RIP Frank O’Farrell
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
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Crikey, no love for Frank?
RIP
I said something on facebook. Sad to hear, but he was a good age. Not sure he got the chance he should have.
RIP
Wasn’t aware until just saw on front page.
Bought Buchan, so thanks for that.
RIP
Bought Buchan, so thanks for that.
RIP
Before my time but he sounded like a decent man who was handed a near impossible job. Also our first foreign manager as I was forcibly reminded on here when I had suggested that was LVG. RIP.
RIP
I was wondering why there wasn't a mention.
RiP
RiP
RIP Frank, sounds like a good man.
Met him one time. I was at my friend’s wedding in the ‘80s. Because my friend is Roman Catholic, the service went on for ever. After a while the priest said that you should give a show of peace to your neighbour, a handshake sufficing. I turned to the person next to me and it was Frank O’Farrell. I had been sitting next to him for over 30 minutes and hadn’t realised. I also didn’t know that he was my friend’s uncle.
RIP Frank. Before my time but I do remember hearing his name when growing up. While it didn't work out I'm proud that that the first 'foreign' manager to manage United was a fellow Irish man.
Cork has a decent connection with the club.
Cork has a decent connection with the club.
RIP Frank. There was a good RTE documentary on his short lived United reign a few years back.
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RIP <3
RIP, not a bad age.
My old man used to deliver coal to his sister back in the day.
My old man used to deliver coal to his sister back in the day.
Just seen this.
Bit before my time but still deserves respect.
RIP
(94. Wow!)
Bit before my time but still deserves respect.
RIP
(94. Wow!)
The bump pulled this into view. Hadn’t seen the news elsewhere.
RIP Frank.
RIP Frank.
Rest in peace
94 is fantastic. Thanks for managing us.
94 is fantastic. Thanks for managing us.
RIP Frank
I remember him. Generally regarded as a gentleman and smart manager who had to face some big egos here (sound familiar?). Have not looked at that documentary linked above yet but thanks for that Frank Grimes, I'll give it a view later. I used to have an Irish teacher who always made a face when I told him I supported United and would retort 'That club sacked an Irishman'. Am laughing thinking about that now. Seems a lifetime ago...and it was. RIP Frank.
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Saw this other day and wondered why there was no thread on it.
Sad to lose another part of our history no matter what.
Sad to lose another part of our history no matter what.
What happened then is happening again, with Ferguson sticking his opinion in, example the Ronaldo transfer. Paddy Crerand also comes out of the documentary as a right clown with his Busby had no input rubbish. Crerand thought it was ok for Busby to take the managers office. The problem with the Busby era and now the Ferguson era is Utd haven't had the leadership at the top to make sure the club moves on and has allowed these ex-mangers to have too much influence,
O'Farell was from the Republic of Ireland but that hardly makes him "foreign"
Very similar to Moyes; a decent enough sort of guy but out of his depth.
Wish we had Buchan as our Captain instead of Captain Calamity
RIP Frank
Yip. A Rolls Royce of a defender.
Wish we had Daly, Jordan and a few others too. At least City wouldn't be doing "Oles"... it's hard to do them when Jordan has taken your legs away
Doesnt seem to be much love for any Irish lads associated with the club anymore Geebs.
My oul fella thought he was going to continue on Busbys work and was sorely disappointed when it didnt work out.
Plenty from me. There was a time when our Dublin supporters club was the biggest outside England. I remember his time as manager very well. In his first season, we shot to the top of the league and we had Best, Law, and Charlton firing on all cylinders, but all he could do was paper over the cracks. He got some support from above and was able to buy Martin Buchan, Ian Storey-Moore, and Ted MacDougall but the infrastructure was already rotten and crumbling and there was nothing he could do to fix it.
He was shabbily treated. I was at Selhurst Park for his last game in charge when United gave up and let Palace hammer us 5-0. The fight wasn't there. Anyway, Matt Busby and Louis Edwards were in the stands and a certain Tommy Docherty - who was supposedly there to scout Scotland players - was sat behind them. The cameras picked this up and Jimmy Hill made some pretty causitic comments on that night's MOTD.
Anyway, it's all water under the bridge now. RIP Frank.
Strange how a name from the past brings back so many great memories. More nostalgic than anything else.
Day when football was the peoples game. RIP Frank!
Day when football was the peoples game. RIP Frank!
I remember this match only too well, it was the only time I have ever left a United match before the final whistle; I simply couldnt watch my hero, then and now, Denis Law, as the team crumbled to utter humiliation. Denis was the sub but came on after about 20 minutes or so for Tony Dunne, but The King was helpless to prevent a rout and I was desolated to have to admit that he was no longer the fabulous King of old I worshipped, and still do!
We managed to stick it out until the death but it was bloody awful. Don Rogers ran rings around us. He was a United player if ever there was but we never made a move for him. I was still at school at that time and mood on Monday was miserable. I think O'Farrell was sacked on the Tuesday, but I might be wrong and I'm not looking it up. I know the Doc's first game was against Leeds on the Saturday was a real humdinger. It was hard to believe this was the same team that rolled over at Palace. If memory serves, Denis started that one with Brian Kidd on the bench. Five days later, Bowie played the Hardrock in Stretford so all-in-all, it was a Christmas to remember.
I didnt get to the Leeds game, I was only just 15 as the mates I used to go to games with had other things to do, (they were all aged 18 and over, some were married) and my parents were not happy with me travelling "up north" on my own lol! Don Rogers was a good player, far better than Ted MacDougal who cost us £200.000 from Bournemouth!
Worth remembering that between Willie Morgan in summer 1968 and Martin Buchan in around February 1972, United bought ONE first team player: Ian Ure, who was (a) bought over the head of first team coach Wilf McGuinness and (b) seriously crap.
And people say recent managers haven’t been backed…
We did play some great football in O’Farrell’s first few months though, despite having gangly striker Alan Gowling in central midfield and the hopeless Steve James at centre half.
At least The Doc was able to lay the law down when he took the job on, and insist that Sir Matt was no longer involved in footballing matters and he could buy and sell who he wanted.
For some reason, when reading up on my United history, I never actually came across Frank O’Farrell. It’s extremely strange. I know all about McGuinness, Docherty, Sexton, Atkinson and obviously Busby, but I must have completely skipped over O’Farrell. I suppose it’s because after a quick Google, he only managed us for one season.
Nevertheless, it looks like he had a solid managerial career and was a good footballer, playing 194 games for West Ham and earning 9 caps for Ireland. 94 is also a good age to have lived to. RIP Frank.
Nevertheless, it looks like he had a solid managerial career and was a good footballer, playing 194 games for West Ham and earning 9 caps for Ireland. 94 is also a good age to have lived to. RIP Frank.
wtf why was that allowed to happen?
RIP
wee bit of history foreshadowing here
On 1 July 1971, he took over at Manchester United, having been confirmed in the role on 8 June 1971.[32][33] He replaced Matt Busby, who had selected him for the role, signing a five-year contract worth £15,000 a year.[34] Musgrove was again his assistant.[31] His arrival came just three years after United had won the European Cup, but the side had posted eighth-place finishes in the First Division in the previous two seasons before O'Farrell's arrival.
On 1 July 1971, he took over at Manchester United, having been confirmed in the role on 8 June 1971.[32][33] He replaced Matt Busby, who had selected him for the role, signing a five-year contract worth £15,000 a year.[34] Musgrove was again his assistant.[31] His arrival came just three years after United had won the European Cup, but the side had posted eighth-place finishes in the First Division in the previous two seasons before O'Farrell's arrival.
And he had to threaten court action to get his contract settled after being fired? We think the Glazers are shysters but really, what were the club thinking at the time. That documentary on him paints the club in a poor light.
Honestly I have no idea. The Edwards family had been happy to put their hands in their pockets and back Sir Matt in the 50s and 60s, and did so again for The Doc and his successors. O’Farrell also, though by then it was too little too late and the midfield was still being ignored (does that sound familiar?).
The weird time was immediately after Sir Matt’s initial stepping down. Wilf McGuinness simply wasn’t backed in the market at all, despite it being obvious that the team needed new blood, particularly in defence and midfield. The “unholy trinity” of Crerand, Foulkes and Stiles were all on their last legs thanks to age or injury and not one of them was adequately replaced. Sir Matt remained in place as General Manager and was supposedly in charge of transfers; the only player he bought was the famously awful Ian Ure to replace the great Bill Foulkes. McGuinness had apparently wanted Colin Todd from Sunderland, who would have largely fixed the defence for the next decade.
A weird fact that only emerged later was that in lieu of a pension and also (allegedly) to buy his loyalty, the Edwards family had given Sir Matt the club shop. Fan feeling at the time was that because that put him in their debt, he did all he could to save them money. They were spending a lot on Old Trafford at the time so probably hoped they could get away with not investing in the team and used Sir Matt as a shield from criticism.
I was only a young teenager at the time, and picked up most of what was going on from listening to older fans bemoaning the state of things. @Moriarty is a good deal more knowledgeable than me about that era.
PS I’m off to Belfast with my daughter next weekend to have a look round Queen’s