[ad_1]
The famous owners of the 1992 clbad of SALFORD CITY sang the clbadic Dirty Old Town in a London boozer after their superb triumph in the Wembley promotion.
Manchester United legends David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Gary and Phil Neville were partying after defeating AFC Fylde 3-0 in the May National League final.
4
4
Paul Scholes was the only former United star who could not attend the game or the celebrations that followed.
Graham Alexander said, "We all ended up in a pub. I had no idea where he was, except somewhere in London, because we had already had a few beers.
"There was a group of three musicians playing and we were all there, the owners, the staff, the players.
"David, Gary, Phil, Ryan and Nicky were so happy.
"They drank beer with the guys, congratulated everyone and praised our performance. Then they all joined us when we started singing.
"And they interpreted Dirty Old Town well. It was brilliant. "
The song – made famous by the Dubliners – was written by Kirsty MacColl's father, Ewan, about his hometown, Salford, and is sung by fans on the terraces of Moor Lane.
Alexander, 47, took the reins of the team last summer after the promotion of the club in the National League.
And the former head of Fleetwood and Scunthorpe said, "When I met Gary last summer, he told me how important the fans and locals of Salford are to the owners and their vision to bring this club into the Football League. The committee, which was at the club prior to the 1992 clbad promotion, is still there and participating in everything we do.
4
"They ran the club on the back of a book note and are the cornerstone of the club.
"This season we will have the cheapest tickets in EFL because we want this club to be for people.
"It was clarified when I came here.
"They said we had ambition but we wanted to do it with these people.
"We have a hallway in the stadium that displays homeowners' quotes of what Salford is and what it means."
Alexander admits that he had to think seriously before engaging in a non-league when he was approached.
He won Fleetwood Town's promotion to League One, but lost his job at Scunthorpe last March, when he was fifth in League One.
He said: "Last season was only second place in Salford as a full-time club.
"So there was a lot of work to do to help the club grow, to continue to professionalize everything, to form a winning team and to get promoted.
"My career since the age of 16 was the Football League and above.
"It was not a level at which I had considered working, but it is a unique and ambitious club.
"They did not just have a plan and a structure to climb but to go even further.
"At the same time, they were focused on the league in which they were, without any illusion of greatness."
CENTER OF ATTENTION
Alexander and his players have had to face something unique in the low levels of football: being in the limelight. The televised documentary "Clbad of 92: Out of Their League" has been in existence for four years now and the cameras are constantly documenting daily events in Salford.
When Becks attended his first game in Salford against Dover last season, this created a frenzy of interest.
But Alexander, 47, said it was not a problem and that his players had adopted it.
He added, "I have never experienced anything like this, so I'm worried.
"I had never seen a television camera filming us in the locker room, so I was cautious about that in the beginning.
"But the production team was respectful of our work environment and kept in the background.
"On one occasion, the cameras were with us, I watched the players to see where they were looking and see if there was any distraction. There was none. I really thought it was the norm for them because a lot of players had been with us in previous seasons.
"They were used to the spotlight and the unique character of Salford. It did not affect them, not in a negative way.
"And meeting players who play a leading role and play at the highest level in the back gives players a positive feeling. It's inspiring.
"There is a balance to find. You do not want them to be too bright and forget about their work because they are there to win games. "
Alexander played in the top four divisions of English football – and only 18 players in the football world made more appearances than the 1,025 that he competed for Scunthorpe, Luton, Preston, Burnley and Scotland.
And it's ironic that the midfielder – who was also playing on the right-back – made his Premier League debut with Burnley in August 2009 at age 37 against a United team made up of Giggs, who was 35 years old. Both players led their team to Turf Moor in a match the Clarets won 1-0.
When Alexander became Burnley's captain at Old Trafford later in the season, Gary Neville was United's skipper.
And that's not all, because against Everton later in the season, the Toffees were commissioned by Phil Neville.
Alexander said, "None of us would ever have imagined working together.
"The match against Turf Moor against United was Burnley's first at home in the Premier League and Robbie Blake scored for the goal.
"Giggsy said on leaving, we had to be the two oldest captains to face in the history of the Premier League because we had a combined age of 72!
"At Old Trafford, Gary and I were captains. I also played against Scholesy in the middle of the field and we traded jerseys at the end. I did not play against Beckham and I also missed the match against Nicky Butt, who had left for Newcastle, who had been relegated. "
4
Alexander is also an ideal model for Salford players, as his career has continued until he was 39 years old.
And the secret of a long and successful career comes down to two things: "luck and love".
He said: "Luck because you have to be free of any injury and love because you have to love to play.
"I tried to add something to my training program every year from the age of 30. Instead of taking a step back, I did more.
"I've never lost that feeling of when I was ten years old and I wanted to play football with his pals."
And how he would like to lead Salford to another dream promotion this season and be serenely serenaded again by the clbad of boys in the 92 category.
[ad_2]
Source link
