Fergie Hanging It Up… Maybe… Next Year… Possibly?

By: Taylor Rockwell | March 27th, 2009

Who knew that silly season began on March 27? I figured we would have at least a few more months of peace but apparently United’s recent dip in form has led many to speculate that this will be the final year of Lord Ferg’s reign. One of those many is Darren Ferguson, the manager of League One side Peterborough and (oh yeah) son of Sir Alex Ferguson.

In an interview yesterday, the younger Ferguson stated, ‘His health is fine and he’s building a new team. If they win (the Premier League) this year then they catch Liverpool in terms of titles won. I can see him doing this year and next – and then that might be it for him.”

I’m not really going to read a whole lot into these statements, because, frankly, they don’t mean a whole lot. I know it’s his father, but I just don’t put a whole lot of stock in other people’s speculation about what Fergie will do. To be certain, Fergie has never struck me as someone who needed others to speak for him… David Beckham will probably agree.

Not only is he not retiring, Fergie is (ostensibly) planning to take the pitch himself against Villa in an effort to stop United’s recent slide.

So why am I writing about this? Cause I’m already bored and it’s about time for a new poll. So, here we go.

Who Should Be The Next United Manager?
( online surveys)

I know I left off some obvious ones and included some (Ole) that don’t really fit, but that’s just the way it is. Personally, a strange part of me still wants to see Eric Cantona or Roy Keane staring at the referee furiously from the home bench. Your thoughts?

Some Related Man United Posts:

Category: Manchester United

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miele

Bored, Taylor? Here:http://www.kickette.com/index....

nobobomo: Please, more improv, you're a genius!

Next manager? : Trappotoni and / or Lippi, no others.
matt

i kinda hope it's jose. but i don't want to be like chelsea trying to play for 1-0 every game. the reason i love united is because they don't play for draws or 1-0's even though that's how it's worked out alot of the time this year. they always come forward. that's the main sticking point with jose. part of me thinks mon would be like that, he's already pretty ballsy with what little options he has comparatively. he also seems like a great manager of personalities. i just wonder how he would do with completely massive egos. the worst he's had to deal with is gareth barry, who doesn't even seem like a bad guy even to their fans even though he wanted to leave. i wonder what he'd be like with a guy like ronaldo or berba or rooney.
Rob

Also, I lolled at iocane powder.
Rob

Martin o'Neill is the best choice realistically. I'd love to see Cantona or Keane there but I don't think either would end too well. Strachan? bit of an outside choice. You'll probably end up making the same mistake as post Busby and make a Number Two (Quieroz probably) manager.
Taylor

Two things about that little improv, Nobobomo...

1)Does Fergie not know who Jose is because he's blacked out, doesn't rate Jose, or a combo of the two?
2) You forgot the part where Jose puts Iocain powder into Fergie's glass (a very topical Princess Bride reference for you all out there in the interwebs)
nobobomo

Copy/Paste, baby. I already assumed that he started getting hammered on a regular basis to even himself up with regular managers. I imagined him and Jose having a glass after the Inter Milan game(s) being pretty hilarious.

"Oh Alex, I can't believe you picked Park Ji-Sung AGAIN!"
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"
"Is funny joke, I am so great. I love you."
Taylor

Nobobomo, a good point... just look at Sir Bobby... I feel like he sleeps 2 hours a night and spends the other 6 wandering around Old Trafford/Carrington...

As for Fergie, you've forgotten that he'll definitely be spending a fair amount of time sloshed out of his noggin on red wine... so that may play a part in his consulting practices...

Lastly, and perhaps this shows the extent of my intellect, but your name takes me at least 5 minutes to write. It's like the Demetri Martin joke about bananas and how he doesn't know when to stop writing. "Bana... not done yet... bananana... too much... dammit"
nobobomo

I'm pretty sure that whoever they get will work closely with Ferguson anyway. It's not like he's going to retire and fuck off home without a word to the club after almost a quarter century of employment/worship. He'll definitely be hanging around the United facilities doing his thing (baiting opposing managers, handing out horse racing tips, other miscellaneous Godfather type stuff) for a while after he retires.
Taylor

I think the biggest thing for me is that, when Fergie goes, his successor get at least 2-3 years to establish his reign. Right now, we have a manager that no one ever really questions. Sure, he gets some criticism, but not the way Rafa or Arsene do. Fergie is, for all intents and purposes, untouchable.

When he goes, the new manager obviously won't be... and people will more than likely compare him to Fergie at every turn. He must be given time to put his stamp on the club and run it his way. In short, I don't want to be Spurs or Chelsea.... or the Washington Redskins (for you Americans out there)
martin

Fergie's successor is one of the great debates in football. The problem is that things change all the time, who knows what managers will be around when he does eventually leave / die at the helm. For a while I thought Mark Hughes could be a potential candidate but that won't happen now...
If he were to retire this year, I would definitely say Martin O'Neill. What he's done at Villa with the resources he has is incredible. I would also say, definitely NOT Mourinho. I can't forget his time at Chelsea; and although he does have class, he's also a bit of a dick. Not to mention his football is boring. Steve Bruce is another very strong candidate, but is as yet unproven at the highest levels.
Part of me wants to see a former United player in charge, but then not if it goes badly :s