Sir Alex Ferguson retires: A secret that couldn't be contained - the inside story of Manchester United boss' exit

Sir Alex Ferguson acknowledges the distant fans aft his last lucifer successful complaint of Manchester United, against West Brom astatine the Hawthorns

Monday 8 May 2023 marks 10 years since the seismic quality of Sir Alex Ferguson's status was confirmed by Manchester United.

A decennary on, it could beryllium argued the nine inactive hasn't recovered from Ferguson's exit.

The Scot remains the astir decorated manager successful British football.

He won 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, a European Cup Winners' Cup, a European Super Cup, an Intercontinental Cup and a Fifa Club World Cup during his clip astatine Manchester United.

Add to that the 3 Scottish titles, 4 Scottish Cups, Scottish League Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and European Super Cup helium won arsenic manager of Aberdeen.

Now 81, successful his autobiography 'Alex Ferguson', helium elaborate wherefore helium decided to discontinue aft astir 27 years successful 1 of the game's toughest and astir high-profile jobs.

'"I'm going to retire," helium told woman Cathy, astir Christmas 2012.

'"Why are you going to bash that," she replied.

"Cathy, who had mislaid her sister Bridget successful the October and was struggling to travel to presumption with that bereavement, soon agreed it was the close course. Contractually, I was obliged to archer the nine by 31 March if I was going to basal down that summer," wrote Ferguson.

So acceptable successful question the wheels for Ferguson's departure. It was besides the opening of an effort to support 1 of the biggest stories of the Premier League epoch nether wraps astatine possibly its most-scrutinised club.

BBC Sport has spoken to a fig of sources astir United astatine that clip for an penetration into the process that ended with an astonishing 5-5 gully successful Ferguson's past crippled arsenic a manager astatine West Brom connected 19 May.

The Real Madrid clue

Ferguson told United main enforcement David Gill of his plans aboriginal successful 2013.

Gill had initially called their gathering to archer Ferguson of his ain departure.

Having worked intimately with Ferguson for much than a decade, Gill wanted the manager to beryllium among the archetypal to cognize helium intended to basal down the pursuing summer, hoping a deficiency of nine ties would amended his chances of taking a spot connected Uefa's almighty enforcement committee.

However, Gill was amazed to perceive Ferguson uncover that the existent play would besides beryllium his past astatine Old Trafford.

The quality stayed concealed for months.

Long aft the 31 March deadline passed, lone a prime few, including United's owners, the Glazer family, knew of Ferguson's impending exit.

However, looking back, determination was a elephantine clue.

On 5 March, United were knocked retired of the Champions League successful arguable manner by Real Madrid. They had been up successful the necktie erstwhile United winger Nani was sent off. On the touchline, Ferguson was furious.

When the teams returned to the dressing room, Gill went to talk to Mike Phelan, Ferguson's assistant.

Phelan had been Ferguson's regular stand-in for post-match interviews with the BBC during the manager's seven-year boycott of the broadcaster implicit a disputed documentary astir his lad Jason.

In addition, the lone clip the United manager conducted the abstracted post-match media conferences was aft European games erstwhile it was a contractual requirement.

Despite the magnitude of the crippled and the unprecedented quality of the petition successful a European context, Gill told Phelan that helium would person to instrumentality the spot of an upset and aggravated Ferguson successful beforehand of the media. Ferguson said the same.

The feeling was Ferguson mightiness accidental thing helium would regret.

Phelan told the media Ferguson was "distraught" and "in nary acceptable state" to speech to them.

What Ferguson and Gill knew, but neither Phelan nor anyone successful the media were alert of, was that the nonaccomplishment signalled the extremity of the manager's last accidental to assistance the trophy helium coveted the astir erstwhile more.

His operation of rage and incredulity astatine the show of Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir was heightened by the cognition determination could beryllium nary accidental of redemption. In Champions League terms, it was the end.

Putting a program successful place

It wasn't until aboriginal April that the ellipse of spot was widened.

Even then, it extended to no-one different than those who, for operational reasons, had to cognize astir Ferguson's departure and, crucially, could beryllium trusted.

A mates of weeks later, connected 22 April, United secured the rubric erstwhile Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick successful a 3-0 triumph against Aston Villa.

Van Persie had been recruited from Arsenal the erstwhile summer, having received idiosyncratic assurances from Ferguson that helium had nary plans to basal down.

But the Scot had changed his caput and that rubric occurrence paved the mode for a program to beryllium enactment successful place.

It was not a fixed astatine that clip United would put an open-top autobus parade to observe winning the Premier League.

They famously didn't person 1 aft winning the Premier League and Champions League successful 2008, nor the pursuing play erstwhile they won the Premier League rubric and reached the Champions League final.

However, connected the ground Manchester City had celebrated their ain occurrence 12 months earlier with a parade, thing seemed excessively antithetic successful United saying they wanted 1 arsenic well.

Those astatine the nine with work for marking cardinal moments were told to propulsion the vessel out. It was, aft all, they were told, a milestone 20th championship. Behind that propulsion laic the cognition it would besides beryllium marking Ferguson's last.

Still, hardly anyone knew the reality. The announcement of Ferguson's departure was acceptable for the greeting of Wednesday, 8 May.

On the Tuesday morning, a gathering was called for assorted unit members.

They were told to hole for a large announcement, arsenic large arsenic it was imaginable to be, for the pursuing morning. The code of the speech was to steer radical towards believing it was transportation oregon sponsorship related.

But, astatine the extremity of the meeting, a lone dependable stated firmly "the king is dead, agelong unrecorded the king". Those contiguous who were alert of Ferguson's exit were stunned.

It hadn't been spelt retired but determination could beryllium nary greater steer arsenic to what was astir to unfold.

As the gathering broke up, truthful the rumours spread, initially crossed United's Carrington grooming ground, past out, to the yearly play time organised by erstwhile players astatine the exclusive Dunham Forest people successful Cheshire.

Rumours began to dispersed among the Manchester United squad arsenic they attended a foundation play time connected the time earlier Ferguson confirmed his departure

As speculation swirled, unit successful the cognize realised their concealed was getting distant from them.

Senior figures connected the coaching unit received substance messages informing them of the play time gossip.

Key website workers were told to study to Old Trafford for 06:00 BST the pursuing morning. Some, who got connected good with the media, were bombarded with calls and yet opted to power their phones off.

The announcement

The stories of Ferguson's impending departure appeared online aboriginal that evening. The Telegraph was first, but were followed astir instantly by the remainder of Fleet Street.

By the pursuing morning, the reports were being carried by vigor and TV outlets.

Ferguson was not happy. He wanted the accusation to travel from him.

As the unit helium worked closest with arrived for work, helium asked to spot them. He apologised for the mode successful which the accusation had travel out, but confirmed helium was lasting down. The meetings were brief, nary longer than 10 minutes.

Preparations past continued for the last 2 games - against Swansea and West Brom - arsenic though thing had happened, adjacent though astir each were blindsided.

In the preceding months, Ferguson had been portion of galore meetings to sermon that summer's pre-season travel to Australia and the pursuing campaign. He was successful bully health. Nothing hinted astatine the monolithic determination helium had made.

Then Ferguson went to spot his players. At the aforesaid time, the authoritative announcement was being prepared for release.

The effect of the players was emblematic of a radical of younger men being addressed by an older one. There were a myriad of jokes astir the deficiency of dressing-room dressing-downs successful the future, of their alleviation Ferguson was yet going and predictions helium would alteration his caput anyhow and beryllium backmost adjacent season.

At Old Trafford the temper was much superior and much tense. The fig of unit arriving aboriginal alerted information unit to a thing important successful the offing. It simply reinforced what they were speechmaking and proceeding successful the media.

Those liable for publishing the accusation were taken to Box 30, oregon the 'War Room' arsenic it is known internally, connected the archetypal tier of the East Stand. It is the astir backstage hospitality container astatine the stadium. Most precocious it was seen successful promotional video Ferguson filmed with Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to publicise the clubs' pre-season gathering successful San Diego this July.

The existent item of the property merchandise was lone finalised 10 minutes earlier it was owed to spell live.

The connection itself, containing lengthy quotes from Ferguson, Gill and co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer, was checked and re-checked to marque definite it went retired without error. All progressive understood the standard of what would hap erstwhile the nonstop fastener was pressed.

Sure enough, for a while, the United website couldn't header arsenic the fig of visitors brought it to a standstill.

Back successful the canteen astatine Carrington, Ferguson, accompanied by lad Jason, spoke to remaining staff. It was an affectional morning. He had to dependable himself connected a mates of occasions to get through. Little wonder, erstwhile his assorted addresses had been made, helium felt the request to instrumentality location to Wilmslow to wide his head.

The last games

Four days later, Ferguson's last programme notes were published. Unlike immoderate managers, who don't constitute oregon adjacent work them, helium ever spent clip reasoning astir the connection helium wanted to deliver.

"It is the close time," helium said.

"It was important to maine to permission the organisation successful the champion imaginable signifier and I judge I person done so."

He paid tribute to his woman and family, his players and staff, nine fable and person Sir Bobby Charlton, Gill and the Glazer family.

He finished with this thank-you to the fans:

"It has been an honour and tremendous privilege to person had the accidental to pb your nine and I person treasured my clip arsenic manager of Manchester United."

Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' and Nat King Cole's 'Unforgettable' were played earlier kick-off.

Rio Ferdinand didn't rather people the victor successful 'Fergie-time' but the 87th infinitesimal was precocious capable to beryllium a fitting extremity to Ferguson's past crippled astatine Old Trafford.

He emerged, successful the pouring rain, to instrumentality the acclaim of a packed stadium.

Merchandise sellers astir Old Trafford worked accelerated to nutrient commemorative t-shirts up of Ferguson's last location crippled against Swansea

Typically, helium took the microphone and declared helium had "no publication successful his mind, I americium conscionable going to ramble on" earlier uncovering precisely the close words, crossed 4 minutes, including "you person been the astir fantastic acquisition of my life" and "your occupation present is to basal by our caller manager". His grandchildren past accompanied him connected a last thigh of the stadium.

One week later, astatine West Brom, it truly was the end.

The United players presented Ferguson with a 1941 Rolex watch, marking the twelvemonth of his birth. They besides gave him a publication of photographs depicting his clip astatine United. It included shots of his family, who were with him connected that last momentous time astatine the Hawthorns.

He had a repast with his coaching unit connected the nighttime earlier the game, though fixed the level of uncertainty immoderate of them were experiencing, the temper was reflective alternatively than celebratory.

Ferguson was said to beryllium relaxed successful the dressing country beforehand, but his behaviour was reasonably mean for a matchday.

A commercialized national store steward successful Glasgow's shipyards earlier helium moved into football, Ferguson's last squad speech concentrated connected working-class values. He urged his players to amusement their personalities, play the Manchester United mode and play to win.

He had a gag with 4th authoritative Chris Foy erstwhile helium made his mode done the defender of honour formed by players of some sides. As usual, helium sat betwixt Phelan and first-team manager Rene Meulensteen connected the bench.

There was the acquainted show of him chewing gum successful vexation arsenic Romelu Lukaku completed a hat-trick and West Brom fought backmost from 5-2 down to assertion a draw. However, those adjacent by noted the accustomed choler was missing.

At the last whistle, Ryan Giggs pushed Ferguson successful beforehand of the players to admit the visiting fans. Paul Scholes was expected to beryllium with him arsenic helium prepared for his - 2nd - status but, typically, the past media-shy midfielder was obscurity to beryllium seen.

Back successful the dressing room, Giggs reflected connected the mode of the ridiculous effect and, with the then-Everton manager already extensively linked arsenic Ferguson's successor, joked: "David Moyes has conscionable resigned."

Ferguson's coaching squad went for the accustomed post-match chat with West Brom brag and chap Scot Steve Clarke, who successful his programme notes for the crippled had said: "The standard and eloquence of the tributes that person travel his mode talk volumes for the standard of his publication to the game."

West Brom had taken the unprecedented measurement of including an astonishing 40-page tribute to Ferguson successful their lucifer programme. Later they sent connected the authoritative teamsheets, each signed.

The extremity of an era

Looking back, United were successful the process of making a fig of mistakes.

That night, fractional a twelve cardinal unit met for a portion connected the outskirts of Manchester to sermon what had happened and wherever United went from there. There were nary large meetings planned to outline the future.

Ferguson, understandably, decided to measurement distant wholly to guarantee his beingness didn't restrict Moyes arsenic helium took implicit the reins.

Incredibly, United did not bargain Moyes retired of the remainder of his Everton contract. It was 1 July - a period and a fractional aft Ferguson's last crippled - earlier helium could statesman enactment properly.

Moyes faced the media for the archetypal time, alongside Nemanja Vidic successful a quality league to beforehand the club's pre-season circuit a fewer days later. But helium was already playing catch-up and ne'er recovered the ground.

Within 12 months, successful summation to Ferguson, Gill and Scholes, Phelan, Meulensteen, goalkeeping manager Eric Steele, Ferdinand, Vidic and full-back Patrice Evra had each near the club. Giggs retired. Within 2 years, respected younker squad manager Paul McGuiness and academy manager Brian McClair had gone arsenic well.

It truly was the extremity of an era. Nothing astatine Manchester United would ever beryllium the aforesaid again.

Ferguson's successor David Moyes was sacked 10 months into a six-year declaration astatine Old Trafford