Ferguson on music, memory and dementia projects

It was a feature of Friday mornings at Manchester United's Carrington training ground that Sir Alex Ferguson would bounce down the stairs singing one of his favourite tunes, have a joke with Kath Phipps - the club's beloved receptionist - and then speak to the media about that weekend's match.

By Ferguson's own admission, he wasn't the greatest singer.

But music has always been a key part of the legendary former United manager's life.

Now it is more important than ever for Ferguson.

Through his increased involvement with dementia charities, he can see the benefits music can have for those - including his brother Martin - dealing with the syndrome, which leads to memory loss and can also affect the way people speak, think, feel and behave.

"My staff would know I was in the building when I came in the morning," Ferguson, 83, tells BBC Breakfast.

"I don't think they liked it... 'Here he comes, close the doors.'

"I think it's just part of you. If I'm in the shower, wherever, singing is part of me."

Ferguson is discussing the subject of music and dementia to coincide with National Playlist Day.

He is at a Cheshire hotel meeting Mil and Ken Simpson - a couple in their 80s, and part of a family of United season ticket holders. Mil, 89, has been living with dementia since 2010 - three years before Ferguson retired.

Music has played a big part in Mil and Ken's lives, and they attend several weekly groups that provide music, singing or dance for those affected by dementia.

Ferguson first told Breakfast of his concerns about dementia 12 months ago.

The response was overwhelming and persuaded him to devote more time to the issue. He is now an ambassador for the Playlist for Life charity.

"It caught me a real bit," he says. "I've got myself involved a little bit more.

"Music has an important role for dementia sufferers and we must continue that. You don't need to be a great singer to join in, just to know the words. It's wonderful."

Ferguson has personal experience of the impact of dementia.

"I have a situation myself, with my brother," he says. "It's not easy. I have to be in touch with him a lot. He recognises me [but] the memory's not great.

"But he's not bad. He's not getting any worse, let's put it that way, which is very encouraging."

Asked if dementia is a subject that occupies his mind, Ferguson's answer is affirmative.

"It is, yeah, because I'm his brother," he says. "I'm only a year ahead of him and I've only one brother so he is important to me.

"It's at the back of my mind all the time. You think, 'I wonder if he's in just now', or if I should give him a phone [call]. I try to do that each day.

"I keep telling him: 'Write things down.' I think he tries to do that, but he forgets a lot of the time.

"When you get to my age, you do have a little worry about whether your memory is going to stand up.

"I'm 84 in December and there are moments when I forget things. I probably did that 20 years ago, 30 years ago... no-one's blessed with a 100% memory. But when it comes to football, when I was a manager, the memory has always been important. Now I do a lot of crosswords, I sing a lot and read.

"I tend to go into history - the American civil war. I went to a few of the battlegrounds in America, which I really enjoyed."

Ferguson's wife, Lady Cathy, died on 5 October 2023. The couple had been married for almost 58 years.

"After my wife passed, I was stuck in the house a lot," he says.

"I moved house, into the country, next door to my son - but it's not good enough just to sit watching TV, so I decided to travel. I went to Saudi [Arabia], Hong Kong and Bahrain.

"Occupy yourself. Dealing with the dementia group has been good for me. It's something that I enjoy."

Ferguson, who won 38 trophies during a 26-year tenure at Old Trafford, is still a regular at United matches.

His legacy lives on - and it seems his recollection of his famous news conferences is as clear as that of the journalists who attended them.

"I always viewed the press conferences as one of my challenges because whatever you say in a press conference is there for life," he says. "If you've had a bad result there is going to be a question: 'How did that happen?'"