Sir Alex Ferguson almost sacked Mike Phelan for balloon incident | OneFootball

It’s no secret that Manchester United’s legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a ruthless streak. You’d have to be crazy if you were willing to get on the wrong side of the fiery, intimidating Scot.

If Ferguson felt that an individual at the club was becoming a negative influence or getting too big for their boots, that was it: they were done at Old Trafford. The likes of Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy are among the legendary players who left the Greater Manchester outfit after falling out with Fergie.

The ex-United boss always ensured that he was the main man at Old Trafford – and so he should, given that he led them to their most prominent glory days, most notably their iconic treble-winning season in 1999. Ferguson always had his reasons for getting rid of an individual, although it would have been incredibly harsh had Mike Phelan been relieved of his duties in the dugout all for popping a balloon back during a fixture in 2008.

Phelan made Ferguson jump out of his skin

The Scot was not best pleased

You’ve probably seen the now-infamous clip on multiple occasions over the past 14 years – but that doesn’t make it any less amusing each time you watch it. The moment was caught on camera by Sky Sports and has continued doing the rounds among football’s funniest moments ever since – and now, over a decade down the line, surely Fergie can see the funny side?

Manchester United travelled to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. What Ferguson - the most decorated manager in football history - would have been expecting was a hard-fought contest between the two Premier League greats, not to jump out of his skin because of his right-hand man’s moment of hilarity.

A rogue yellow balloon floated over to the away dugout before Phelan burst it instantly as a means of ensuring it didn't get in the way of Ferguson and the other staff members' view of the on-field action. In doing so, he left Ferguson jumping out of his skin, who then duly ushered some expletives - “F*** off!” he screamed towards his assistant. It will, simply, never get old!

The rest of the dugout – Phelan included - managed to see the funny side of the scare as they eagerly watched on and even some offered a little giggle, while Ferguson opted to issue a stern telling off instead. Watch the classic incident:

Ferguson nearly sacked Phelan afterwards

Phelan: ‘I nearly lost my job’

All jokes and reminiscing aside, did you know that Ferguson apparently almost sacked Phelan over the incident? Speaking to the UTD Podcast, the former assistant manager explained how the balloon caught his undying attention and that his little prank nearly got him in heaps of trouble – even to the point where he was on the cusp of being sacked by Fergie.

During the game, Phelan insisted he didn’t think much of it, merely admitting that ‘it was funny’, which makes it all the purer. Only later did the now 61-year-old realise the extent of what he had done and the traction it was picking up – most likely another aspect that would have irked Ferguson.

Phelan then backed up his notion of his job loss scare in a Q&A session with the Manchester Football Association in 2020, admitting that, despite the incident making him an online sensation, he feared that his days at Old Trafford were eerily numbered.

Fortunately, Phelan kept his job and went on to help United lift several more trophies under Ferguson, who eventually called time on his illustrious managerial career in 2013. But that was the last time he would ever dare to think about popping a balloon next to the great man.