Source: Team_Talk
Fergie keen to go out on a high
Manchester United's long-serving manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists he would never retire from the club if the team were struggling.[LNB] In May 2008 the Scottish legend was quoted as saying he would not be managing beyond three years leading to recent questions that he might call it a day at the end of next season.[LNB]However, the 68-year-old rubbished reports in April that he would be departing in the summer of 2011 and now it remains anyone's guess when he will eventually step down.[LNB]One thing Ferguson has clarified is that he would not emulate Ron Atkinson's example in 1986 when he inherited a team struggling on the pitch and without silverware.[LNB]Ferguson insists he would only relinquish his post when The Red Devils are in a 'good, healthy' position.[LNB]"If we hit a bad spell, it would not be the right time to go," explained Ferguson.[LNB]"I would not want to put the new manager into a situation where he was taking over a bad team. I want to leave United in a good, healthy position."[LNB]Ferguson tried to retire once in 2002 only to perform a quick U-turn following the team's dramatic loss of form and well-timed intervention from his wife Cathy. [LNB]"In 2002, I made the decision on a whim," he recalled. "The age 60 sounded good, I'd won the European Cup and a lot of people were saying, 'You'll never do that again.'[LNB]"There are a lot of silly things that go through your mind - one line was that Manchester United didn't want another Matt Busby situation and all that nonsense, but after I made the decision the performance of the team went downhill and it was a nightmare.[LNB]"On New Year's Eve, we went out for dinner and when we came back I fell asleep on the couch. My wife, Cathy, came in with the three boys behind her, she kicked my foot and said, 'You are not retiring'!"
