Bookmakers are known for wanting to win your custom in whatever way they can. For most of them, that entails putting forward offers and promotions that many will feel are too good to resist, but that isn’t all they do.
Paddy Power are well-known for the numerous pranks that they put forward to draw attention to their offerings, such as when they created a huge ‘Roy the Redeemer’ statue ahead of England’s 2012 European Championship campaign.
They also once made a ‘break in case of emergency’ model of Sir Alex Ferguson after his retirement as United manager…
What Happened Post Fergie
At the end of the 2012-2013 season, Sir Alex Ferguson decided to step down as Manchester United manager. He had announced that he would retire a couple of times previously, always taking back his decision in order to carry on managing the club that he turned into one of the most successful English sides of all time.
The 2012-2013 campaign genuinely was his final one, however, and he spent the aftermath of his last game at Old Trafford pleading with the supporters to give his successor, David Moyes, the time that he needed to settle into life at the famous stadium.
@pablini_04 The greatest manager ever #alexferguson #manchesterunited #farewell ♬ original sound – pablini_04
If Ferguson imagined that things would be rough for the former Everton man, the reality proved to be even harsher. Although they began the campaign with a win, they soon endured three defeats in four matches, whilst losses to Everton and Newcastle United in the December didn’t help.
They also lost to Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the January of 2014, causing Irish bookmaker Paddy Power to put a waxwork of Sir Alex, wearing a dark suit and leather gloves, outside the club’s home stadium, complete with a sign saying, “In Case of Emergency at Old Trafford, Break Glass.”
How Bad Was Moyes at United?
The stunt was obviously very funny, but was it entirely fair to David Moyes? Sir Alex Ferguson was one of the best managers ever to work in the English game. During his time at Old Trafford, the Scot won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups and two Champions Leagues, as well as the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
He was always going to be a tough act to follow, with many feeling as though the Scottish manager didn’t help his successor by leaving him an ageing team that he’d put together in order to win one last title.
For the want of a horse…
Alex Ferguson, the Rock of Gibraltar and the decline of Manchester United.
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— Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils.bsky.social) 15 April 2025 at 06:10
Whoever took over at Old Trafford was all but doomed to failure in that first season, needing the time to put their own team together in order to get things back on track. We know from how things have gone since, with the club ticking along winning trophies but never really looking likely to win the Premier League again at any point, that the Red Devils have been a complete mess without Ferguson in charge.
United finished seventh in the season that Paddy Power pulled off their stunt, going fourth, fifth, sixth, second, sixth, third, second, sixth, third and eighth in the years that followed.
Why the Stunt was so Cruel
With the Red Devils finishing 15th in the 2024/25 season with just 42 points, only ahead of Wolves in 16th on goal difference, and no European football next year, it’s safe to say Manchester United have fallen much farther since David Moyes truggled to make an impression on the players and supporters as manager.
They have lost more matches than ever before in the Premier League and may genuinely have been at risk of relegation in another season.
What made the stunt by the bookmaker so cruel and prescient was that it drew attention to the importance of Sir Alex Ferguson to Manchester United’s success. Prior to his arrival at Old Trafford, United had won the same number of top-flight titles and European Cups as Aston Villa, yet under his leadership they overtook Liverpool as the country’s most successful club.
Although it was only a waxwork model of him, it made it clear to everyone that he would forever hang over every new manager until one arrived at the club that was able to restore the good times once again.