THEY might be more than 130 miles from Old Trafford, but county Manchester United fans are among those mourning the loss of manager Sir Alex Ferguson after he announced his retirement.
Ashley Powell, 35, secretary of the 300-strong county branch of the Manchester United Supporters' Club said he was "gutted" at the news.
He added that Sir Alex had transformed Man Utd into a global phenomenon since he took the helm in 1986.
"He brought a structure to the club and very strong club discipline," he said.
"He built up the youth side, that brought us David Beckham, the Neville brothers and Paul Scholes.
"He's recognised the importance of investing in the future and has done that since he started."
England World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst, who lives in Cheltenham, took to Twitter to respond to the news.
He said: "David Moyes will probably be the one to have to fill those very big shoes!"
Manager at Gloucester Sports, Steve Milward, said: "I'm gutted for the simple reason that I'm an Everton fan and I'm worried about David Moyes going to replace him."
