Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United F.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sir Alex Ferguson made his last walk out of the dugout as a Manchester United manager on Sunday afternoon. He was given the Guard of Honor by both Manchester United and Swansea players. At the end of the game, he made a speech to everyone who was watching. A wonderful farewell speech for his last managerial game at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex mentioned in his speech how there will always be high expectations when a player wears the United jersey. Expectations which all United players must continue to perform when Sir Alex leaves his post.

The most important message to me was when he told all the Manchester United fans that their job now is to stand by the new manager. Sir Alex himself started off the first four years at United badly. Fans must give Moyes time to adjust to life in United and hope that the new manager continue to improve what Sir Alex has built on in those wonderful 26 years at Manchester United.

A great and legendary manager in the history of football.

Have a good retirement Sir Alex Ferguson. Enjoy the time with your family.

Sir Alex Ferguson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson known to all of us football fans as Sir Alex Ferguson the manager of one of the rather the most well-known Football(soccer for all you Americans)in the world Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson managed the club from 1986 to 2013,being one of the most respected manager in the history of European football,he is admired, respected and feared in equal measures by his players, referees and other officials.

I myself being an arsenal fan loved to hate Manchester united every time they came to field against arsenal,those box flare-ups between Arsene and Alex Ferguson where they would stand face to face shouting and at times shouting expletives at each other was something that aresnal and man united fans looked up-to,days before the matches were to be played the mind games would start and once the games commenced the intensity of the game would over-whelm everybody including those watching the match back at home.I really liked the way his face would get all red when he would get angry,and I am sure all of you have heard about Sir Alex’s hair dryer treatment for all those who did not fall in line.A figure who would not stand anybody who came in the way of his absolute authority over the players and the football club.

I would remember Alex Ferguson as someone who though was not playing on the field but his larger then life portrait always made the fans and opposition alike feel like he himself was playing the match.The elder statesman, the knight of Old Trafford was a man of integrity a man who devoted 26 years of his life to make united what it is today,I would only like to say “alex ferguson if it wasn’t for you we arsenal fans would never have enjoyed the intensity of our matches with united we would never have have enjoyed the argument’s that you had with  arsene,we love to hate you”

Manchester united has lost it’s elder and David Moyes will replace him the longest serving manager of the English premier league has left.It just makes me wonder how devastated would we arsenal fans be when our beloved arsene wenger retires whenever he does,I hope he never retires or leaves arsenal just like every united fan had hoped for Alex.

One can go on about his achievements of which there are so many but there are some which appear to have slipped under the radar.

When Ferguson took over at Manchester United in 1986 the club was simply an under performing football club with a massive supporter base. In 1991 when shares in the club were listed on the London Stock Exchange there was an added pressure to being the boss of Manchester United. Ironically along with that added pressure came added cash from the floatation of the club. Money that helped bring in key players that lead Manchester United to its first Premier League title in 1993. Success as they say bred success and that in turn kept the shareholders happy.

Ferguson managed to negotiate the turbulent waters in the boardroom, so much so that when shares in the club were listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012 the prospectus stated that the projections were ‘highly dependent’ on certain individuals. It went on to say ‘any successor to our current manager may not be as successful as our current manager. When he announced his retirement last week these shares dropped five per cent.

In addition to having to deal with stock market fluctuations, as well as player form, Ferguson lead the club to new frontiers. He and key staff realised the number of supporters the club had in Asia who were never likely to be able to visit the ‘Theatre of Dreams,’ Old Trafford, so made the decision to take the club to them. It was a shrewd move when one considers that last year market research done by Kantar estimated that there were 659 million fans of Manchester United with 325 million in Asia.

Ferguson embraced such a move and has been credited with thinking more about the supporters in Asia than the club’s commercial backers. In Malaysia he asked the fans to be at the airport to meet the team arriving and arranged for them to mix with the players.

Amazingly Ferguson has also won praise for his signing of Asian players, unlike other clubs the feeling  amongst the Asian fans is that he has never signed these players purely to attract Asian supporters or sponsors. Maybe the success of the players signed has helped in that regard. South Korea’s Park Ji Sung becoming the first Asian player to win Europe’s Champions League as well as the first to wear Manchester United’s Captain’s armband. More recently Japan’s Shinji Kagawa became the first Asian to score a Premier League hat-trick. For example who can remember the signing of China’s Dong Fangzhou?

He will definitely be a hard act to follow and hopefully David Moyes will be grateful to have him in the background lending advice, and that the shadow of the great man will not be too much for the new manager to handle.

One thing is for sure Sir Alex Ferguson has probably done more for Manchester United on and off the park than any one man in a very long time. His legacy is  phenomenal.

Tears in my eyes.

Ferguson, who is stepping down at the end of the season after nearly 27 years as United manager, jumped out of his seat and punched the air in delight after Rio Ferdinand volleyed the winning goal into the back of the net in the 86th minute.

Scholes played 66 minutes in his last home match before coming off to a standing ovation from more than 76,000 fans taking one final opportunity to salute a manager and player who have contributed so much to the club over the past three decades.

Javier Hernandez put United in front in the 39th before Michu equalized for Swansea 10 minutes later. But the match was effectively meaningless as United had already wrapped up its 13th Premier League title.

United still has one game left this season — at West Bromwich Albion next Sunday — but this was the final opportunity for the club’s fans to witness, and savour, the end of a trophy-filled era overseen by Ferguson.

Both teams formed a guard of honour as Ferguson emerged from the tunnel onto the pitch, with a sea of red flags bearing “Champions 2013″ providing an eye-catching backdrop. Rarely has Old Trafford hosted an atmosphere like this, and Ferguson was clearly emotional.

As Ferguson made his way to the dugout, waving to the crowd and signing a batch of autographs along the way, the focus of the majority of the crowd turned to the 38-year-old Scholes, who was playing his 717th match for United and first since the end of January because of a knee injury.

Zinedine Zidane and Xavi Hernandez are among the players past and present to describe Scholes as one of the greatest players of his generation, and the Englishman showed his full repertoire of skills. Scholes had one good chance to mark his final home match with a goal, but he dragged a shot straight at goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel in the 23rd minute.

Scholes will end his career having played 17,606 Premier League minutes at Old Trafford since signing professional terms with the club in 1993.

By the time Scholes had jogged off to a standing ovation in the 66th minute, Hernandez had put United ahead with a low drive after a mistake by Swansea defender Ashley Williams. However, Michu equalized soon after the start of the second half by volleying in Nathan Dyer’s right-wing cross.

With the game approaching what is widely known in British football as “Fergie Time” — coined due to the amount of injury-time goals scored by United in Ferguson’s tenure that started in 1986 — an inswinging corner from Robin van Persie crept through to Ferdinand, who volleyed home amid a cacophony of noise for his first goal since January 2008.

Sir Alex Ferguson îşi sprijină succesorul

Sir Alex Ferguson le-a cerut tuturor fanilor să îl susţină pe succesorul său, David Moyes. “Vreau să vă amintesc că atunci când am avut momente dificile clubul m-a susţinut, jucătorii m-au susţinut şi datoria voastră acum este să îl susţineţi pe noul vostru antrenor. Este important”, a declarat acesta în timpul discursului său de pe Old Trafford.

Născut la 31 decembrie 1941, la Glasgow, Sir Alex a mai antrenat echipele East Sterlingshire (august-octombrie 1974), Saint Mirren (octombrie 1974-1978) şi Aberdeen (1978-86). Primul meci la conducerea Manchester United a fost la 8 noiembrie 1986, când echipa sa a pierdut, scor 0-2, cu Oxford.

Sursa foto: http://www.jaguda.com

After the match, SAF addressed the crowd and the players, and told them to get behind Moyes:

“I would like to remind you this club stood by me in bad times, the players and the staff,” he said. “Your job now is to stand by the new manager.”

He also stated that he would be a regular at OT however and went on to wish Scholes a happy retirement as well as the latter hangs up the boots at the end of the season, and also had a special thought for Fletcher:

“I will be able to go along and watch them rather than suffer with them,” he said. “Those last minute goals, the comebacks and even the defeats are part of this great football club. It has been an unbelievable experience. I have been fortunate to manage some of the greatest players in this country, let alone Manchester United. They have represented our club in the proper way.”

“I wish the players every success,” he said. “I know how good you are. You know the jersey you are wearing and you know what it means to everyone here. Do not let yourselves down.”

Last game for him will now be at West Brom next weekend, and then it will be the end of Fergie’s time (as manager)…

Huddersfield boss Mark Robins saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job with his goal against Nottingham Forest in 1990

Huddersfield Town manager Mark Robins believes retiring Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is the “best club manager the world has ever seen”.

The Terriers boss exclusively told HuddSport that there will never be a football manager like Ferguson, who has just led United to their 13^th Premier League title.

“He has probably been one of the best managers the country has ever seen and he has had an unbelievable amount of trophies in the time he has spent there,” Robins said.

“I think there was some shock and a bit of sadness really. He has been there for most of my life as well as the majority of the lads that are there under the age of 28 and they will not know anything different.

“Those are the two main feelings I think but when you start to reflect on his career and what he has achieved in his management it has been phenomenal.”

Robins, who became Town’s manager in February, prevented Ferguson from getting the Old Trafford sack in 1990 after he score a vital goal which saw them beat Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.

The 43-year-old believes he has picked up some of Ferguson’s managerial tips for success, however, he did not do that intentionally.

“I am sure over time I will have picked up some things, not consciously, but if anything if you can aspire to be anything like what he has been, then you have a recipe for success.”

He added: “Everybody manages in their own way. There is no point in trying to mimic or do anything like him.”

Words: Adam Grice

Photo: Guardian

Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United F.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scottish-born Ferguson was a manager who knew exactly what he wanted from his squad, even if his methods of ensuring the continuing unbridled success of Manchester’s number one clubs caused some controversies. Players feared his “hairdryer” treatment and his anger-fuelled rants in the dressing room, but they also had immense respect for him as a more-than-capable leader, steadfastly devoted to the success of Man U. Not since the golden era of the Busby Boys in the Fifties had Manchester United achieved so much. Ferguson’s unique management style brought out the best in such big-name football stars as Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. He helped bring United from the doldrums that caused the team to sag to the bottom of the tables in the 1970′s, steering the team through victory after victory, trophy after trophy. Ferguson had his eye constantly ‘on the ball’, developing player talents and spending big cheques and transfer fees, all of which soon poised United as the go-to team for professional footballers all over. His successes gained millions of loyal fans chanting “Glory, glory, Man United” . A simple chant that reverberated from the home crowd in the stands of Old Trafford and from thousands of miles away – from the bustling metropolises of the People’s Republic of China to the sun-kissed beaches of Mauritius. A whole generation of these fans have only ever known Sir Alex, and his sudden retirement at the age of 71 in preparation for a hip operation has been a huge shock to the world of football.

Old Trafford (Photo credit: edwin.11)

Fergie was living the dream and proved that you could be successful regardless of where you came from. It took a special kind of hard work and sacred dedication to the religion of football that propelled a working-class boy from the tough neighbourhood of Govan in Glasgow, to cross borders and social classes to become one of the best bosses in the sport, charting the fortunes of a top-flight English club. When other teams were hiring and firing their managers at the drop of a hat, Fergie was never in doubt of the future of his illustrious career, as the Manchester United cabinet swelled to the rafters with silverware. From playing in the Glasgow streets to guiding his boys as they ran across the hallowed turf of Old Trafford, Fergie had that charisma and determined grit not seen there since Sir Matt Busby a generation before him. His earthy language and close-to-the-bone humour brought him to the level of the younger Jose Mourinho, and just like the “Special One”, Fergie’s pearls of wisdom were highly sought after by the red-top press. Even before his career at Old Trafford had begun, he had already scored a European title while managing his previous club, Aberdeen. Although it took him a few years to replicate that success at Manchester, by 1990, accolades and titles soon were the hallmark of Fergie’s days at work. That the Red Devils’ then owners were prepared to give Fergie the benefit of the doubt even in his less-than-fruitful twilight days showed how much faith they had in him to deliver the silver. He frustrated Liverpool’s mission to be the club with the most titles and  ended Merseyside domination of the beautiful game. His superb set of players frustrated other top teams and coaches, most notably Londoner sides Arsenal and Chelsea, and even held back fiercely rivalled fellow Mancunian side Manchester City from establishing themselves as forces.

(c) Manchester United Facebook page

The Manchester United Facebook page published a special image of Sir Alex Ferguson as its cover photo as he calls time on an eventful 26-year career.

Sir Alex Ferguson will step down as manager at the end of the current season, to be replaced by David Moyes, who is currently with Everton with an 11-year stretch under his belt. His last game as manager will take place against West Bromwich on May 19 2013, before Ferguson takes on a new role as a club director and ambassador.

Fergie’s career as manager presided over an astonishing 894 games won, netting a total of thirty-eight trophies spanning from 1990 to 2013. The impressive haul included:

• 13 Premier League trophies
• 5 FA Cups
• 4 League Cups
• 2 UEFA Champions League cups
• and one each from Cup Winners’ Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Inter-Continental Cup tournaments
• along with 10 Community Shields.

During more than a quarter of a century, Sir Alex turned around the fortunes of Manchester United and made it into a global power finding himself as one of British football’s most successful well-known managers. Upon announcing his retirement last Wednesday, Ferguson stated “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”. Ferguson’s career won him respect across the board. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore commented “His drive, ambition, skill, passion and vision have not only shaped Manchester United, but in many ways the game of football as we now know it“. His ability to sniff out the best in footballing talent and mould his acquisitions from other top clubs into world-class sportsman earned him grudging respect even from rival teams and their managers, many wishing they had his magic touch. Under his legacy, Manchester United is now listed on stock exchanges and earns a multi-million pound revenue from the sales of football strips, sponsorship and memorabilia alone. The club is now believed to be worth around US$3.2 billion as one of the world’s most high-profile sports brands. 

Fergie first spilled the beans on his impending retirement during a corporate golf match. Upon officially stating his departure from the most desired of management positions in football, a flurry of tributes and platitudes from other major personalities in football’s higher echelons paid homage to him. Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA and no stranger to controversy himself, tweeted that Ferguson’s achievements “…in the game place him without doubt as one of the `greats’ “. UEFA president Michel Platini hailed Ferguson as one of football’s “true visionaries“. Outside of the footballing world, even the UK government applauded him. The announcement grabbed the British media spotlight from the buildup to the State Opening of Parliament, where Queen Elizabeth II, who knighted Ferguson in 1999, was setting out the government’s planned legislation. Prime Minister David Cameron, a member of the Conservative Party, hailed Ferguson as “a remarkable man in British football who has had an extraordinary, successful career.

As passionate as Ferguson was about the game and the team, his notorious Glaswegian temper meant a youth fighting with other boys on the streets and then as manager one that exploded when his players were not performing up to scratch. His ‘hairdryer’ treatment sent shivers running down the spines of his charges – a stream of in-your-face invective said to make one’s hair stand on end. At pitch-side, photographers were never short of pictures of Ferguson storming  the sidelines, his reddened face etched in anger and frustration with fists firmly clenched. He would be irked by not just the eleven players on the turf, but also club officials, referees, rival coaches and the media, with whom he had a classic love-hate relationship. He would ban reporters from further interviews with him if they published anything or asked any questions that riled him.

In one infamous 2004 incident – dubbed ‘Pizzagate’ – Ferguson was said to have hurled a slice of pizza across the changing room or near the tunnel in a heated exchange with Arsenal. In another involving former Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham, Sir Alex, furious at a poor performance against Arsenal lashed out, kicking a boot across the changing rooms that struck Beckham above the eye. This led to bad blood between the two, and tension between David and his wife, former Spice Girl and singer Victoria, and eventually was sold to Real Madrid. Ferguson was allegedly fed up with Beckham’s celebrity lifestyle. Despite this, Beckham who is now back from the United States and playing for French side Paris Saint-Germain said on a Facebook tribute to his ex-manager, “The boss wasn’t just the greatest and best manager I ever played under he was also a father figure to me from the moment I arrived at the club at the age of 11 until the day I left,…Without him I would never have achieved what I have done in my career…He understood how important it was to play for your country and he knew how much it meant to me.“

Ferguson not only made an impact in football, he even changed its lexicon. He introduced the phrase “squeaky bum time” to describe the tense feeling noticeable at the finale of the season. Receiving additional minutes by a referee at the end of match stoppage time became known as getting a bit of “Fergie Time”, especially as that was when United’s strikers would sink in a killer coup-de-grace of a goal, a sweet speciality that Fergie adored.

Sir Alex Ferguson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now that Ferguson has quit the dugout for good, Manchester United, especially its players must face the challenge of life without the Scotsman. David Moyes, who was especially chosen by Sir Alex himself, above the widely expected favourite Jose Mourinho, will be the successor to Fergie’s enviable legacy. A fellow Scot who comes from the same city as Ferguson, Moyes has managed Everton for just over a decade and while he has not delivered much in the way of trophies there, he has held together a tight team on a budget far smaller than the tens of millions at United’s disposal. Ferguson enjoys a long-standing relationship with his successor, and last year described him as a “first-class manager”. However it is a tough calling to fill the boots of someone as accomplished as Sir Alex Ferguson – and it will be a strong challenge for Moyes to keep the Red Glory flowing and to satisfy fans who have only ever known success. 

In honour of Ferguson’s colourful 26 years at the helm of United, here is a selection of some of his finest (and most controversial) quotes and one-liners.

On Ryan Giggs ”I remember the first time I saw him. He was 13 and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.“

On Gary Neville ”If he was an inch taller he’d be the best centre-half in Britain. His father is 6ft 2in – I’d check the milkman.“

On Italians ”When an Italian tells me it’s pasta on the plate I check under the sauce to make sure. They are the inventors of the smokescreen.“

On the 1999 Champions League triumph ”I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Football. Bloody hell.“

On Liverpool ”My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f*****g perch. And you can print that.“

On Arsène Wenger ”They say he’s an intelligent man, right? Speaks five languages. I’ve got a 15-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast who speaks five languages!“

On the referee Alan Wiley ”The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. It is an indictment of our game. You see referees abroad who are as fit as butcher’s dogs. We have some who are fit. He wasn’t fit. He was taking 30 seconds to book a player. He was needing a rest. It was ridiculous.“

On José Mourinho ”He was certainly full of it, calling me boss and big man when we had our post-match drink after the first leg. But it would help if his greetings were accompanied by a decent glass of wine. What he gave me was paint-stripper.“

On whether Liverpool would win the title in 2007 ”You must be joking. Do I look as if I’m a masochist ready to cut myself? How does relegation sound instead?“

On Old Trafford ”The crowd were dead. It was like a funeral out there.“

On Manchester City’s Carlos Tévez poster “It’s City, isn’t it? They are a small club, with a small mentality. All they can talk about is Manchester United, that’s all they’ve done and they can’t get away from it.“

On City again ”Sometimes you have a noisy neighbour. You cannot do anything about that. They will always be noisy. You just have to get on with your life, put your television on and turn it up a bit louder.“

On Wayne Rooney’s transfer request ”Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it’s a better cow than the one you’ve got in your own field. It’s a fact. Right? And it never really works out that way.“

On Manchester United’s 19th league title “It’s not so much passing Liverpool. It’s more important that United are the best team in the country in terms of winning titles.”

And on their 20th ”Look at me – it’s taken 10 years off me today. It’s these tablets, they’re great!”

Fergie on United’s infamous grey kit, following United’s loss to Southampton in 1996.“The players couldn’t pick each other out. They said it was difficult to see their team-mates at distance when they lifted their heads. It was nothing to do with superstition. This club went 26 years without winning the league and we didn’t think about changing the red shirts. It’s nothing to do with that at all.”

Commenting on the change in David Beckham after his departure to Real Madrid in 2003.“He was blessed with great stamina, the best of all the players I’ve had here. After training, he’d always be practising, practising, ­practising. But his life changed when he met his wife. She’s in pop and David got another image. He’s developed this ‘fashion thing’ – I saw his transition to a different person.”

Giving it both barrels to Arsene Wenger after Pizzagate, 2004.“In the tunnel Wenger was criticising my players, calling them cheats, so I told him to leave them alone and behave himself. To not apologise for the behaviour of the players to another manager is unthinkable. It’s a disgrace, but I don’t expect Wenger to ever apologise, he’s that type of person.”

Many thanks to Sunny Atwal for suggesting today’s article…and to Sir Alex Ferguson, I wish you the best in your retirement and future endeavours. Thank you.

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• Alex Ferguson retires: 10 best of the web tributes to the Manchester United manager (telegraph.co.uk)
• Alex Ferguson tributes as Man Utd manager retires (thesun.co.uk)
• Live: Sir Alex Ferguson to retire at end of season (manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
• Sir Alex Ferguson: The best there ever was (playupsports.wordpress.com)
• Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson Reportedly Considering Retirement (soccerwithoutlimits.com)
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SOURCES:

“Alex Ferguson retires” – The Sun – Football (8 May 2013) LINK

“Alex Ferguson retires: his major achievements in graphics” – Mark Oliver, The Telegraph (8 May 2013) LINK

“Sir Alex Ferguson: A career of achievement at Manchester United” – 3 News/MediaWorks TV (9 May 2013) LINK

“Sir Alex Ferguson’s best quotes” – The Guardian (8 May 2013) LINK

“Classic Sir Alex Ferguson quotes: From squeaky bums to noisy neighbours” – Simon Head, Mirror Football (8 May 2013) LINK

IMAGE CREDIT:

Manchester United Official Facebook fan page (8 May 2013) LINK

The Manchester United legend, Paul Scholes, has announced his retirement from professional football yesterday evening. The Englishman has played for the Red Devils for nearly two decade in a career that spans from 1994 to 2013. He has made 497 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 107 goals in the process. In addition, Scholes has represented England on 66 occasions, scoring 14 goals. He is largely popular among the United fans and to have both him and Alex Ferguson retire at the same year must be saddening for them.

Paul Scholes (Photo credit: Saadick Dhansay)

Loyalty is said to be rather rare in today’s football and there are very few footballers who play a whole 20 years career for the same club, and Scholes is among these. I wish him good luck and hope he succeeds with whatever he intends to do after retiring football.

Related articles

• Paul Scholes retires (again): Top 11 moments for Manchester United (101greatgoals.com)
• Report: Scholes ‘to retire’ in big week for Man United (itv.com)

Goodbye Wilf, thanks for the memories

As the final whistle reverberated around Selhurst Park on Friday night, attention turned to the wing wizard who would no longer be gracing the Selhurst turf but instead upping sticks for pastures new with the Premier League champions. We knew Zaha was special but perhaps we’ve lost sight in the transfer furore and the fabricated rumours of his head being turned by England, just how good he was.

From the skinny young kid who looked nervous even stepping on the pitch in 2010, we’ve seen a lad grow up in front of us. We have watched the frustrating, the sublime, the controversial and everything else in between in the 140 league games that Wilf has played, it’s been one hell of a ride.

Everyone has a favourite Zaha moment, maybe it was his instinctive finish to grab his first goal for the club against Leicester, or perhaps relentlessly tormenting the Middlesbrough defence, so much so that the referee had to have a quiet word to tell him to stop showboating. It’s hard to pin down one brilliant snapshot in a short career filled with plenty to choose from and with plenty more to come.

At times Wilf can try too much but at least he tries. Ask any Championship club who they fear the most when they face us and it is the same name will be thrown back every single time. It is that fear factor that isolated him in some games and it is the ire from opposition fans that drove him on in others. He has tormented supporters and tantalised them in equal measure but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some filth has been peddled in the last week about one of Wilfried’s close relatives. Even those who try to discredit Zaha are aware of the qualities in his personality and sacrifices he has made. It is testament to himself, his family and his attitude to stay away from the shady elements that can invariably surround a teenager with the world at his feet and just focus on playing football. Dougie Freedman played a huge part in this and so, too, did Gary Issott. His role in keeping Wilf’s feet on the ground cannot go unnoticed.

To some he will just be a statistic; another one off of the academy production line but for those who see him week in, week out, he will be remembered as so much more. Having been someone who never saw Dougie Freedman play in the flesh, it will be fantastic in years to come to attest to witnessing a player as revered as Wilfried Zaha. We can tell our kids, our grandkids, even random people in the pub when Manchester United are playing that we were there. The legend will become greater than the reality. We will ignore the frustration and the petulance and just, instead, remember a young boy who turned into a confident young man; a man who just loved to play football and entertain the fans. That’s all we ever really want from a Crystal Palace player, isn’t it?

Thank you, Wilf.

Sir Alex Ferguson will step down as Manchester United manager at the end of the season after 26 years in charge.The Scot,71,has won 38 trophies during his reign at Old Trafford and will now become a director and ambassador for the club.

When he was asked about his decision of resign,he said ” The decision to retire is the one that I have thought a great deal about.It is the right time.”

Sir Alex who clinched his 13th premier league title with the club last month paid tribute to his wife and colleagues for their support during his long tenure at Old Trafford.

But the announcement appeared to damage the club’s value on the stock market with shares falling 4.5 percents in the hours that followed before rallying to -1.28 percent.

”SAF” no doubt the all time best club coach named Everton’s David Moyes as his successor.He believes that Moyes understands the club’s history and is committed to youth development while employing an attractive attacking style of football.

Sir Alex Ferguson retires

Ferguson who will undergo hip surgery in the summer is confident his successor will take over the club in good health.”It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believed I have done so” he said.

Alex the most successful manager in the history of the British game and a star footballer maker have been led by British Prime Minister David Cameron who tweeted ” Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievement at #MUFC has been exceptional.”

Ferguson began his playing career at Queen’s Park as a 16 year old striker.His most notable spell as a player came in a two year stint at Glasgow Rangers from 1967.He retires as a player in 1974 when he was on Ayr United’s books.

He began his managerial career as a 32 year old at East Stirlingshire before moving to St Mirrer where he won his first trophy by taking the Scottish first division title in 1977.

Ferguson‘s talent at building winning teams became apparent after he took over at unfashionable Aberdeen and turned them into a major force in a league.

|| FERGUSON’S TITLES ||

Premier League : 1993,1994,1996,1997,1999,2000,2001,2003,2007,2008,2009,2011,2013

FA Cup : 1990,1994,1996,1999,2004

League Cup : 1992,2006,2009,2010

Champions League : 1999,2008

Cup Winners Cup : 1991

FIFA Club World Cup : 2008

UEFA Super Cup : 1992

Inter Continental Cup : 1999

FA Charity/Community Shield : 1990(share),1993,1994,1996,1997,2003,2007,2008,2010,2011

|| FERGUSON IN NUMBERS ||

1 Knighthood from the queen in June 1999

2 Champions League title against Bayern Munich in 1999 and Chelsea in 2008

5 Teams Manages- East Stirling 1974, St Mirren 1975-78, Aderdeen 1978-86, Scottland 1985-86, Manchester United 1986-2013

6 Clubs as a player : Queen’s Park,St Johnstone,Dunfermline,Rangers,Falkrik,Ayr

9 Scottish and English FA Cup

17 Games missed due to touchline bans

26 Years in Manchester United

38 Trophies won at Old Trafford

49 Trophies won as a manager with MU, Adredeen and St Mirren

104 Players bought while at MANU. Last was Wilfried Zaha signed from Crystal Palace

170 Goals scored during his player career.

370 Appearances as a player

1500 Matches as a manager with MU.

This fixture will be a very emotional affair amongst all United fans across the world as well as the people who have been involved with Sir Alex over the years. Flashback to last week and this would have been the celebration of the Premier League trophy presentation at home to the crowd. But the news broke out on Thursday, the legend himself is retiring as manager of Manchester United at the end of the season. It now seems this will be an atmosphere for a spectacular retirement bash to the greatest manager of all time.

A few weeks ago, Ferguson said he would continue until his health would stop him to do so. The news came as a shock as to when and if he would retire. With all the glorious silverware he has managed to achieve over the 26 years in the helm, he has made a huge impact to the club and country. However, the owners did react quickly and have appointed David Moyes as the new manager who will start from 1^st of July on a six-year contract. Ferguson will be looking for his side to put out a performance at the final game of the season at Old Trafford and to produce a fitting finale as the form has been below par in the last six games in the Premier League.

Michael Laudrup will take his Swansea side to spoil the party by aiming to finish the season on a high note by earning more points. Adding to their Carling Cup success, the Swans have improved with Michu providing goals and the midfielders chipping in with assists. Their style of play has certainly got opposition thinking about their own tactics and game plans.

There will be plenty of speculation about Wayne Rooney’s future after he asked to leave the club in the summer for the second time. It will be a selection dilemma whether to start him or not. Regulars Ferdinand, Carrick, Van Persie will be looking start. Paul Scholes could be returning after three months out with a knee injury. Rafael is unfortunately suspended for the game after picking him a red card against Chelsea. Lindegaard started last week and De Gea should be selected between the sticks. For Swansea, Rangel and Vorm will miss the game as they both recover from injuries.

Much of the focus will be about Sir Alex Ferguson as well as the celebration of winning the 20^th league title for the Red Devils. It seems the players have decided Ferguson will be handed the trophy first, for the final time. His success has driven Man United to be the global organisation and number one sports brand. The club has become a commercial success by branching out to all the corners of the world with the honours on the field. The man himself has so much hunger and desire to keep on competing in all competitions. Not only has he won so much, he has managed to produce numerous teams over the years for continuous success. It is time for Sir Alex to be the director of football and look on from the stands into retirement. He deserves all the applause and everyone will want to listen to his final words as Manchester United at the end of the match.

To the game, it will be something where Swansea players will want to prove that they can challenge and compete with the bigger teams. For them, next season they will want to final strongly in the top half of the table and maybe push for European football. As for United, they need to win both their remaining games to equal their best ever points in a 38 game Premier League season which was achieved in 1999-2000. Although, United have won the title, it would be a perfect to win for Sir Alex. Let’s hope the Red Devils do not disappoint.

Possible starting XI:

Man Utd; De Gea, Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Kagawa, Nani, Rooney, Van Persie.

Swansea;  Tremmel, Monk, Chico Torres, A. Williams, Davies, Britton, de Guzman, Routledge, Hernandez, Tiendalli, Michu.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Jose Mourinho has backed new Manchester United manager David
Moyes to succeed as manager of Old Trafford whilst also revealing he
felt honoured to receive a personal call from Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Mourinho has also said that the landscape of the Premier League will be different without Ferguson around.

Speaking to Sky Sports Mourinho said: “When Sir Alex called me to give me the honor of knowing from him his decision, I was surprised and sad.

“At the same time, I was happy to feel his emotion, and pride for such an amazing career.

“It will be difficult for me, and I think all managers, to go to Old
Trafford and play against Manchester United, without this mythical
figure waiting for us.

“I think David is a great choice. I like him as a person, I like his
character as a manager. I believe Manchester United will support him, I
think he has the qualities to do a good job.

“I wish Sir Alex a happy life, and I wish David a successful career at Old Trafford.”

Mourinho was second favorite to take over from Ferguson for a while
after Wednesday’s announcement, but he hinted that Sir Alex Ferguson
knows which club the Real Madrid boss wants to manage after he leaves
the Spanish capital.

“We are good friends, and my good friends know which club I would
like to manage when I finish my work at Real Madrid,” Mourinho added.

He was also asked if he would tune in when Ferguson takes charge of his last match at Old Trafford on Sunday, and said:

“No, certainly not – no, I don’t want to cry!”