Sir Alex Ferguson banned his players from talking about angriest moment of his managerial career

Sir Alex Ferguson asked his players to keep tight-lipped about an incident involving an opposition player who was "taking liberties" during a game.

The Scot was prone to losing his head during his managerial career. In fact, Ferguson was handed 17 touchline bans throughout his trophy-laden 26-year spell as Manchester United manager.

But a memorable tale about Fergie having a rush of blood came during his time as manager of Scottish side St Mirren.

St Mirren was Ferguson's second managerial job after his short stint in charge of East Stirlingshire, and in 1976 – having only retired from football a couple of years prior – he took his team on a three-week pre-season tour of the Caribbean.

As per Four Four Two, the trip came about because former chairman Harold Currie had business links in the trading of whisky.

But it wasn't just a big three-week bender for Fergie's men as they participated in some friendly games, one being against the Guyana national team ahead of a big World Cup qualifier that was on the horizon.

The story goes that the Guyana team were not taking it easy at all, with their centre-half being very rough and ready as they came up against Robert Torrance – something that angered Ferguson and prompted him to remonstrate with the referee.

When Torrance was hacked down by the same player just before half-time, Fergie's head went and he wanted a piece of the defender.

"That's it, I'm coming on," Ferguson told his right-hand man David Provan. "That big b*****d is taking liberties."

Provan and Ferguson had both been kitted as substitutes for a laugh but now that things had got real, the former Rangers wanted in and would not let his assistant stop him from doing so.

Image credit: Getty

He entered the fray and when the next cross came in, Ferguson exacted "a bit of revenge" on the defender, leaving him "squealing".

When they went at it again, Ferguson left it on the centre-back one more time and the referee swiftly gave him his marching orders.

After the game, Fergie, who was still an extremely young manager at the time, told his players to keep tight-lipped about what had happened and they obliged.

That wasn't the only time Fergie brought himself on in a friendly over in the Caribbean. In 1987, in the middle of his first full season as United manager, the Red Devils played Bermuda and a 45-year old Ferguson, along with his assistant Archie Knox, 40, were introduced for the final 25 minutes.

Knox scored a 35-yard screamer for the final goal of the game, while Ferguson, comfortably the oldest player on the pitch, went close with a header in a 4-2 victory.