Who would be the ideal man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford?

[Jimbo. 952]

Mourinho or Hiddink I think would be good replacements. But I would like to see old players who played under Sir Alex such as Big Eck or Cantona.

In a fucking film?

[doddsyRFC 1]

Mourinho or Hiddink I think would be good replacements. But I would like to see old players who played under Sir Alex such as Big Eck or Cantona.

In a fucking film?

aye probly, he said he wants to manage united but.

[Jimbo. 952]

Mourinho or Hiddink I think would be good replacements. But I would like to see old players who played under Sir Alex such as Big Eck or Cantona.

In a fucking film?

aye probly, he said he wants to manage united but.

I'm sure most people would!

[doddsyRFC 1]

Mourinho or Hiddink I think would be good replacements. But I would like to see old players who played under Sir Alex such as Big Eck or Cantona.

In a fucking film?

aye probly, he said he wants to manage united but.

I'm sure most people would!

aken mate

[bigandy999 1]

Billy Davies.

[pwrfc 32]

Every time Sir Alex Ferguson decides who should be his successor, it turns out to be him.

He ponders the joys of retirement and then signs a new contract, the most famous instance being early in 2002 when Manchester United directors, having agreed terms with Sven-Göran Eriksson to take over once he had seen England through the World Cup finals in the Far East, were preparing to travel to London to seek the FA’s permission to approach the Swede when Ferguson announced his change of mind.

Eriksson, we are left to imagine, shrugged. After all, he himself had once promised to manage Blackburn Rovers when a better offer came along from Lazio in 1997.

At any rate, Ferguson stayed in his post and won the Premier League title in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009. But on the last day of 2009 he celebrated his 68th birthday. He has made a promise to quit before his 70th — and eventually he is going to keep one of those promises. The question of the succession is starting to become acute.

A few months ago, it was suggested here that David Moyes, the Everton manager, whose style and character are admired in the United boardroom as well as by Ferguson himself, might be invited to move next season and work alongside the veteran manager. But it appears that the new favourite — and Ferguson’s own front-runner — is from outside the Premier League.

There was a sense of the cat being let out of the bag when Harry Redknapp, a fellow manager with whom Ferguson gets on especially well, tipped “an ex-player who is already making his mark in management”.

Or perhaps that should be the chat being let out of the sac, for one former United player making quite a mark in management is Laurent Blanc, who not only won the French League with Bordeaux last season but has guided the club into the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Ferguson first encountered Blanc in 1991, when he was the tall and elegant star turn of a Montpellier side knocked out of the Cup Winners’ Cup by United, who went on to take the trophy. There were several attempts to sign him and finally, in 2001, after Blanc had become a world and European champion with France, he came to Old Trafford from Inter Milan at the age of 35.

Why Ferguson would want to replace Jaap Stam, whom he had let go to Lazio in the erroneous belief that injury had slowed him, with someone a good deal slower was an issue much debated around Old Trafford. But Blanc did help United to win the championship in 2003 and, after his retirement, his calibre was recognised by the readers of France Football, who voted him the fourth best French player of all time, after only Michel Platini, Zinédine Zidane and Raymond Kopa.

As a manager, he immediately shone, guiding Bordeaux to second place in his first season and then breaking the stranglehold of Lyons to take the title. Ferguson, after Aberdeen, will always have a special empathy with stranglehold-breakers and you can be sure that, if his team overcome AC Milan and Blanc’s contrive to oust Olympiacos in the first knockout round of the Champions League in February and March, the name of Bordeaux will be one he looks out for in the draw, in which case Blanc’s visit to Old Trafford might not prove his last.

There are, of course, former players of Ferguson’s who have made their mark in management closer to home: Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes, Roy Keane and, above all this season, Alex McLeish. But Blanc would be my man to watch. And the concept of a transitional season or two, with the new manager being able to take advice from Ferguson — just as Ferguson leant on Sir Matt Busby and Sir Bobby Charlton when he came from Scotland — remains persuasive.

Good article.

This isn't the first time that Blanc's name has been mentioned for the job. However, James Richardson recently said that there has been some talk that he has a gentlemans agreement to join Inter Milan should Mourinho leave at the end of the season.

And I think that with Van Gaal at Bayern Munich & Ferrera at Juventus jobs also hanging by a somehwat shoogly peg, I think Man Utd will have to act soon if they want Blanc.

Whoever gets the task of replacing SAF has some job on their hands.

Fergusons problem, apart from being a total cunt, is that his ego wont allow him to havae assistant in the limelight or his ex players by his side. Mark Hughes issa great manager and with the squad and facilities and transfer money ferguson leaves behind Hughes would do a great job, but obviously after city its no gonnae happen.

Brian Kidd has been discarded along the way by Ferguson and fergie just isnt a character like walter smith who enjoys working with his ex players and moulding them.Or having a boot room live liverpool where sammy lee and dogsheetlish still play a part

What makes these muppets think Blanc will do well at United?

Would steve bruce, hughes or bryan robson do a worse job with the start they would have in the post ferguson era.

Cantona and keane are joke suggestions. Keane is a gutless coward who would make utd more unpopular than Mourinho when it comes to the far east and merchandising etc.

Davy moysey is a totally overrated cunt. Hes spent 50 million in the last 2 years and earns 17 million over 5 years yet he still plays the dour scot with nae any resources.

Personally i think loads of guys could do a great job but Bryan Robson should have been part of the management set up years ago.

Probably because Blanc has done a fantastic job at Bordeaux, turned them into a Championship contending/winning side...

And the point about the far east i just don't understand at all, how would Keane make them more unpopular?

In any case, whoever takes the job after SAF is going to have a very tough time.

Blanc hasnt done anything special at bordeaux. Has he really done more than mcleish who is my favoured option.

Bordeuax have always been a top 5 team in France , they have a huge tv company behind them, and before he started they were contending for the championship, they won it loads of times in the 80's, so theyre a big club.

What big eck is doing at bham, although like blanc its early days looks more solid to me when paired with his takinae us to the knockout stages of tae champions league.

I'll explain the "Far East bit" to yer. Me best mate at school has been working for a bank in Hong Kong and Singapore for 2 years now. He tells me the teams most loved are the man u's , the milans,arsenals, liverpools, the barcelonas and madrids. He tells me chelsea and morinho are still disliked due to mourinho's argumentative character and cheating at chelsea. Also your probably not aware but in his early days at Inter he went on a pre season tour to china, specifically designed to increase their marketability in the far east and at a press conference mourinho got into an argument with chinese journalist who asked him a starightforward question, next thing u know mourinho is havnae it out with the whole room of journos and walks out. Morrati was furious, the whole marketing exercise had been pointless.

I went to malaysia in the summer and you see huge billboards of giggs advertising a swiss watch, or ronaldo advertising something , and man u and liverpool and madrid and barcelonas colours everywhere.

Mourinho would be poison in terms of man u's style of football which dates back to the busby babes and is based on free flowing stylish and exciting football. In terms of marketability in the increasingly key far eastern markets, mourinho is seen as a cheat and charmless anti football figure.

Keane similarly is not known for being able to deal well with the press and pressure, he kicked off in korea over training facilities at the world cup held in the far east. He got massively bad publicity and in a society where respect to elders is reverential he is disliked and sponsors hate him too. Like mourinho he would be poision to pr and marketing. Also he has shown himself to have very poor man management and he spent £60 million at sunderrland in 18 months and they were still shite.Shite manager.

Whoever goes wont have that tough a time. They will inherit a great club with everything in place, squad, funds, back up team, etc etc. Similar to when dogsheetleish took over liverpool. It will take someone with keanes ability to fuck up to screw things up.

Hope that gave you the help you needed pwrfc

Thats your opinion i guess, however the season before Blanc took charge they came 6th, and a few seasons before that they were coming 12th, Blanc came in and gave them that extra edge which took them to 2nd and then the championship the following year, and also the champs league knockout stages this year, so not only has he made them a force in France but also in Europe. They may have won it in the 80s but St. Etienne have won it 10 times, and look where they are now, infact in Bordeuax got relegated the 90's due to financial reasons.

The far east point - i cant argue with, i know these places are big on the media friendly types, and it seems logical that Keane (and Mourinho) would not be looked on to favourably.

IMO, the man utd job after SAF leaves will be a handful for anyone because of the pressure they will be under to succeed, no top manager would walk into a job like man utd and do everything the exact way there predecessor did, they would want to mould the team into there own image.. and if they dont succeed straight away then there in hot water.

[WeeBlue 39]

Of the former players now managing...

Keane, failed at Sunderland and now failing at Ipswich.

Robson, worst manager ever.

Ince, Did well at MK Dons but failed at Blackburn.

Coppell, Did well to get Reading up but couldnt keep them there.

Hughes, Did ok at Blackburn and Wales but wasn't anything special at City.

Bruce, Got Birmingham promoted but went down again, did pretty well at Wigan and now doing well at Sunderland.

Bruce is the best from that lot IMO but still not good enough..

So Im thinking O'Neill or a top European manager..

[Ryan_1 1,136]

The day Sir Alex Ferguson leaves Manchester United, it could very well be the end of Manchester United as a dominant force in English football. People seem to forget, SAF runs that club from top to bottom. Whoever his replacement is, they must be prepared to take over the whole running of the club virtually or employ people who will have the club at heart, good buisness skills and won't fuck around with the club, like we see all too often these days.

Sir Alex's sucessor will have probably the hardest task a manager could ever dream of taking on, I mean how do you replace the greatest ever?

[Iserdo 1]

Of the former players now managing...

Keane, failed at Sunderland and now failing at Ipswich.

Robson, worst manager ever.

Ince, Did well at MK Dons but failed at Blackburn.

Coppell, Did well to get Reading up but couldnt keep them there.

Hughes, Did ok at Blackburn and Wales but wasn't anything special at City.

Bruce, Got Birmingham promoted but went down again, did pretty well at Wigan and now doing well at Sunderland.

Bruce is the best from that lot IMO but still not good enough..

So Im thinking O'Neill or a top European manager..

What about Big Eck?was he not a former player?

[rugal 0]

Probably because Blanc has done a fantastic job at Bordeaux, turned them into a Championship contending/winning side...

And the point about the far east i just don't understand at all, how would Keane make them more unpopular?

In any case, whoever takes the job after SAF is going to have a very tough time.

Blanc hasnt done anything special at bordeaux. Has he really done more than mcleish who is my favoured option.

Bordeuax have always been a top 5 team in France , they have a huge tv company behind them, and before he started they were contending for the championship, they won it loads of times in the 80's, so theyre a big club.

What big eck is doing at bham, although like blanc its early days looks more solid to me when paired with his takinae us to the knockout stages of tae champions league.

I'll explain the "Far East bit" to yer. Me best mate at school has been working for a bank in Hong Kong and Singapore for 2 years now. He tells me the teams most loved are the man u's , the milans,arsenals, liverpools, the barcelonas and madrids. He tells me chelsea and morinho are still disliked due to mourinho's argumentative character and cheating at chelsea. Also your probably not aware but in his early days at Inter he went on a pre season tour to china, specifically designed to increase their marketability in the far east and at a press conference mourinho got into an argument with chinese journalist who asked him a starightforward question, next thing u know mourinho is havnae it out with the whole room of journos and walks out. Morrati was furious, the whole marketing exercise had been pointless.

I went to malaysia in the summer and you see huge billboards of giggs advertising a swiss watch, or ronaldo advertising something , and man u and liverpool and madrid and barcelonas colours everywhere.

Mourinho would be poison in terms of man u's style of football which dates back to the busby babes and is based on free flowing stylish and exciting football. In terms of marketability in the increasingly key far eastern markets, mourinho is seen as a cheat and charmless anti football figure.

Keane similarly is not known for being able to deal well with the press and pressure, he kicked off in korea over training facilities at the world cup held in the far east. He got massively bad publicity and in a society where respect to elders is reverential he is disliked and sponsors hate him too. Like mourinho he would be poision to pr and marketing. Also he has shown himself to have very poor man management and he spent £60 million at sunderrland in 18 months and they were still shite.Shite manager.

Whoever goes wont have that tough a time. They will inherit a great club with everything in place, squad, funds, back up team, etc etc. Similar to when dogsheetleish took over liverpool. It will take someone with keanes ability to fuck up to screw things up.

Hope that gave you the help you needed pwrfc

Thats your opinion i guess, however the season before Blanc took charge they came 6th, and a few seasons before that they were coming 12th, Blanc came in and gave them that extra edge which took them to 2nd and then the championship the following year, and also the champs league knockout stages this year, so not only has he made them a force in France but also in Europe. They may have won it in the 80s but St. Etienne have won it 10 times, and look where they are now, infact in Bordeuax got relegated the 90's due to financial reasons.

The far east point - i cant argue with, i know these places are big on the media friendly types, and it seems logical that Keane (and Mourinho) would not be looked on to favourably.

IMO, the man utd job after SAF leaves will be a handful for anyone because of the pressure they will be under to succeed, no top manager would walk into a job like man utd and do everything the exact way there predecessor did, they would want to mould the team into there own image.. and if they dont succeed straight away then there in hot water.

Fair point mate and you could be right Blanc may be great as man utd manager.

The press down south complain that the EPL is predictable but I dunnae think they appreciate how hard it was for ferguson to repel mourinho's chelsea and create his 4th great utd team. The top 4 may have been predictable but this season u got city, villa and fulham all capable of beating any top 4 team on theyre day.

All that said when a new manager comes in they will as you say not have the luxury of going more than 1 season without the title and not expecting to be sacked