The School of Hard Knox chronicles the life and career of one of the most admired and respected coaches ever to grace Scottish football, Archie Knox.

After his early days at Forfar Athletic, Archie became a key ally for Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen and Manchester United. Together they won the Scottish league title, Scottish Cup and, of course, on a never to be forgotten night in Gothenburg in 1983, they led the Dons to European Cup Winners’ Cup glory against the mighty Real Madrid.

FA Cup success followed with United as Archie played a vital role in resurrecting the fortunes of a sleeping giant at Old Trafford. On his return to Scotland, he assisted Walter Smith – a one-time teammate at Dundee United – to historic triumphs at Rangers. They clinched Nine in a Row, won the Treble and came within 90 minutes of reaching the first-ever Champions League final.

After moving to Everton, Archie also had spells with the Scotland national team as well as Motherwell and an emotional return to Aberdeen with Craig Brown. From Willie Miller and Alex McLeish, Bryan Robson and Ryan Giggs, Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup, Archie has worked with some of the greatest players ever to grace British football. Through his own words and those who witnessed his wit, his work and his wisdom, this is the untold story of a remarkable career.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• One: Picking up Tips from Fergie
• Two: The Dons’ deep pool of talent
• Three: The Real tale of Gothenburg glory
• Four: The Bermuda Triangle of passes
• Five: Life in the Old Trafford fast lane
• Six: You win nothing without kids – or Kidds
• Seven: Red flight and blue
• Eight: The last night at the prom
• Nine: Gazza: Friend, genius, road sweeper
• Ten: The champagne warm down
• Eleven: Laudrup never heads the ball
• Twelve: Wise old owls and a falling tree
• Thirteen: Friends, family and a flooded tent
• Fourteen: Never Mind The Buzzcocks – be a Loon
• Fifteen: Fistfight with a Cowboy at the Dens Corral
• Sixteen: Eusebio, Brown and a wheelchair by the seaside
• Seventeen: Snoddy and big cheers
• Eighteen: Rants without pants
• Nineteen: Seeing red again – quite literally
• Twenty: Archie Knox’s Dream Team and honours
• Picture Section