Why it is difficult to emulate Ferguson at Man United

While today’s leading soccer clubs possess all the advantages that money can buy, Manchester United management has been made harder by player power. With players’ enormous wages and greater freedom to change clubs, modern players can wield huge influence in technical management of the team. Sir Alex Ferguson retired two years ago and was replaced by David Moyes who was sacked at the end of last season. Now Dutchman Louis Vaangaal faces an enormous challenge to emulate the success of Ferguson at old Trafford. Ferguson managed to keep players happy even with a large squad where it sometimes becomes inevitable to spend lengthy periods on the substitute bench. Ferguson insisted on high standards and in his early years successfully broke a drinking culture at the club. He was very protective. He stood by Roy Keane and Eric Cantona during off-the-pitch crises and kept a young Ryan Giggs out of the spotlight. He also knew how to convince players to stick together. He was a good master at using the media to his advantage. Ferguson survived upheavals off the pitch, most notably the takeover of the club by the Glazer family. At one stage he talked about retirement, but at 67 he was still enjoying more success than ever. United fans had hoped for Ferguson to stay longer but it was not possible. It was always said that replacing Busby was an impossible job, but who on earth could succeed Ferguson? Circumstances and the manner in which success is achieved clearly have to be taken into account. Busby, for example, assembled one brilliant team in the 1950s only to see it destroyed in the Munich air crash, which nearly claimed his life. He then rebuilt the side to conquer Europe in 1968. Other managers have also had a greater impact in terms of the style of their teams. Mario Zagallo coached arguably the greatest side of all time, Brazil’s 1970 World Cup winners while Dutchman Rinus Michels invented total football, a fluid style based on passing and movement that revolutionised the game in the 1970s. He was then named coach of the 20th century by the world football’s governing body, Fifa. However, while Ferguson may not have reinvented the game, his team always played entertaining football in the best united traditions, based around supremely talented players like Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney. United usually had more British players in their side than their rivals. Ferguson had taken particular pride in the club’s home bred juniors. Beckham, Giggs, Paul Scholes, the Neville brothers, Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher to name just a few, all came up through the Old Trafford ranks. Another important factor to mention is the financial power at the club during Ferguson’s reign. Ferguson won more major trophies for his team than any other contemporary manager. He had never been one to take any kind of criticism lying down, and was never too far from controversy, a fact which apparently endears him even more to the football following masses. Sir Alex’s first league success as United manager came in 1992, when his signing Eric Cantona, forming a formidable partnership with Mark Hughes, was instrumental in getting the club their first league title in 26 years. He won the League and Cup double for United in the 1994-95 season, repeated the feat in 1995-96, even though he had been heavily criticized for relying on youngsters like Beckham, Scholes, Giggs and Neville among others when his rival teams were making big money signings. In 1998-99, the club scaled even greater unprecedented heights under his leadership as they won the treble consisting of the League, the FA Cup and the Champions League. In total he won over 12 Premier Leagues, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues for United in his time as their manager, while having rebuilt the team virtually from scratch many times in the process. All said it is not only his success that endears him to football fans worldwide. It is his charisma, his flair, his seemingly endless hunger and drive for success.