Sir Alex Ferguson has retired

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Can barely bring myself to watch any tributes or programmes on the great man. Bit like when a loved one dies, the reality of it really hits home when you watch the funeral
 
Talk of him becoming Lord Ferguson. Can you imagine how much that would wind up the bitter scousers who've been campaigning to get Dalglish knighted?
 
blythy said:
I heard it, I think TalkSport are hamming it up somewhat.

"There is a scenario that he was blissfully going to carry on for at least another season, true to his programme notes, but then there was a top summit and the suggestion made [that he quit].

"I don’t think it would have to have been made forcefully, if he felt that the owners no longer had 100% confidence in him then I don't think he would have hesitated."
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hypothetical conjecture. Sounds like bollox to me
 
Thick Numpty said:
Just seems so surreal. I thought with the way he was talking he'd be here a couple of years yet.

I could understand if he was stepping aside so the club didn't miss out on a certain manager, but with what looks likely it just doesn't make sense to me.

It's gutting.
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It was always going to be a shock when it happened, but it makes sense. The man is 71 years old.
 
Is anyone else giving it serious thought to packing it all in?
 
The only explanation I have is his health. Something might have come up in the last 3 or 4 weeks
 
Fergie retiring is the Glazers worst nightmare. Load of nonsense that he'd have been pushed out.
 
Chabon said:
Is anyone else giving it serious thought to packing it all in?
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Supporting the club you mean?

I've given serious though to my level of support. This season I've missed only one game and that's usually 11pm-7am time slots here in Australia.

This has taken a huge wind out of my sails for loving United. Ferguson and his culture is something that I really connected with and with him gone and the muppets I associate with all going wild with delight.

Ugh it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Makes me wonder if any of this is even worth it.

In a few months and when the new manager is announced and the season starts I'll probably back to my usual self though. It always happens. Of course there is the tour here and my pilgrimage to Old Trafford in a couple of years.
 
Just a friendly reminder to some that we're Manchester United Football Club, not Sir Alex Ferguson Football Club. The Red Machine will roll on, relax.
 
ghaliboy said:
Supporting the club you mean?
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Yeah. I've been going this way for a long time, and have spent about three years threatening to quit. I'm just not sure it's at all worth it, the obsession, the time, the emotional strain, the endless arguments, and the money, of course. Honestly, it's not hard to see the whole thing as an addiction. There's even the diminishing returns you get from an addiction. Is there anyone who doesn't find they enjoy it less and less every year they age?

So, a one-two of Fergie going and the media feeding frenzy over Rooney highlighting the obvious future of this club as a Real-esque circus makes me think now is surely the most appropriate time. Hell, I'm even moving away from Manchester in a couple of weeks.
 
Chill guys, the show will go on, I'm kind of excited for next season now. As long as we uphold our traditions it will be fine, only worry I have comes from boardroom level.
 
Kid Cunto said:
I must admit it was strange to see Sir Alex refer to Manchester United as 'your club' in his statement.
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Aye, it's more his club than anyone. The guy had already been there for nearly 2 years before I was born. For people like me, it's crazy to comprehend anyone else in charge of this side.
 
Kaush949 said:
A little bit of information:

During Sir Alex's tenure:

Real Madrid had 24 or 25 managers
Chelsea had 18 managers
Arsenal had 8 managers
Liverpool had 10 managers
Barcelona had 14 managers
England had 12 managers'
and US had 5 presidents and two of them were George Bush
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Man city had 18 managers

Just to add to that, and put the Madrid, City and Chelsea figures into perspective;
Manchester United have only had 21 managers since 1892, and that's counting Sir Matt twice.
 
verminater said:
Man city had 18 managers

Just to add to that, and put the Madrid, City and Chelsea figures into perspective;
Manchester United have only had 21 managers since 1892, and that's counting Sir Matt twice.
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Who managed from 1878 to 1892?
 
Wasnt there a fact last season that during Fergie's tenure here, in world football there were more than 925 coaching changes in total. Thats just an amazing stat by itself.
 
ArmchairCritic said:
Chill guys, the show will go on, I'm kind of excited for next season now. As long as we uphold our traditions it will be fine, only worry I have comes from boardroom level.
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Must say I'm starting to feel the same now that the initial shock has worn off, though mixed with worry over the whole uncertainty. In the next few months we close the book on SAF time here and open a new chapter. Interesting times at the very least next season
 
Kid Cunto said:
I must admit it was strange to see Sir Alex refer to Manchester United as 'your club' in his statement.
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:wenger: :(
I'm Feeling sick in my stomach ..

I hope his health is ok, though, am really concerned about that now, goddamn sure he wouldn't leave otherwise.. :(
 
I think the 'your club' bit is to highlight that the club eventually belonged to the every single fan that supported him and thanked the fans for trusting him with the role all through out, by saying it's just more than directors and the Glazers. It's very much his club as it is.
 
There's an article in the Times with David Gill revealing when and how Fergie told him he was off... Is there anyone with a Times registration who can post that?
 
#07 said:
REVEALED: How Fergie choked up in the canteen as he told his stunned stars (and the tea ladies) his 27-year reign was over
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article-2321272-19AE9825000005DC-733_634x440.jpg


The caption possibilities are endless.
 
Why the Man Utd-turn, Fergie?

A source close to Guardiola and Mourinho said: “This just doesn’t make sense. Alex Ferguson was really clear to Pep and Jose that he would be staying at United for at least a couple of years. It is a job he knew both wanted and he thought it best to let them know what was happening.”
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Amir said:
There's an article in the Times with David Gill revealing when and how Fergie told him he was off... Is there anyone with a Times registration who can post that?
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This, please.
 
SirAF said:
This, please.
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Succession at Manchester United brings its own set of challenges

David Gill thought it would just be another normal Friday meeting in Sir Alex Ferguson’s office at Carrington. The Manchester United chief executive had pulled into the club’s training base shortly after 7am expecting to discuss the usual business — transfers, contracts, other matters — when the 71-year-old delivered the news he knew would one day come but privately hoped never would.

“He just came out with it and said I’m quitting at the end of the season,” Gill recalled. “You certainly felt it was a major decision you were being told in confidence but then it’s strange, you have to talk about some of the practicalities.

“Clearly, you need to keep it quiet, not least for team reasons, we had yet to secure a trophy then. We all know the end of season is crucial so we couldn’t let there be an inkling that he was thinking of doing this since you never know what impact that can have around the club, the dressing room.”

In truth, it had not come as a complete shock to the man who became Ferguson’s closest friend and confidant during their ten years working in tandem at Old Trafford.

Gill had been round to Ferguson’s house a few weeks earlier to inform him that he would be stepping down as chief executive at the end of the season and sensed the manager might be contemplating his own departure at a club that has been his life for more than 26 years.

“It was clear to me based on that conversation that he was thinking about retiring,” Gill said. “He wasn’t specific as to what he was doing but it was clear to me that he didn’t rule out that this was going to be his last season and so I wasn’t totally surprised when I heard.

“You don’t work with a person for so long without getting some inkling and sense of what he is thinking. First and foremost, as a fan, you’re disappointed. In terms of what he has achieved you think he can go on for ever, delivering year in year out, always bouncing back from any knockbacks.

“But on the other hand I thought, ‘good on him’, because if one person deserves to go out after a successful season and choose his date for retirement then it’s certainly Sir Alex.”

Gill said a combination of factors had persuaded Ferguson that the time had come to bow out, although he dismissed the notion that health concerns had been a factor, even if the manager will undergo a hip replacement this summer. His family were a consideration as were changes in the sport. The energy he had to summon to lead United back from the manner in which they lost the Barclays Premier League title on goal difference to Manchester City last season should not be underestimated either.

“That was probably the lowest I have seen him in ten years,” Gill said. “It was tough. It took him a long time after last season’s loss to pick himself up and get motivated and it probably only started when the actual competitive season kicked off.”

Gill has wrestled with the idea of “The Succession” for many years. As it happens, his role in the handover will be shortlived, with Ed Woodward replacing him from July 1 just as David Moyes will Ferguson at the end of the present campaign. Gill would not be drawn on the identity of Ferguson’s successor — even though The Times understands the Everton manager will be announced as Ferguson’s replacement today — but he was honest enough to admit that the idea of United being without their guiding light has required a sharp intake of breath.

“Did I have butterflies in my stomach? Yes, like any fan, you do,” he said. But whereas many have come to regard the prospect of succeeding Ferguson as the “Impossible Job”, Gill does not see it that way. Sure, he is not under any illusions about the size of the task facing the new man but he believes the infrastructure in place, on and off the field, will ensure that he is starting from a position of considerable strength.

“I don’t know if it’s the great unknown but change always increases the element of risk,” Gill said. “Lots of jobs are deemed to be impossible. I don’t think it’s an impossible job, you’re coming in with a very impressive support structure on and off the pitch in terms of the players, the facilities.

“It’s tricky because we always knew anyone coming after Alex and all those trophies he has won is not going to be easy. But it’s a great job. The best people in my experience, both in business and football, want to get to the top, they want to manage the best, be involved in the best company or club and what better way to do it than here with a chance as Manchester United manager. The opportunity has got to be the pinnacle of a person’s career, hence why I think it’s very attractive.

“It’s a very difficult job but the rewards reflect that. It’s not a walk in the park, you have got to be damn good so we want a person at the top who is willing to take on that mantel and the pressure that comes with it and deliver. It takes a certain character to do that and there are not many around.”

With Ferguson becoming a club director, there have been fears expressed that his continuing presence could cast a shadow over his successor, but just as Gill has no plans to get under Woodward’s feet, so the chief executive is reassured that Ferguson will give his replacement breathing space.

“Alex will give the new manager space,” Gill said. “He certainly won’t go on the pre-season tour [in July]. It’s like me, I won’t go on the tour, it’s totally wrong. You need to give — in my case Ed and Richard Arnold — some breathing space to do it and Alex will do the same thing. So I’d be very surprised if he was at Carrington in the early days. Alex totally understands that and respects that.”
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That article pretty much clears it up. A combination of the enormous effort required to bounce back from last season's disappointment and Gill also leaving was enough to convince him to call it a day. He's also 71, let's not forget.
 
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