Sir Alex Ferguson's Last Match Is Today

As Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary coach of Manchester United gets ready to leave his job, much praise has been heaped on him for his years of great success.

But, in the opinion of Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp, Ferguson has intimidated officials to the point of their being "afraid to upset" Ferguson.

"A lot of officials would be in awe of him and afraid to upset him," Redknapp told Radio 5 live's Sportsweek.

"There was such an aura about him because he is a winner."

Redknapp added: "I never had any doubts about that. If there was a bit of time to be added they would make sure they got it right because they did not want to upset him."

"When Man Utd. were losing, they had an average of four minutes and 37 seconds added time, compared with three minutes and 18 seconds when they were Fergie time: Does it really exist?

"Especially young referees, and even one or two of the older ones, were a little bit afraid to upset him."

According to the BBC, in January 2009, then-Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, made similar complaints. He said: "We know what happens every time we go to Old Trafford and the United staff."

"They are always going man to man with the referees, especially at half-time when they walk close to the referees and they are talking and talking."

Ferguson will say his farewell in today's match against Swansea City.

The former Aberdeen manager will step down at the end of the season, after winning 38 trophies during his 26 years in charge.

"I think we all knew it would come suddenly. I thought he would go on for a couple of years yet," said Redknapp, whose QPR side have beenrelegated to the Championship.

"He has won the Premier League and maybe feels it is a good time to go out and enjoy his life. Maybe he wants a bit more time to do stuff away from football.

"He has put great teams together. He has known the right time to let people go and never been afraid to make the big decisions. Whether it was Roy Keane, David Beckham or Jaap Stam, all the great players have come and gone. He knows the game inside out."

Everton boss David Moyes, 50, will take over on July 1 from the Scot, 71.