requirements.
- [Legia Warsaw coach Marek Papszun moves academy players out of junior football and into senior leagues](https://weszlo.com/papszun-juz-szykuje-go-do-debiutu-legia-moze-miec-perelke-na-lata) — Then people say that Legia has no academy graduates, that it doesn't bring them through.
- [The strongest stadium proposals answer the same five questions from the start](https://www.calcioefinanza.it/2026/11/08/stadi-italia-euro-2032-opportunita-economiche) — Hospitality seats make up a relatively small share of total capacity, but they generate a disproportionately high percentage of match-day revenue.
- [South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane used veteran player Themba Zwane to help him assess young players](https://africasoccer.com/mosimane-urged-to-make-honesty-the-standard-for-bafana-bafana) — “It was a bit difficult for the forward line,” he said.
- [Real Madrid's Bernabéu debt repayments equal about half the new revenue the stadium brings in](https://www.calcioefinanza.it/2026/11/08/real-madrid-monte-ingaggi-record-707-milioni) — Almost all of the debt, amounting to €1,347 million, is linked to the renovation work on the Santiago Bernabéu.

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Previous post: [Simplify](https://tacticsjournal.com/2026/11/08/simplify.md)

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