OT: Sir Alex Ferguson retires from Man U

Submitted by ixcuincle on

Know there's a lot of soccer talk here so Alex Ferguson, Manchester United gaffer, has announced his intentions to retire. 

I am not a United fan (Go Arsenal) but I am impressed by the way his players sent him off in his final year, winning the EPL by a landslide. Good luck to him. 

momo

May 8th, 2013 at 8:56 AM ^

I could see Moyes doing OK but he's pretty much unproven at managing in the SAF style, i.e., maintaining ruthless order over a very strong lineup and eradicating anyone who gets too big for the dressing room. Moyes has certainly maintained order at Everton but he hasn't had to deal with the issue of getting rid of a Ronaldo, Stam, Ince etc.

 

He'd at least be worth a go though. Better than a lot of the dross out there.

 

Unfortunately it would surprise me not one iota if the owners now get on the "6 months to win everything" merry-go-round and trash the club.

snowcrash

May 8th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^

I'm a Liverpool fan and root against Man U, but I've long respected Man U's organization for their patience and commitment to stability. I would be surprised if they started acting like Chelsea and changing managers as often as they change socks.

Blue in Yarmouth

May 8th, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^

Everything I have heard points to Mourinho being the successor. Now I'm not sure if that's just wishful thinking or an actual possibility, but that is what is being talked about more than any other person I have heard. Also, there was even talk about that about halfway through the season (Mourinho being the next in line) prior to Sir Alex even hinting that he would step down, so there might be something to it.

As a Man U fan, he is the only one that I can think of that could come in and have even a glimmer of hope of keeping Man U on a similar trajectory. He has proven to be able to handle the big name players and egos and has managed teams of similar financial resources, so I think he would be the only manager that I wouldn't want to jump of a cliff when he was named. I guess only time will tell though. 

gopoohgo

May 8th, 2013 at 8:15 AM ^

20 times champions, bitches.

SAF will be missed; last year especially; there was absolutely no reason for United to finish 2nd, with all the injuries and their makeshift midfield, they were lucky to finish in a Champion's League spot, let alone tied with City and losing the title on goal differential.

Wish he was able to keep Pogba, though.

Moyes would be a good fit, Mourinho doesn't seem to offer the stability (he only stays a few years) that United seeks.

dlcase1708

May 8th, 2013 at 8:42 AM ^

Moyes or Klopp from Dortmund. Rumors were swirling in about November of Pep taking over for SAF, but I definitely don't see him leaving Bayern. I've seen a few people suggest Giggs will take over; that'd certainly be very interesting. Hopefully it'll be someone who plans to stay at United for many years.

gopoohgo

May 8th, 2013 at 8:45 AM ^

Absolutely zero reason for Guardiola to leave Bayern.  They are absolutely loaded, and with Goetze and possibly Lewandowski joining this summer, they are getting even younger.

FC Hollywood is going to be obliterating the Bundesliga for years to come, and if they stay healthy, will be a perennial favorite in the UCL for at least a couple of years as well.  If anything, the pressure will be on Pep NOT to tinker too much.

superstringer

May 8th, 2013 at 9:11 AM ^

Does Moyes mean... Tim Howard to the Reds?  He did start there, after all, and won keeper of the year there, before being rented off then sold to Everton.  I've never understood why De Gea is all that as a keeper, anyway.

SKIP TO MY BLUE

May 8th, 2013 at 9:28 AM ^

Should be an interesting few months. Interesting to see if they go with a big name (as suggested above with Klopp or Mourhino or Ancelotti), or an up and comer to big clubs (Moyes and the Everton pipeline Man U has used over the years) or a player (Giggs or Scholes). Will be nice to see how this shakes out this summer.

bacon1431

May 8th, 2013 at 10:03 AM ^

Hard to evalute his accomplishments all time vs the other great managers due to the lack of parity created by the Premier League, but no doubt he is in the conversation for GOAT. Hate his personality and his press conferences after losses, but the man knew tactics and managing players. Best of luck to his successor, they'll need it.

gopoohgo

May 8th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^

As opposed to the parity in La Liga (Barca, Real, and every once in a while Valencia or Athletico before they get raided by the big 2), Bundesliga (Bayern, Dortmund, and everyone else), League 1 (PSG and everyone else)?

All the European leagues are top-heavy.  If anything the EPL has more top teams (United, Chelsea, now City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool) with big wallets than the other leagues.  Which is even more of an accomplishment for SAF.

The thing that makes SAF hard to compare to is longevity; you aren't going to see a manager in the same spot for that long anymore.  Him, Wegner are atypical now.  The Ancellottis/Mourinhos/Guardiolas are going to be the trend now.

bacon1431

May 8th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^

I never mentioned any other leagues. There is less parity in the EPL today than there was 20, 30, 40 years ago. It's a fact. From 82 (when 3 points for a win was adopted in England) -92 (& keep in mind most of these seasons were played with 22 teams & 42 matches vs 20 & 38, so more opportunity for the strong and weak to separate), there were 5 occurrences when there was <15 points separating the champion from the 4th place finisher. From 93-2013, it has happened 6 times. If we went back to before 82 and calculated the table w/ 3 pionts for a win instead of 2, I'm sure the results would be similar.

I'm saying it's hard to evaluate his accomplishments vs the greats of the past because they had more competition to deal with. Fergie is obviously the greatest of the past 20 years.

jmblue

May 8th, 2013 at 11:18 AM ^

Ligue 1 is actually going to have its sixth different champion in six years.  Granted, this period of parity may be coming to an end, but the league has been very unpredictable in recent years.  Absolutely no one saw Montpellier winning it last year.

 

bacon1431

May 8th, 2013 at 2:24 PM ^

Already happened. We're the only club in English football history to have that happen to them on two separate occasions. Happened in the 80s but we were on the verge of bankruptcy so at least that was "excusable." 

But it's not like we were tearing up the Premier League. We were involved in relegation battles all three of our seasons in the top flight and were pretty much the same roster that got promoted in 09. We held onto some dross for too long and made some bad front office decisions. It's not been fun. But I'm hoping for a fresh start in League One and am optimistic about the future. 

GoBlueBrooklyn

May 8th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^

Glad to see the back of him.



As a Liverpool supporter, I loathe the man, but there is no denying his accomplishments. Have to respect him. I hated no basketball player more than Michael Jordan; he played for the Bulls (rivals to my Detroit Pistons) and was a giant asshole, much like Ferguson. That said, you can't look at the ability and the record and not have respect for his achievements. United have accomplished amazing things under him; if Liverpool had done the same in this era, I would be waving the flag... I get it. I think he's been given a competitive advantage because of his status and success (Fergie Time is REAL!!), the smaller teams absolutely capitulate to United-- they are beaten before they play!-- but that's all minor compared to winning all of those titles and cups. I wish we had been good enough to beat him to the title, would have been amazing. Alas, he goes out on top.



That said, the club have had no real uncertainty in 26 years, so that alone is something to relish. Moyes has won zero trophies. I assume Felliani and Baines to United, but with Mourinho and possibly Falcao en route to Chelsea, can't see United overcoming this loss any time soon. Fergie has been overperforming with this team for a long time, I hope Moyes falls on his face.

Liverpool have our own problems to overcome, obviously, but still, a great day IMO.

 

 

superstringer

May 8th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^

Wait, wait, wait.. this is priceless.. a PISTONS fan calling MJ an "asshole"?  Versus, what, Laimbeer, Rodman, and Thomas were poster children for 'MOMS YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO GROW UP ACTING LIKE THESE WONDERFUL HUMAN BEINGS" ???

My favorite memory of the Bulls finally eliminating the Pistons (4-0) in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time, was the headline of the Chicago Tribune the next morning:  BULLS END PISTONS' REIGN OF TERROR.  That pretty much sums up how everyone on planet Earth, other than Detroit and Cleveland, felt about the situation.

And, I can't resist adding... doesn't one of the "problems" that Liverpool has to "overcome" include, finding a striker who doesn't want to feast on human flesh?  I suppose you could always sell Luis to the Transylvania League...