Loyal Cathy was the best player on Fergie’s team

You don’t mess with Sir Alex Ferguson as anyone who has ever worked with him knows.

But I thought it said a lot about the man when he admitted on his retirement from Manchester United last week that it’s his wife Cathy (right) who is the secret of his success.

“At home she’s the boss,” said the most respected and feared man in British football.

Cathy, whom he met when he was working in the Govan shipyards, has been his wife for 47 years. They have three sons and 11 grandchildren and it’s Cathy who manages their family life with all the skill and energy her husband shows in the dressing rooms and on the pitch.

She’s the matriarch and when he comes home, no matter how tough the day has been, the man renowned for doling out the “hairdryer treatment” defers to his slim, feisty wife.

Cathy keeps him grounded.

Many men with demanding careers acknowledge it’s the woman behind the scenes who is the powerhouse behind their success.

It takes a special sort of woman to give her man the chance to shine while keeping family life ticking over.

Cathy Ferguson is that sort of woman. Down-to-earth, no airs or graces, always there to listen and help when her children or grandchildren need her.

She and Alex come from a solidly working-class background and their marriage is rooted in the stability that gives.

They have two luxurious homes, including a vineyard in France but neither have forgotten what it was like to eke out the wages to the end of the week.

My son David visited their home when he was dating Sir Alex’s niece Laura Ferguson and saw the trophies, sampled the vintage red wines and saw Man Utd play. But it was the homeliness when they sat round the table as a family, eating the food that Cathy cooked, that he remembers most.

And the fact that Mrs Ferguson is unquestionably the boss.

It’s taken a lifetime for her man to acknowledge the importance of her role in his success.

Fergie doesn’t pay fulsome compliments but his tribute this week comes from the heart.

“Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career” he said. “Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.”

Whether your partner is a superstar or just an ordinary person you happened to fall in love with it’s worth remembering that working together is what makes a team invincible.

It’s not the one who lifts the trophy who deserves all the plaudits. It’s those who helped make it happen.

And nobody knows that better than Mr Hairdryer himself.