The Contenders
Sir Alex’s decision to go public on the identity of his successor, has alerted all potential candidates to the fact that the biggest job in football may become available in 2009.
AbsolutelyUNITED takes a look at the likely contenders…
Carlos Queiroz
The inside candidate and the current favourite to take over from Sir Alex. Who says so? Well, the bookies for a start, who have based their odds on Sir Alex’s own words.
“His teaching and his work is invaluable to the success of this club,” said Sir Alex, making his coach sound like the originator of the Tao of football. “People like Carlos will always be unsung heroes at a football club. They get on with the job without the credit they deserve. He’s one of the reasons why we are playing so well.
“It’s not my role to say who the next manager is going to be but what I would say is Carlos has the qualities to manage any top club. I wouldn’t like to say he should be manager because I don’t want to put the pressure on anybody but all I would say is that he is capable of doing the job. He’s intelligent, he’s experienced and he knows the game inside out.”
Sir Alex may have decided to intervene as much to shore up his coach’s position in on-going contract talks with the Glazer regime as to put down a marker for his right to succeed. Ferguson certainly left little doubt that his legacy would be in safe hands were Queiroz to assume responsibility for the team. The coach’s good relations with United’s star players was more evidence in favour of Queiroz’s appointment.
“Carlos has been tremendous with Ronaldo,” Ferguson added. “It has been a great advantage to have them together. The boy looks on Carlos as something of a father figure.
“When Real got rid of him I was desperately keen to have him back. The great quality that Carlos has got is his fantastic perseverance. He keeps on and on and on with the players. At one time there was some speculation of friction between him and the players; but it was greatly exaggerated.”
An endorsement from Sir Alex could tip the scales in Queiroz’s favour. However, he would need United to win the title this year and to make progress in Europe to make his position unassailable. Otherwise, continuity translated to mean more of the same, would be a tough sell to the fans and the media.
Mark Hughes
Tipped by club captain Gary Neville as a future United boss. Hughes has the Red connections to satisfy the faithful and would be a popular choice. It is debatable whether his current CV qualifies him just yet for a post of United’s importance despite the experience earned in coaching Wales.
Hughes looks to have good man-management skills and has acquitted himself well at Blackburn. Qualifying for Europe last year was a substantial achievement. The club’s failure to push on this term, must have disappointed Hughes as much as Blackburn’s fans. The FA Cup run has created a head of steam and given Hughes a real chance of silverware. Getting past Chelsea or Spurs to reach the final would command respect. Winning the trophy might grant him front-runner status should any vacancy arise among the Premiership’s elite.
Steve Coppell
As astute a manager as currently at work in the Premiership, Coppell would be the automatic choice for manager of the season if Reading travel from the Championship to Europe in one season.
Coppell, already tipped by Tommy Docherty for the United manager’s job, certainly has the nous, the experience and the club connections. He is a seasoned manager and his well-organised team plays attractive football.
These credentials might still not be enough for Coppell to be considered anything more than an outside bet for the United job. If Coppell has great personal warmth and charisma, he hides it well. There is a touch of Dave Sexton about the cerebral, dry-witted Scouser and he lacks the upbeat presentational skills that any future United manager would need.
Roy Keane
A sentimental favourite who has no chance of being the next United manager. However, Keane does have the aura of a top coach, commands respect and is born to succeed. Many great players have flopped when stepping into the dugout but Keane looks to be a cold certainty to buck the trend. If he can maintain his current progress and even deliver silverware to the glory-starved Sunderland fans, Keane could be the man who replaces the man who replaced the man.
Jose Mourinho
The current Chelsea boss would be a sensational appointment. As credentials go for a United manager, Mourinho ticks every box. He has the required charisma and tactical savvy, is thorough, controls the media, builds winning teams that entertain, inspires commitment from his players and dominates the dressing room.
Mourinho is relatively young for a top football boss and yet is tried and tested in two countries, just as Sir Alex was before taking over the United hotseat. Moreover, his record boasts Premiership and European success, bringing two unrivalled gold stars to his CV.
Reports suggest Chelsea’s benefactor Roman Abramovich has grown tired of his celebrated employee and is ready to appoint a more pliant, less vocal replacement. If Mourinho does leave Chelsea next summer, the end date of his next contract might be worth noting by the Glazer family. If he signs elsewhere for two or three years, Mourinho could yet inherit Ferguson’s empire.
Frank Rijkaard
The talented Dutchman is rumoured to be leaving Barcelona at the season’s end after a disappointing European campaign and some flat league performances. Nevertheless, Rijkaard is proven at the highest level and his grasp of English only adds to his attraction and winner’s authority.
A European cup triumph and two Spanish league titles give maximum weight to Rijkaard’s CV, which already includes a spell as national team boss of the Netherlands. If he is ready to move to England in two or three years, Rijkaard would be a very serious rival to Queiroz and Mourinho and perhaps the more imaginative appointment.
Steve McClaren
Another ex-United man who has the club connections and profile to force his way onto any short list. McClaren has ridden his sidekick role in United’s 1999 Treble success like a champion jockey, all the way to coaching England via the management of Middlesbrough.
To his credit, McClaren did win the League Cup but his record on the north east was decidedly patchy. There was little wailing in the streets on Teeside when he heeded England’s call last summer.
McClaren was only appointed as England’s coach because the FA’s head-hunters were let down by Luiz Scolari and could not bring themselves to accept the ‘tainted’ Sam Allardyce, a vastly more experienced candidate. A very real lack of managerial experience might explain why McClaren is making such hardwork of guiding England towards the Euro 2008 championships.
Sir Alex has spoken approvingly of McClaren’s ability but the media-scorching that would befall McClaren should he fail with England, would also extinguish his immediate hopes of taking over at United.
Martin O’Neill
A perennial favourite whenever the United succession is discussed, O’Neill would certainly command support. Sir Alex’s likely retirement in 2009 would make O’Neill among the oldest contenders for the United job. If United are still competitive, the Glazer family may well favour a younger candidate. If Ferguson retires with the team in decline, an old head might seem the wisest choice.
Marcello Lippi
Has everything that a United manager would need, as Sir Alex has already confirmed but could be in the employ of Abramovich by the time any vacancy arises at Old Trafford. AU
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