Alex Ferguson was hanging out at MSNBC this morning, chatting with former Republican congressman and current TV presenter Joe Scarborough.
Just another day in the life of the retired Fergie, so...
Joe is a big Liverpool fan, a fact he mentioned approximately 7,000 times in the course of the 23 minute discussion.
Fergie has become good at listening to compliments since his retirement and he had to do more of that here.
However, the host also compared him to Donald Trump, a comparison with which Ferguson looked a touch uncomfortable.
When the Rafa question popped up, Fergie chose that moment to put the dampener on one of the biggest Fergie myths.
The question of mind games. No one is quite sure what are 'mind games'.
From this review, they appear to be just unsubtle jabs at opponents which subsequently acquired great significance after Manchester United won. As if they were all part of some oblique masterplan.
Ferguson admits the whole 'mind games' bullshit was overrated.
I was always in control. I always made sure I came out the winner in the press conference. And the time with Rafa, the sheet of paper roll with his objections to myself and the club. It killed them. I didn't need to say anything after that. I just said 'well, he must be troubled'.
The remembered ringing the manager of Aston Villa one Saturday morning when we played them. It was just a question about tickets or something. And in five minutes he rang me back and said 'what did you really mean?' So, I got this reputation for mind games and from time to time, you did use them but most of the time it was overrated.
Other topics were the England football team (too much pressure because of the press), Cristiano Ronaldo (best player he ever managed), David Beckham ('what made him was his great desire').
And he was asked about David Moyes, a subject on which he had nothing enlightening to say.
