By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
May 8 – There are great managers – and then there is Sir Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United boss, known by most simply as Fergie, may have at times infuriated non-United fans but the fact that every television and radio broadcast in England led with the announcement of his retirement today said everything about the end of an era and his place in the annals of all-time legends.
Typically, in his programme notes last Sunday, Ferguson – who won an incredible 38 major trophies including 13 league titles as he rebuilt the United squad not once, not twice but three times – made no mention of any retirement plans. In fact he said just the opposite, that he was not about to walk away.
If he was being deliberately evasive, perhaps it was because he did not want any distractions on the day of a game. But when the announcement eventually came, grown men cried and United diehards reacted with shock and disbelief. It was almost as if someone had died but that is the kind of impact Ferguson had at United, from the chairman to the tea lady.
He had been due to step down in 2002 but changed his mind and maintained his ferocious appetite for the game as he carried on winning titles and trophies. But at 71, he finally felt ready to leave Old Trafford – significantly at the same time as chief executive David Gill. The bookies immediately installed fellow Scot David Moyes as his successor after 10 years at Everton. Moyes has been a regular face in the directors’ box at Old Trafford down the years and on paper seems the perfect fit to step into Ferguson’s shoes.
In 2008, Ferguson became the third British manager to win the European Champions League more than once. United, already crowned champions this season, have two matches remaining, at home to Swansea this Sunday and away at West Bromwich. “The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time,” said Ferguson.
“It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so. The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one. Our training facilities are amongst the finest in global sport and our home Old Trafford is rightfully regarded as one of the leading venues in the world. Going forward, I am delighted to take on the roles of both Director and Ambassador for the club. With these activities, along with my many other interests, I am looking forward to the future.”
All told, Ferguson won 49 trophies as a manager with United and, in his native Scotland, Aberdeen and St Mirren. Incredibly 14 of the current United squad were not even born when they played the first of his 1,500-plus games in charge at Old Trafford in 1986.
A couple of years ago, at a conference in the Gulf attended by this correspondent, Ferguson said only ill-health would cause him to step down. “Retirement is for young people. If you retire when you’re old, where do you go next?” he asked. The answer in his case is a place on the United board though the immediate priority this summer will be a hip operation.
Just occasionally Ferguson did make mistakes with some of his purchases but his legacy is almost too great to put into words. Almost every player who wore the shirt under his management did so with pride and gave everything to the cause, whether expensive foreign import or home-grown youngster.
Understandably, scores of tributes poured in, among them a tweet from FIFA President Sepp Blatter and an effusive reaction from United icon Sir Bobby Charlton.
“Alex is unique. I’ve never known anyone who works as hard as him,” said Charlton. “He’s been sensational for United. When we first got him you could tell at once he had this incredible work ethic: he wasn’t satisfied with second best, he wanted to be winning all the time.
“That hasn’t changed but in our wildest dreams we couldn’t have expected Alex to be so successful over all this time – especially when the average time for a manager to stay in any one place is just three and half years.”
Gill, who is stepping down after 16 years at Old Trafford as he seeks a place on the top table at UEFA, revealed that Ferguson wanted to make his succession easier by putting in place a state-of-the-art training facility.
“We knew that his retirement would come one day and we both have been planning for it by ensuring the quality of the squad and club structures are in first-class condition,” said Gill.
“Alex’s vision, energy and ability have built teams – both on and off the pitch – that his successor can count on as among the best and most loyal in world sport. The way he cares for this club, his staff and for the football family in general is something that I admire. It is a side to him that is often hidden from public view but it is something that I have been privileged to witness in the last 16 years.”
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