Sir Alex Ferguson‘s immeasurable impact on the game of football has gone down in history and will never be forgotten.
But the great man has now officially made an impact in an area he may not have expected to during his glittering career – the English language.
As reported in The Mirror, the phrase ‘squeaky bum time’ coined by Sir Alex, has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Sir Alex first uttered the phrase when putting pressure on Arsenal’s end to the 2003 season, suggesting that Arsene Wenger’s side would have to get through high pressured games and moments, if they were going to end up winning the Premier League title.
The Oxford English Dictionary announced the phrase is now officially recognised in their quarterly update.
The official definition reads; Noun. squeaky bum time. Chiefly, an exciting part of a sporting event, particularly the final moments of a close game or season.
Ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, squeaky-bum time is one of fifteen football phrases added to the OED.
Sir Alex’s rival and former United manager Jose Mourinho‘s famous ‘park the bus’ statement has also been officially recognised and defined as; ‘To play in a very defensive way, typically by having the majority of outfield players close to their own goal and showing little attacking intent.’
The 13 other phrases associated with football that have been included are: Cruyff turn, Rabona, Panenka, total football, Gegenpressing, tiki-taka, false nine, row Z, top-scoring, outfield, over the top, Trequartista and zonal marking.
Sir Alex’s sides were famous for their performances in the squeaky bum time period, holding their nerve in games and title races to make Fergie the most decorated manager in the history of English football.
Erik Ten Hag is now in charge of the ship that Ferguson shaped and the Dutch manager will be hoping to come through many squeaky bum time periods in his time at Old Trafford.
The Dutch manager will be desperate to redeliver the success the club has missed since the retirement of Sir Alex and after five wins in his last six domestic games, signs are there he is beginning to imprint himself on the club.
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