08 September 2023 , 17:39
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Former Fulham and West Ham star Tony Gale tried to wind up Sir Alex Ferguson, but was instead left in awe of the ex- Manchester United boss.
Gale played for West Ham for a decade between 1984 and 1994, making over 300 appearances for the club. The defender started his career with Fulham and helped Blackburn win the Premier League title in 1994/95 across a storied 21-year career.
He has recounted some of the anecdotes gathered over his time in the game in a new book, Tony Gale: That’s Entertainment. One involves Ferguson, who won over Gale with some classy behaviour during a tense time for United.
“In 2008, there was a remembrance dinner at Upton Park for former West Ham managers Ron Greenwood and John Lyall,” Gale writes. “Sir Alex Ferguson flew down from Manchester especially for it and I was in charge of introducing him.
“I started by saying: ‘Here he is. The man that must be fed up with us. We stopped him winning the title in 1992, when we were already relegated’ – then he sat down.
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“As he got up again, I carried on and said, ‘We also stopped them in the FA Cup when Fabian Barthez put his hand up appealing for offside and Paolo Di Canio went through and scored.’
“So Fergie sat down again. After a few more times, he got his white handkerchief out, waved it in the air and said ‘That’s enough, that’s enough’ and then came up and did his speech, which was brilliant.
The book is out now
Fergie led Manchester United to the title in 2008 (IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)“He got a standing ovation when he got up to do it and another when he finished. Fergie flew back the same evening as United were playing Wigan in the last game of the season to win the Premier League, which they did.
“To come down for the dinner, with all that going on that week, it showed the true colours of the man.”
Since retiring from football in 1998, Gale has made a name for himself in broadcasting. He has commentated on over 3,000 live games for the likes of Sky and Capital Gold and, having played alongside the likes of George Best, Bobby Moore and Rodney Marsh, he has plenty of stories to tell.