(Sports) Football: Fergie’s Legacy at the Polls

   

With Sir Alex Ferguson announcing his intentions to retire when Manchester United’s successful 2012/2013 ends and his successor already named and in place to takeover, there has been much discussion over the legacy of the Scot’s incredible success over so many years and the praise for his service has been wide and unending.

It also appears in a YouGov/ The Sun poll on the legacy of the soon to be ex-United boss that his achievement have not gone unnoticed as Ferguson was voted as the greatest British football manger of all time securing nearly half of the vote beating revered  managerial legends such Bryan Clough, Bill Shankly,  Bobby Robson handily for the honor [1].

 While Man Utd fans would have like for him to go on forever as he has managed to orchestrate success with a squad many United fans and observers see as the weakest he has ever had at his disposal in his nearly three decade stay at Old Trafford, Nearly 80% though his retirement was the right decision[2]. They also thought that Ferguson replacement was the right one as soon to be United boss David Moyes was voted ahead of  Jose Mourinho  by a thirteen point margin when asked “who would you most like to see replace Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United”[3].

Eric Cantona (19%), Cristiano Ronaldo (14%) and Ryan Giggs (12%) were voted as Ferguson’s best signings as all three has played their part in the overarching arc that was Ferguson rule over one of the most successful periods in football history[4]. However, while Ferguson’s ability to spot and develop talent has been one of the cornerstones behind United’s sustained success, it occasionally did betray him with Eric Djemba-Djemba (9%), Michael Owen (8%) and Owen Hargreaves (8%)  topping the list of his worst signings[5].

However, while most Man Utd observers would put players such as Massimo Taibi, Kleberson, Juan Sebastian Veron  (whose stay at Old Trafford still disappoints me to this day)  much higher up the list  as  Ferguson’s  worst pieces of business in the transfer market, it can be argued that all three did not contribute much to the United cause, particularly Owen and Hargreaves.

The country largely agreed with the decision Ferguson made with regards to playing staff particularly his decision to sell David Beckham to Real Madrid as two-thirds of the public thought it he was right to sell Beckham[6]. While the British public thought Ferguson a great role in reducing “peoples respect for referees”, one would point out to this majority that the almost pathological and vociferous disrespect shown towards referees from fellow managers, players and fans has been around longer than Ferguson has and will be around long after him (trust me , disrespect towards referees will not ease because Ferguson decided to call it a day). Managers, justifiably at times,  constantly target  referees for perceived bad decisions, players and fans hurl abuse at referees louder, harder and more consistently on one Saturday afternoon than the 26 years’ worth of touchline  ear-bashings Ferguson dished out to referees.

The public view of United future without Ferguson is less than complimentary to Moyes as 55% of respondents thought that United “will do less well without Alex Ferguson” and a measly 3% think that United “will do better with Alex Ferguson”[7]. This skepticism towards Man United maintaining its dominance of British football is clearly the motivation behind large majority of respondents favoring Ferguson’s future involvement at the club as respondents think that “Ferguson should continue to involve himself in the club’s future, offering his advice and experience to his successor”[8].

While it would be suffocating and ego crushing for Moyes to have Ferguson over his shoulder, watching his every move and questioning his decisions especially after Ferguson ruled and ruled absolutely for most of his stay (mostly because of his continued success), Moyes is not foolish enough to let his ego get in the way of taking advice or using the experience of the most successful manager in the history of the sport. Moyes is not stupid enough to shun Ferguson just as much as a boxer wouldn’t dream of shunning jab and footwork advice from Ali nor a tennis player neglecting tips on backhand returns from Federer.   

In sum, the game will not feel the same without watching Ferguson on the touchline , chewing a pack Wrigley’s and a fourth official head  at the same time, but the show must go on and a new Scotsman will take the helm and hopefully replicate the success that has spoiled United fans rotten. Alex Ferguson will never be forgotten at United and football in general and his legacy is now to be what fellow manager will find easy to envy and  impossible to match.

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[1] YouGov, 2013, YouGov/The Sun Survey Results,  http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/oe20e4v63p/YG-Archive-Pol-Sun-results-090513-Alex-Ferguson.pdf

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

[7] Ibid

[8] Ibid

Manchester United Or Everton - Who Has The Bigger Void To Fill?

The longest tenured and third longest tenured managers both left their respective English Premier League teams this week when Alex Ferguson announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United and fellow Scot David Moyes left Everton to take up Ferguson's mantle.

Ferguson will remain on United's board of directors and hand-picked his successor, but which of these two teams, who have bucked the trend of high manager turnover and enjoyed success as a result will suffer more after losing a figure who has become synonymous with their identity.

Life After Sir Alex For Man Utd

26 years is an awful long time by any person's measure. Alex Ferguson became manager of Man Utd in November 1986. He brought 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League titles to a club that for now has established itself as the most successful in English football history. Ferguson has secured his place in the history books as arguably the greatest football manager ever.

During 26 seasons Ferguson showed himself to be tremendously adaptable both in terms of the style of football his teams played, the systems that they ran and on the financial side of the game. He presided over a team that became the biggest franchise worldwide in professional sports and managed through an era when tremendous amounts of money was piled into the English Premier League. 

The continuity for Ferguson and United has been success. That success will be an extremely hard act to follow. In a world that is now dominated by very highly paid players, Ferguson was able to assert himself because of his own legendary status. Moyes will not have that same benefit. Ferguson only went without a league title for more than two seasons on one occasion. Moyes will have to compete with that in a league with some big spenders led by Chelsea (possibly led by Jose Mourinho) and Manchester City. 

Ferguson's hold on this team and on the city of Manchester is over, at least as a manager and front line figure at Man Utd. Moyes will have more resources than ever before to sign just about any players he want and rotate a fantastically deep squad. However, he will have tremendous expectations to deal with and he will be following a brilliant manager. If Man Utd have hit the gold mine with Moyes, then they might not miss Fergsuon, but there's a good chance that the importance of Ferguson holding this team together might just be felt by United.

Replacing Moyes At Everton

Moyes may or may not be as good of a manager as Ferguson, but that will not make the task of replacing him at Everton any easier. He arrived in Merseyside in 2002. That makes him the third longest tenured manager in the English Premier League only less than Ferguson and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger. That's nearly double the next longest tenured manager, Stoke City's Tony Pulis. No other managers have spent even four years at a Premier League football club.

Moyes has made the most of meagre resources. During Moyes' tenure Everton have finished eight out of 10 seasons eighth place or higher and they are expected to make it nine out of 11 seasons with a strong finish again in 2012-13. 

The now experienced manager transformed a team that regularly competed against relegation and finished in the bottom half into a team that regularly finishes near the battle for UEFA/Europa Cup places. 

It won't be easy for any manager to step in maintain that level of achievement. Moyes has had to chase down talent at bargain prices and he has had to set up a dogged system that allows his team just enough creative freedom to win some games as well.

Roberto Martinez and Michael Laudrup are being linked to the Everton job. Those are some pretty big names. Because of Moyes, Everton feels like a big job, but perhaps both of those managers would be better off steering clear of what would be a tough task to say the least.

Written by Sebastian Egerton-Read - you can follow Seb on twitter @SebEread

Three Thoughts Post Man Utd's Loss To Real Madrid

Tuesday night saw a much anticipated Champions League second leg match-up between Man Utd and Real Madrid end in drama. United were dumped out of the competition after a controversial refereeing decision losing the leg 2-1 and the tie 3-2.

Three days after the drama, the dust has settled, but the effects are still being felt. Here are three thoughts on the story lines that have sprung up in the aftermath of one of the most dramatic results in football this season.

How Does Sir Alex Ferguson Get Away With It?

Ferguson is one of the greats of the game. The 71-year old was appointed as the manager at Old Trafford in November 1986. Since then he has made Manchester United into the most successful football club in the modern both nationally and internationally. During his tenure, Man Utd have won 12 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions League successes.

However, time and time again, Ferguson has shown a disrespect to the media and his duties as a statesman of the game and has been given a free pass. This isn't referring to punishments in terms of fines or FA slaps on the wrist. This is reference to moral condemnation that most characters in professional sports undergo.

Personal differences between him and the BBC meant that Ferguson did not speak on Match of the Day or on any of the BBC's coverage between 2004 and 2011 with no repercussions. This is Ferguson's responsibility as an ambassador and leader of the sport.

Once again on Tuesday night, he ignored that responsibility favoring his own frustration over offering proper media representation for his football club.

Time and time again it seems like both in terms of fan reaction, media support and FA sanctions; Ferguson has been given a free pass. Time and time again over the past 26 years Sir Alex has unleashed a rant upon a referee and been allowed to get away with it. Few people could argue that the red card for Nani on Tuesday was controversial to say the least. However, that doesn't give Ferguson the right to completely disrespect the system and boycott the media because of his frustration. In fact, it is his responsibility to answer questions in some sort of measured way.

Perhaps the answer is that Ferguson has been doing this for a long time, he may not be a Premier League manager for that much longer, he may just keep getting away with it for the rest of his career.

Will Wayne Rooney Leave Man United?

The Premier League title is wrapped up, the FA cup isn't as important in comparison with the Champions League. There's little doubt that the game on Tuesday was the biggest game in Man Utd's season so far and yet Rooney was left out of the line-up in favor of Danny Welbeck and Nani.

Robin Van Persie has scored 19 goals in EPL play and has been an instant star for United. He has captured the hearts and minds of the Old Trafford fan base and with a deep group of attacking players including Welbeck, Nani and Javier Hernandez, there have been questions raised about Rooney's future in Manchester.

There are a couple of sticking points in this case. Rooney is costing Man Utd a lot of money and he is currently unfit and seemingly being outplayed by his fellow strikers. He won't be content not featuring in the team's regular first 11; it seems that a parting of the ways is becoming inevitable. 

The fact is though that selling Rooney won't be easy. The financial climate is changing in European football and Rooney's wage is huge. Ferguson won't be interested in sending Rooney to a rival Premier League club, but it's hard to find a fit financially and in terms of 'a team' that would invest in signing Rooney for a reported £20 million fee and then pay his £250,000 per week wages.

Will Jose Mourinho Win A Third Champions League Title?

Lost in the controversy of Nani's red card and even Rooney's omission from the starting line-up was that Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has positioned yet another team in a very winnable Champions League draw. Mourinho is chasing down a third Champions League title in three different countries as a manager, an achievement that may never be repeated.

The potential quarter-finals for the Champions League looks very winnable. Barcelona are in serious trouble against AC Milan already 2-0 entering the second leg. Meanwhile, the likes of Juventus, PSG and Dortmund possess only a questionable level of threat. There's a definite opportunity for Mourinho's star-studded line-up to add the Champions League title that he was ultimately expected to bring.