Brian McClair left Manchester United some time ago

Mr. MUJAC

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Brian McClair has announced that he is leaving his current role as head of the Manchester United Academy to take up a similar role with the Scottish FA.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport...-to-become-sfa-performance-198770n.119556750?

There have been a lot of rumours of a shake up at Carrington…wonder if this is part of that?

Regardless, McClair did a great job with our team winning the FA Youth Cup in 2003 and then helping with the development of the Academy and the building of the Carrington infrastructure based on FA guidelines.

I will be fascinated to see who takes over and what they do to improve the competitiveness of the U/21 and U/18 league system. Lot's of players not getting enough games.
 

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Mr. MUJAC said:
Brian McClair has announced that he is leaving his current role as head of the Manchester United Academy to take up a similar role with the Scottish FA.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport...-to-become-sfa-performance-198770n.119556750?

There have been a lot of rumours of a shake up at Carrington…wonder if this is part of that?

Regardless, McClair did a great job with our team winning the FA Youth Cup in 2003 and then helping with the development of the Academy and the building of the Carrington infrastructure based on FA guidelines.

I will be fascinated to see who takes over and what they do to improve the competitiveness of the U/21 and U/18 league system. Lot's of players not getting enough games.
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Good luck Choccy and thanks for all the years of service. One of my favorite players throughout the 90's
 

JakeC

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Paul McGuinness would be my guess as his replacement. Unless Warren Joyce wants the job.
 

holyland red

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What a hero. One of my favourite players. What an instant success he was scoring more than 20 league goals in his first full season (the first to reach that figure since George Best).

Wish him all the best.
 

Sir A1ex

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Has he been in continuous employment with us since 1987?

Edit: No, not quite! Didn't realise he went to Motherwell on a free for half a season and then spent the rest of the season as Kiddo's assistant at Blackburn before returning.

Still, all but one or two years in the last 28 is some service... Good luck Choccy! (He'll need it working with the Scottish national team!)
 
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DuncanEd

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One of my favorite players, the one I pretended to be as a child playing footy. Very sad he is leaving I would like to think it was his own decision and not forced out.
 

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Best of luck to him. Fondly remembered by all of us more decrepit Caftards and Nigel Winterburn.
 

Still ill

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Deeply patronising to a very talented guy, I know but I always felt he was one of us...I could maybe be a Brian McClair while never getting near a Sparky Hughes. I liked him for that.
 

Acole9

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Good luck to him, he will be missed at the end of season awards ceremonies.
 

lysglimt

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it seems all United-news are bad news these days. Choccy is perhaps 5 players during my time as a United-fan I would consider idols. Stapleton and Whiteside the first 2 and Nistelrooy the last (I am getting too old for idols nowadays)
 

ThanksBoss26

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Sparky_Hughes said:
Anyone else remember choccys diary in the utd magazine? :) good luck choccy :(
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I do now. It was a really good read that back in the nineties.

All the best to him. I read last week he was being interviewed for that job. A shame to see him depart, he's been a very good servant to the club.
 

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holyland red said:
What a hero. One of my favourite players. What an instant success he was scoring more than 20 league goals in his first full season (the first to reach that figure since George Best).

Wish him all the best.
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It's interesting that you had to use Wikipedia to give a glowing report on one of your favourite players.
 

redevil2

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Love him! Its very sad to see someone like him go. Is it something to do with being not happy with the Boss? Sorry, this is not a shot at the manager but just not sure why all of a sudden he is departing after all these years to take up a similar role in the Scottish FA, which is not a step up nor a greater challenge.
 

holyland red

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Pexbo said:
It's interesting that you had to use Wikipedia to give a glowing report on one of your favourite players.
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Why would you find interest in what other posters remember or not? Don't you have other issues to keep yourself busy with?
 

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.Rossi said:
His role as director/head of the youth academy...No one has taken over since he left. Apparently
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Unless Van Gaal think his job is to oversee it himself (coaches do the management and training etc).
 

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Another evidence that's there's something wrong with the way the club is run. I've been complaining that we haven't sorted this out in over 6 MONTHS. Complete madness.
 

Pexbo

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...or the structuring within the academy has changed and the club felt there was no need for his position to actually exist. Hence why he decided to move on.
 

.Rossi

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Pexbo

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.Rossi said:
Not really

http://www.espnfc.com/barclays-prem...nchester-united-youth-development-andy-mitten

Also, club sources said back in June that Nicky Butt was the favourite for the job. So the structure didn't change
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That specifically says that the structure needs changing and the job might be too big for one guy. It's also Andy's opinion and while he's well connected, I wouldn't be at all surprised if there has been a reshuffle (of jobs rather than personnel) with no announcement.
 

khoazany

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There has been no latest news that I heard.They wanted to have more than one man for that job with Nicky Butt being the head of coaching (means that he'll manage the coaches, not doing coaching himself).I believe Butt is already some sort of doing that role right now but I'm not sure whether it's official.For the other role they wanted Jonker from Arsenal in the summer (LVG's close friend), I don't know what has happened but he's still at Arsenal at the moment.However Giggs has been told by LVG to take more interest in the academy this season - watching every age group's training session earlier this season, watching more U18/21s games etc..., he has been in the squad photos of every age groups like SAF did when he's still in charge.There has been also some changes in the lower age groups to increase the quality of elite talent development by mirroring how they did with the first team,etc..., changes in personnel such as shifting Tommy Martin from U16s head coach to U21s assistant manager because *you know why* and obviously they have tried to convince the FA along with other clubs to punish the likes of City for aggressive poaching talents from Cat 1 academies,... but the academy director role is still a mystery.

Have been told there will be many transfer businesses across all age groups in January, but again the same thing was said about the U18s last summer and it didn't turn out so well.Even under Choccy we have failed in more than a few youth deals after the success in securing Daehli,Januzaj,Pereira,McNair,... so I won't be too positive.I always feel we need a man like Viera at City to be head of the academy (without Viera's incompetence as a U21s manager).
 
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.Rossi

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Heard some seriously scary things about the youth set up recently.

It's coming up to a year since Choccy left and still not even a sign of anyone replacing him or anything about changing the system, ala City. I get this feeling that eventually, the youth system will be done away with
 
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