Postby JoKeR1980 » May 1st, 2010, 12:38 pm
I always love Evra's interviews
Patrice Evra thinks Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will carry on in football until he "dies on the bench".
GettyImages
Patrice Evra says Sir Alex Ferguson will be around for many years to come
Evra says Ferguson told the players rumours about his impending retirement were rubbish and that he will be around for many years to come.
The French full back told the Daily Mail: "The manager will die on the bench. It is his destiny." Evra went on to explain that Ferguson called a meeting to refute reports that he was prepared to walk away from Old Trafford.
"It was before a game. He just started talking about how people had been saying he was going to retire. And he asked us if we seriously thought he would just be sitting in his house watching the TV, listening to the radio and doing nothing.
"He said, 'No chance. I have worked all my life and I will work until I die'. For a moment he laughed. And then he said, 'This is my victory. I cannot walk away from this'.
"Before a game he always tells a small story. Sometimes he talks about when he was the Aberdeen manager. Another time he went round the dressing room and talked about the different players.
"The fact that here we were, from Korea, France, Serbia, Bulgaria, from different parts of England and the world, and how we had all come together to be in the same place. He talked about our stories. The different obstacles we had overcome to get here. It gave the players this huge lift."
Evra reveals that Ferguson is still prepared to unleash the hair dryer treatment - something the 28-year-old discovered in only his first game for the club, against rivals Manchester City.
"He took me off after 45 minutes. I could tell he was angry. He just looked at me, deadly serious, and said, 'Mr Evra, now just watch and see what is English football. And learn'."
He added: "Alex Ferguson is a culture. And he is a winner. Football is like a pyramid. To reach the top is easy. It is staying there that is difficult. He does not let you rest. He is always hungry for the next game.
"I remember one match when we were winning 2-0 by half-time and he still gave us the hair-dryer because we should have been four or five up. He reminded us that people had paid money to watch us. 'Why don't you respect them?' he screamed.
"He demands the highest standards. If you play a good game for United, you sit on the bench. Only if you play an amazing game do you stay in the team. Those are the rules and the players accept them."
Evra also revealed that his close friend Carlos Tevez "still loves United", despite playing for their bitter rivals Manchester City.
"When he was playing for us he was such a professional," he said. "He played with his heart. I know him. I still go to his house and I know he still loves United. I don't want to make a problem for him with City, but it suited his identity here.
"Even when he wasn't playing, he would come on and change the game. He would always fight. I tell him he should still be with us. If, one day, he wins the championship and the Champions League with City, I will say, 'Fine, you made a good move, Carlito'. But until then... I just speak the truth."
