Life of Ryan: Caretaker Manager Page #4

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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

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