FERGIE RETIRES AFTER 27 YEARS AND 49 TROPHIES

Sir Alex Ferguson has announced he will retire as Manchester United manager after 27 years at the club, moving upstairs to be a member of the board. It is a day that will redefine the landscape of British football.

Announcing the news, he said: '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.

'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.

Looking to the future: Sir Alex Ferguson will retire as manager of Manchester United at the end of the season

                              

                              

Bad start: Plain old Alex Ferguson looks glum during his first game, a 2-0 defeat by Oxford

FERGUSON'S FABULOUS 49

Sir Alex's 49 trophies is the most successful managerial career Britain has ever known.

ST MIRREN

Scottish First Division (1): 1976-77.


ABERDEEN

Scottish Premier Division (3): 1979-80, 1983-84, 1984-85.
Scottish Cup (4): 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86.
Scottish League Cup (1): 1985-86.
European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1982-83.
European Super Cup (1): 1983.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Premier League (13): 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13.

FA Cup (5): 1989-90, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2003-04.
League Cup (4): 1991-92, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10.

Charity/Community Shield (10): 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011.

Champions League (2): 1998-99, 2007-08.

European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1990-91.


European Super Cup (1): 1991.

Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999.

FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008.

'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.

Title No 13: Arms aloft, Ferguson salutes the Old Trafford crowd after this seasons league title is sewn up

'I must pay tribute to my family, their love and support has been essential. My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.

Golden boots: Ruud van Nistelrooy was signed from PSV for big money and scored lots of goals

Not a success: Juan Sebastian Veron arrived in the same summer as Van Nistelrooy for £28m

'As for my players and staff, past and present, I would like to thank them all for a staggering level of professional conduct and dedication that has helped to deliver so many memorable triumphs. Without their contribution the history of this great club would not be as rich.

'In my early years, the backing of the board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in particular, gave me the confidence and time to build a football club, rather than just a football team.

How times have changed: The infamous 'Ta ra Fergie' banner which was on show at Old Trafford in 1989

'Over the past decade, the Glazer family have provided me with the platform to manage Manchester United to the best of my ability and I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with a talented and trustworthy Chief Executive in David Gill. I am truly grateful to all of them.

First of many: Ferguson cradles the FA Cup in 1990. He would get his hands on many more trophies...

Gong for Europe: Ferguson kisses the European Cup-Winners' Cup after victory in 1991

No 1 signing: Eric Cantona (right) was possibly Ferguson's most important acquisition

'To the fans, thank you. The support you have provided over the years has been truly humbling. It has been an honour and an enormous privilege to have had the opportunity to lead your club and I have treasured my time as manager of Manchester United.'The 71-year-old moved to Old Trafford in 1986 and re-built United's empire in spectacular fashion - winning an astonishing 49 trophies in all.

                               
But, after infamously 'quitting' 12 years ago, he has decided to retire once and for all at the end of this season. He leaves having won his 13th Premier League trophy - and reclaiming the title from the 'noisy neighbours' Manchester City.

United’s final match of the season, at West Bromwich Albion on May 19, will be the 1,500th of Ferguson’s tenure as manager.

Premier class: The trophy is held by Ferguson in 1993. It's a pose with which he has become very familiar

Double's no trouble: Ferguson and Brian Kidd won both the Premier League and (below) the FA Cup in 1994

                           

Goal king Cole: Striker Andy Cole was signed from Newcastle for a British record £7m in 1995

Boot's on the other foot: David Beckham sports a scar eye after Ferguson kicked a boot at him in 2003

Dutch of class: Robin van Persie signed from Arsenal last year - and what a difference he made to United

Special Ron: Ferguson turned Cristiano Ronaldo from a showboating teenager into one of the world's best

Having always cited his health as the primary factor in any decision to retire, the club’s confirmation last Friday evening that Ferguson, who had a heart pacemaker fitted in 2004, would undergo hip surgery in August raised fresh doubt over his determination to continue in the post.

Champagne moment: The United manager holds the Premier League trophy in 2003, then drinks the bubbly

As details of the proposed announcement today dripped through late last night, officials at Old Trafford were not even taking calls from journalists amid the frenzy of speculation.

Ferguson then arrived for work as usual on Wednesday morning as he was seen driving into United's Carrington training base at 6.50am. 

Blue to red: Wayne Rooney, with Ferguson in 2011, signed from Everton in 2004

Today's announcement is seemingly at odds with Ferguson's programme notes last weekend, when he wrote: ‘I don’t have any plans at the moment to walk away from what I believe will be something special and worth being around to see.

Dr Ferguson: Getting an honorary doctorate during graduation ceremony at Stirling University in 2011

‘It’s always difficult in football to be absolutely sure of the future because the game has a habit of tripping you up, but I don’t live in a fantasy world and believe we have every reason to feel confident about the future of Manchester United. 

                       

King pair: Roy Keane, signed in 1993, was Ferguson's leader on the pitch and inspired many successes

'My view stems not from the euphoria of winning back the title we lost last season, but on the way we did it and the make-up of our playing personnel.’

In the statement published on the club's website this morning outgoing chief executive David Gill, added: 'I've had the tremendous pleasure of working very closely with Alex for 16 unforgettable years – through the Treble, the double, countless trophy wins and numerous signings.

Title No 13: Arms aloft, Ferguson salutes the Old Trafford crowd after this seasons league title is sewn up

'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.

Lest we forget: Ferguson (right) and Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson carry wreaths on the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster

'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.

King of Europe again: Ferguson lifts the European Cup in 2008

'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.

'What he has done for this club and for the game in general will never be forgotten. It has been the greatest experience of my working life being alongside Alex and a great honour to be able to call him a friend

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Treble joy: Ferguson lifts the Premier League trophy (left) and the FA Cup - then gets his hands on the Holy Grail, the European Cup (below), after that night in Barcelona

                                     

Red leaders: Then Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) and Gordon Brown (later to become PM) with committed socialist Ferguson in 2005

                                              

             

Statuesque: The Sir Alex Ferguson statue, unveiled last year, outside Old Trafford, while inside the Theatre of Dreams he salutes the United fans