It’s no coincidence that Manchester United haven’t come anywhere near winning the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
The legendary Scot won 13 league titles at Old Trafford before he called it a day following the successful 2012/13 campaign.
What made Fergie one of the greatest mangers the sport has ever seen was his man-management.
He’d get the very best out of each and every player but wouldn’t accept anyone stepping out of line.
He certainly wasn’t scared to fall out with - and sell - his very best players if they misbehaved. Jaap Stam, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham can all vouch for that.
And now, Robin van Persie has told another brilliant Fergie story.
The Dutchman revealed how Ferguson called out two unnamed Man Utd players for partying after a loss to Manchester City in 2013.
"In my first season, we were 15 points ahead in the league, and we welcomed Manchester City to win the title,” Van Persie told SoFoot.
“If we won this match, it was 18 points ahead, but we had lost. This still left us 12 points ahead, most managers would not have dramatised the situation. The boss, on the other hand, he went up in the turns. It was really hot.
“Two guys from the team were out after this loss. The day after the match, he had pictures of the two players posted in the dressing room during their night out. And he said to the whole team, 'Ok guys if we don't win the championship, know that it's because of those two a**holes that chose to go out.
"Yeah, I have the names, but I really can't give them. It was incredible, he had pasted lots of photos, we had limited the evening of the two players hour by hour: 2am, 3am, 4am, as if to emphasise the extent of their bulls**t.
"He didn't stop there, he warned us all: 'Guys, listen well if we don't win the championship, it's because these two have decided to go out to have fun. From now on, if I see a player come out before the trophy is lifted, that player is out.'
"He was ruthless. 'I don't care about who you are, how many trophies you've won so far. If you go out before the end of the season, you leave the team and I'll sell you.' After that speech, we went to train, and it was the two hardest workouts of my life. Twelve points ahead and that's his reaction.”
Brilliant.
Considering this was during Fergie's final season and United were already miles clear at the top of the table, it shows just how high his standards were.
It’s just another example of how Ferguson was a pure winner and wouldn’t allow his players to get complacent until that league title was won.
The Premier League - and United - miss him greatly.