Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to the Manchester Evening News' former Chief United writer David Meek, who has died aged 88.
Meek enjoyed a long and distinguished career covering United for the M.E.N. for 37 years, taking over the role when his predecessor Tom Jackson was killed in the Munich air disaster in 1958.
The York-born reporter held the post until 1995 and ghosted Ferguson's programme notes for several years and his books '6 Years at United' and 'A Will to Win'.
In a statement on the United website, Ferguson said: "I’m very sad to hear of the passing of David Meek, a well-respected journalist who served the Manchester Evening News with great loyalty and dignity.
"David was an old-fashioned journalist who relied on the accuracy of his reporting and his connection with Manchester United stretched over decades.
"His contribution to Manchester United's programme made my job easier as I relied on his ability to make sure that my words were exactly how I wanted them for every home match. My sympathies go out to his wife Liz and his family."
Meek helped set up the United museum at Old Trafford and and scripted the panels for the Munich memorial tunnel at the ground.
And despite occasionally being on the receiving end of the Scot's infamous 'hair-dryer treatment' the pair became close with Fergie describing his friend as part of the 'fabric of the club'.
Meek became a firm ally of Ferguson in 1995 when the MEN conducted a phone-in poll on whether the Scot should be sacked that summer as supporters struggled to comprehend the sales of Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis.
"He was having a hard time and the majority of people who responded to the poll said he should be fired," Meek is quoted as saying in This Is The One.
"The figures were presented to me to write the story but my view was that he didn’t deserve to be sacked, so I questioned how many Manchester City supporters had voted and how many United fans simply couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone because they were happy with him in charge.
"I presented it as an overwhelming vote of confidence and, in his eyes, that cemented me as a Fergie man. I proved to him I wasn’t against him."
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