In an age where football autobiographies have become as predictable as night follows day, Sir Alex Ferguson's 'Managing My Life' makes a refreshing change.

I have lost count of the number of life stories which feature a 'rags to riches' career where the player in question rises from the humble beginnings of a council house on a rough estate to the 'splendour' of a mock-Tudor mansion in the country.

On the way, the authors will tell you about how "chuffed" they were to win the league title and that playing for their country was "just a bonus, really".

The reader is left with little to feast upon and I invariably end up feeling frustrated having finished reading your typical football autobiography. Thankfully 'Managing My Life' is different.

I have to say I am certainly no fan of either Ferguson or Manchester United. But you cannot argue with the dynasty he has built at Old Trafford because no-one in English football has come close to matching the Reds in the 1990s.

Ferguson recalls the high and low points of his time at Old Trafford with a refreshing honesty and gives his opinions on the people he has worked with throughout his career.

Most biographies are full of anecdotes about 'How we're all great mates behind the scenes' but Ferguson speaks his mind about several people with Brian Kidd, Gordon Strachan and Alan Hansen all coming in for criticism in the book

Before he became a professional footballer, Ferguson was an apprentice toolmaker and it was in the workplace that he developed his legendary work ethic and his strong Socialist beliefs.

As well as his time at Old Trafford, 'Managing My Life' also charts how he revolutionised Scottish football by breaking the stranglehold of Rangers and Celtic during his eight-year reign at Aberdeen.

In all, he won a staggering three titles, four Scottish Cups, one Scottish League Cup and his crowning glory came when he won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 when the Dons defeated the mighty Real Madrid in the final.

One of the highlights sees Ferguson detail his time running a busy pub in Glasgow and the characters he had to deal with during that time. Dealing with the likes of Eric Cantona must have been a doddle after that.

A recommended present for someone whether they love or hate Manchester United and their inimitable manager.

'Managing My Life' by Sir Alex Ferguson, Hodder & Stoughton, £19.99.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.