Eddie Gray against the world (2004)

The saddest moment of United’s relegation from the Premier League at Bolton in 2004 was not Alan Smith crying on the pitch, the kid crying in the stands, Mark Viduka’s shocked expression when he was sent off. It was something quieter, meant to be off-stage, that was only just glimpsed.

At full-time, when Leeds were finally beyond help, their manager Eddie Gray, proud servant of the club since 1963, turned and walked away. With his head bowed, his right hand formed a fist that he bumped, gently, against the side of the tunnel. A following camera caught what he must have thought was private, but even alone, there were no histrionics, no drama. Just a small expression of the most heartfelt disappointment.

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