RYAN: What's the question I get asked most?
"Are we going to win the league this year?"
I always get asked that.
INTERVIEWER: What's the answer?
(SCOFFS) Not this year, no.
(CHUCKLING) Pretty easy this year.
Sometimes it's, "Mmm..." I hope so.
"What's Rooney like?"
Used to be, "What's Cantona like?
What's Ronaldo like?
"What's Beckham like?"
They're all right. (LAUGHING)
No, I'll tell you what. The most the last
five years, "Are you going again this year?
"Are you going again next year?
"When you finishing?"
Manchester United symbolises,
for me, the bedrock of my life.
Been there since I was 13. I learnt so much.
Winning, never-giving-up attitude,
the history, meeting new friends, the fans,
learning things every day
and just a great place to be fortunate
to go every day for over 20 years.
DAVID BECKHAM: He was
one of these players that,
once he stepped on the field,
you know that something special
was going to happen,
and that's one of the reasons
why he's had the career that he's had.
It's one of the reasons
why he's been able to play
up until the age of 40
at the highest level in football.
PAUL SCHOLES: Sometimes you get players
who make you look better than you are,
and I think Giggs would be the best one
I've ever played with.
HENRY WINTER: If he played on snow,
he wouldn't have left footprints.
You won't see a player with that athleticism,
with that intelligence
and to have that hunger
season after season, to turn up
to push your body through
chasing trophy after trophy.
Thirteen Premier League trophies,
two Champions Leagues as well.
Ryan Giggs will be remembered
as the greatest player
to have graced the Premier League.
GARY NEVILLE: You don't sometimes
recognise greatness whilst it's happening.
You usually have to wait 20 years
or when you're dead to get a statue,
but he shouldn't have to
for what he's achieved.
SIR ALEX FERGUSON:
There's no player in the game today
that can get up and down that touchline
as an outside left,
attacking but willing to go back to defend,
the attitude to winning all the time.
There's no player in the Premier League
who gets anywhere near that.
CROWD: # Giggs
Giggs will tear you apart again
# Giggs
Giggs will tear you apart again
# Giggs
Giggs will tear you apart again #
(CROWD CONTINUES SINGING)
(FANS SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
(ALL SINGING INDISTINCTLY)
This was off Gary, Gary Nev, Gary Neville,
a nice bottle of red wine.
Yeah, Italian, but I think
Roy Hodgson and Graham Souness
have got him
into a tracksuit as well.
STACEY: No, pyjamas.
Oh, Pyjamas, sorry.
Yeah, that shows my age
that I'm getting excited when I get pyjamas.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
This was off the club, Paul Smith bag,
so that was nice.
I mean, I started when I was 17,
and I'm looking at people like Mark Hughes,
who was probably, at the time, 28, 29,
as old, Brucey Robson,
32, 33, and I'm thinking, God, they're ancient.
So God knows what the likes
of Adnan and Phil Jones
and Danny Welbeck, people like that,
are thinking of how old I am.
It's killing me. Like making debut
before people are even born and... Yeah.
I'll be glad when it's over.
(LAUGHING)
When you were younger, 17, 18,
you'd just go out and play
and it's no problem, you feel fit.
But then after 30,
especially toward the end of your 30s,
you can play in a game
and you just feel absolutely rubbish.
Maybe your preparation hasn't been right,
or maybe it's your first game,
or even your second game,
and you just don't feel match fit.
Then you start thinking,
are you ready to do it all again?
Have you still got the buzz? Have you...
Do you still feel fit?
Are you still contributing?
Are you still happy?
I've come in from training, walked in
and they've all got their Giggsy masks on,
and then around the dressing room
was just different pictures of me
throughout my career, some not
too flattering. Stuff like this, which...
Bit embarrassing.
Great cross, that's my Arsenal goal,
claiming it was a cross.
That sort of thing.
So, yeah, I took a bit of stick today.
Few of these pictures have ruined me,
haven't they? (LAUGHS)
He could switch from being Elvis
and rapping at a party
where we've just won the league,
and then he's on the field and totally focused
in exactly what he needs to do.
That's one of the great things about Giggsy.
RYAN: This season, obviously
it was always going to be difficult
because Sir Alex had left
and he'd been here for so long.
As a player, yeah, you know
that the results ain't going right
and you want to do better,
both as an individual and as a team.
At the moment,
well, I'm not playing and
we're obviously not winning
every game, so, yeah, it's, uh...
Yeah, it's been an obviously
disappointing season all round for me.
Can I tie my shoelaces
without dropping the ball?
INTERVIEWER: Go on, go for it.
- There you go.
-(LAUGHING)
Suddenly, when you get to 38, 39,
you have to say...
You say to yourself,
"When is he going to quit?"
And he probably has asked
the same question himself,
but he's such an exceptional human being
that he carried on, and that's quite amazing.
FEMALE NEWSREADER ON TV:
After this short break,
we'll have more reaction to
the managers' press conference.
What did il: say there? MU I V?
STACEY: He did mention retiring
quite a few times last season
and he was on the verge,
um, because he said,
"I could be going out on a high,"
which we all thought, "Great,"
and then he was persuaded to stay.
I think he's going to really struggle
when he finishes
because he's had that same routine
for 25 years,
and to then have, well, maybe nothing to do,
it's going to be really hard.
The kids bought him these, and the club
sends him one of them every year,
and I think that one's from the BBC,
this yoga one.
- That one's good.
-(ALL AGREEING)
(LAUGHING) Because that's him.
(CROWD CHEERING ON TV)
RYAN: Just spotted this. What is this?
Lunch with the Nevilles?
That's getting recorded.
"Gary and Phil Neville join together
for a special Q&A event
"to raise money for their hometown club
Bury FC, hosted by Mandy Henry."
I'll be watching that.
First memory of him was an overhead kick
he scored at The Cliff
against Lewisham when we were Under 15s,
and thinking, "I've got a long way
to go to get to that level."
He was just streets ahead of everybody
that we'd ever met, really, in terms
of football. Never seen anything like it.
The ball was stuck to his feet.
His left foot, sorry, not his feet. (LAUGHS)
He can't dribble with his right.
As a United fan, you never think anybody
can beat Sir Bobby Charlton's record.
Growing up, you just think that
it's a mountain of games over 20 years.
The achievements of him are just incredible.
It'll never be beaten. No one will ever win
as many Premier League titles as Ryan Giggs.
RYAN: I've got very few stuff around
the house, but this is presented to me
by the Barclay's Premier League.
They sort of had a celebration
of 20 years of the Premier League,
and this was in recognition
of over 500 Premier League appearances,
which they gave me in 2012.
These were the boots that I wore in Moscow,
when we won the Champions League.
It was the game that I broke
Sir Bobby Charlton's appearance record.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
(INAUDIBLE)
RYAN: I supported the appointment
of David Moyes as British coach,
done brilliantly with Everton,
similar sort of traits as Sir Alex and, yeah,
I thought it was the right appointment.
I'd signed another year in March, April.
David Moyes rang me in the summer
and asked me if I'd like to
be part of the staff as well,
which I thought it was a great challenge
for me and the next step in my career.
I started my coaching maybe ten years ago.
We had the facilities of United,
we had the access to the players
and it just seemed the right thing
to do at the time.
Obviously 30, so you could
be finishing in two or three years' time,
so it was that sort of mindset, "Right,
"we need to start getting ready
and prepared for finishing."
(PLAYERS EXCLAIMING)
You know, you come to
your end of your career
and it's horrible, it's the worst...
It's the worst thing probably I've ever had
to deal with professionally.
Coming to the end of your football career,
everyone tells you to play
for as long as you possibly can
because the next stage
of your life is not as good
because you're not playing football,
the sport that you love,
so he's gotta somehow find...
Find something inside him
that brings closure on his football career.
RYAN: It's been a difficult year playing-wise,
not enjoyed the results and the playing,
so have I contributed? Not as much
as I have done previously.
If I'd have retired last year, I'd have
gone out on a high, United's 20th title
and everything would have been rosy.
But life isn't like that.
Yeah, there's definitely an issue
where you can't be too open,
whereas other sports,
that probably isn't the case.
You're guided by the press office, really,
on what not to say.
I do.
(MALE REPORTER SPEAKING)
MOYES: Most definitely.
It's a really good competition.
It's been very good for us so far...
...a very inexperienced manager
in the Champions League.
But we've done well, and then
we'll be at the ultimate test with Bayern.
- Players, obviously, apart from myself.
-(REPORTERS LAUGHING)
I don't know.
I'll tell you after tomorrow, maybe.
(LAUGHING)
I mean, yeah, of course,
as a player you want to play all the time.
I mean, the last time I played
was probably the first time
in six or seven weeks, but we've got
a lot of players to choose from
who are always ready to play,
and that's what you've gotta do.
REPORTERS: Ooh!
Nearly died.
- All good?
- Yeah.
- Right, see you later.
- All right, thanks, Ryan.
Yeah, he's all gone.
A bit naughty, really, asking
if I'm going to take over from the manager.
There was one right at the end
where he asked about us falling out.
But if you lose a game, then you're obviously
going to have to handle the stick
because you're not expected to lose games,
you're not expected to lose
so many games at Man United.
So... And the manager knows that,
and it's not a problem that.
You take that criticism all day long.
I honestly don't know if I'm going to
go into management or not.
I've prepared myself for it as best I can,
and that's all you can do, really.
The problem is, obviously these days,
that managers
don't last very long.
I mean, it is ridiculous, really.
You see managers changing all the time,
and still they come back for more,
and it's that buzz that they get
and they really miss it when they're away,
so it might be a case of you start managing,
or you become a manager
and you absolutely love it,
even if you're not a success,
and you want to come back for more
because, obviously like football,
you learn from your mistakes
and you get better and better.
Or it could be a case of
you go into management,
you don't do very well and that's it, finished.
You won't get a lot out of me tonight
because I am grumpy.
I didn't really get into the game.
I found myself, well, I think we all did,
defending for most of the night,
so obviously my main asset is when I get
on the ball, rather than defending.
I didn't really get a chance.
I was either too deep or...
Just didn't get the ball.
As a fan, this season obviously
hasn't went the way I was hoping it would.
I was fearing...
I thought there was always going to be
a little bit of a drop off from when Fergie left.
I didn't think it would be such a drop off,
where they're not going to
qualify for Champions League.
RYAN: After going out against Bayern,
you've not got anything really to play for.
You're out of the Champions League.
It was always going to be tough
after that because that was the only thing
we were going for, really.
It'll be a nightmare for
the next few days, and then
gradually you just snap out of it,
because you wanna be involved,
you wanna play.
On top of all this, I'm on the treatment bed,
I'm getting iced and I get chosen for doping,
so that just tops it all off for tonight.
So I had to go and piss in a cup
when I don't really want to,
and that just tops my evening off, really.
You love me, don't you?
Don"[ you?
You're not moving, are you?
You're thinking about it.
Are you thinking about it?
Are you thinking about it?
Are you? Eh?
Ooh.
Is that nice?
Eh?
CAMERON: Nailed it, absolute nailed it.
RYAN: Well, we lost against Everton,
that was on the Sunday,
then Monday we had the day off,
so I was playing golf with my mate.
I was playing golf with Cameron.
Yeah, I'm losing now, after that shot.
What was that? Seven?
CAMERON: I didn't hit it right.
RYAN: And when you can hear
your phone going and texts,
and it was just off different people,
"What's going on?
"What's happening?
Have you heard anything?"
And I'm not on Twitter,
I'm not on social media of any kind.
I don't really read the papers.
I didn't know, "What do you mean?
"I don't know what's going on."
And, um, apparently that's
when all the rumours started
that the manager was going to leave.
(INAUDIBLE)
I knew that if they sacked David Moyes
that Ryan would take over for the period
to the end of the season as a minimum.
I don't think that came as a shock to anybody.
He was the natural person that was there,
an authority in the changing room,
respected by everybody in the club
and I was delighted that Ryan
was getting an opportunity
for the last four weeks of the season.
Oh, flipping heck, what a day.
Ed Woodward informed me
that they were letting the manager go,
which was obviously sad to hear
because you don't want anyone
ever to lose their job.
And then he went on to ask me
if I'd like to look after the team
for the remaining four games,
which, yeah, didn't hesitate
and was obviously happy to do
and thrilled to do.
It's obviously been a crazy clay,
and I've not really probably sat...
Had time to sit down and think about it,
and maybe it will hit me later in the week
or maybe it'll hit me
when I get into the press conference
or at Old Trafford for the game.
I don't know, but I'm obviously excited.
It's just a mixture of different feelings,
and you're outside your comfort zone
and it's...
It's a strange experience.
I might not enjoy it,
might not get the right results,
I might not be the right man,
I might not be ready.
All them things are just
up in the air at the moment,
and we'll soon find out a lot of the answers
to them questions.
I don't need to be set expectations
because I've got my own expectations.
Four games for Man United,
three at home, I expect to win them.
You wanted someone from the class of '92,
someone who understood the DNA,
the culture, the heartbeat of the club,
to step back in there
and to remind the world
and to remind the fans
and the players
what Manchester United is all about.
It's about width, it's about fearless attacking,
it's about attack, attack, attack,
at the Stretford end,
and all those qualities
that Ryan Giggs embodied,
so I thought he was a perfect choice.
He's obviously not managed a team before,
but he knows Manchester United
better than anyone that's there.
He loves Man United probably more
than anyone that's there.
He's got the respect from
the professionals that
he's played with over the years.
He's got that ruthless streak
that I think managers,
good managers, really need.
I think he has exactly what it takes
to be successful in management.
Getting the coaching role really quick
is something that
maybe you are not prepared for,
but I think he's got the special mentality.
He's been in there,
he knows Man United more than
any other player in the last 30 years.
It's always difficult to take that step.
PHIL: I've only ever known Ryan
as a player and as a friend,
so the day he got the job on obviously
a part-time basis it was, uh...
You obviously didn't know what to expect.
Is he good enough?
Has he got the temperament?
Has he got the tactical knowledge? Et cetera.
Well, Ryan's handled
playing on the big stage,
he's handled everything that's
thrown at him over the last 20 years,
so why can't he handle being a manager?
It might be fantasy, but I think this club
is built on a little bit of fantasy.
The players are giving me a bit of stick
about, "Where are you going to park?"
No point messing about, is there?
Just get in the manager spot.
SCHOLES'. He's well-trained for it.
He's done his A license,
he's doing his Pro license.
He's a very level-headed person
and nothing seems to phase him.
I've not seen him ever come unstuck
or been phased by pressure.
He's always on that same level.
He always handles things really well,
he takes things in his stride.
I think that is his greatest quality, Ryan,
that he never changes
whatever the situation is.
RYAN: I took the manager's job
without hesitation because
I knew what good players
we had in the dressing room,
and it was obviously a great chance for me.
It was four games,
and there was nothing to lose
and who turns the chance of
managing Manchester United down?
FERGUSON: The great players
have a part to play,
quite rightly they should be part
of the future of the club,
and that delights me more than anything
and we've prepared them for that.
We told them, "You've got to
get your coaching badges.
"You've got to get through all that procedure
"and prepare yourself for the biggest
challenge of your life, being a coach."
(INAUDIBLE)
RYAN'. From 8:30 till 10:30 it was crazy,
and I was thinking, "What have I done?"
Putting pressure on yourself.
I then spoke to the players
to tell them what's happening.
(RYAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
He's just got a presence,
you know, within a room.
I don't know how you get that.
I mean, Sir Alex had it in a huge way,
Giggsy's got it.
Maybe it comes through greatness.
Maybe that's just how you get it,
and he's certainly got that.
RYAN: After I addressed the players,
my instant thoughts were
I was inheriting a team that were
full of stars and full of quality.
I've gotta try and prepare training.
Of course I wanted as much help
as I could get,
so Phil and Nicky were already here,
so I'd spoke to them
and, yeah, obviously
I respect Scholesy as a player
and as a person and I respect his view.
I wanted to get him in as quickly as possible.
SCHOLES: I'd sent him a message before
when I already heard about it,
just wishing him good luck,
and five or ten minutes later
he gave me a call to see
if I'd be interested in coming
to training for a couple of weeks.
I thought it was great when the class of '92
started getting back together.
I thought it was brilliant.
It was like one of the great bands reforming.
You want to see them
go back on the road again.
It was quite a staff team
they would have had there.
I think it was just a reminder
that Manchester United
had to go back to its roots and
go back to the dressing room greats
to take them forward from
such a difficult period under David Moyes.
Coming out and seeing Scholesy, Butty, Nev
and Giggsy on the first day was...
It was a pretty special sight, really.
RYAN: The emphasis was on possession,
quick play,
one and two touch,
get the sharpness in the legs,
also a bit of fun.
It was just a keep ball,
and no-one was giving the ball away.
The ball didn't go out of play,
and it was just brilliant to watch.
I sat next to Butty and I went, "Butty, what
were we worried about? Have you seen this?"
The quality of training
was absolutely brilliant.
Short games, lots of goals, lots of shots
and, yeah, the keepers weren't thanking me
because some of the shots
that were going in I think even Rio scored.
(ALL CHEERING)
PHIL: You know, I keep hearing,
"Ryan's not got much experience. The
coaching staff's not got much experience,"
but in terms of Man United experience,
I think that's important. I think
you got to know the fabric of the club.
And we've probably got
over 100 years' experience of being involved
at this football club, so it's
not as if we're all just best mates
having a laugh.
We're all serious about our job.
There's nobody more serious than Ryan.
RIO FERDINAND: This is hard for a man.
He's just been in there as a teammate
having a laugh with the lads,
joking and stuff, messing around,
and has to really cut off from the rest of us
now and become a manager so quick,
and then he's got to pick a team
and disappoint people
that he's been teammates with.
This period here will tell him whether he sees
a future in management for himself.
Did he like it? Did he enjoy it?
Did he feel he was good enough for it?
Did it whet his appetite?
What I do and what I have done
is play football.
That just comes naturally. This is not...
Well, it is out of my comfort zone,
but it's just totally different,
and instantly you just
feel differently. You're responsible
for so many other people.
Not just the players, but the staff as well.
- Pardon?
- MAN: What time do you leave tonight?
- For the hotel?
- Yeah.
Uh... At Old Trafford at 6:30.
Honestly, I thought,
"He's going to hate this now,
-"5:00 finish."
- Yeah, I know.
Might as well stay till 8:00.
I had respect for mangers before,
but managers who've been
in the game years and years,
you can just see what...
The hassles that they have to
put up with, but also you see why
they keep coming back, because
of the enjoyment of going out
onto the training pitch,
the different feelings that you have,
but it's a tough, tough job.
And that's after four days.
No, that was my media briefing.
This is all the stats on the last
five games, who's been involved,
who's not been.
This is the schedule
of the training sessions from one
of the seasons and the pre-season.
It feels better to be this side rather than
the other side. I've had a few bollockings
the other side, so... No, to be fair,
Sir Alex was always OK with me here.
It was more the Cliff.
He never escaped because
he was such a great player,
and when he made mistakes
or he had a bad game or whatever,
I never believe in letting things pass.
It's about carrying an expectation.
Just like to go on record to thank David
for giving me my first chance in coaching.
It's something that I'll always remember.
Secondly, I would just like to say
how proud I am to be managing the club
that I've supported
all my life and I've been associated with for
25, 26 years, so it's probably
the proudest moment of my career.
I can't wait for Saturday to come,
5:30 Norwich at home.
I know it'll be rocking,
I know the fans will be behind us.
I know the players can't wait,
I know my staff can't wait.
And I can't wait. I just want it to come.
I want the players to play with passion,
speed, tempo, be brave,
imagination, all the things that I expect
of a Manchester United player. Work hard,
but most of all, enjoy it.
(MALE REPORTER 1 SPEAKING)
Well, I've got a chance to show
what I can do,
what I'm capable of as a manager
in a short space of time, and that's my focus.
After that is another conversation.
(MALE REPORTER 2 SPEAKING)
I've just given myself a five-year contract,
(ALL LAUGHING)
so, yeah, I'm using my power while I can.
Biggest worry for tomorrow?
Planning the bench
for different scenarios.
It's a nightmare.
I've got 10 players.
Ten players for seven places.
So three are going to miss out,
which, on your first game...
The thing is, there's no player
who deserves to miss out.
And you're constantly thinking,
right, what's the subs going to be?
What happens if this happens?
And it's just non-stop.
As a player, you can switch off.
As a manager, you just can't.
I'm just slowly seeing myself age in four days.
(LAUGHING)
RYAN: I've been bumped up.
We've stayed here a long time.
I've always had the same room,
so it was a bit of a shock.
All our envelopes are laid out
as we come in on reception.
I went to get it, mine wasn't there,
and then Helen, who works here,
actually handed me mine.
"No, you're not in your normal room.
You're in a different room."
So, yeah, it was a bit strange.
Yeah, it's a good night.
It's a nice, relaxed night tonight.
You have a bit of food,
have a glass of wine with the staff,
and just, yeah, chillskies.
Most of the hard work's done now
and, yeah, it's just the little details
I'll do tomorrow, and then we're all set.
SCHOLES: He's played for 20-odd years
at the top level, he's won more
trophies than anybody.
As a coach, as a manager
he will know exactly what he wants
from his players throughout the week
to then be ready to perform on the Saturday.
Can just see Old Trafford in the distance.
Yeah, little bit nervous.
It's good to be nervous.
WINTER: There was a great moment
about an hour and a half before
the Norwich game,
when the Manchester United coach pulled up,
Ryan Giggs walked off the coach
shaking hands with
everyone, beaming. He really
looked a Manchester United manager.
He had the blazer on. You thought,
"Ooh, Manchester United,
"we're back in good hands again."
(INAUDIBLE)
I've commentated on most of the trophy lifts
in his 13 Premier League titles,
and each time it's like a sharp intake
of breath, check your notes,
"Is it really that many?
"Has he really won that many?"
But of course he has. Played nearly 1,000
games for the club, and I wish
him well. I hope he manages
1,000 games for the club.
I do subscribe to the view that
Ryan and the other lads from '92, '93
have a great part to play
in the future of the club,
I really do. I can see that happening.
RYAN: Saturday was a long day,
and it's all the stuff that managers have to do.
You have to choose a player to
go and speak to the press,
you have to do your own press stuff,
you name the team.
And then it was a long hour,
because normally I'm out there warming up,
preparing for the game.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
I'm immensely proud.
Obviously, the four of us have
played since the age of 12,13,14,
and for Ryan to be manager,
it's an incredible privilege for him.
How many people manage
Manchester United? Not many.
RYAN: I promised myself that
once I'd done my team talk,
that would be it. I'd let them prepare
on their own, and let them go out
and play and just leave it to them.
Come in from the warm-up, and
I just felt like I had to say something.
I said, "Just sit down, give me two minutes."
I just told them what quality
they had in the dressing room.
"You're brilliant players,
believe in yourself, go out and enjoy it."
It's been a crap season, a frustrating season,
we've all felt it. Give these
fans something to go away
in the summer cheering about.
And, uh...
Most of all, enjoy it.
Manchester United don't play friendly games.
There's just not a thing called friendly games.
Everyone wants to beat them.
RYAN: If you're playing or if you sub,
you're son' of in the zone.
You're preparing yourself for the game.
As a manager, it's out of your hands.
You've done all you can,
and there's not a lot you can do now.
So it was a nervous walk.
(CROWD CHEERING)
(APPLAUDING)
The ovation that I got was just...
Yeah, it was goose bumps,
and it was a moment
that I'll never, ever forget.
It was weird to see Giggsy
walk out in the blazer as manager.
I was proud. Playing
for Man United the amount of
times that he's done,
being loved by the fans like he's loved,
and then walking out when he's 40 years old,
getting the reaction that
he's got from the fans.
You could see him get choked up.
And that was a special moment.
It was the proudest moment of
my career, without a shadow of
a doubt, because of
the reception that I got and
the excitement around
the ground and the buzz,
and I just couldn't then
wait for the game to start.
(WHISTLE BLOWING)
I don't know if it was all the emotion,
and maybe we trained
a little bit too much during the week
that it was a bit of a slow start.
It was half-time,
and all I said to the players was,
"You're playing too slow.
"Every time you play quick,
you look like you're gonna score.
"You look like you're gonna do something,
so quicken the tempo up.
"Take one or two touches
on the ball and we'll be OK."
(CHEERING)
I wanted them to press Norwich
and get the crowd up.
I also picked a team where
the subs could have an impact
if it went well,
and it couldn't have gone any better.
I brought Juan on, and Chicha,
Ash as well, and they all made an impact.
It was great to see, because it wasn't easy
leaving players of that quality out.
(CROWD CHEERING)
WINTER: I could understand the euphoria
after the Norwich game.
It was just good to see Manchester United
get their swagger back.
Thank you, cheers.
RYAN: If you saw us after the first game
against Norwich in the office
after the game, we were shattered.
We were shattered
emotionally because it was
a big moment for all four of us.
We had to deliver.
No, I'm just so knackered,
honestly. lt's just, uh...
(YAWNS)
It's a tough job.
And I've got, obviously,
massive respect for any manager
because I haven't seen the other side
like I have this week. It's rewarding,
it's hard, it's time-consuming.
You're always
having to think of things.
You're always constantly thinking,
"What have I forgot?"
And you need help in this position.
Obviously, like I say,
I've just been in it five days.
Yeah, I walked into George's, got a round
of applause and a standing ovation.
(APPLAUDING)
I think they were expecting a free round,
which they were never gonna get.
But, no, it was great. I had a beer and
just relaxed with my family and friends.
- This looks good, you and the cake.
-(LAUGHING)
It's a Mother's Day cake that
didn't go down very well yesterday.
Nobody had any but myself for Mother's Day.
That's like we didn't get her anything.
- Yeah, exactly, yeah.
- I didn't say anything.
- When we went to a lot of trouble, didn't we?
- Yeah, we did.
Go and get the card.
No, don't get the card.
- Why not?
- I think Ryan goes through
his phone and looks for the worst pictures,
and then thinks, "I'll use that one."
Me sleeping.
- On Mother's Day?
- No, you can't.
(RYAN LAUGHING)
Stacey's always been supportive toward me,
and hasn't got a clue about football
and she doesn't care.
She doesn't want to know
anything about football,
which is good.
Wouldn't have it any other way.
STACEY: I was up at the lodge with my cousin
and he walked through the door
and he just said,
"I'm going to be the manager,"
and we both laughed.
We went, "Really? Are you taking the mick?"
And he was like, "No, no, seriously."
How can he be a manager?
He's a player. It's such a big role to do.
I did worry a little bit because I just thought,
"Oh, God, here we go,
all the pressure, stress."
But, to be fair, it hasn't been that bad.
The only change is, he's not sat on his arse
watching telly all afternoon.
RYAN: I have a little two hours where,
or I used to anyway,
anyway, just get home
from training, you relax.
Just put my feet up. I like my TV programmes,
a bit of escapism,
-but I also like my quizzes.
- You're just like, "Shut up.
"Eggheads is on, or the Chase.
The Chase is on, be quiet."
Then you answer all the questions,
and get them all right,
and then you get one wrong
and you go, "Oh!"
RYAN: Well, I'm trying to broaden
my horizons. I like quiz shows.
I forgot about The Chase and Eggheads.
- One Direction movie.
-It's on re-run at the moment.
I watched it 28 times and counting.
# You light up my life like nobody... #
-it's world!
-"Light up my world," you're right.
Might write in to One Direction,
ask if they'll change it.
Why?
Because I think mine are better, my lines.
Really? Really, Daddy? Really?
Coming home to Stace and the kids
has always been
sort of escapism, really, from
the pressures or the disappointments
or even bringing you back down to Earth.
It's always the place where
all these things happen.
(BOTH SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
Away from the spotlight,
that's your safe haven and
the place where you just feel comfortable
and relaxed
no matter what's happening in football.
They've been watching the whole game,
and she's so proud.
She's like really, really proud.
- Yeah.
- But she went...
She was telling you to take somebody off.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
She went, "Will he have his phone?"
So I went, "No, no, no, he won't have it.
You can't do that."
"Take such and such off, and
such and such ended up scoring two goals."
Yeah.
So she won't make a manager.
RYAN: For 20 years, Sir Alex used to say,
"Wait until all you lot are managers
and you'll find out
"how hard it is to pick a team,
to leave good players out,"
and I was just sat there going,
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever."
You know, it's like having your first baby.
You can prep as much as you can,
but until it comes down to actually
living it, day in, day out,
you can never prepare for it.
I said last week that I was
gonna start training on the Monday,
but it was actually Nicky, Nicky Butt come
into the office Monday morning and said,
"I think it's a good idea
if you don't train this week."
And I went, "What do you mean?"
And he went, "No, I think
"it's better if you're just seen
out there as the leader,
"and you're not getting involved in training.
"Say one of the players kicks you,
and you react."
it was a really good point, so I stood away
and really have just been a manager,
rather than a player, which I expected to be,
so it was good advice and
definitely the right thing to do.
Morning.
Get changed now,
and then just going for breakfast.
Porridge, scrambled eggs,
toast, orange juice, coffee.
Big breakfast. Big day.
You win the lottery every day when
you're coming training at a place like this.
The facilities are great, the people are great,
the challenge is there,
and it's a great place to come in and work.
Can you see them? Where are they?
Butt, Scholes, Giggs, where are they?
Where are they?
They're up there having
a cup of tea, a cappuccino and a latte.
RYAN: Phil,
even though he's had a great career,
I think he was born to be a coach.
His knowledge, his enthusiasm.
And he has been brilliant for me.
I would sort of say what I wanted,
and he was the voice
on the training pitch, and he would put up
the session plan, "Right,
how can we get the best of that?"
We've all got the same views
of how we want this Man United team
to play, and it probably dates back to when
we was players here and
the styles that we were brought up on.
You know, fast-attacking football,
energy, spirit, togetherness.
Nicky's the lad who brings,
obviously, his experience, his know-how,
but he's also that sort of soundboard
a manager has,
where you know you can trust him.
He'll tell me, without even hesitation,
if I'm talking rubbish
or I've not done something right.
BUTT: We're all stepping up
to these new roles.
It's been really refreshing, really nice.
It's enjoyable for me.
Boys, we know each other
like brothers, really, so it's quite
easy to work together.
RYAN: Scholesy is my favourite player.
I just loved
playing with Scholesy. He was
just an intelligent player and
just a joy to play with and to train with.
SCHOLES: These last two or three weeks
have probably been some of the most
enjoyable times I've had
even as a footballer,
seeing all the players getting involved
with the boxes, the possession,
just basically being out there
kicking a ball again.
RYAN: Your ideal week would be
coming to training Monday,
getting ready for the game Saturday.
So you've got
a clear plan for that week.
Prepare training, get the best
out of the players physically
early on in the week, possession games,
speed training with a bit of
shooting maybe involved,
and then towards the game,
just taper down a little bit
and then also you might want
to do something tactically.
Just a quick one,
you've got a meeting at 10:00.
Can I have five minutes, just
to give the lads the programmes
because it's a bit different this year?
Well, can you do a couple of laps
with the lads?
Couple of box-to-boxes.
RYAN: It's a team effort,
so you rely on the sports scientist.
Did the training that you just put on
get what you wanted?
And then when you watch the videos,
obviously you need to rely on the analysts.
It's a great place to come in and work,
and I've been lucky enough
to do it for a long, long time.
It's brilliant.
- Hi, you OK? Good to see you.
- Hi. Good, thanks. Yeah.
(ALL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
- Thank you.
- Cheers.
DIRECTOR: OK, so the first three
are in Thai, written phonetically.
OK.
Do the "Y" gesture as well. That's perfect.
OK. (SPEAKING THAI)
(SPEAKING THAI)
Done this one 100 times.
Welcome to Old Trafford,
the theatre of dreams.
(DIRECTOR SPEAKING)
(RYAN SPEAKING)
My autographs get shorter
the more things you sign.
It starts off long,
and then gets shorter and shorter.
Did you do this on the last appearance?
- Can you sign each of these, please?
- OK. Yeah.
RYAN: It's a lot harder, usually...
Not harder, but a lot longer when you do
different things. It can just vary, really.
- Twelps. Twelps.
- Right, then. Hi.
- Nightmare.
-It's a nightmare?
Yeah.
- It's easy to camera, isn't it?
- Yeah, but it's hard.
Why? Is it a different language?
-It's in Thai.
- Oh, is it in Thai?
RYAN: Chinese, Japanese.
I've been here an hour, mate.
- No, you have not.
-l have.
You know me, I love the club.
Is it difficult though, really?
No.
Under pressure.
You can't handle the pressure well.
(LAUGHING)
RYAN: It's been a good week.
The training's been sharp again.
I've got the headache of picking the team
and leaving players out,
and sometimes you haven't got
an excuse for leaving players out.
There's just too many players, and it's
another thing that I'm finding tough to do,
but it's gotta be done.
Yeah, I mean, he's got a brilliant reputation,
a successful manager,
but my main concentration is
on Sunderland tomorrow and then,
after that, the remaining two games.
I've got a lot to think about.
I'm still in the frame of
maybe playing,
see how the team perform tomorrow
and, like I say, see if I can get in.
But my main priority is winning the games.
And is it me playing? Is that
what gives us the best chance? We'll see.
Every morning this week...
Well, Wednesday, Thursday,
I've been driving into training,
and I'll ring Cameron.
I'll ring Cameron every morning
and he'll go, "Right, what you doing?
What you doing? Careful.
"What you doing this morning?
What you doing in training?"
"I'm doing this, I'm doing that."
"Do you realise you're manager
of the biggest club in the world?
"I don't think...
I don't think you realise, do you?"
"Thanks, Cameron." I'm just like...
I'm calm. I'm going into training,
all things are going through my mind.
"I don't need this pressure, Cameron, please,
do not say that again."
The next day, he says exactly the same thing.
Just reviewed the scouting report
of Sunderland.
Just finishing touches, really.
I've got the team, I know the subs,
so, yeah, my mind's clear.
Main focus is winning the game.
When I took over it was give the group...
...every player in the group a chance,
so that's what I'm doing.
Just as a player I'll do my best
to try and influence winning the game
and, yeah, trust the players.
I've done all the preparation during
the week and ready to go now,
can't wait for 3:00.
(CROWD CHEERING)
RYAN'. Sunderland, you never underestimate
a team on a good run in good form.
They've got the momentum
and they're fighting for their lives as well,
so, in the end, they deserve the victory,
even though we were the better team,
they probably created the better chances.
The second game brought him
back down to earth with a bump,
and I think he'll have
thought out of that game.
That probably taught him more, that defeat.
The defeat, I've not spoken to him about it,
but he probably learnt
more from the defeat than he has done
maybe from the victories.
RYAN: I was really,
really down after that game,
and felt a little bit let down
by some of the players
and just thought to myself,
"That won't happen again."
Just disappointed after
the performance last week.
It was a little bit flat, had the end-of-season,
nothing-to-play-for feel of a game,
which I didn't like.
Maybe they just lost that little bit of intensity,
and they do maybe see me
as just for four games.
I made the decision not to train,
maybe that's another decision
that I got wrong as well.
As a manager the feeling
of defeat is a lot worse.
A lot worse.
STACEY: I did see a big change in him
the day after the Sunderland game.
I just thought, you know, he was so down.
And I said, "At the end of the day,
"you can't put too much pressure
on yourself,"
but he was gutted and really quiet,
which isn't like him
because normally, you know,
if he has a bad game
as soon as he walks through the door,
we've got the kids
and we do stuff and it's left there,
whereas this was kind of really still there.
LYNNE JOHNSON: I was asked that question
yesterday, "Which is worse,
"watching him as a manager
or watching him as a player?"
And watching him as a manager is worse
because I think as a player you've got
ten other people that could help,
whereas it's all on his head.
(EXCLAIMS)
We prepared right, we knew that Sunderland
were gonna be a tough team
because they were on a good run,
and you just pick a team.
And what I did was, I picked a team that
I thought could win the game,
and I trusted the players,
and some of the players
let me down and let themselves down.
Maybe I was a little bit too soft.
I don't care where you are
in the league and I don't care
if the results have been going badly,
if you step onto that pitch as a United player,
you give it your all, and if you don't,
then you deserve not to play the next game.
RYAN: I think I've always had a will to win.
From an early age, I was used to winning,
and it's that fear of losing
because you know losing is a much bigger
emotion than winning.
When you win, it's great,
but then it goes away.
When you lose, it's not great,
but it doesn't go away for a long, long time.
I've spoken to him.
He's now starting to have five-hour sleeps,
so he's in the real world
with the other coaches
and managers taking every sort of
little problem to bed with him,
thinking about how
he's gonna leave players out.
But he's got the clinical side
to be able to do that,
he's got the temperament
to be able deal with that.
As a manager you have to make big decisions,
and obviously that's something
that all managers will tell you,
and he is absolutely capable
of making big decisions.
I was upset after the game,
but the longer it's gone on
since I've just got angrier and angrier.
I've slept less and less, and just can't have it.
Just can't have it.
If any of them want to come and see me
and ask me why they're not playing,
then I'll tell them, and I don't think
they'll have a leg to stand on.
I mean, I was stood on the side
against Sunderland, just wishing
I'd made myself sub,
so I could do something about it.
I bet every manager thinks like that,
but I'm in a position
where I'm still playing
and can still affect the game.
I know he has said
the difficult part has been leaving players out,
but he's hard enough to do that. He'll explain
why he's left them out,
he won't just name a team
and not tell players
why he's leaving them out.
He'll do that, which I think is important.
He's got a bit of a snap in him,
I can tell you that.
I've seen that a few times.
But I think that's just the mentality,
that makes him what he is,
that desire to win.
RYAN: I said from day one,
"Tell me your views
"and be really straightforward."
That's why I've got people who I know
and trust to give me honest opinions.
I think the club's always been based around
bringing young players through
and giving them a chance.
Nine times out of ten
they have no fear
and they just go out and play
like they're in the park,
and it injects enthusiasm,
speed, you know, just a bit of happy energy
around the place, really, and it's important
that we continue that trend, and if it weren't
for Sir Alex giving us our chance,
we probably wouldn't be here now.
RYAN: I brought a few players
in from the younger teams
to train with us,
and they didn't look out of place.
I hadn't trained since that Tuesday
when I got told, and it's hard to.
It's hard to train from getting in from at 7:30,
you're just non-stop,
and then try and prepare yourself
for a training session at 10:30.
It's hard, but, yeah,
I was determined to make sure that
I was involved in the next game.
When I trained on that... Monday, was it?
Yeah, loved it, loved it.
And bossed it as well,
boss trainer, so that was even better.
RYAN: Yeah, training was always
the best pan' of the day for me
because you know what it's like
after you've exercised,
you just feel great.
You know, you speak to ex-players
and, "Do you still enjoy training?"
Well, yeah, of course I do.
And some of them maybe at the end didn't.
I never, ever got to that point
where I don't wanna go out there.
To be able to go
for 25 years at the highest level
and be pretty successful at that
takes something special.
It takes something
that not a lot of people have,
and it takes something
that you have to dig down
even more so towards
the latter part of your career
than what you did in the beginning.
When we'd send them off on a run,
there was Ryan
away at the front, killing everyone.
Robson was a great athlete, a great trainer.
He used to warn him, "For Christ's sake,
you're showing us up."
I've had my own little team
that's kept me going to 40.
Sarah, yoga teacher. Philip Neil,
who's probably been the biggest part of that.
- Feel the difference?
- Yeah, I can feel it.
(SPEAKING ITALIAN)
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
- Um... God.
-(ALL LAUGH)
You're killing me here.
Yeah, I'll get through Saturday first,
and then think about that.
Right. Cheers. Thanks, mate.
Thanks, mate.
Thanks.
FERGUSON: He's an exception
in terms of an athlete in football
that it's these great attributes of balance
and weight and stamina,
and that has allowed him to stay in the game
and play at 40 years of age.
He's just a freak, really,
as an athlete, absolute freak.
RYAN: Old Trafford is unique, just like
its name. It's the theatre of dreams.
The roar of the crowd just makes you bigger,
makes you stronger
when they're cheering your name.
You want to do well for the fans
and you love it,
you embrace it, you just
want them feelings to last forever.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
RYAN'. Hull was...
Obviously watched Sunderland
and pretty lacklustre performance,
so I wanted to bring some energy,
I wanted to bring some freshness
within the team and, yeah,
there was no hesitation in starting
Tom Lawrence and James Wilson.
What young players will do, they'll try things,
they'll do things that maybe players
who aren't having a good time won't try,
so, yeah, I had no hesitation
in throwing them in
and they didn't disappoint me.
(CROWD CHEERING)
You seen it, I celebrated
when Willo scored the first goal.
We've all been there, we've all been there
as young players making the debut.
It was a great moment.
Started warming up at two-nil,
and then it went to two-one.
No matter how many games you play,
if you get a great response off the fans,
then it has an effect on you
and gives you that extra spring in your step.
Yeah, there was a little bit in my head
that this could be the last time.
But, no, I just felt good.
I just went on and
did what I do, really, and no different
than any other game that I'd approached.
(CROWD CHEERING)
CROWD: Oh!
No, I would have liked
to have scored this season,
but it wasn't to be.
I'm chilled about it. There's no pressure.
I would have loved to, yeah,
what am I talking about?
I would have really, really loved to, but
didn't happen.
(APPLAUSE)
LIBERTY: Daddy, who was man of the match?
RYAN: Me.
STACEY: Serious, it was you?
- RYAN: Was I heck.
-(STACEY LAUGHS)
RYAN: Who do you think
should be man of the match?
LIBERTY: That guy.
STACEY: That young lad.
LIBERTY: That James person.
RYAN: Yeah, he did well.
STACEY: Is he called Wilson?
RYAN: James Wilson, yeah.
- Willo. Did well, didn't he?
- LIBERTY: Mmm-hmm.
STACEY: Did really Well.
LIBERTY: Everyone was worrying
because you put
-two young players at the front.
- Were they?
- Yeah.
- Was you worried?
Well, Daddy was a young player
once upon a time,
about ten years ago.
LIBERTY: No, not ten years ago, about like 25.
RYAN: Really?
LIBERTY: Yeah,
because you've been playing for 25 years.
RYAN: Why would you say that?
LIBERTY: Because it's true.
FERGUSON: The best moments
of your life are playing, no problem.
Coaching, whatever you ever do
after football does not compare
to playing a game of football.
Those cup final goals, the last goal,
the penalty kick in Moscow,
the great goal against Arsenal
can never be achieved again once you stop.
The biggest club of the world.
What do you know about...
INTERVIEWER: ...do you think?
It's not... You have to ask the club, not to me.
My stance isn't any different
from it was last week.
Obviously, there's huge speculation,
but nothing's been announced yet,
and my job is to prepare the team
for Southampton, so that's what I'll do.
I'm sure there'll be an announcement soon,
and then maybe I can comment on it then,
but at the moment it's just speculation,
so there's not a lot I can say.
Team today gonna have to work hard
because these work their bollocks off
and they're good at home,
but the team that we've got,
we've got experience, we've got pace,
we've got players who can...
Who are comfortable on the ball.
They do die at the end, so, subs,
you might come on and win the game,
so concentrate, watch the game.
But it's last game this season,
we want to end on a high.
We want to give our fans
something to shout about,
and City or Liverpool
are gonna win the league.
Give our fans something to shout about.
It's been a frustrating season,
but it's a good game
to play in and one that I'm looking forward to
because of the exciting players
that we've got on the pitch. OK?
Yeah, we got off the plane at Manchester
airport and I was saying goodbye
to the players, thanking them.
Like I say, potentially saying goodbye
to a lot of players for the last time,
a bit of staff.
And... (CHUCKLES)
I'm not an emotional... Well, not really.
I didn't think I was.
I'm not a really emotional person,
but my car was parked right outside
and I thought, "I need to get in my car here."
I could feel myself getting emotional.
So I get in my car,
and I just went, started crying, started
getting really emotional.
I think it was just
a mixture of what I've just said,
saying goodbye to people
for maybe the last time
and the pressure that I'd put myself under.
Sounds stupid now.
But it's just not me, just not me at all.
(CHUCKLES)
I come out of the airport
and I come at the light,
Nicky Butt's just pulled up next to me
and I'm thinking...
Fucking hell. I can't see Butty...
I can't let Butty know
that I've just been crying,
so I just give him a little wave
and just look the other way,
waiting for the lights to go green.
The new, but expected
management line-up has been announced
at Manchester United.
Louis van Gaal, currently the coach
of the Dutch National Team,
will replace David Moyes.
His assistant will be Ryan Giggs,
and with that appointment
the Premier League's
most decorated player announced
he is hanging up his boots
after 24 seasons with the club.
The meeting went really well.
I liked him instantly,
and I'm looking forward to working with him
and learning from him.
He's made a big decision,
I think it's a good one,
to continue as an assistant to Louis van Gaal.
He'll learn so much,
but Ryan Giggs has got a lot of
good ideas himself, as we saw
during those four games as caretaker.
RYAN: It's been a whirlwind
and I wouldn't change it for the world,
it was just a brilliant experience
and one that I thoroughly enjoyed
and will be all the better for
the next time it happens.
I had sad moments in there,
but, more often than not, happy moments.
Most of them happy, yeah.
Most of them celebrating the end of a season.
You come in,
get your towel,
cover your clothes in a towel
because you know that
the champagne's gonna be sprayed, so...
The experienced players,
as soon as they'd come in from the pitch,
they'd do that straight away.
The young lads would be,
who hadn't experienced it,
"What are they doing?"
And soon find out.
A strange feeling knowing that
I don't have to come in tomorrow and
that it's a new beginning and it's exciting.
For the first time in my career
it's going into
what is gonna be a different season,
a different summer.
(SPEAKING SPANISH)
The defining moment as a player,
there's only one,
it's the Arsenal goal. I don't think I did
anything before or after that goal
because that's all people talk about.
Of course, he starts on this foray
of running the defenders by Vieira,
by Dixon, by Keown, by Dixon,
and whacking the ball. Couldn't believe it.
That extraordinary balance and technique
and touch and fearlessness
to destroy what was probably
the greatest defence
that the Premier League has ever seen.
And then had to beat
the best keeper in England
at the time, David Seaman,
and he smashed it above him.
The best thing, obviously, about that
was the celebration afterwards.
And he had his top and
giving that one around his head.
Yeah, unfortunately,
I will never, ever live down...
Yeah, the chest hair, because
that Arsenal goal just gets shown
so many times.
I wish they would just cut it
as soon as the ball hit the back of the net.
So the rest of my career
is just forgotten about,
which ain't a bad thing. It wasn't a bad goal.
If you asked me the three or four best players
in United's history,
Giggs is definitely one of them,
absolutely no doubt.
You can argue with the rest.
RYAN: I've been fortunate
to play football for a living
since I left school to now, 40,
and play for a team that I supported as a kid.
I've also been fortunate to win things,
and to play under the greatest manager ever
and to play with some of the greatest players
to ever grace a football pitch.
I'm always the kind of person
who tries to look forward,
doesn't dwell on things,
because if I did, (EXHALES)
I'd probably get upset
and it would really affect me, but...
But I've had the best career
anyone could ever have.