Here we go, here we go, here we go. Kelly's Heroes get knifed. What a nice man he must be; ` Dave Blatt
BOOK THEY TRIED TO BAN: Man Utd laid bare By Jules Stenson, Chief Feature Writer MANCHESTER United boss Sir Alex Ferguson used a task force of SAS soldiers to spy on star players' private lives, the club's ex-head of security has sensationally revealed. In a shattering book United tried to ban, Michael "Ned" Kelly‹who spent 11 years in the elite Who Dares Wins regiment before moving to Old Trafford‹details every covert operation he carried out. His meticulously-planned missions, many involving former and even active SAS chums, included: TAILING an England international transfer target to see if he was a drug user. REPORTING on the movements of David Beckham so United could keep tabs on his home life. PROBING the lifestyle of a young Red Devils defender to see if he was keeping bad company. SWEEPING the paranoid manager's own family home for phone bugs and hidden microphones. Being ORDERED to sweep the home of one of Fergie's close associates. INVESTIGATING the notorious drug habits of a top goalkeeper. Says Kelly, 55: "There's little doubt in my mind that certain elements within the United hierarchy let the sheer size of this club overtake their sense of fair and proper behaviour. They were playing God." United threatened an injunction to stop Kelly's shock manuscript being revealed in the News of the World. But we successfully fought their legal action and the club caved in. Kelly told how Chris Sutton, a current Celtic star and former goal ace for both Chelsea and Blackburn, was targeted by Fergie's spy network. He says: "He'd never have been aware that, for two weeks of his life, he was watched 24 hours a day. "The then-head scout at United, Les Kershaw, wanted a report. Rumours "Chris played for Norwich at the time and the surveillance team went over there, Œpicked him up' after a City home game, then followed and photographed his every move and checked out his associates. "There were four people tailing him including one woman. The team was led by two SAS guys who'd previously been with the Army's 14th Intelligence Company in Northern Ireland‹an elite unit that specialised in undercover surveillance. "After that Norwich game they followed him in three cars, swapping places regularly. The woman came in handy when Sutton went into a bar. Then she could join one of the male watchers to look like a couple. "The team would watch until he went to bed, then one of the boys would keep his vehicle under surveillance by sleeping in the car park. "They even followed Sutton when he visited his son. After two weeks, I submitted the report to Les Kershaw and told him we'd found absolutely nothing to substantiate rumours of illegal substance abuse." Despite the all-clear, manager Ferguson did not sign Sutton. Kelly says Sir Alex, 61, was meticulous about gathering information‹and even used his services to probe England skipper David Beckham, now with Real Madrid. He writes: "Fergie was adamant David should live within reasonable distance of the stadium and training ground. Tales of him commuting from London after he met Victoria would send Fergie into blind rages. "The situation came to a head on a trip abroad. Fergie pulled me to one side in the airport VIP lounge and barked, ŒRight, Ned. Don't lie to me. Where's Beckham living?' "ŒLondon, boss, and travelling up and down to Old Trafford', I replied‹inwardly cringing at having to tell tales on David. Stare "Fergie's face was a study in controlled anger. ŒThat Beckham is taking the p**s,' he growled. ŒYeah, boss,' I volunteered. ŒMaybe you should sell him'. "Fergie's blank stare told me he was thinking the same thing. But hearing it from a third party must have brought home to him the enormity of losing Beckham and he smiled, ŒNah, I'll sort him'. "Fergie knew the toll it would take on Beckham's fitness if he had to face motorways or airports before training. He did, indeed, clip Beckham's wings and it was agreed he would live near his workplace." Kelly, who ran security at United for 12 years before leaving last year, was also told by Sir Alex to keep a watch on his England stopper Wes Brown. He says: "Once Wes began earning big money at United, Fergie insisted he move out of the family environment and get his own house. "My contacts would tell me he was sometimes out in Manchester, at one of the players' favourite haunts. "There are five big crime families in the city who control things‹all very well-known to the police. "The worry was they'd befriend Wes then get into United, so you'd see them in the players' lounge. "I was told to make sure this didn't happen. The idea was to put a little ring of steel around Wes. "That didn't mean my boys would accompany him when he went out on the town‹just that he was watched so we'd know if anything untoward happened. Thankfully, it never did while I was at United." Sir Alex also grew hugely concerned about his own security. Kelly explains: "Fergie was worried about his personal privacy and all the stories leaking out to the Press. "Around the time United were about to sell Andrei Kanchelskis, Paul Ince and Mark Hughes, he ordered the debugging of his home and offices. "I arranged for John Adams, one of the most competent counter-surveillance operatives I'd encountered during my time in the forces, to undertake this operation. "But I had to chuckle when Fergie insisted United pay the bill." Kelly adds: "John and I arrived at the house around 6pm one evening. Fergie and his wife Cathy were there. "The main target of John's searches were the phones. Fergie must have had at least six of them‹ in the kitchen, the living room, the bedrooms and in his snooker room. "John dismantled the phones, plugged in his own earpiece and listened for a signal from his equipment to indicate if the phone was bugged. "We did a thorough search, and even went up into the attic. The whole operation took around three hours before John declared the house a bug-free zone. "I also suggested to Fergie that my expert should sweep his car and scan his mobile phone as both are prime targets for eavesdroppers. There was no evidence to suggest anyone was listening in." But Fergie's paranoia did not end there, Kelly recalls. He says: "His next request was as bizarre as his previous one. He asked me to arrange a similar surveillance sweep of another person's property, but it didn't happen. "The person in question declined his kind offer, with the words, ŒFergie is over-reacting', and so the matter was brought to a close." Scrutiny Kelly admits he was able to provide a comprehensive service because he even used SERVING SAS men during his time at United. He says: "I contacted my army mates, both in and out of active service, and in no time I had eight men Œgood and true'." In fact, by the end of his spell with the club, his company Special Projects Security had an impressive 1,500 employees. Kelly, who now lives in a £1.4million Florida mansion, says: "Everything that happened within a 30-mile radius involving Man Utd players was known to Fergie and the directors in next to no time. "The players were always aware they were under such close scrutiny. "They knew that there was a slightly claustrophobic atmosphere surrounding the whole city. There was nowhere they could hide." Another player to face stiff scrutiny was goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, signed by United four years ago. Kelly reveals how he launched an investigation into claims the Australian was a cocaine addict. He writes: "We all knew that Bosnich was hanging around with undesirables and even the dogs in the street knew he was a Œcokehead'. Proof "I used to joke that he'd sniff the white line off the M6 if he was stuck. But while rumours were rife in Manchester that he was indulging heavily in cocaine, my investigations into the stories were inconclusive. "I spoke to a few people in the know, yet couldn't get any concrete proof that he was taking the stuff. "When Mark finally moved to Chelsea, he tested positive for traces of cocaine in his blood and was sacked. Few at United were surprised." Kelly admits even he was amazed by the range of duties he was asked to perform in his United spell. He says: "When I first started I was in charge only of match-day security. But the job grew and turned into a monster. "By the end, I was doing all sorts of things, including following players, debugging homes, phones and cars, and even breaking up orgies." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. 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