Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admits Sunderland's Roy Keane could eventually succeed him at Old Trafford.
"The minute that ever changed it would mean massive free-fall in the club. You can never allow the players and you can never allow the supporters to run the football club.
"Without our supporters, we'd be nothing - without the players, we'd be nothing.
"They are the most important components of a football club - but somebody has to run it.
"Somebody has to be in charge and the manager is the best man and has always got to be supported."
Perhaps Fergie's last and most important job at United will be to identify his replacement - with some of his old stars in the frame.
He said: "You can't discount them obviously, but it's not a prerequisite for the job to have played for United.
"I mean I didn't play for United. I mean Matt Busby played for Man City, you know? So I think it will be down to ability and how well some managers are doing at the time. And, of course, you can't discount Carlos Queiroz. I think he's outstanding. He's done fantastic work for the club."
Ferguson also gave special praise to Sunderland manager Keane - who gave 12 years of outstanding service as a player at Old Trafford.
The United chief said: "Roy is a very intelligent man. He reads good books and he's a very clever man.
"We have a few clever players and lads you know.
"Ronaldo's a very intelligent boy. Some of them like reading books - I like to see that.
"But Roy had fantastic concentration and focus in the eyes. Bryan Robson had it too - the glazed eye during games, you know?"
And what about the prospect of a first-ever foreigner managing the club? Fergie joked: "I think they still call me a foreigner! Sometimes it's very hard to understand Scottish accents when I speak too quickly. I think they thought I was from overseas."
