Next United Manager?

it's frankly pathetic to put such a negative spin on Celtic's CL results under Strachan

in the context of Scottish football Strachan's CL results and performances are better than any other manager has ever overseen

of course it is true that in their group this season - a group notable for some very poor quality football from all four teams - they ended up in the same position as United (Rooney, Scholes, Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand and all) managed in a similarly poor quality group in the 2005/06 season

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

it's frankly pathetic to put such a negative spin on Celtic's CL results under Strachan

in the context of Scottish football Strachan's CL results and performances are better than any other manager has ever overseen

of course it is true that in their group this season - a group notable for some very poor quality football from all four teams - they ended up in the same position as United (Rooney, Scholes, Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand and all) managed in a similarly poor quality group in the 2005/06 season

Good article by Hince

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....p_looking_good

IF YOU want to know the secret behind Manchester United's success, both past and present, just pay a visit to your memory bank and call up the team Alex Ferguson sent out against Derby County on Tuesday night.

There were one or two old heads on display against the Rams, like Grandad Neville and Geriatric Giggs.

But the rest of Fergie's team had only just started shaving.

Ben Foster, Rafael, Jonny Evans, Anderson, Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck and Nani.

Blimey, I've got socks that are older than that bunch.

It's that emphasis on youth - and the success it brings - which makes United unique in the Premier League.

How many players under 21 years of age do you see in the Chelsea or Liverpool sides? None.

But why other top-flight clubs don't follow United's example and put their trust in youth totally baffles me because at Old Trafford that youthful blueprint has been a sure-fire path to success for over half a century.

It was the legendary Sir Matt Busby, of course, who laid the foundations with the fresh-faced young team in the early 50s which developed into the never-to-be-forgotten Busby Babes.

The critics at the time - and there were plenty of them - thought Busby had lost his marbles in adopting that youth policy.

How wrong they were, as those Babes swept everything before them.

There is not a shadow of a doubt that Busby's team would have gone on to dominate English and European soccer for years to come but for the horrors which befell them on an icy runway at Munich airport.

Fling

In the early 90s, Alex Ferguson picked up the baton put down by Busby and decided to give youth its fling again.

Once again, the pundits expressed their disbelief.

On television, Alan Hansen famously said that, at the top level, "you win nothing with kids".

You were right Alan. Nothing apart from 10 Premier Leagues, two Champions Leagues and every other major trophy you care to mention.

And now the wheels of yet another youthful cycle are beginning to spin at the Theatre of Dreams.

I watched those kids demolish a seasoned, hard-working Derby County side on Tuesday night and wondered to myself how Fergie keeps pulling those gifted young rabbits out of his hat.

The obvious person to ask was Wilf McGuinness, the former United manager who himself was one of those magical Busby Babes.

Wilf said: "Fergie has made it clear on a number of occasions that, from the moment he arrived at Old Trafford, he would follow the blueprint laid down by Sir Matt.

"The difference is that Alex has been able to spread his net much further than Sir Matt ever could. Now the club is bringing in young talents from all over the world.

"But, basically, Alex's principles are exactly the same as those of Sir Matt.

"Find the right type of young player, develop his skills, teach him how to behave on and off the pitch, and the future will take care of itself."

What really amazes me about this new batch of Fergie's Fledglings is this - they may be young, but kids like Foster, Rafael and Nani would be guaranteed regular first team football by the vast majority of Premier League clubs.

Under Fergie at Old Trafford, their senior appearances are limited.

And yet not one of those talented youngsters is banging on Fergie's door or bleating to the tabloid press that they want a transfer.

"They all want to stay because they are happy at Old Trafford, it's as simple as that," explains McGuinness.

"Alex looks after them. His door is always open to those young players.

"He listens to their problems and gives them his advice, which they all take onboard.

"He makes them understand the value of patience. Remember the likes of Gibson and Welbeck are only just starting out on their careers.

"Yes, many of the kids coming through at Old Trafford probably would get regular first-team football elsewhere. But they will achieve that in a red shirt if they display patience.

"And why would any of those kids want to leave Old Trafford? Any player who does that is going in one direction only - and it's not up."

Originally Posted by SilverSurfer

Second was a recent comment by Fergie that he'd built up a backroom staff to endure - people like Choccy and Phelan having been around for years. Interesting some mention Guardiola on the basis of the (admittedly excellent) job he's currently doing at Barca. Limited experience but a guy who knew the club perfectly, understood its traditions and clearly is a serious student of the game. But you could argue that with a strong backroom team, we could do the same and promote from within. And if you take a that into account, one candidate, given his progress, could be Ole.

He's clearly a smart guy and his ability to score as a sub was impart due to his excellent analysis of the game as it developed. Fergie's going nowhere for a few years but by then O'Neil might be too old. It could be just the right time for Ole though.

This is an idea I like greatly.

For various reasons, none of usual suspects (Jose, MON, Capello etc) are good enough for Manchester United imo. If Sir Alex does stay on for more then a couple of seasons, this could well be the track we follow. I hope so anyway.

Originally Posted by Gypsum Fantastic

Fantastic

http://www.setanta.com/uk/Articles/F...la/gnid-35103/

This has been the case with any O'neil side which is why he shouldn't be our next manager.
Incidently, our next manager is going to be Zola, and that's true.

Originally Posted by Betty

http://www.setanta.com/uk/Articles/F...la/gnid-35103/

This has been the case with any O'neil side which is why he shouldn't be our next manager.
Incidently, our next manager is going to be Zola, and that's true.

okay maybe we should give it to Tony Mowbray

Originally Posted by The Watcher

This is an idea I like greatly.

For various reasons, none of usual suspects (Jose, MON, Capello etc) are good enough for Manchester United imo. If Sir Alex does stay on for more then a couple of seasons, this could well be the track we follow. I hope so anyway.

Ole could well be a contender I suppose. But the key to this debate is obviously Ferguson's longevity; all the managers currently earning their stripes and serving their apprenticeships should and will be being closely monitored - including that fella at Peterborough, no doubt (whatever the intelligentsia on here may think about them)

But in two, or three, or four years time will any of them still be in the frame, let alone on the short-list? Impossible to say, really. If someone had to step in tomorrow to finish this season, then I'd still want it to be Quieroz.