How Sir Alex Ferguson Would Change Manchester United Right Now
Manchester United have not scored a league goal from open play since their first game of the season, a promising 4-1 win away against Swansea City.
Since that Aug. 17 match, David Moyes' team have suffered crushing defeats to Liverpool, Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion, with his strongest line-up still seemingly unknown and the team's football often lacking substance. United stand 12th in the Premier League table with seven points from six matches.
Following on from Sir Alex Ferguson was never going to be easy and while the likelihood of the great manager himself returning to aid his successor is extremely low, it's intriguing to consider what a potential return would mean for the club.
Speaking following the final whistle of his last home game in charge last season, Ferguson spoke of what he was leaving behind in the Mirror:
"My retirement doesn’t mean the end of my time at the club. I’ll now be able to enjoy watching them, rather than suffering with them. But, if you think about it, the last-minute goals, the comebacks, even the defeats, are all part of this great football club of ours. It’s been an unbelievable experience for all of us, so thank-you for that.
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Watching the team and suffering with them has often been one and the same of late. Having reacted to a shortfall in midfield almost two years ago by summoning Paul Scholes back into action from his retirement, a similar reappearance on the touchline would be fitting for another grand servant of the club.
Ferguson famously stated that "no man is bigger than the club" in an ESPNFC story. Yet as United stutter and stumble without his guidance, it would appear that after holding the reigns for 27 years, he may have at least grown to become a figure of similar stature at least to the institution he managed.
Perhaps it's fair to say the club has merely lost its balance after having the crutch, support and lean-to it has depended on for so long, and so much success, snatched away from it?
With that in mind, here a few ways in which Ferguson would change United's fortunes right now. Click the button below or use the arrows to get started.
Rally the Fans
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At the end of his final home game in charge of United—a 2-1 win over Michael Laudrup's Swansea City—Ferguson took to the microphone, pleading that the club's fans be patient with the man who would soon inherit his throne (via the Mirror):
"When I had bad times here, the club stood by me. All my staff stood by me, the players stood by me, you stood by me, and your job now is to stand by our new manager. That’s important.
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If Sir Alex were to reverse his decision to retire, he would likely begin his return with another message to the club's perturbed supporters.
He wouldn't be angry or disappointed with their recent reactions, at least not publicly. Just as how he always backed his players in the press, Ferguson would seek to show he understands the concerns emanating from the stands while sympathising with Moyes' difficult start.
After all, re-energising and enthusing Old Trafford would be a vital first step for restoring a positive atmosphere at home games to boost the team's morale.
Ferguson would also make it clear that his reappearance in the dugout would be a temporary measure to oversee a transition of power that he had underestimated.
He could likely go as far to blame himself for the present difficulties, having failed to consider the additional knock-on effect of David Gill's departure and explaining away his direct involvement in managing the team as an attempt to fix his error.
Whether this would placate Moyes into staying on as co-manager for a short time is another matter. Feeling understandably undermined however, the former Everton manager may decide he would be unable to continue at the club.
Make Do and Mend
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Last year's Premier League winners ran out of steam in the second half of the season after a bright start before Christmas.
Ferguson dragged them on and over the line, however, preventing a repeat of the collapse that allowed Roberto Mancini's Manchester City to come back to win the title in dramatic fashion back in 2011-2012.
Placed in control of the current stuttering United team, it's likely that the returning manager wouldn't just steady the ship but force some sort of form out of the squad, be it in the shape of grinding pragmatism or buoyed-up, free-scoring defiance.
That's not to say that Moyes is unable to create a functioning football team, but the new boss has so far seemed unsure of his selections and tactics, which has begun to show in United's inconsistency and vagueness.
With no need for his successor's tinkering experimentation, a reinstalled Sir Alex would seek to take the team back to basics to foster some continuity and confidence in order to build up some momentum through improved results.
Squad Rotation
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Moyes' response to United unforgiving early run of fixtures was to play what he considered to be his strongest, most experienced line-up throughout the team's opening run of games.
With minimal changes between matches, the new manager's strategy didn't quite go to plan.
In the cases of players such as Jonny Evans and Shinji Kagawa, who have been brought into the squad due to the fitness and form of others, their lack of game time prior to being required led them to look off the pace and unfit for purpose.
Under Sir Alex, United enacted a rigorous squad rotation policy, not only ensuring that key players were kept fresh and rested but that their back-ups were match sharp and ready to step in when required.
If Ferguson were to take charge once more, United's line-up would no longer be as constant as it has been under Moyes, with more games for the likes of Anderson, Evans, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck.
Less Januzaj, More Zaha
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Paul Pogba's defection to Juventus last year appears to have spooked Moyes into handing Adnan Januzaj more first-team action than he perhaps deserves.
Meanwhile, Wilfried Zaha has been left to play his football in the reserves, having arrived at Old Trafford after the retirement of the man who signed him.
It's not currently clear whether Zaha's lack of appearances is a case of bad timing or an unconvinced new boss. Judging by the amount of appearances the exciting young winger made during United's preseason tour, fans will hope it's the former and merely some circumstantial coincidences that have held him back.
Ferguson loved to blood new talents and was always passionate about playing skillful and unpredictable wide players in his teams. For these reasons—and the need to rotate his wingers—Zaha would likely begin to feature more down the right in less pivotal games.
United's other promising youngsters such as twins Michael and Will Keane, both of whom Sir Alex rates very highly, could also be brought into the senior squad to lift the spirits of the fans and increase his side's hunger.
That could mean less first-team exposure for Januzaj, with Ferguson reluctant to bend to the demands and impatience of his prospects.
While he wouldn't wish to lose another starlet like Pogba, the returning boss has always been a man of principle, especially when it comes to youth development, and he would perhaps instead offer chances to those he thought had earned them through more than just their ability.
Freeing Shinji
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It may seem strange to suggest that Ferguson returning would help Kagawa's situation, but last season the former boss told the Independent that the Japanese international needed a year in England to get going:
"The difference between German and English football is that in Germany you can’t foul. You are not allowed to touch anyone in Germany, so he has come from that environment to the Premier League, which is totally different. There is a physicality to our game which is different from Germany, but next year he’ll be better.
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Later, in April, he told Sky Sports News:
"He’s doing very well for us now. He has fantastic composure on the ball and his decision-making is good. He seems to always pick the more sensible pass and for the first goal at West Ham he had the composure to take the player on in a tight area and roll the ball to Antonio Valencia for a tap-in.
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It seemed that Ferguson was not only a keen admirer of Kagawa's abilities but that he also harboured big expectations for the man he moved so swiftly to secure from Borussia Dortmund for £12 million in 2012.
The player has now claimed that he is fighting for his future at the club having been subbed off at half-time by Moyes against West Bromwich Albion.
Speaking again to the press about his new goal-scoring attacking midfielder in early March, he said in the Belfast Telegraph:
"He missed that period of football in October and November that set him back a bit. He is gradually getting his form back but next year he will be far better, you will see a really good player then.
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Actions speak louder than words of course, but if it was Sir Alex's plan to ease Kagawa into English football, United fans would possibly see far more of their marginalised playmaker if Ferguson were to comeback.
The Return of Rene?
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Losing Rene Meulensteen from United's back room staff wasn't part of the plan.
Unimpressed by the less senior role Moyes had envisioned for the well-respected Dutch coach, Meulensteen left Old Trafford for Anzhi Makhachkala, where he briefly acted as manager before the club's owner pulled out of the project.
Now once again unattached, Ferguson could well consider bringing his Dutch assistant back into the fold to be one of his key tasks if he were to move to assist Moyes.
Robin van Persie was a huge admirer of Meulensteen's Coerver training methods that did so much to raise the technical levels within the United squad over the past few season.
Allying the Dutchman's sophisticated techniques and popularity within the squad with Moyes and his longtime assistant Steve Round's more intensive approach on the training field could be a masterstroke.
On-the-Job Training for His Successor
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Should Moyes accept the return of Ferguson to front-line duty alongside him, the younger manager would do well to treat the experience as a chance to learn, first hand how to wield a club of such scale.
One of Ferguson's greatest strengths was his ability to delegate and trust others.
Watching the old master at work, his successor would be able to serve an apprenticeship of sorts until the end of the season.
After all, Moyes' problems so far have likely come from the culture shock of United's size and magnitude rather than a lack of managerial nous or talent.
Having Sir Alex on hand to advise and instruct would be invaluable for the younger manager to better understand the task at hand and how to succeed at it.
What If Sir Alex Had Never Left?
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While it's interesting to consider how Ferguson would affect the direction of the team should he return, it's worth pondering what path the club may have taken had he stayed in the job.
Over the next four slides we'll consider the major events and factors that would be altered had Sir Alex delayed his well-earned retirement for the good of the club once again.
The Transfer Fiascos of the Summer Would Never Have Happened
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Ed Woodward may still have been in charge in the summer, but unlike new starter Moyes, Sir Alex would have felt far more comfortable calling the shots and making life uncomfortable for his chief executive in order to get deals done.
Kevin Strootman and Ezequiel Garay were two names heavily linked to United even before the end of last season, and it could well have been that both had been lined up by Ferguson only to be dismissed by Moyes.
Had he remained in charge, United could have added the Dutch box-to-box midfielder to their ranks rather than Fellaini and another experienced ball-playing defender to ease the availability issues of the ageing Vidic and Ferdinand.
United still wouldn't have landed Thiago or Cesc Fabregas, but with Ander Herrera thought to be a long-term target for the club, it's implausible to think that Ferguson would let such a complicated deal drag on until deadline day.
Though Gill, his trusted transfer finalising partner, may have moved on, the venerable manager would have been more than capable of forcing decisions through and making things happen.
In comparison to the Old Trafford stalwart, Moyes was the new guy on his first day in a new office. We've all been there. It's hardly a position of strength and authority, engendering caution rather than boldness when dealing with colleagues who you assume know more about their workplace than a fresh starter.
Wayne Rooney Sold
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Was Ferguson's big idea with Kagawa to prepare him to replace Rooney?
In one of his final acts, the retiring manager fired a parting shot at a player he'd often appeared to treat almost like a son, with special allowances for his poor attitude and behaviour.
Having missed out on managing and helping Paul Gascoigne earlier in his managerial career, it could be that Ferguson saw Rooney as his final man-management project. If so, by the end of last season the manager looked to have given up on his overweight and moody problem child.
With the Englishman apparently interested in a fresh challenge, a move away from Old Trafford could have been on the cards.
Returning back to reality and the present, Rooney is currently one of Moyes' most valuable players. Regardless of his disloyalty when it comes to seeking improved conditions, the striker-cum-midfielder is an excellent player when fit and in form, and Ferguson's barbs ultimately fuelled him to improve his condition to the point where he is now carrying an out-of-sorts United team.
Perhaps that was Ferguson's plan all along, although it may not have worked so well without good cop Moyes coming in to take advantage of bad cop Sir Alex's ploy to criticise the player directly in the press.
No Mourinho at Chelsea?
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If Jose Mourinho really did want the Old Trafford job after Ferguson, a decision to further hold off his retirement may have seen the Portuguese freeze his own plans of a return to England.
The Special One and Chelsea's fans may protest that his current posting in West London was always the plan, but with so many rumours and stories surrounding his departure from Real Madrid and rehiring by Abramovich, it's difficult to know who to believe.
Yet should Mourinho have been hanging on in Spain to succeed Ferguson, with his position in Madrid untenable by the end of last season, the two-time Champions League winner could have taken a sabbatical, like his great rival Pep Guardiola.
Alternatively, he may have considered a switch to Paris Saint-Germain in the short term to rack up a few more trophies and prove his ability to work at a club undergoing a unique transformation.
Mourinho may still not have gotten the job he is thought to have wanted most in following Ferguson had United's great manager stayed on, but by remaining at Old Trafford, Sir Alex may have altered the shape of this year's title race.
Delaying the Inevitable
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Having watched his team lose out to City in the dying moments of the 2011-2012 season, Ferguson promised to avenge the club's disappointment during United's end-of-season awards dinner, telling attendees and MUTV.com: "I'm a dinosaur, I'm an absolute dinosaur but what I am, I'm a winner."
Although Moyes' lopsided 4-4-1-1 formation has frustrated fans so far, his tactical plan could yet prove to be a valuable update to United's standard set-up in the future.
Until it clicks, however, supporters will crave Ferguson's tried and tested methods, but was he holding United back in some departments while maintaining his team's competitiveness beyond the level they should have reasonably been operating at?
He played Kagawa on the left wing proper rather than tucked in as his successor has tried to, relied to heavily on Carrick in the middle, had no back-up for Evra at left-back and seemed reluctant to consider purchasing the players the squad needed most.
At the age of 71, Sir Alex's retirement would have been close even if he had remained manager. Perhaps by leaving while he still had his health, the greatest manager of United's modern era can help run the club as a director rather than continuing on in the dugout until he was forced to leave football completely.
While his players, staff and fans would have enjoyed the privilege of another year of Ferguson in charge at Old Trafford, his presence would only be to delay the inevitable. At least now he is around and on hand should Moyes need him.
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