Paul Ince was United's self-styled Guv'nor

Several former United players could have warned him that was going to happen.

Former being the key word.

Early fall-outs with Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside resulted in the pair being shipped out to Aston Villa and Everton respectively.

Former captain Paul Ince was the next to incur the wrath of Ferguson.

Kanchelskis deal

Ince considered himself United's "Guv'nor" a tag that led Ferguson to believe the midfielder was becoming too big for his boots.

Soon after, Ince was on his way to Inter Milan.

Then, when Ferguson got wind of the fact that Andrei Kanchelskis was thinking of leaving Old Trafford, the manager made sure a deal happened sooner rather than later.

Schmeichel (left) knows how Stam feels

Goalkeeper Mark Bosnich lasted only 18 months at Old Trafford.

Ferguson believed the Australian keeper was overweight when he arrived from Aston Villa, and it quickly became clear that not even a spell on the F-Plan diet would have put Bosnich back in favour.

David Beckham, Peter Schmeichel and Dwight Yorke have also felt the full force of Ferguson's temper over the years.

Beckham and Yorke survived and remain crucial members of Ferguson's squad, while Schmeichel's departure to Sporting Lisbon had nothing to do with his run-ins with the manager.

For Stam, however, compunding poor performances by releasing a stinging autobiography appears to have proved irreparable.

Stam may have written the book, but Ferguson has thrown it at him.