The Guardian:
Sir Alex Ferguson has given a rare insight into his private life by revealing his passion for cooking Chinese meals, studying American history and listening to Scottish music on his iPod. The Manchester United manager also says his list of celebrity friends now extends beyond Mick Hucknall and Gordon Ramsay to the prime minister-in-waiting, Gordon Brown.
Ferguson, a staunch Labour supporter, reveals that Brown shares his interest in the politics and history of the United States, particularly the assassination of John F Kennedy. "Gordon sent me 35 CDs on it, which was brilliant of him," he said. "I've got about seven books by the side of my bed and I have JFK's autopsy report. I also have a brand new copy of the Warren Report signed by [the former US president] Gerald Ford, which is the only one he signed, so it's one of a kind."
"I was into cooking a great deal and I could do most things. In terms of what you see nowadays I would be lost, but I can still do a good pasta or a Chinese.
"I've been in Gordon Ramsay's restaurant and his office where he speaks to all the chefs in the morning. He's fine, Gordon. The problem with being a perfectionist is that it must be terrible to think about dropping even a fraction. In football there is room for error in a 38-game programme but if he has one bad meal in 38 he could lose business and his reputation. I think that's what keeps the real rough edge on Gordon."
He talked about music, saying his grandson Jake had helped to program his iPod. "Sixties stuff, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole. I've also got a lot of Mick Hucknall and there is Wee Andy Webber's Scottish Medley. You've got to keep your Scottish identity, haven't you?" Of his love of films he said: "We go to the cinema almost every week. Cathy and I go to the early show at around five o'clock. I get my pick'n'mix and my hot dog and ice cream. Cathy says I'm a pig."
He was asked if anything, or anyone, made him nervous. "Nothing really. I think the only time I have felt unsettled is in the Queen's company. There is a certain order about it and you are on your toes."
Ferguson was offered the knighthood after winning the treble in 1999 but he had to think long and hard before accepting. "Cathy was uncomfortable with the Lady Ferguson aspect, but it's a tribute to myself and all the players that I have worked with in the past."