Sir Alex Ferguson Brought Himself On In Friendly, Was Sent Off Immediately

Sir Alex Ferguson was prone to losing his head, whether it be at players or officials. After all, the phrase "hairdryer treatment" was pretty much invented because of him.

He was given 17 touchline bans in 26 years as Manchester United manager but our favourite story about Fergie having a rush of blood came during his time as manager at St Mirren.

St Mirren was Ferguson's second managerial job after his short stint in charge of East Stirlingshire.

In 1976, Ferguson, having only retired from football a couple of years prior, took his St Mirren team on a three-week pre-season tour of the Caribbean.

Image: PA

As per Thore Haugstad, writing in Four Four Two, the trip came about because former chairman Harold Currie, had business links in the trading of whisky.

But it wasn't just a big three-week bender for Fergie's men as they participated in some friendly games, one being against the Guyana national team ahead of a big World Cup qualifier that was on the horizon.

The story goes that the Guyana team were not taking it easy at all, their centre-half being very rough and ready with the Saints' young Robert Torrance - something that angered Ferguson and prompted him to remonstrate with the referee from the touchline.

Image: PA

When Torrance was done in again by the same player just before half-time, Fergie's head went and he wanted a piece of the defender.

"That's it, I'm coming on," Ferguson told his right-hand man David Provan.

"That big bastard is taking liberties."

Provan and Ferguson had both been kitted as substitutes for a laugh but now that things had got real, the former Rangers wanted in and would not let his assistant stop him from doing so.

He entered the fray and when the next cross came in, Ferguson exacted "a bit of revenge" on the defender, leaving him "squealing" - according to the man himself.

Image: PA

When they went at it again, Ferguson left it on the centre-back one more time and the referee swiftly gave him his marching orders.

After the game, Fergie, still an extremely young manager at the time, told his players to keep tight-lipped about what had happened and they obliged.

That wasn't the only time Fergie brought himself on in a friendly over in the Caribbean. In 1987, in the middle of his first full season as United manager, the Red Devils played Bermuda and a 45-year old Ferguson, along with his assistant Archie Knox, 40, were introduced for the final 25 minutes.

According to Yahoo Sports, Knox scored a 35-yard screamer for the final goal of the game, while Ferguson, comfortably the oldest player on the pitch, went close with a header in a 4-2 victory.