Sep 12
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Successor
No premier league games last weekend. Nothing to report. We can only wait to see how the return of Ronaldo affects (positively) the way the team plays. Since this is slow news time, as far as Manchester United are concerned, (yes, we had that interesting tidbit from SAF about Stam and Beckham, but tell us something we don’t already know!) I present an article which otherwise would not have merited much attention. Namely, what I feel about certain people replacing SAF when he decides to retire.
Roy Keane:
It will be great to have Keano back at Old Trafford, but as far as I am concerned, Keano as a player and Keano as a coach are two entirely different entities. Keane has done a great job managing Sunderland to promotion in his first season, but this season will be a truer test of his capabilities and I am not convinced so far. Agreed, comparing Sunderland to Manchester United might be an apples to oranges comparison, but a great manager (no reason why we should settle for anything less) should be able to work his magic with weaker teams as well. That said, I sincerely hope that Keano is able to show he can become a great manager at Sunderland and move to OT.
Verdict: Too early to call
Arsene Wenger:
If SAF doesn’t end up shooting him first, we’ll end up seeing some pretty football at Manchester United – some pretty football in triangles! Manchester United will still continue to be called the greatest football team in the world, only, with Wenger at the top, it will be a wind-up. Wenger will sign 12 years olds from Burkina Faso as players with great future and thrust into first team action, and Manchester United will be a team in transition for 3 years, when the next batch of youngsters will be bought to repeat the process all over.
Verdict: Not happening
Jose Mourinho:
Absolutely no way I would want him managing Manchester United. While Jose might end up delivering trophies, he would go against the very principles of Manchester United – attacking football. There is a legacy of relentless attacking football, and playing to thrill at Manchester United, and under Jose, we will be nothing more than an efficient, moaning team that occasionally wins trophies.
Verdict: No way!
Steve McLaren/Sven Goran Eriksson:
Are you kidding me? For all the reasons mentioned for Jose (except the trophies part, and the efficient part). Plus, these two have absolutely no managerial talent.
Verdict: No way!
Steve Coppell:
Steve Coppell has forged a very good Reading team in the four years that he has been in charge of the club. What I like about him is that he has set up Reading to play some good football where they play to their strengths. Reading, apart from Manchester United and Arsenal, are the only team to actually play some attacking football (or at least, were, in the previous season). All this adds up to an impressive CV for Steve Coppell.
Verdict: Possible
Carlos Queiroz:
SAF recently pointed out that Carlos Queiroz is the ideal person to succeed him as manager of Manchester United, thereby subtly trying to influence the hiring process, whenever it happens. Queiroz is also thought to be the man in charge of the tactical strategies at Manchester United, which includes the much despised 4-5-1 system. Personally, I feel that while Queiroz might be an excellent assistant to SAF, he is not really cut out to manage a club of the size of Manchester United. His time at Real Madrid was a complete disaster, and while one should not read much into managerial exploits at Read Madrid, it does leave you with a sense of apprehension as to whether he will be able to maintain Manchester United’s current standards, let alone improve on that. However, with SAF’s backing, anything is possible.
Verdict: Likely
Mark Hughes:
“Sparky” is a real legend at Old Trafford. He has also showed himself to be a very good manager, first with Wales, and then, with Blackburn Rovers. He almost lead Wales to the European Champions of 2004. His success at Rovers is more of a mixed bag, the highlight being a sixth placed finish in the 2005-2006 season. The fans continue to give Sparky a good reception at Old Trafford, so he will be welcomed if he becomes the manager. However, he is similar to other managers in the premiership, in that Blackburn are not known for their adventurous spirit. This is, of course, no indicator of managing Manchester United, but I have a personal bias against managers who send out teams that park themselves in front of goal, even if I do understand why they do it.
Verdict: Maybe, but definitely not the first choice.
There are many other managers that I have not discussed for many reasons, including space. I am also not a big fan of continental managers at Manchester United. It doesn’t quite have the same ring as having a British or Irish manager. The comments section is a good place to tell me why I am wrong with my analysis, and add names to this list.
Related items from Red Rants:
Tags: Manchester United News
The_Philosopher (487)
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Reagarding Queiros:
“His time at Real Madrid was a complete disaster…”
So too was Capello’s time – and he managed to win them the league?!?
I think CQ will make a good coach.
My other options would be Dutch – Guus Hiddink, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaardt
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I think you have missed one of the most interesting candidate to replace Sir Alex, Martin O’Neil.
The last match of Aston Villa against Chelsea has surprised me. The attacking aspect of Aston Villa plus the intent of devloping young talents perfectly fit Manchester United bill.
No manager will be able to fill the huge gap when Sir Alex will retire. I think, we should give time to his successor to adapt and not expect the delivery of torphies on a short term as a top priority. The standard that has been set by Fergie is very high.
But keeping the philosophy of Manchester United(win games by playing with attacking style) must not be changed.
Other candidates would be Big Phil(a bit too old),Guss Hidink, David Moyes or even Didier Dechamps.
The resposibility to find another manager is on Glazer after all. The Fergie’s regin will not last for eternity.
I’ll let others comment on my suggestions.
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Agree with your views and maybe you forgot to add a couple of words on Big Sam. Like you I also find it hard to see a manager that is not British. But having said that, in Italy two possible coaches that are currently ‘on holiday’are in fact Capello and Lippi.
Could be their timing is right, cause if United win Champions League this year, then I think SAF will surely retire and they will be available to take his place.
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Regarding Keano,
I believe Fergie will not retire within the next 2-3 seasons so this would give Keano a chance to prove himself a great leader and manager, He would be my first choice due to his unwaivering loyality and fighting spirit during his time as a player at OT, He has shown that he has potential to become one of the great managers for the furture.
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Oh whatever happened to Martin O’neil. He was a definite favourite for a long time… Guess he got tired of waiting
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No mentioning of Hiddink??? David moyes can also be succesful..other than this year he always had a small budget with which he maintained a steady position for everton…Big Sam also can do it!!!look at the way O Neil is transitioning VIlla…another beautiful choice
Oneil wud be my first choice..then comes keano and big Sam
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interesting topic especially now that much aint happening. keano for his no non sense side,i’d luv him to come back as coach but in the process he’ll hurt some few egos in our star studded team thus ruining team spirit.
wenger/jose/mclarren/ericson,,u must be kidding right.
as bobby charlton said,we shunt care where the coach is coming from,as long as he brings whats required of him so with that my other candidates will def be CQ,hiddink and rijkard,,great coashes no que about that.
on a lighter note.rijkaard might bring messi,des santos and even ronaldinho along then we’ll get to see more beautiful stuff ha!
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My choice would be the world cup winnin coach m.lippi.the man is brilliant.full of expirience and knows how to win!
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My options are (1) Big Sam (2) Roy Keane (3) Carlos Quiroz (4) Guus Hiddink (5) Mark Hughes
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It’s got to be. Roy Keane as Manager with Eric Cantona as his Assistant.
Oh Yeah!!
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“No way” to Sven-Goran Eriksson? Only five competitive games lost in five and a half years, top place in all qualifying groups and raising England to FIFA No.4 world ranking during W-Cup 06. Not to mention an unmatched club career prior to the time he “foolishly” (?) accepted the England job “poisoned chalice”. Man U should be so lucky and maybe watch out for that other “local team” during the next few seasons?
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cantona is too big to be roy keane’s assistnt gubby
by the way sad note
Man United boss hurt in ‘attack’
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suffers minor injuries in an alleged assault at a railway station.
My chice would be quiroz with cantona as assistant and taking over later on
And my guess is if we win CL this year Fergie will retire next season and CQ will take over
and if we at all go out hunting Big sam and keano both look amazing to me
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David Moyes is a name that has not been mentioned but still worth thinking about, never had much money to spend until this season and i think Everton will end up in the top eight. I believe he could be in the reckoning when Sir Alex finally calls it a day.
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Shit, can’t believe I didn’t mention Cantona!
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Guys u all mentioning ex players!being good players does not mean they will be good coaches.some of the names are just not going to happen eg.cantona,hasnt managed top level.mark hughes,he is nothing but an average manager.big sam.style does not fit uniteds.CQ.I dont feel he has the character for united.maybe only keano.but i doubt he has much tactical awareness
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Some of the Dutch names mentioned above may be good choices. Ideally, I would try to get Lippi, but he is too old now, I think. Capello is a proven winner everywhere he goes, but he can’t offer longevity. And say what you want about Roma, but Spalletti is an excellent manager that can do a lot with very little. Plus, he favors the 4-2-3-1. That said, I bet it will be either Martin O’Neill or Quiroz, most likely the latter.
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My biggest concern over Keane at the minute is his ability in the transfer market. I know people say keeping Sunderland up would be a big achievement but spending £35m on the top championship side should have you looking at mid table. Keane’s transfer strategy has not impressed me, he seems to have completely discarded any scouting network and is buying only players he has personal experience with a very limited view for a manager, something that will hopefully change in the future. I think Ramos from Sevilla may be a decent shout.
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What about Ole Gunnar Solskjær ?
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I’ve got to say I disagree with a hefty portion of this piece. You can’t just write off Mourinho and McClaren like that, they deserve better.
That said I hope our next manager is someone from the UK, be it Roy Keane, Mark Hughes or even Gary Neville, although I wouldn’t be against Carlos Quieroz getting the job.
Ideally I’d keep the ‘management team’ ethos and have one of the 3 replacing fergie, but with Queiroz maintaining his role.
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Martin O’Neil should be the first choice. And I’m not a Villa fan. The day SAF retires will be the saddest day in world football.
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From a fan’s point of veiw yeah it would be great to see Sparky or Keano take over but I think it’s going to be CQ which may be a good thing. There would be a tremendous amount of pressure on Keane and Hughes to perform straight away and there wouldn’t be so much on CQ. Also we need managers who aren’t afraid to make the big money signings for star players and not buy a bunch of ordinary players a la Liverpool and I think Queiroz has both the contacts and the mentality to pull them off whereas Keano and Hughes’ address book aren’t as big. Wouldn’t say no to Lippi but Capello is too defense minded.
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I certainly feel that Marcelo Lippi would be perfect for Man Utd… The man has got it all… His tactically brilliant and can certainly handle big players and pressure… He has been waiting for a new challenge and I feel Unied is just that, not to mention him and Sir Alex are close friends…
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Yes moya!
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Sure enough, the gaffer will keep going for 7 more years and by then Ole Gunnar has learned the ropes directly from the master. He has one of the best football brains in the world and an impeccable persona, no less loyalty than Keano and none of the rage outbursts. Ole became the attacking coach 1 week after hanging up his boots…
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Not one person has mentioned Juande Ramos at Sevilla. This guy has won successive Uefa Cups with Sevilla and has managed to compete with Barca and Real in title races, despite having less than 1/10th of their budgets. Sevilla are also a fantastic side that play with alot of flair, and never look like a side who are punching above their weight. Ramos is a keen admirer of the English game, and you can see that in how he sets up his teams to play with alot of pressure on the opposition and playing at a quick tempo. If Ramos has a good season with Sevilla in this year’s Champions League he will become one of the most sought after managers in world football. I think he would be great for United. I don’t think we should go for ex-players, as I think we need someone fresh at the club after Fergie, not simply one of his former students.
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My first choice may shock many of you but it his adventurous and attacking nature and willingness to introduce new ways of thinking that make Juergen Klinsmann an ideal candidate.
His influence and ideology has completely transformed the German national team into a world powerhouse once again. Tactically he is strong but he is also innovative and creative in the use of motivational and training techniques. He brought about a German football Renaissance that also won the respect and admiration of his players and a very reluctant old guard in Germany. Although he is not the master tactician of someone like the legendary Rinus Michaels, his infusion of new thinking has had an affect on the game in Germany similar to that which Michaels had in the seventies using the theories of “Total Football with Holland and Ajax. Unfortunately for Germany, Klinsy did not have a Cruyff to craft that new style around.
Now the bad news. There is no way he would ever move to Manchester and manage United. He lives a very comfortable and ideal life on the beaches of Southern California and no money in the world could make him come up to the Northlands with his American wife and live in the cold and rain.
Having said that, my next choice would be Roy Keane for all the obvious reasons. I also think he is the proper motivator who bleeds red and who could carry the mantle from Fergie using much of the same techniques. He will have at least a couple of years to prove himself worthy of the job as I don’t see Fergie retiring quite yet.
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No one mentioned Steve Bruce?! A Former Utd Captain!!! Plenty of experience and kept a weak Birmingham side in the premiership for a few yrs playing decent football and brought them back again.
My 1st choice would be Mark Hughes still early in his management career he did well with a weak Wales side and has developed and changed the approach of his Blackburn side. He started off by giving them a solid backbone 2 seasons ago for which they have kept the reputation as a ‘tough’ side to play however in the 2 seasons since we have seen the emergence of the sides flair with McCarthy, Pedersen, Bentley and Tugay looking particularly good.
Other posibillies would be Rijkaard, Mourinho, Keane, O’Neill and
Ramos none of which I would have a problem with in the next few yrs.
I can’t see Hindink, Lippi or Capello replacing Fergie as I think
Utd would be looking for a younger long term manager.
I think it’s a good bet that Queiroz will replace Ferguson, which I’m
not too keen on personally.
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I see another manager from the UK manager Man Utd after Fergie retires
Someone like Mark Hughes
How about David Moyes?
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Martin O’Neill
Carlos Quiroz
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