Fergie Time

I suppose it does make financial sense…

So it’s finally over. Or at least it will be… Effective from the end of the season Ferguson is leaving as manager to become a Club Director and Ambassador (a cushy unpaid non-job to you and me). Below I’ll give my opinion and crack a few jokes along the way.

So who will be the next manager of United? With this job, the Real Madrid and Chelsea positions all open Sam Allardyce must feel that three busses have come at once. Stories were reported of Mark Hughes dashing to his ringing phone only to discover that he had been mis sold PPI insurance. But on a more serious note it seems three main contenders have emerged: Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho and David Moyes. Klopp has done a great job at Dortmund and it is known that Ferguson really admires their playing style. Mourinho and Fergie have long been friends and Jose would certainly bring the charisma necessary for such a high-profile role. However i don’t believe he has the soul or dedication to the cause that is necessary to replace such a great manager as SAF. Mourinho may bring great success to United but he will almost certainly leave within three years for greener pastures and stability is what the club needs. This leaves Moyes, who in my mind is the best, but not the perfect choice. He has shown a willingness to build dynasties at Everton, changing only when necessary and reaching Europe consistently on a shoestring (figuratively). Whilst he is untested on a top level so was Ferguson when he went to United (can you just imagine where East Stirlingshire would be now if they had kept him?) and I think that he is the right man for the role.

Tributes are obviously pouring in for the great manager, even the BBC has gotten over their grudge to print a swell of articles on him! There is much speculation over why he’s chosen this time to quit. Theories include his upcoming hip operation this summer taking a toll on him, the fact that there is little more to achieve and the somewhat outlandish idea that being beaten by Rafa this weekend was just too much to take! My personal theory is that whilst there has been talk of this being his best ever United side I’ve been deeply unconvinced and they have been flattered by a low quality Premiership. Ferguson wants to leave now because he sees it as not getting any better than this any time soon, although he is leaving any potential successors a young squad with great potential that could come good. Who knows? It’s probably also the stress…

So thanks for reading my thoughts on Ferguson’s retirement. He has truly changed the game, making managers a greater presence to the media and to the FA, whether that is for better or worse is irrelevant in my eyes. He is up there with Herbert Chapman and Bob Paisley in the great manager stakes. I’ll leave you with a final thought: what if this is really just Sir Alex’s greatest ever mind game? Please leave a like and consider following if you enjoyed this post, it really helps me out. Until the next time!