November 6, 1986 is a day that surely no Manchester United fan will ever forget – the day Alex Ferguson stepped into Old Trafford and revolutionised the team.

The man is a legend. He has made United the club they are today and, in my opinion, no other manager could have achieved what he has done.

Fergie has won almost everything – the Champions League, nine Premiership titles, five FA Cups, the Leagues Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup, European Super Cup and World Club Championship. He lifted United from the ground and slowly formed a theme, a culture that would make them the deadliest team of the ’90s. His love for the club is second to none and he has always been willing to give it all to ensure that United remain at the top. His joy and celebrations after every goal show the love he has for the game.

It was not all success from the start – the first trophy, the FA Cup triumph after a replay against Crystal Palace, did not come along until 1990, and there had even been whispers about Ferguson being sacked. But the club kept faith and it paid off with United's first league title in 26 years – inspired by Eric Cantona's  arrival from Leeds.

Ferguson has shown over the years that he never backs out of a hard decision, and throughout his career he has taken some dramatic, yet very crucial ones. The sale of Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes are some of those that many United fans will remember.

But his eye for talent and his ability to nurture young players was rewarded when David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt came through into a team led by Roy Keane. How could anyone ever have doubted that Fergie was the right man for the job? The sale of other players, such as Jaap Stam, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy, were all very tough calls, but new talent was brought in and more success followed.

The manager has always stuck to his philosophy that young talent is what makes a team successful, most evidently when he replied to Alan Hansen’s jibe, “You don't win anything with kids,” by winning the the league and FA Cup double for a second time in three seasons.

His style of football has made United one of the best teams to watch and a side loved and supported by fans from around the world. A lot of credit has to go to him because of the way he formed the team. The fast, deadly attacking style of football that only Arsenal have recently been able to play paved the way for United's fame,

His mind games through the media have always been part of his character and the most notable one was the psychological effect he had on Kevin Keegan, which famously caused Newcastle to fall apart and allowed United to win the title. His man-management and hairdryer treatments have enforced discipline in the team and also brought the best out of the players.

I would like to thank you Sir Alex Ferguson for your 21 years at the greatest club in the world, Manchester United, and I hope you will be with us for many years to come. You are up there with the very best, and probably the best in England. I waited three years to go to Old Trafford and it was dream come true when the great man signed my shirt among the many fans that were around after the Sunderland match on September 1, 2007.

Is Fergie the greatest ever boss? Greater than Busby, Paisley, Shankly, Bill Nicholson? Give your verdict below or write a Sportingo article about your choice.