A Legend retires; An era ends; The game will never be the same

Fergie, give us a wave, Fergie, Fergie, give us a wave...

”An end of an era” is something people casually cough up but if these words are to be used in an occasion that actually demands it, there is no better time than now as Sir Alex has decided to walk down the sunset in football management career that spanned 4 decades of which 27 years being at the helm of Manchester United. A sad day for football and specifically for me indeed for I have always known that Manchester United is Sir Alex Ferguson. His retirement though inevitable was something that was pushed back to a corner in my mind thinking it will never happen for few more years filled with glory. This being the 10^th season since I started following football and the MUFC could not comprehend a possibility of seeing another bloke taking the reins over from our beloved Scot. Though not going into details, I can say my productivity at work was impacted today post noon when the news tricked down.

What is left for me to talk about this wonderful person who has continuously pushed himself against all challenges to deliver success and enthrall everyone with his brand of football? The sheer length of his duration at the club of this magnitude deserves respect and is now a rarity with a hire & fire policy being the mantra at all clubs. Only Arsene Wenger and David Moyes in Britain can boast of longevity at a particular club. It will be left to Arsene to carry the torch alone from next season as the rumours suggest the Evertonian might replace SAF. Let me refrain from talking on who can replace SAF anymore as I am yet to recover from the shock dealt today. How could you ever do this to us Fergie? I thought you still had 10 more years to go on in you and pit your wits with the then new crop of managers, possibly ones from the current first team.

All day I have been recollecting his duels in the past with the usual rivals and Arsene in particular for the reason I have been ranting incessantly all along and how he had come out on top. The most famous quotes of Sir Alex I guess would be “I ll knock them off their perch” when unveiled as the manager in 1986 on Liverpool’s dominance. I bet except for him and a few in the club hierarchy who knew what they had in possession would have discarded those words as gibberish. He did knock them off their perch in 2011 and kept his word. Now we can all agree he actually meant them way back then. If there was a season when we did not win, it spurred him and he made sure we were back to the pole the next season, latest victory being an example. Now I feel he may have planned to retire last year but City made sure he had to put his plans on hold to let them know who the boss is at Manchester! Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the greatness he has achieved and the service he has rendered to football. He was not an ambassador just for MUFC but for the Barclays Premier League and football in general as well.

What has amazed me over the years is how he handles player egos under his roof. To sell David Beckham at his prime who was a youth product could have been possible only for SAF. He sent his messages loud and clear. Toe the line or head to exit ASAP. He was lucky to have a team of people working for him and the owners who made things possible if he requested for. As a corollary, you could also say that his vision and achievements made his requests a no-brainer for the above said group to comply with his requests.

Sir Alex’s trust in youth development has been a major contributor towards constant success at the club. When the other clubs went out to pay over the odds to usher in stars, he was steadily setting up a supply chain of young players who could excel in the top league. How else do you explain the 2012-13 league win with a couple of stars and a whole bunch of kids in their early 20s. Even if I were not around following football in the 90s, I am aware of the “Fergie Fledgings” in the same mould as “Busby babes” comprising Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Neville brothers who made Alan Hansen eat his words “You can’t win with kids”. That is a mark of a genius. He always championed for a good youth academy and an organised scouting system to be set up in the club and he has seen them reap dividends and the national team have also been a beneficiary in this instance. He knows the recipe for success and reinvents himself to adjust to the present climate to sustain successes.

In his 27 years of association with the club, he has also seen a number of star signings and couple of them at a bargain price. I hear Cantona’s transfer originated from a chance enquiry on his availability from Leeds and when he received a positive response, we all know what followed. He also oversaw the signings of Peter Schmeichel, Andrei Kanchelskis, Roy Keane, Jaap Stam to name a few who had a proven record. He knew how to blend youth with experience to extract the maximum potential from the group. He could convince players he felt would contribute to the club to join him at United if they were uncertain of their future. He always launched a passionate defence for his players if he felt were targeted and was protective of them like a family. David Beckham in his tribute today had acknowledged this virtue by saying he may not have become a person he is if not for Sir Alex.

13 league titles, 5 FA cups, 2 European cups in a span of 27 years, 38 in total with Manchester United should be a massive record of sorts. Given the present scenario of how the clubs are run, I do not see a manager in the future who can achieve the same with one club. I do believe it is possible at MUFC but could we unearth the next Ferguson? We can painfully remember how long we took to find Fergie since Matt Busby moved on to become the director at the club. We had to even face relegation in 74’ironically pushed to by a goal from Denis Law for City. One note of satisfaction is the club during those days are far cry from how it is being run now. With the present set up, I think we are safe for few more years to be competing for top honours in England and in Europe. That too is a vision of the Glaswegian to make sure the team did not suffer from his exit.

For the last few years there has always been a legend retiring from the ranks to bring us fans to a standstill and then let us celebrate them for their achievements. I still remember when Scholes revealed his retirement right after losing the CL in 2011 but having won the PL. I have been a huge fan of his that I was thinking along on the lines of who could be brought to replace him in the midfield. Though he was irreplaceable as a legend of MU, there were still a handful of equally brilliant players in his position who could have made his departure less painful. That was because we still had Sir Alex and I trusted if he waved his wand, the gap may be filled. When the magician himself makes an exit, who do we look up to? That is why it is more disheartening to witness the manager bid goodbye.

Fergie time - open for extra 5 minutes today - cashing in on the occasion

I am going to miss the gaffer constantly chewing the gum from the bench while plotting his next strategy to gain an upper hand in the game. I am going to miss his antics at the touchline when the game heads to some nervy moments and his jibes at the fourth officials. I am going to miss the” Fergie time” when we are trailing after 90 minutes. I am going to miss him as manager with youthful enthusiasm in celebrating goals. Overall he leaves a gaping hole in the club that is not going to be filled anytime soon. I can only hope for a Matt Busby reborn in this era to take over the club again.

His statue at the entrance of Sir Alex Ferguson Stand

Thank you Sir Alex, thank you for entertaining us all these years. To me Manchester United will always be you. You define Manchester United. Take a bow. A tribute from one of the millions of Manchester United fans across the globe.

Oh, every single one of us,

Loves Alex Ferguson,

Loves Alex Ferguson,

Loves Alex Ferguson...