Glory, Glory Man Utd. Harry Harris

      Fergieʼs Farewell

      HISTORY AND TRADITION, the very ethos of Manchester United, were unashamedly rolled out, as one might have expected, for Sir Alexʼs special ʼfarewell gameʼ. It was Sir Alex Fergusonʼs 723rd match at the Theatre of Dreams, turned into a virtual testimonial dressed up as a Premier League game.

      Sir Alexʼs Old Trafford debut was a 1 – 0 win over QPR 26 – and – a – half years earlier, watched by a crowd of 42,235, remarkably 14,000 shy of capacity. ʼThe Farewellʼ was full to the rafters all right. A crowd of 75,572 will long be able to say “I was there” on such a momentous occasion for the club, and British football history.

      1986 was a life – time ago but it is worth reflecting on the changes Manchester has undergone under Fergieʼs reign. Back then, English clubs were still banned from Europe following the Heysel stadium disaster and Liverpool were the dominant domestic force having become only the second club in the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup double. Meanwhile supporters still had the option to watch a match from the terraces at a reasonable cost while football in general still seemed at the fringe of national life – live matches had only just began to appear on national television and the skill level quite often left a lot to be desired. Foreign imports were rare and the sport didnʼt have its own dedicated TV channels. Attendances were falling and supporters were often treated like animals with an openly hostile government openly discussing how to shut football down if hooliganism persisted. Fighting on the terraces was almost a sport within a sport and a common sight on the news.

      26 and a half years later the Premier League is one of Englandʼs greatest exports with the city of Manchester gaining so much tourism through the popularity of United that it has become the UKʼs top destination outside the capital. Of course Sir Alex Ferguson, more than any other, is responsible for this economic boom in an area once synonymous with post – industrial urban decay. When he arrived in 1986 the city was falling to pieces, he leaves it as a place confident of its status on the world stage. If an academic could do a study on Sir Alexʼs economic impact on the area, I am sure he would be up there with the Victorian businessmen and benefactors who helped turn the region into the worldʼs first industrial city.

      Of course, it could have been very different had the club not won the FA Cup in 1990, as the first four years were trophyless, and a day of destiny arrived with his side struggling in the League. That unexpected at the City Ground, Nottingham in a third round FA Cup tie against Brian Cloughʼs high – flying Forest team is popularly though to have saved his bacon. Mark Robins was the kid who emerged through the ranks to score the vital winner – whether Sir Alexʼs successor David Moyes is afforded the luxury of such time in an age of instant success, remains to be seen, although a six year contract was a statement of intent. Itʼs interesting to note that across Manchester another overseas owner afforded Roberto Mancini a new lucrative six – year contract upon wrestling the championship crown from United, and that lasted less than a year with the Italian appearing to be on the verge of dismissal at the end of the season.

      Michael Laudrup, manager of the incidental opponent on the day, Swansea City, observed that filling Sir Alexʼs boots was the toughest job in world football. Good luck David, youʼre going to need it, and Sir Alex made the point of actually asking the fans to back his successor.

      In his final programme notes, Sir Alex wrote, “To the fans, thank you. The support you have provided over the years has been truly humbling. It has been an enormous honour and an enormous privilege to have led your club and I have treasured my time as manager of Manchester United.”

      There is always curiosity and fans hanging around waiting for the star – studded team bus to arrive at Old Trafford, but this time, three hours before kick – off, thousands of fans were already assembled. The small barricaded area set aside for the arrival of the team coach was a mass of people at 12.30pm, eager to be at the front to take pictures of Sir Alex leaving the team coach for the final time at Old Trafford. The fans queued to buy their programmes or fanzines featuring Fergieʼs Farewell.

      Inside the stadium the atmosphere was naturally one of celebration and sentimentality, the mood captured as Frank Sinatraʼs “My Way” and Nat King Coleʼs “Unforgettable” got the fans in the mood for the tribute to the departing boss. There were plenty of banners in amongst the swarm of red flags; one read “Sir Alex – Immortal”, another “Thanks Gaffer. From The Stretford End.” , “Fergie rules” read another; but no longer.

      Walking onto the pitch, 70,000 red flags with the word ʼChampionsʼ waved as Sir Alex was announced as “the man who made the impossible dream possible”. Even Sir Bobby Charlton was waving one of the red flags standing in the directorsʼ box. The music, well, The Impossible Dream, of course. Cue massive applause when the departing emerged from the tunnel. No red and white scarf tied fashionably like Roberto Mancini, nor designer gear like Jose Mourinho or Andre Villas – Boas, instead the uniform of an archetypal old fashioned British coach, that of dark overcoat worn against the Mancunian rain, covering the usual favoured black fleece zipped up, against the cold. Yes, it was still peeing down and chilly in the middle May in Manchester.

      Unitedʼs electric scoreboard cut through the gloom and rain to beam brightly “26 years – 38 trophies. ʼChampionsʼ was spelled out by the fans’ cards in white against the red background on the stand which bears his name. He received a guard of honour from both teams. He smiled and applauded back. He gave a thumbs up to both teams as he headed to his position on the sideline, signing a profusion of autographs before the kick-off. By the way, the fans also gave a tremendous reception to Paul Scholes. But this was only going to be about one man.

      As for the match itself, United won 2 – 1, with Rio Ferdinand scoring a late winner in the 87th minute, heaven sent, another late goal. How Sir Alex thrived on late goals. He loved them. At least it was a few minutes before the end rather than in Fergie time, a new addition to the football vocabulary invented by Sir Alexʼs desire to extract every possible second of over time to gain any kind of advantage he could. The whole event on the field was irrelevant in the sense that this was Sir Alexʼs Day, the result didnʼt really matter, but better a win to sign off with. The fans sang ʼChampionsʼ naturally, but also mocked City ʼWe Won Our Trophy Back and Now Youʼve Got The Sackʼ. And of course, there had been rumours in the media for weeks that Mancini was a Dead Man Walking, and would have been sacked regardless of the FA Cup Final defeat to Wigan the day before Sir Alexʼs big day.

      Javier Hernandez opened the scoring, and another cacophony of sound as the fans bellowed “Stand Up for Alex Fergusonʼ, and of course they all did. Michu equalised, and the fans joked ʼYouʼre Be Sacked In The Morning!” Again it seemed part of the script that one of the central characters of the season, whose future was under constant review, Rio Ferdinand, should pop up with the late winner. It was Rioʼs first goal in five years. Hereʼs another one for the stats freaks, Sir Alex won 514 of 723 home games at Old Trafford. Quite some record, but just one of many stunning stats that Sir Alex leave us all with.

      But itʼs not just records Sir Alex has broken. He has broken some of the biggest egos in the game. Wayne Rooney was not included in the team, he wasnʼt even in the United squad. After the game, Sir Alex confirmed Rooney had asked for a transfer and it “made sense” for him not to play, even though the request was turned down. Asked whether the Rooney will stay at the club, Sir Alex smiled, “Itʼs not my decision now!” Rooney had played under Moyes as a teenager at Goodison Park before joining United in August 2004, and although they fell out over Rooneyʼs autobiography, they had since repaired their relationship. That, though, didnʼt necessarily mean a healing of the rift between Rooney and the club, but with Sir Alex gone, it might mean another chance with Moyes.

      Although