SIR ALEX FERGUSON RETIRES AFTER 27 YEARS AND 49 TROPHIES AT MANCHESTER UNITED

Sir Alex Ferguson has announced he will retire as manchester united manager after 27 years at the club on a day that will redefine the land scape of british football.

The 71 year ol moved to old trafford in 1986 and rebuilt 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 won his 13th premier league trophy and reclaiming the title from the noisy neighbour's manchester city.

united's final match of the season, at west bromwich albion on may 19th, will be his 1,500th of ferguson's tenure as a manager.

having always citied his health as the primary factor in any decision to retire, the club confirmation last friday evening that ferguson, who had a heart pacemaker fitted in 2004, would undergo hip sugery in august raised fresh doubt over his determination to continue in the post.

Ferguson then arrived for work as usual on wednesday morning as he was seen driving into united's carrignton training base at 6.50 am.

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.

Its 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.

' my views 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 persornel'.

THANK YOU SIR ALEX, WE ARE SURELY GOING TO MISS YOU!!!!

 WHO DO YOU TIP TO SUCCEED SIR ALEX?