A Quote by Edwin van der Sar

I remember that, often, Mike Phelan would just nip down to the touchline for a message to one or two players. It was usually just a tactical thing. But when Sir Alex comes to the touchline, all the players know that it's serious stuff.
As players we don't want to be sitting on the touchline or watching the games in the directors' box. That is no fun.
If we are going to win games, we need 11 fit players. Sir Alex Ferguson does not pick half-fit players.
I see it every week - parents shouting and screaming at kids. My dad was the same. He was always there, but he never interfered. Ron Greenwood, who was the manager of West Ham when I was a kid, wouldn't allow any parent to shout from the touchline. He thought players should be allowed to think for themselves.
If you want a measure of how private a place the dressing room was when I was growing up at Manchester United, consider this: even Sir Alex Ferguson would knock before coming into the dressing room at the Cliff, the old training ground. The dressing room is for the players - and the players only.
It is important that Manchester United keeps its identity. Their heritage is to produce and develop players, something that started with Sir Matt and continued with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Steve Jobs has a saying that A players hire A players; B players hire C players; and C players hire D players. It doesn't take long to get to Z players. This trickle-down effect causes bozo explosions in companies.
I try to dress well. Not just now at Chelsea, but all my career, at my clubs and the national team in Italy, I like to wear a nice suit on the touchline.
During the Sir Alex Ferguson years, you would see all those great players - Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo, to name just a few - and you'd quickly realise why Old Trafford had an aura like nowhere else.
Beyond the touchline there is nothing.
There are some people who might have better technique than me, and some may be fitter than me, but the main thing is tactics. With most players, tactics are missing. You can divide tactics into insight, trust, and daring. In the tactical area, I think I just have more than most other players.
The US Open flag eliminates a lot of players. Some players just weren't meant to win the US Open. Quite often, they know it.
To be honest my first memories are getting to know players. I remember being on the bus probably like 3, 4, 5 years old, and my dad would always say go sit with the players in the back.
I've played lacrosse players, football players, basketball players. I think that's just because of how I'm built. I look young, and I'm also a big person.
There's a lot of players who you can pick up some stuff from, not just only full-backs or defenders. Even training with the top players every week you can get good things from all of them.
I keep saying, and I've said it to the players, what happens in a dressing room stays in a dressing room, whether that's with me and a player, whether it's two players together, whether it's the coaching staff and the players. I just think it's almost a sacred environment and that trust in that area is unbreakable.
Deep down, your players must know you care about them. This is the most important thing. I could never get away with what I do if the players feel I didn't care for them. They know, in the long run, I'm in their corner.
This site uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. More info...
Got it!