How do you solve a problem like Fergie?That's the dilemma facing the Manchester United hierarchy as they face up to the very real prospect of Sir Alex Ferguson finally calling it a day.
Predicting when Fergie will eventually call time on his glittering Old Trafford dynasty has become football's equivalent of pin the tail on the donkey.
Second-guessing Fergie's intentions when it comes to stepping down has become a worthless exercise, with no-one - least of all the man himself - absolutely certain of when D-Day will arrive.
Click here to find out more!
As long as his health allows him, so Fergie has said on many occasions, he has no reason to stand down. And why should he walk away while United remain such a formidable force?
But the day will eventually come when United must take unquestionably the most difficult decision in their illustrious history - how to replace arguably football's greatest-ever manager?
He may be irascible, he may be irksome, but Fergie's record is unparalleled, which is why United chief executive David Gill and the Old Trafford board are dreading the day he finally says he has had enough.
But a contingency plan must be in place for that seismic day, and while Gill claims no plans are in place to find Fergie's successor because there is no immediate suggestion of him stepping down, the subtle process of recruiting a suitable replacement has already begun.
Such is the magnitude of the United job that there are only a handful of candidates with the requisite experience and stature to take over from Fergie and give themselves a fighting chance of maintaining United's remarkable success of the past two decades.
A series of names have been bandied about as United-managers-in-waiting, including Fabio Capello, Guus Hiddink, Martin O'Neill, Louis van Gaal, Laurent Blanc and David Moyes.
But there is only one man with the CV, ego and self-belief to take on the job and - crucially - not be intimidated by the achievements of his peerless predecessor.
Step forward Jose Mourinho.
The populist argument is that Mourinho does not play the cavalier football that is a prerequisite of being United manager, that he would not be true to the swashbuckling tradition of the club's great teams of the past.
What utter rubbish. Would United fans rather play thrilling football but come up short in their pursuit of the major prizes they have grown accustomed to accumulating under Fergie?
Or would they rather have as Fergie's successor a coach with a proven track record in winning wherever he goes, despite not playing the easiest football on the eye?
Of course, they would rather have both, play majestic football AND win silverware, but given a choice between the two it would be trophies every time, regardless of the style of play.
After all, what merit is there in being an Arsenal, gaining plaudits for style but ending every season with nothing to show for it?
Mourinho is the only manager to have consistently got the better of Fergie - something in itself which should mark him down as the overwhelming candidate to take over from the United boss.
He has won titles in Portugal, England and Italy, and may yet become only the third boss to win the Champions League with two different clubs this season if he can take Inter Milan all the way.
He has succeeded where other bosses - notably Fergie in last year's Champions League final and Arsene Wenger in this season's knockout stage - have failed, in dismantling Barcelona's total football with a tactical masterclass in Inter's 3-1 semi-final first-leg win, coming, it should also be noted, from 1-0 down against Lionel Messi and co.
Of the other candidates, Capello, Hiddink and van Gaal - all in or nearing their 60s - would be short-term solutions, while Moyes and Blanc, despite having done impressive jobs at Everton and Bordeaux respectively, have not yet proved themselves at the highest level.
And it is hard to see Wayne Rooney playing under Moyes again, after the pair fell out in spectacular fashion following the United striker's criticism of his former boss in his autobiography, a matter that was later settled out of court with the England striker paying substantial damages.
O'Neill put himself in the frame with his achievements at Celtic and his nurturing of home-grown talent at Aston Villa, taking them to the brink of the top four, but he may also lack the unique strength of character to take on a job the size of United.
So it inevitably comes back to one man - the Special One. Mourinho has made no secret of his disillusionment with life in Italy, from where he will move on this summer, with Real Madrid his likely destination.
Manchester City have the cash to lure Mourinho with the biggest salary in world football, as well as the spending power in the transfer market he enjoyed under Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, but his abrasive style would not sit easily with the club's Abu Dhabi owners.
So should he go to Madrid, as seems increasingly likely, the inherent instability at the Bernabeu means United would not worry unduly at Mourinho being unavailable when Fergie eventually does retire.
That, coupled with Mourinho's publicly-declared desire to return to England one day, with United his first-choice, means the Old Trafford hierarchy know they could get their man, regardless of where he may be employed at the time.
Now for the small matter of determining when the Laird of Old Trafford will finally call it a day. Anyone got a pin for that donkey's tail?
No comments:
Post a Comment