A few days ago, on Monday 8 May, it was ten years since Manchester United confirmed the news that was to change their history: Sir Alex Ferguson leaving the bench.

This story hit the media the night before the official announcement, despite the club’s best efforts to keep it a closely guarded secret. Ten years have passed since that day, and United still has not recovered from the departure of the Scottish manager, who during his years at the Red Devils won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, two Champions Leagues, a Cup Cup Winners, European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. Prior to that, as the manager of Aberdeen, he managed to celebrate three Scottish Championships, four Cups, a League Cup, a Cup Winners’ Cup and a European Super Cup.

To mark the anniversary, BBC Sport spoke to various sources at United at the time to get an idea of ​​the process that led to a 5-5 draw with West Brom in Ferguson’s last game on 19 May 2013.

Sir Alex was first informed of his intentions by the club’s chief executive, David Gill, earlier that year. Of course, the meeting was called by a United agent to inform the Scot of his own intention to leave Old Trafford. Working closely with Ferguson for over a decade, Gill wanted the coach to be among the first to know of his intention to leave next summer, seeking a seat on the UEFA executive committee. But in the end he surprised Ferguson who informed him that this season would also be his last with the team, even promising the Glazers that he would let them know his intentions by March 31st. When that date passed, only a select few, including the United owners and the Glazer family, were aware of the impending departure.
However, looking back, I saw a huge…

On March 5, United were knocked out of the Champions League in dramatic fashion by Real Madrid. Nani’s dismissal played an important role in the development of the match, during which Ferguson flew into a rage. Therefore, after the end of the match, Gill asked Ferguson’s direct partner, Mike Phelan, to go to a press conference, as Sir Alex was “upset” and “unable” to talk to them.

It wasn’t the first time Phelan had covered his “boss” on this particular track. Also, Ferguson did not speak to the BBC for about seven years because of the scandalous documentary about his son Jason, but this only concerned Premier League matches, not European ones, where he had to follow the protocol. But the truth in Sir Alex’s denial and anger was not that the Portuguese was sent off, but that he had missed his last chance to regain the cup with “big ears”. Therefore, he decided not to appear in front of the cameras, although Phelan at that time could not know the real reason.

A few weeks later, on 22 April, United clinched the title when Van Persie scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Aston Villa. The Dutch striker was signed by Arsenal last summer after receiving personal assurances from Ferguson that he had no intention of leaving. But the Scot changed his mind, and this title success paved the way for the implementation of the plan …

At the time, it was not a foregone conclusion that United would drive around the city in an open-top bus to celebrate their Premier League victory. They didn’t do it in 2008 or 2009. But the fact that a year earlier, in the 2011/12 season, Manchester City put on their own show on the streets of the city, many at the club were sure that United had responded. The official announcement was due to the fact that this was the 20th championship for the club, although few people knew that it was also the last for Ferguson …

Management’s decision was to announce his departure from the air on the morning of Wednesday, May 8th. A meeting of various employees took place the day before. They were told to prepare for a big announcement, as big as possible, the next morning. The tone of the conversation was to make people believe it was a transfer or a sponsorship. But at the end of the meeting, a lone voice decisively declared, “The king is dead, long live the king,” a phrase that seemed to be a kind of guide to what was to happen the next day.

When the meeting ended, rumors spread first at United’s training ground in Carrington and then beyond. As the rumors swirled, knowledgeable staff realized they were being let go, while senior members of the coaching staff received text messages informing them that Ferguson’s departure had been circulated as a rumor of sorts. In fact, that same evening, the Telegraph was the first to publicize Ferguson’s departure in its online edition, with the rest of the media following suit.

Sir Alex looked unhappy that he was not informing the staff, but the media. So when the employees he worked closest to arrived at work, he wanted to talk to them. He apologized for the way the information was spread, but confirmed that he was resigning. The meetings were short and lasted no more than 10 minutes…

Ferguson then went to his players just before the team’s official announcement was released to the press. The reaction of the players was expected in such cases, since in addition to emotions there was also an attempt to cheer up. There were jokes about indiscipline in the dressing room, their relief that Ferguson would finally leave, and predictions that he would change his mind anyway and return next season.

A little later, a press release saw the light of day, taking its final form ten minutes before it “appeared” on the United website. The announcement, which included lengthy statements by Ferguson, Gill and co-chairs Joel and Avram Glazer, was checked and rechecked to ensure it came out without errors. It had only been a few minutes since Ferguson’s death was announced, with the page “hanging” as it couldn’t keep up with the volume of visitors.

Four days later, Ferguson’s own statement was released: “The time has come. It was important for me to leave the organization in the best possible condition, and I believe that I did it, ”he emphasized at the beginning of his message, and also addressed his wife and family, the players and his immediate partners, the staff of the club. , Sir Bobby Charlton, David Gill and its owners. He concluded by thanking the fans: “It has been an honor and a great privilege to have the opportunity to lead your club and I appreciate my time as manager of Manchester United.

In the last home match Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” were played, both songs were “thank you” United to Sir Alex who despite the rain picked up the microphone and told the fans “I don’t have a ready text, I’ll just chat. You were the most fantastic experience of my life and now it’s your job to support our new coach.” His grandchildren then accompanied him on his last tour of Old Trafford. The United players gave Ferguson a 1941 Rolex watch, marking the year of his birth. He was also presented with a book of photographs that captured his time with the team.

Ferguson’s departure was a start. Within 12 months, Gill, Scholes, Phelan, goalkeeping coach Eric Steele, as well as Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra left, while Giggs remained.

It was truly the end of an era. Nothing at Manchester United will ever be the same…

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