Posted on 05/08/2013 6:26:30 AM PDT by Peter Vollmer
Manchester United have confirmed Alex Ferguson will retire at the end of the season after 27 years at the club.
Fergie, 71, walks away from Old Trafford having secured Uniteds 13th Premier League title.
Along with 13 league titles, Ferguson also guided United to two European Cups, five FA Cups and four League Cup triumphs.
His last last game in charge will be at West Brom on May 19.
(Excerpt) Read more at thesun.co.uk ...
As an Everton fan, I know Moyes is one of the best in the business, he doesn't have nearly the budget to spend on players that United has, and yet he has Everton competitive year in and year out.
Ooops! Thanks for the info. Color me soccer (football, sorry) stupid; I had no idea.
He does compete. But Manchester United, as you well know, is not merely about competing.
The issue with Moyes is that, due to where he has managed, he hasn’t been able to buy players at the level of a United or a City or a Chelsea. He hasn’t managed in the Champions League. I’m not saying he isn’t a good manager. In fact, he’s a loyal club servant and that may be a contributing factor if he gets the United job.
But elite? Sorry. No.
What was Fergie when United hired him, he won at Aberdeen in the Scottish League, but could anyone have foresaw what he would have done all those years ago?
Fergie created the “New Firm” in the Scottish league, breaking the dominance of Rangers and Celtic. That was no mean feat given the financial advantages both the Glasgow clubs enjoyed. United knew what they were getting.
Moyes hasn’t done the same in the Premier League, with the “Big Four”, and now “Big Five” with Manchester City, always holding the upper hand.
It could all be moot, though, if Rafael Benitez is to believed in intimating that Mourinho will go back to Chelsea.
I do think, though, that Moyes might fit better with United’s current group of players than the more deliberate Mourinho, but that is hard to say. What you can’t argue with, though, is Mourinho’s success and also with a comparatively small club. Winning the Champions League with Porto was a stunning accomplishment.
No, no, he's a successful manager. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Interesting thought that Fergie is going to be on the Board of Directors....I think he saw in Moyes a guy who could be a stabilizing influence, as he was at Everton for 10 years, and probably most closely resembles his management style.
I look at Fergie’s new role as similar to what his old friend Walter Smith is doing at Rangers, though on a much grander scale.
I also know Mourinho made no secret of his desire to come to United and it’s well known he wants to come back to England. We will see what transpires.
I heard Sir Alex is having hip surgery when the season ends....so wonder how much this plays into this...
Definitely one of the best managers/coaches ever. Yes had a lot of talent....but always kept ManU on top. And, helped the US National Team by keeping Chicharito on the bench....
I find it interesting that it coincides with the end of Moyes’ contract at Everton, which may suggest that this has been in the works for quite awhile. And note that Fergie is basically “kicking himself upstairs” onto the Board of Directors. One would assume that if indeed the club flounders, he could take the helm back at any time.
It’s so hard to compare coaches across sports, but he’s up there without a doubt. To be as successful as he has been, for so long, in a turbulent prima-donna professional sports world like European football is an amazing achievement. This guy is the Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach of the Premier League.
}:-)4
He didn’t. But if he did, maybe they could actually hit a penalty kick in a World Cup every now and then...
}:-)4
But what makes Jackson special, and I didn't really see this until he did it with the Lakers, is that he has that rare ability to take star players and get them to play together as a team, while still letting the stars shine. That's a lot harder of a job than it looks.
He also had a knack for finding diamonds in the rough, like Cantona.
Yeah, I guess there is some X-and-O coaching to it, but when you get to the level of an NBA or the English Premier League, it becomes more about managing egos and meshing personalities together. It’s not like the guys at that level haven’t been playing their sport for 15-25 years and don’t know it inside out already. That’s why so many great college coaches can’t make it in the pros. It’s less about being a great coach and more about being a manager, a counselor, a nanny in some cases, a PR guy, almost a CEO—a very different skill set.
}:-)4
FA Cup Champs.
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