Ferguson is a Legend / Mourinho to United?

Since last night, the Twittersphere went into over drive with rumours that Alex Ferguson was going to retire at the end of the season, and this morning it was confirmed.

The news broke out from a players versus coaches golf game yesterday afternoon. Apparently, the news was meant to be revealed on Sunday when United would be officially crowned champions, but once the rumours started Ferguson had to respond.

I for one am a little surprised, partly because he seems to flirt with the idea of retirement every summer and not before the season ends. Also, I thought he’d try to lift the Champions League one more time.

Manchester United have been hugely successful over the last 27 years and for me, he is the main reason why. This season, like others before it, experts and fans alike have said the United team that has won the league wasn’t the best. Whether that is true or not is open to debate, but the fact is Ferguson gets the absolute maximum from what he has. When you consider the squads at Manchester United and Manchester City, and the contrasting amounts spent on it, it is almost criminal that Manchester City didn’t win the league. So for United to win the league so comfortably, it a huge testament to Alex Ferguson’s ability as a coach and manager.

Of course, he has spent big money on players but nothing in the region that other big clubs like Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG have spent in a single transfer window. He has combined youth, experience and most importantly – and something I have been especially jealous of – is a winning mentality. You can say what you like about Gary Neville (when he was playing, not now), Rio Ferdinand, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane et al, but however much they were f*cking annoying people, they were winners. Winning is all that mattered and they did it at any cost. They’ve had squads in the past that weren’t the best technically, but they still had that desire to win trophies. When Arsene Wenger talks about mental strength, Manchester United have that in abundance.

Last summer when Robin van Persie joined United some newspapers speculated that his purchase was a leaving present for Alex Ferguson, a last ditch attempt to wrestle back the Premier League title from their noisy neighbours. And so it proved, they were right.

Before you accuse me of a Manchester United and Alex Ferguson love in, I will remind you something Arsene Wenger said of Ferguson a few years ago. He basically said that they respected each other because what they achieved in the game, but when it came to playing against each other it was a fight. Because I support Arsenal it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the things Ferguson has done for United – it is undeniable that he has been the driving force in their massive success over the last 20 years. I don’t think the Premier League will be the same without him and it’s hard to say what kind of affect his departure will have on that club.

And that brings us to his replacement.

It’s hard to imagine who could possibly replace their greatest ever manager. It would just be like us trying to imagine who could possibly replace Arsene Wenger when he decides to retire or leave the club. The bookmakers have made David Moyes the odds on favourite but for me I cannot see that happening. He has done well for Everton, but even Everton fans I speak to say his tactics are limited and can be overly negative.

If he does get appointed (and I would be surprised) then Manchester United must feel that everything is in place for continued success. Something many people haven’t mentioned is his lack of experience in European competition. Some people have the knowhow when it comes to European football but others haven’t. Roberto Mancini for example has no idea how to do well in Europe, as he’s shown with Manchester City and previously at Inter Milan.

So we come to other candidates. Of course, Jose Mourinho will be mentioned as he has pretty much cut all ties with Real Madrid. And the question is would he return to a football club? He likes to try new experiences (that much is clear) and filling the boots of his friend Alex Ferguson would be massively tempting for him. It would also be a massive coup and signal of intent if United poached him and if I was a Chelsea fan, I’d be a little worried.

Other names mentioned are Jurgen Klopp, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jupp Heynckes, Gary Neville, Manuel Pellegrini, Mike Phelan, Laurent Blanc and Michael Laudrup. In that list are a few really top top managers with a wealth of European experience, hence the reason why I feel Moyes would be a strange choice. And who would want to turn down the chance of managing on the biggest football clubs in the world? United won’t struggle to find a world class appointment, that’s for sure.

 

4 thoughts on “Ferguson is a Legend / Mourinho to United?

  1. I say good ridddance. I believe he knows the days when he can win the epl every season are over.Even if Mourino or Moyes takes over will get the axe,believe me ,if they don’t start winning the epl/cl or FA cup.
    It aint going to be easy with MC and Chelsea being bank rolled. And you have Arsenal if Wenger goes to buy top talent.
    All good things must end. The roman a nd british empires had to succumb to ravages of time.So it aint surprising he quit after winning the epl.His dream of dominating the cl is a dream only. Even his successor will find it tough to reign supreme in the cl.

     
  2. Over,he won i for the 4th time in five years and only lost it on goals scored last year !!! Ferguson is probably the greatest regret Arsenal will ever have,so close to signing him but yet again, so far.

     
  3. As much as I love to hate Ferguson, now that he’s retiring you have to give him respect.
    What I hate is that I think he bullied officials and somehow manipulated the media (although it was probably bigger then just him) into loving United to such an inappropriate degree that it made things so much easier for them than their rivals. They’ve spent vast amounts of money over the years but somehow have kept this appearance of being simply “well run” while rivals like Chelsea and City were criticised.
    On the other hand the brilliance of Ferguson was 1) the way he always got the best out his players, some of whom moved on to other clubs at a relatively young age and looked very, very average (O’shea etc.), and 2) the way he moved with the times and reinvented the way his teams play. The way his team plays now is so different from the side that won the treble, for example. He saw what made other teams great, the Invincibles for example, and incorporated that into his own thinking – this is truly what has allowed him to continue winning while our own Arsene Wenger has fallen away by comparison.
    I don’t believe they will find another manager who could be anywhere near as successful over a reasonably long period. Glad to see the back of him, but not in an entirely mean-spirited/bitter way.

     
  4. I agree with what davi wrote about the rf and Wenger. The latter is too arrogant a nd thinks he knows best and surrounds himself with sycophants.The former aint afraid of changes and open to ideas. He may have coached a million games but is still humble enough to learn how to improve himself and the team from evem a 90 year old fan.
    That sets him apart from the fm who has a golden chance to cement the cl spot after the draw. Blow it and that shows how far he has fallen from the heights of 224.

     

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