Davey Baby Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 Do you miss the old boy? One thing's for sure, if he were here today, the title would be all sewn up. Arsenal top of the league? It can only mean one thing. Fergie has left the building. Loads of middling clubs now fancy their chances of Europe, which is great in one way but there's no doubt the standard has dramatically slipped this term. Fergie always set the benchmark. We hoped Mourinho would follow suit but it wasn't to be. The rest of them? Pelligrini and all the other also-rans? Not fit to lace his boots. Utd are having a nasty crash back down to earth, which is enjoyable, but I won't find the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool filling their boots enjoyable .. How about you?
Sharpey Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 I will always have a tremendous amount of respect for Fergie, despite not liking him. He was undisputedly one of the best managers in the world. He lucked out with the golden generation of Giggs, Beckham and all, but in my mind his greatest achievement was competing for (and winning in his last season) the title with the terrible squad he had in his last few years. I was happy when he retired, but it isn't quite the same without him, and I do agree that Man Utd would probably have the title in the bag right now with him still in charge.
Uxanga Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 (edited) Do you miss the old boy? One thing's for sure, if he were here today, the title would be all sewn up. Well, not quite by now, but United would definitely win it. He was a master in winning titles when the others were not up for it. Arsenal top of the league? It can only mean one thing. Fergie has left the building. Not necessarily. They always had brilliant season halves. The question remains whether they can prolong this run. Loads of middling clubs now fancy their chances of Europe, which is great in one way but there's no doubt the standard has dramatically slipped this term. Fergie always set the benchmark. We hoped Mourinho would follow suit but it wasn't to be. The rest of them? Pelligrini and all the other also-rans? Not fit to lace his boots. Fergie actually did quite poor in Europe. Given United's domestical dominance and number of PL titles he has won, he definitely did underperform in Europe. Also if you look at their two CL wins, they were absolutely lucky on both occasions. In the CL he got found out a lot of times, the way they played against Barca in those finals was embarassing. Utd are having a nasty crash back down to earth, which is enjoyable, but I won't find the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool filling their boots enjoyable .. I could stomach Arsenal or Liverpool winning trophies much better than United. United were so dominant that everything else is a breath of fresh air. Edited December 30, 2015 by Uxanga
timetowaste Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 I enjoyed having him as a rival, but the downfall of united has been hilarious.
Barry Bridges Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 All one has to do it look at the last team to win the BPL under SAF. Not a team fit to win the title, in my opinion, but they did it by what, 14 points? To me it shows just how much certain managers can elevate a squad of players that are willing to put out the effort needed to carry out the managers tactics. Frightens me to think they may soon have another such manager in the near future.
Spudulike Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 (edited) Sir Alex was a very talented man manager (of his players, opposition players, other managers and referees). He motivated his players, not all of whom were world beaters, to play consistently above themselves and helped to create around Utd an atmosphere of near invincibility as far as the league was concerned. As Barry says above, the Utd team of his last season was, on paper, not one guaranteed to win the league. That they did so clearly is testament to SAF's achievements. I like that Sir Alex put the group before the individual. If you were not on the same page as him, or on an ego trip, you were gone, no matter your status or value. This practice crossed my mind recently when some players were not apparently playing for Jose. SAF's personality dominated the game. He intimidated some referees and I wonder how many points per season that was worth to Utd? I think that Sir Alex left Utd at the right time. They were on the wane in his final season and he left Moyes to deal with the changed situation. In fairness, most managers would have failed the challenge of managing Utd immediately after SAF. The current state of the league is very different to SAF's time. I think it's too early to say for certain what's changed but one consequence of SAF leaving Utd was 'smaller' teams no longer seeming intimidated by the Big Four. Why should any team accept that defeat to any other is inevitable? TV revenue is also levelling the playing field. In 2014/15, most PL teams received at least £70m from TV alone. There is a gap between the TV income of top teams and that of 'average' teams but it's not a big enough gap to create a clear 'league within a league'. Edited December 30, 2015 by Spudulike
luckywerthers Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 fergie retiring has really shown how great he really was, i like most could not stand him but had to respect him. Did fergie ever lose the dressing room? no, because he f**king owned it and every player new that. Quote patrice evra when asked if fergie was the boss, "well put it this way, if he says you have two heads, you have two heads !!" all this talk of mourinho wanting to build a dynasty at chelsea was laughable really, as i think it will be a very long time if ever that another manager does a fergie in the prem.
Zeta Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 Our board will always pick the players over the manager. A Ferguson-like era is impossible with the current people in charge.
Scott Harris Posted December 30, 2015 Posted December 30, 2015 Our board will always pick the players over the manager. A Ferguson-like era is impossible with the current people in charge. I think a Ferguson-like era is impossible anywhere in the game now. It's not just us that can't hold on to a manager, it's every club. Football has changed, i can't see managers staying at one club for that long anymore.
Jezz Posted December 31, 2015 Posted December 31, 2015 I never liked SAF as a direct rival but I immensely respect what he achieved at Manchester United and Aberdeen which shouldn't be forgotten either. He's arguably one of the greatest managers that football has ever seen and while the day was always going to come, it hasn't felt the same since he retired in some respects. I expected Manchester United to struggle after his retirement inevitably with an ageing squad requiring a rebuild and the next coach was always going to struggle to fill the void that he left, but Manchester United's decline has been remarkable to say the least and more severe than I expected. They're too big to completely fall away like Liverpool did in the 1990s but I think we've all learnt how influential Ferguson was with that club and now the club is learning how to stand on its own two feet without him being the manager or almost the complete face of the club. Manchester United has never had to properly deal with constant speculation about managerial changes, dressing room problems and making important board decisions revolving around the manager and that's why they're in the predicament they're in.
undertow Posted December 31, 2015 Posted December 31, 2015 I do miss the old f**ker. Obviously not as the manager of MU but generaly having him around in the PL. I have a huge respect for him and I do actually like him. I like all managers who entertain me with what they say, what they do, how they behave, how they operate basically. And Fergie certainly did that. Plus he was a bloody brilliant manager with I would say revolutionary ideas. He did not manage only his team, he managed the referees, he managed the media, hell he even managed some other PL teams lead by his ex-players :) Disclaimer: I also miss 'Arry.
erskblue Posted December 31, 2015 Posted December 31, 2015 He was some manager both at Aberdeen and Man Utd. Aberdeen have never replaced him. Understandably so.
erskblue Posted December 31, 2015 Posted December 31, 2015 He would not get the time today, that he got in his early years at Man Utd. Football has dramatically changed since then.
g3.7 Posted December 31, 2015 Posted December 31, 2015 (edited) nah f*ck him. genius manager but he can f*ck off. got far more respect for wenger if we're talking managers of rivals over the years. Edited December 31, 2015 by g3.7
PloKoon13 Posted December 31, 2015 Posted December 31, 2015 I do miss the old f**ker. Obviously not as the manager of MU but generaly having him around in the PL. I have a huge respect for him and I do actually like him. I like all managers who entertain me with what they say, what they do, how they behave, how they operate basically. And Fergie certainly did that. Plus he was a bloody brilliant manager with I would say revolutionary ideas. He did not manage only his team, he managed the referees, he managed the media, hell he even managed some other PL teams lead by his ex-players :) Disclaimer: I also miss 'Arry. Was about to agree vehemently until I read the disclaimer
erskblue Posted December 31, 2015 Posted December 31, 2015 I'm old enough to remember him managing St Mirren and seeing his St Mirren team play Rangers in 1977/78.
Davey Baby Posted December 31, 2015 Author Posted December 31, 2015 genius manager but he can f*ck off. got far more respect for wenger if we're talking managers of rivals over the years. Surprised you say that. Can't say I agree. What's your reasoning?
coco Posted January 1, 2016 Posted January 1, 2016 He wouldn't be having it all his own way like he used to. The Prem has now got 20 teams capable of beating each other on the day. If you ask me, the cleverest thing he did was time his retirement to perfection.
bluegraham Posted January 1, 2016 Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) He wouldn't be having it all his own way like he used to. The Prem has now got 20 teams capable of beating each other on the day. If you ask me, the cleverest thing he did was time his retirement to perfection. He didn't leave them in good health, I know the won the league by signing van persie but squad wasn't great Edited January 1, 2016 by bluegraham
undertow Posted January 1, 2016 Posted January 1, 2016 Was about to agree vehemently until I read the disclaimer :) Can't help it, he was fun.
MayosNoun Posted January 1, 2016 Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) I'm old enough to remember him managing St Mirren and seeing his St Mirren team play Rangers in 1977/78.That name should never be mentioned on this forum again. Boke. Does your name relate to Erskine by any chance? Edited January 1, 2016 by MayosNoun
Passed It Posted January 1, 2016 Posted January 1, 2016 Life without Fergie?. I imagine Prince Andrew is pretty happy.
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