How Fergie felt he was 'bombed out' of Rangers due to wife's religion
How Alex Ferguson felt he was ‘bombed out of Rangers’ because of his wife Cathy’s religion and regretted not standing up to bosses when they quizzed him on it
- Sir Alex Ferguson’s wife Lady Cathy has died aged 84, it was announced today
Sir Alex Ferguson can have few regrets in football, but he insists that he should have stood up to his Rangers bosses after they quizzed him about his wife’s religion when he signed for the club.
The former Manchester United manager’s wife Lady Cathy Ferguson, who was hailed as his ‘tower of strength’, died on Thursday aged 84, it was announced this afternoon.
The Glaswegian mother-of-three and grandmother to 12 was described by her husband as his ‘bedrock’, who had helped nurse him back to health after his stroke following his retirement after 26 years at the club in 2013. They were married for almost 60 years.
Lady Cathy – a devout Catholic – had been married to Sir Alex – a Protestant – since 1966, with the couple having met while they were both working at a typewriter factory in Glasgow – a city which was divided by sectarianism at the time.
In the 2021 documentary Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In – directed by their son Jason – the legendary manager said he felt he was ‘bombed out’ of Rangers because of his wife’s religion. He said he should have told the Rangers directors to ‘f*** off’ when they asked him about Cathy being a Catholic.
Lady Cathy Ferguson, wife of Sir Alex Ferguson, has died, the family announced this afternoon
Sir Alex Ferguson had only recently opened up about how he felt he was ‘bombed out’ of Rangers because of his wife’s religion
Despite Glasgow being strongly divided by religion, Sir Alex wanted to follow the example of his father, who himself had ‘broken a taboo’ by marrying a Catholic woman.
He said he didn’t say anything at the time of signing for Rangers in 1967 because he was desperate to play for the club he had supported while growing up in Govan, Glasgow.
Sir Alex said his memories of Rangers ‘weren’t very happy’ and he never played for the club again after being made a ‘scapegoat’ for the 1969 4-0 Scottish Cup final defeat by Celtic.
He said: ‘I was completely bombed out, training on my own. I can only assume it was because of Cathy being a Catholic. I’m sure of it.’
Sir Alex, who went on to become the most successful manager in English football by winning 49 trophies, explained in the documentary the rivalry between the two Glasgow clubs which was separated by religion.
‘Glasgow is a city where there is a divide. It’s Protestant and Catholic, Rangers and Celtic,’ he said.
‘I heard Rangers wanted to sign me and of course having supported Rangers as a boy and having lived 200 yards from the ground I was pretty excited about it.
‘I put on my best suit and went across to Ibrox. The big marble hall, it’s quite impressive. When I signed for Rangers, one of the directors asked me about Cathy.
In 2021 documentary Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, directed by their son Jason, Cathy revealed she had originally thought Sir Alex looked like a ‘thug’ before she softened on him and they went on a cinema date
Lady Cathy had been married to Sir Alex since 1966, with the couple having met while they were both working at a typewriter factory in Glasgow. They are seen on their wedding day
Cathy and Alex Ferguson – who were married for nearly 60 years – embrace each other in an undated photo
The couple pose for a photo with their first son, Mark. This photo was taken in 1968 when Sir Alex was playing for Falkirk
Manchester United shared this tribute to Lady Ferguson today, including a black and white photo of her with Sir Alex at a statue unveiling outside Old Trafford
‘He says, ”I have to ask you a question about your wife. I believe she is Catholic, were you married in a chapel?”. I said, ”No we got married in the registry office,” and he says, ”Oh, that’s OK”. I should have told him to f*** off. I really should have.
‘But having supported Rangers as a boy and having the opportunity to go out and play for Rangers, you are prepared to take nonsense. I let myself down there and I let my wife down – that was the most important thing – because she was a devout Catholic.’
READ MORE – Manchester United lead the world of football in tributes to Lady Cathy
In the film, Cathy also told of how she did not enjoy her husband’s time at Rangers either. She said: ‘We were different religions and it did cause problems. That’s the way it was then so we just said we would have a civil wedding in Glasgow registry office.
‘It was his boyhood dream come true (to sign for Rangers). My memories with Rangers weren’t very happy.’
The film, which was released in May 2021, tells the story of how Sir Alex feared he would never speak again and lose his memory following his near death experience when he had his stroke.
Cathy revealed in the documentary that she had originally thought Sir Alex looked like a ‘thug’ before she softened on him and they went on a cinema date.
She said: ‘I just saw him walking through and I thought he was a thug. Then I found out he was a footballer and that didn’t make him any different to me.
‘He bought me a box of Liquorice Allsorts at the movies, of which he ate all of them, and a local paper when we came out. That was my romantic day.’
After the couple moved on from a tough period at Rangers, Ferguson went on to win 13 Premier League championships, five FA Cups and two Champions League titles across 26 years at Manchester United.
Alex, Cathy and their three sons, Mark, Darren and Jason, with the European Cup winners cup trophy and the Scottish Cup trophy
The Glaswegian mother-of-three and grandmother to 12, was described by her husband as his ‘bedrock’. She is pictured last year
In 2002, Lady Cathy had been instrumental in convincing Ferguson to reverse his decision to retire at that point, going on to manage the club for a further 11 years before eventually calling time after the death of Cathy’s sister.
Recalling the conversation they had when he first tried to retire, Sir Alex said: ‘One, your health is good. Two, I’m not having you in the house. And three, you’re too young anyway.’
But in 2011 the United legend finally decided it was time to leave Old Trafford.
‘I won’t be managing here any more than three years at the very, very most. Without question. I can assure you of that,’ he said at the time.
‘You have to think about time for yourself. I think my wife deserves a bit of my time, too. The older you get, the more you feel guilty about it.
‘My wife, Cathy, was the one who talked me out of retiring last time but she wouldn’t do that now.’
When he retired as United manager in 2013, Sir Alex said: ‘My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.’
The Fergusons watching a football game together from the stands on September 8, 2022
The couple before the unveiling of a statue of Sir Alex at Old Trafford in 2012 (left) and at an event in 1996
The couple pose before a plaque announcing their presence at an unveiling of a statue of Sir Alex in Manchester
The Fergusons had three sons together – Mark, born in 1968, and twin boys Darren and Jason, born in 1972 – and 12 grandchildren. Darren is a football manager like his father.
Announcing Lady Cathy’s death today, the Ferguson family said: ‘We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing yesterday of Lady Cathy Ferguson, survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.’
United said today: ‘Everyone at Manchester United sends our heartfelt condolences to Sir Alex Ferguson and his family on the passing of Lady Cathy. Lady Cathy was a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a tower of strength for Sir Alex throughout his career.’
Flags have been lowered to half mast at Old Trafford. United will wear black armbands for their game against Brentford tomorrow, with the women’s team expected to have them on tonight when they play Arsenal.
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