United must get Fergie replacement right
Imagine your parents meeting Fergie on a Saga holiday. It could just happen come the summer of 2010, but first we’ll have to endure a saga ourselves. Even worse, it’s a repeat.
The first time Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement, the question of who would succeed him was answered by the man himself, as Manchester United endured a fruitless 2001-02 – not only trophyless, but falling short of the top two for the first time since 1991, as Arsenal won the title and Liverpool came second.
That season of failure, marked by months of speculation, showed just how destabilising the departure of one of football’s greats could be. If he sticks to his word this time he will leave, finally, as a 68-year-old in 2010. David Gill, United’s chief executive, has now said that the Scot “will be a key part of the process”, despite Fergie himself having said he wouldn’t be involved.
It is absolutely crucial for United’s current owners that they get this move right, because the stakes have been raised since 2002. It is inconceivable that United will slip away as they did after Matt Busby’s desparture, going from European Cup winners in 1968 to relegation in 1974. But the Glazers need United to stay right at the top, to keep bringing in the revenues that will pay off the massive debts their purchase of the club entails.
Sooner or later, we will start to see uncertainty creep in to transfers moves and contract renegotiations. Players will want to know who they are signing on to play for.
Meanwhile, as the bookies try to guess which candidates are favoured by the directors and not just the punters, matches between United and a host of clubs will be regarded almost as auditions for the job.
At derbies, questions will be asked about whether Mark Hughes’s acceptance of the Man City job rules him out of the running. If Aston Villa continue to perform meekly against United, will that count against Martin O’Neill? If European opposition pull off a result against United or a shock against another Premier League team, will that suddenly elevate the victorious coach into the run of candidates, in the way that Jose Mourinho was catapulted to the top of Chelsea’s wish-list starting with Porto’s victory against United?
Managers at other clubs who fancy their chances will have to think carefully about their own moves, contractual and otherwise. Should they tie themselves up with their employers? Should they kick up a fuss about Fergie’s latest absurd comment about a match or tap-up of a player, or play it down for fear of scuppering their chances with a man on the selection panel?
And so on, till one day United announce their man. And your mum and dad get home from a coach tour of the Scottish distilleries or the Bordeaux vineyards and say: “You’ll never guess who we met!”
by Philip Cornwall
