Ferguson will celebrate an incredible 25 years in the Old Trafford hot-seat on Sunday, having long since established himself as the most successful British manager of all time. He retains a fierce hunger for success and confirmed yesterday he has no immediate plans to retire, even though he will turn 70 on New Year's Eve. But Vidic claims Ferguson has a softer side too, and he ensures his players always feel good about themselves. "The most important thing he gives to players is confidence," said Vidic. "He believes in them. He trusts them. "When you have a hard time, he is always there for you. This is what helped me, especially in the first six months. "He helps players move from the bad times and we all have them. "Obviously, with the experience he has and the trophies he has won, it doesn't take me to say how important he is to this club." Ferguson is also willing to have a joke, knowing exactly when to put his game head on again. "Sometimes he can be really hard, sometimes he can be nice," said Vidic. "This is the thing. He always knows how he should act with the players. That is why I think he is a great manager." Ferguson has described his time at United as "a fairytale". "It is a bit of a fairytale to last so long," he said. "It has been a fantastic spell for me. It is something you don't think is going to happen and I appreciate that." Over the past couple of weeks, huge numbers of scribes have attempted to select Ferguson's Greatest XI. The task is virtually impossible given the huge number of star players who have been through United's doors since Ferguson began the quest to "knock Liverpool off their perch", something he finally achieved last May. "When I look back I say to myself how fortunate I am to have had these players," he said. "The list is incredible, going back to the very start with Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside, Brian McClair, (Mark) Hughes, (Paul) Ince, (Roy) Keane, (Eric) Cantona. What a collection of players. They were fantastic players. "It is hard to think I controlled all these players for so long. "Now to the present era of players we see today, different personalities and different cultures." Inevitably followed the question no-one knows the answer to, least of all Ferguson. How long can he go on? "I will continue as long as I feel healthy enough to do it."
