Ferguson reveals night he was arrested and jailed

Former Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson has recalled a time during his playing career that he was arrested and jailed for fighting.

The Scot, who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues during his time as Man Utd boss, also forged a relatively successful playing career as a forward, scoring 171 goals in 317 appearances at various Scottish clubs.

During his time at St Johnstone, where he was struggling to break into the first team at the time, Ferguson was fined £3 after being involved in a drunken fight during a night out.

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Speaking on a new documentary ‘Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In’ (via the Daily Record), the legendary former Man Utd boss has revealed how his behaviour led to him not speaking to his dad for two years.

Ferguson said: “I was getting despondent about football because I wasn’t a first-team player all the time.

“My career was going down the pan and I went off the rails a bit. I was going out in town and I started going out on Friday nights even, the day before a game.

“My dad would say ‘You can’t go to the dancing if you’ve got a game tomorrow.’

“That’s when we fell out. It got to a point where he said ‘Go your own way and we’ll see what happens,’ and then we weren’t talking to one another.

“For two years between 1961 and 1963, we didn’t talk.

“One night I went out and I got drunk and I ended up in a fight and ended up in jail. I went to court and got fined £3. I was a bit of a black sheep.

“That period has always been in the back of my head and I have always regretted it. Here’s me with the background and upbringing I had and I surrendered.”