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Prime Fergie would love that kind of challenge. Also depending on who could be buy but he would be competing for sure.
United 07-09 had an incredible squad featuring some of the best defenders, attackers and midfielders in the world. The midtable teams at the time were quite far from the quality of that squad.It's no coincidence that four of the five highest points totals in PL history have come in the last three seasons. Regardless of people getting the vapours about mediocre Watford and Wolves sides, the league is more financially divided now than ever.
Christ, City basically have two first teams, whereas arguably our best ever team had Kieron Richardson and Alan Smith on the bench most weeks. Give Sir Alex the chance to spend the money we've wasted since he left and I don't see any reason to believe he wouldn't be smashing PL records. We were even on the way to doing so in his last season (first team to win 25 of their first 30 matches, for example) until we won the league early and downed tools.
This.A younger SAF would absolutely relish the challenge and yes not only would he compete but he would eventually overcome them just as he did with all the challenges that came his way throughout his career starting with the challenge of breaking the old firm domination in Scotland. He would thrive on it.
Honestly, I don't think he did. He never saw off Mourinho. It was only Mourinho's typical third season meltdown that got him sacked a couple months in. In the previous two seasons, Mourinho's Chelsea was at a different level.Better coach than SAF maybe. But better manager ? You're having a laugh.
Fergie saw off EVERY rival in his tenure at United and it's highly likely he would have been capable of rivaling with Klopp/Guardiola.
If you're talking about Guardiola himself, I haven't seen much people talk about this but I believe Pep is on something. He acts like he's on cocaine or something in some of those press conferences.Nope.
I truly believe that the thread on Twitter about Pep and his doping habits will come out full force when he has retired and then we see the real reason behind his sides' success.
Yea probably winning the league by 12 or so points was a good way to finish but I think based on the OP he would definitely have been capable of rebuilding another title winning team. To be completely honest I dont know why it even requires a thread, the answer is so glaringly obvious... Would the greatest manager of all time be able to compete with Pep / Klopp?Possibly an unpopular opinion, but I think he got out at the right time.
I think you need history lesson my friend, Mourinho left Chelsea in his fourth season first time round. His 3rd season at Chelsea was still very good, they only lost 3 games and only conceded 24 goals all season. We were better though, we came out of the blocks flying and never looked back, I think Mourinho wasn’t used to chasing. Definitely Fergie got the better of him, despite the difference in money spent.Honestly, I don't think he did. He never saw off Mourinho. It was only Mourinho's typical third season meltdown that got him sacked a couple months in. In the previous two seasons, Mourinho's Chelsea was at a different level.
If you're talking about Guardiola himself, I haven't seen much people talk about this but I believe Pep is on something. He acts like he's on cocaine or something in some of those press conferences.
If you're talking about the players, I'm not sure about this. It just seems like good coaching.
Good post. Mike Phelan alluded to what you're saying in 2013.IMO towards the end of his career was transitioning/had transitioned into a DOF role. It seemed like he wasn't involved in the day to day coaching of the first team squad, but was in charge of transfer activity, contracts and the match day.
I think he would've given up his match day responsibilities too and hired a head coach to run the first team squad for him.
I actually think its tougher now. This season has been a two horse race but we don't have a top four anymore, we have a top 6 and all of them are realistic title contenders at the start of every season, thats unprecedented. If City win the title it will be the first time they'll win it back to back. Last season United were second and this season we're out of the CL. Chelsea are back in it after missing out last season and they were only champions a few seasons back. Its real topsy turvy now.Yet a lesser manager in Klopp could do it this weekend.
Sir Alex won in a tougher time period, it wasn't just City he was competing against. The magic of Sir Alex was that he made it look like a lesser league with how his teams performed.
Pep isn't outclassing top sides without Messi anymore so...
Also a point that's missed is the players he would bring in. There's the belief that Ronaldo promised a return after the RVP season only to do a 180 when Sir Alex retired.
We wouldnt be sat here with Lukaku up top and the vacuum that retirement left wouldn't exist so it would he Klopp and Pep playing catch up with us
Agree. I think we have way too many posters in this thread underestimating what Fergie was capable of in his prime. Arguably the greatest manager of all time.. and key reason for that is his ability to adapt to various era's. It is only old age which made him lose that capacity to a degree but in his prime, he would have eventually thrived in this attacking era by taking ideas off his opponents and adding his own tweaks.His best quality was always his adaptability. He slacked a bit at the end and failed to fully adapt to post-Barcelona football, but he would've done it by now. His team would look a lot like Klopp's, I'd imagine. Pep would still be the favourite to win it every year, but Fergie would've been close to him — granted, in the hypothetical when he was in his best health and still hungry for the success.
Source: https://bit.ly/3033hTsThe setting for their pronouncements was appropriate. Keane and Ferguson sat in the club's academy, the self-styled "proving ground for tomorrow's heroes", a reminder that flesh and blood and the nurturing of footballing excellence must always be the centre of United operations, not the marketing offices, megastores or corporate control centre of an American tycoon.
Source: https://bit.ly/2Jwr5cmIt is the union between dugout and dressing room that makes United so formidable. In reflecting on his greatest season, the Treble epic of 1998-99, Ferguson observed that football was more than tactics and technique; it was a game “played by creatures of flesh and blood and feeling”.
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This is a flimsy argument. A similar thing can be said about Fergie having Ronaldo.Yeah luckily City don't have Messi in their team, also Xaviesta who all were among the best ever.
Yeah can be said and will be wrong.This is a flimsy argument. A similar thing can be said about Fergie having Ronaldo.
Did you only see Fergie win everything for the 3 years Ronaldo was incredible for us? It's a shame you missed the rest mate.This is a flimsy argument. A similar thing can be said about Fergie having Ronaldo.
It's also about work rate. Barca were out run.In the grand scheme of things, Barcelona didn't lack in tactics nor quality. It isn't about football, it's about psychology.
No the decline started when SAF went 5 years without buying a CM, constantly looking for value in an exploding market whilst City brought in Silva, Aguero and Kompany unchallenged. 3 players who a decade later are still greats and better than our options despite everything spent since. If only he could foresee the value in front of him compared to 5+ years down the line.....and the fact he could have planned for our future and saved the managers to come from struggling with our immediate present.I believe Fergie would have used players he had a lot better than van Gaal and Mourinho and got players that fit into his team.
Ole has a complete rebuild on his hands now.
But lets not forget Fergie had a big say in Moyes being appointed too.
So the decline started with that.