Manchester United manager Sir
Alex Ferguson will retire at the end of the season, the English Premier League
champions announced today through their official website. The most successful
manager in English football history will bow out after the West Bromwich Albion
game on 19 May and join the football club board.
Announcing his decision to retire, Sir Alex
Ferguson 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 organization 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."
“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. “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 bedrock of both
stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant
to me.”
“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.”
“Over the past decade, the Glazer family has
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.”
“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.”
Ferguson had dropped no hints
that he was thinking about retiring and in programme notes ahead of last Sunday's
game against Chelsea appeared to suggest he would continue his reign as the
club's most successful manager for the foreseeable future.
"Whether I will be here to oversee
another decade of success remains to be seen but I certainly 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," he wrote.
Ferguson, who is due to have hip surgery after
the season, will be an almost impossible act to follow and suitable candidates
for arguably the biggest job in world soccer are thin on the ground.
