02 Nov 2015 11:05:55
I have a question for you all.
Why do we need a manager who knows the club?
Years ago we spoke about Blanc, Hughes and even Bruce who could one day manage us.
Now we talk about Giggs, Neville, potentially even Scholes one day.
Going back to the 80's and when Liverpool appointed ex players they did so because there wasn't an opportunity to cherry pick the best in the business.
Now we have that opportunity and a managers lifecycle is between 2-4 seasons - it's not a time where you can be a Sir Alex or Arsene Wenger.
The bottom line is a manager these days doesn't have plans to settle down and build a dynasty they want io experience life at the top leagues in the world and as such we don't need to appoint someone who knows the club because the bottom line is they won't be around for longer that 7 years anyway.
What are your opinions on having managers that know the club?
02 Nov 2015 11:20:45
I'd like a manager that knows what the club stands for. But like you I don't see the point in limiting ourselves needlessly by it having to be a former player.
Young, intelligent, attack minded. Basically somebody who has new ideas and the confidence to implement them without fearing dropping players or the aura of the club. Mourinho and LVG both suffer from having been the best at one point. Other managers study them to improve, they are stubborn, probably tired and predictable. Therefore we see these types of displays.
SAF was the last of the gung-ho type managers that could get away with just unleashing the talent. That gets picked off now as we saw in his later years. There needs to be a balance.
02 Nov 2015 11:33:14
I hope that the club has learned its lesson from Moyes. Just because you hire a 'long term' option doesn't mean it will turn out that way.
You're right that the top managers want to prove themselves in as many top leagues as possible. My biggest issue with the likes of Giggs and Neville is that they have never even tried to prove themselves as managers. The likes of Bruce and Hughes weren't options because they proved they weren't good enough to manage a club as big as United, but at least they tried. Most of us thought Keane would be a great manager, but again it hasn't worked out that way. Giggs in particular acts like all he needs to do is serve his time as an assistant until he is promoted. This is absolute nonsense. If he had any desire to be a top manager he'd be out there managing a lower league team and prove that he has what it takes.
Out of the managers who 'know' the club, the only one who should even be considered is Blanc, and I'm not convinced he would be a good choice. If the class of 92 want to manage United they should have the balls to go out and prove themselves instead of waiting to be handed the keys to the kingdom.
02 Nov 2015 12:00:11
I know its hard to imagine at the minute because the football has been like watching paint dry, but I think if we survive this one with some sort of passion and pride left, Giggs will be given more of a role next season and the style will improve with more attacking as he makes the transition from bit part to proper assistant and eventually Manager.
As for the go out and earn your stripes comment i agree that experience is important but considering the Nevilles have been getting management experience at high levels and Giggs has been getting experience at United i think their time is soon.
Fans need to start believing it and backing Giggs and in turn, he needs to be given a higher profile and start giving more post match talks and interviews.
Regarding style of football, I can see Giggs believing in youth and wingers again. It's just hard to be patient with the current dross but with the possession stuff drilled into the squad and a 'releasing of the dogs' I am certainly positive about our future.
Feel free to come back to me in three years time and say I was wrong or right as it may be.
Yer man.
02 Nov 2015 12:19:29
Id want a young hungry manager desperate to prove himself. With fresh ideas. A confident media handler. A good tactician who can batter Sunderland at home in the league yet get a result at Barcelona in Europe.
I once read a journos article that the best age to appoint a manager is in the early 40s.
02 Nov 2015 13:25:24
That's bang on Danny.
02 Nov 2015 13:28:50
We don't need a man that knows the club. We need a man who can handle the pressure of being at one of the top 2 clubs in the world.
Pep for me is the only man that fulfills this criteria right now that could be here for a number of years and builds his own dynasty.
Pep has managed Barcelona and Bayern, two of the biggest in the world. He has worked well with the resources he has had and he has built teams that have won things, a lot of things.
His philosophy is clear, ball possession but fast possession that moves the ball up the pitch quickly. He encourages runners, he encourages skillful players to beat a man and to have lots of efforts at goal to break down the defence.
I'd be devastated if Pep was not LVG's successor (hopefully at the end of the year) .
02 Nov 2015 13:33:56
Didn't pep crack under the pressure of the goldfish bowl at Barcelona and has some wobbles st Bayern?
Also if people don't like van gaals selections, playing people out of place and so on then pep may not be the best.
02 Nov 2015 14:29:25
I heavily suggest reading the first chapter (and the barcelona chapter) of Zlatan's book. It shows you the kind of coach Guardiola is and it's somebody I would be against coming to Old Trafford.
02 Nov 2015 14:39:39
There was a discussion on bt sport about dropping down leagues to manage between Rio and Owen Hargreaves, Rio when asked about dropping down the league didn't rule it out if the jobs right, but the point raised by Hargreaves I thought made sense was they don't have any experience in lower leagues and tactics not at the highest level, whereas they have been playing at the top of the league and in Europe so there playing experience would benefit them from managing in a higher league.
This relates maybe to giggs not leaving and earning his stripes elsewhere so to say. I'm not saying this point is correct I just thought I'd raise it.
02 Nov 2015 14:46:21
Moon as always you come u with the goods.
Of course the next manager doesn't have to have a connection with the club, the two greatest managers in our history had no prior connection with our club at the start of their tenure. In fact one had played for our most fiercest rivals during his playing days.
Personally I am of the opinion that it is important to have club men at the club, people who can help maintain to standards and the feeling within the club but for the top man to have come from outside the club as he has to make decisions in the cold light of day without the passion fogging his view.
If Giggs was given the job when LvG got the job would he have shipped out as many players as LvG did? Or would the fact he knows them personally have clouded his judgement.
The problem when you've been at one club all or even most of your life is you have a very narrow view point. That can hold you back in the cut throat world of management. Giggs only played club football under two managers, and has only known three managers of Manchester United.
We should aim for the best manager for the job, we should have a list of criteria and then go out and scout and look for who would be best. Be that someone who has previously been at the club or not.
For me the things we need from a Manchester United manager is a media savvy, progressive thinker. Someone who can handle pressure and has previous managerial experience. They need to try and play positive football and be able to mix new and old ideas into a cohesive and entertaining style which is also competitive and will bring us success. I wouldn't consider anyone under 42 or over 58 as I feel they would either lack experience or be too close to retirement.
02 Nov 2015 14:55:40
I don't think Pep is the answer. He seems far to concerned with proving he is a tactical genius and the game was won by his brilliant mind than by setting up his players and tactics and then allowing the players to win the game. All those who don't like the rigidity of LvG's tactics will be infuriated by Pep and his constant tinkering and playing of players out of positions.
I don't think he would be a good fit in the Premier league. I think he would find himself at home in Serie A.
02 Nov 2015 15:03:17
Raised by two players who have not tried to manage in any league lower or otherwise. The key to being a manager is adapting to new situations and working with what you have at your disposal. These are the skills you can only learn by being a manager with full responsibility. Let's be honest, Giggs doesn't want to leave United because he doesn't feel like he has anything to prove.
02 Nov 2015 15:58:33
How many managers have managed lower league sides then gone on to win the Champions League recently i.e past 10 years.
02 Nov 2015 16:08:13
I highly doubt that Zlatan accurately portrays much at all in his book.
02 Nov 2015 18:41:02
I love how quick people are to rubbish the opinion of a professional with first hand experience of a manager, yet think their opinion based on nothing but watching a few games via the tv holds more weight.
I'm not saying what Zlatan has written is 100% accurate, but it is the opinion of a player who has been managed by Pep. You might also want to hear what Messi thinks of Pep as he isn't a huge fan of him either.
Like all great characters some will love them amd some will hate them.
Pep has been successful, but then so was LvG at Barcelona and Bayern yet no one on here rates him that highly. The difference is Pep jumps ship before his house of cards falls down around him.
02 Nov 2015 18:49:58
In the last 10 years: Fergie, Ancelotti, Jose, BenÃtez, Di Matteo, and both Pep and Enrique have managed Barcelona B.
So yeah, obviously starting at lower league teams and working your way up is a massive disadvantage for the best managers.
02 Nov 2015 18:55:23
Personally, I don't give a toss if the manager has grown up red or not. Everyone knows who and what united are about. They can also chat to SAF, Bobby Charlton etc if they need extra info. All I care about is getting the right man, who has the experience and can handle such a job, while playing attacking football.