What if Fergie was still managing us now?
- Thread starter Pogue Mahone
- Start date
He still wouldn't have bought a central midfielder.
Scholes would have come out of retirement a third time.
All definitely possible.
Yet United would have been in the title race and made players like Jones and Smalling look like clones of Nesta.
---------------De Gea----------------
Rafael---Smalling---Jones---Shaw
Valencia---Thiago---Carrick---Young
-------Welbeck----Ronaldo-------
Not entirely serious with the above as who knows who Fergie may or may not have recruited beyond that initial first summer
Rafael---Smalling---Jones---Shaw
Valencia---Thiago---Carrick---Young
-------Welbeck----Ronaldo-------
Not entirely serious with the above as who knows who Fergie may or may not have recruited beyond that initial first summer
Kane would 100% be playing for us right now.
We'd definitely have Sanchez, too - he couldn't say no to him the same way he just HAD TO get Van Persie.
Yes and no. We had some awful defensive performances involving those two towards the end of Fergie’s career. He might have binned at least one of them by now but let’s not forget how long he held onto Anderson.
It’s a weird one actually. There were clear signs his latest overhaul was gonna fail before he retired. I reckon we would have had a shitty season or two (with loads of “Fergie’s past it” chat) but be on the verge of getting back on our perch by now. If not back on it already.
Think Martial would be even more incredible.
We have done an decent job recruiting players, since JM arrived anyway, but imagine what SAF could achieve with these super-budgets.
Also another key element with be the stability. The staff behind SAF would not have changed, the way we played ect, ect.
I think Fergie was clever enough to know the team needed a major revamp when he retired. If he had any kind of decline he would find a solution. If he was still in charge he would have got the adequate replacements, they may not have been star signings. Some would be mind, albeit others not. However when SAF got their hands on them, the majority would look like star players.
We have done an decent job recruiting players, since JM arrived anyway, but imagine what SAF could achieve with these super-budgets.
Also another key element with be the stability. The staff behind SAF would not have changed, the way we played ect, ect.
I think Fergie was clever enough to know the team needed a major revamp when he retired. If he had any kind of decline he would find a solution. If he was still in charge he would have got the adequate replacements, they may not have been star signings. Some would be mind, albeit others not. However when SAF got their hands on them, the majority would look like star players.
We wouldn’t have Martial but would definitely have four out and out strikers in our squad.
SAF's transfer policy was diabolical (DDG aside) in his last 5-6 years and he completely failed to embrace the changing market and lack of "value" in the modern game anymore. He left Moyes with an arguably not so great squad.
But it was SAF, the quality of the PL has been so poor since he left that he'd have probably won the league another 3 times with an even shitter squad than the one he handed over to Moyes.
But it was SAF, the quality of the PL has been so poor since he left that he'd have probably won the league another 3 times with an even shitter squad than the one he handed over to Moyes.
Once players had proved their value to him, Sir Alex tended to keep them unless they forced a transfer or it got to the stage where they weren't getting much playing time. So Rafael, Welbeck, Evans, Hernandez, perhaps Cleverley, would have stood a decent chance of still being at Old Trafford. Fabio never owned a position in the team so less likely he would be here. Kagawa would have been give more of an opportunity though whether he was actually good enough to take it is debatable.
In terms of incoming transfers, it is hard to imagine Sir Alex recruiting quite so many relatively static players as we have done since he left. Unlikely that Mata, Fellaini, Blind, Zlatan, Schweinsteiger would have joined. He and David Gill were reluctant to buy players aged 28 or over.
At least a couple of youth team players would have come through the system. Possibly Lingard and Rashford. Alternatively, Januzaj, Pereira.
There would have been a few big money signings though not the churn that happened under LVG.
In terms of incoming transfers, it is hard to imagine Sir Alex recruiting quite so many relatively static players as we have done since he left. Unlikely that Mata, Fellaini, Blind, Zlatan, Schweinsteiger would have joined. He and David Gill were reluctant to buy players aged 28 or over.
At least a couple of youth team players would have come through the system. Possibly Lingard and Rashford. Alternatively, Januzaj, Pereira.
There would have been a few big money signings though not the churn that happened under LVG.
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Probably have di Maria, too. Another two or three titles. We'd have won 13/14 and 15/16, that's for sure.
Rafael could be a world beater now if fergie would've stayed, he was class in 2012/2013.
I believe Kane would have been bought to replace RVP – he is a classic Fergie signing and it would've been done way before Kane was valued at £200m or whatever.
Midfield I'm not too sure on.
Of the players we have signed since he retired, there's not many I believe Fergie would have bought. Shaw maybe, but with his possible poor mentality then I'm not sure. He would have worked well with Di Maria, I expect.
We'd still have Evans, Rafael, Nani, possibly Fletcher and Kagawa.
Midfield I'm not too sure on.
Of the players we have signed since he retired, there's not many I believe Fergie would have bought. Shaw maybe, but with his possible poor mentality then I'm not sure. He would have worked well with Di Maria, I expect.
We'd still have Evans, Rafael, Nani, possibly Fletcher and Kagawa.
Probably have another 1 or 2 titles but still be second this season. Wouldn't have missed out in the CL during those previous seasons or went out in the group stages.
I wonder what our squad would look like though. We'd definitely have Ronaldo and probably would've bought Sanchez. We wouldn't have Matic or Pogba though.
I wonder what our squad would look like though. We'd definitely have Ronaldo and probably would've bought Sanchez. We wouldn't have Matic or Pogba though.
Fergie said recently he was a big fan of Iwobi.
Sack Fergie. Sell Iwobi
Sack Fergie. Sell Iwobi
Strootman would be at the club if he was still managing and maybe Thiago. Chong would also have featured by now..
I think fergie mentioned in an interview not much longer after we signed Shaw and Herrera that they were on utd's radar when he was still manager.
What's with the Ronaldo playing for us stuff? Do people actually think the links to United were anything other than leverage on Madrid for his latest fat contract?
Who would instantly improve our defence right now.
no way would he have kept Nani.
I think we'd see something like this by now:
De Gea
Coleman - Jones - Evans - Shaw
Kroos - Romeu
Mane - Lingard - Rashford
Kane
Coleman - Jones - Evans - Shaw
Kroos - Romeu
Mane - Lingard - Rashford
Kane
I thought Martial was a long term club target, much like Herrera and Shaw? Herrera would have been great under Fergie.
Luke Shaw and Jesse Lingard as CM, Pogba on the bench.
No Pogba, that's for sure. He'd have loved to sign Kane. Maybe a winger like Sane or Douglas Costa would have been on his radar? SAF loved touchline hugging wingers.
Not sure if John Stones or de Bruyne could have been possibilities either.
Not sure if John Stones or de Bruyne could have been possibilities either.
We'd have replaced Jones with Stones IMO. Sir Alex was patient with injury prone players up to a point. Jones reached that point a while ago.
Fellaini would've been with a haircut.
De Gea
Rafael Škriniar Evans Tierney
Rashford Thiago Herrera Lingard
Kane Sanchez
Big European CB signing, Academy players, Energetic team and dependable goal scorers. Ticks all the boxes of a SAF side for me.
Rafael Škriniar Evans Tierney
Rashford Thiago Herrera Lingard
Kane Sanchez
Big European CB signing, Academy players, Energetic team and dependable goal scorers. Ticks all the boxes of a SAF side for me.
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Yeah, that's what I thought. And he love(d) his English/British core/spine as well!
I'm just struggling to come up with English CM's. Dier maybe?
We wouldn't sign any of Raiola players and Rooney wouldn't be our record scorer.
Think we would have Herrera as a Fletcher replacement, Shaw and Thiago. If not Thiago, Kroos is a good shout and I believe he would go all out for Kane immediately after the breakthrough season.
Evans surely and possibly Rafael and Welbeck would still be here.
Think we would have Herrera as a Fletcher replacement, Shaw and Thiago. If not Thiago, Kroos is a good shout and I believe he would go all out for Kane immediately after the breakthrough season.
Evans surely and possibly Rafael and Welbeck would still be here.
Honestly, I would fear for Fergie right now.
I think he got out just at the right time, his timing couldn't have been more spot on. Football has really changed since he retired and he was moving more in the direction of a pragmatic style of play in his final years compared to his 'gung ho' football of the 90s.
But if anyone could adapt to the new challenges of today, it would be Fergie, might take him 2 or 3 years but he could get there. So it is difficult to second guess who he might have signed. He did have a preference though, particularly later, of signing domestic based players.
Jose sadly, I don't have the same faith in, he has shown absolutely zero signs of wanting to adapt, too dogmatic, too obsessed with signing these big oafs who are average in possession.
I think he got out just at the right time, his timing couldn't have been more spot on. Football has really changed since he retired and he was moving more in the direction of a pragmatic style of play in his final years compared to his 'gung ho' football of the 90s.
But if anyone could adapt to the new challenges of today, it would be Fergie, might take him 2 or 3 years but he could get there. So it is difficult to second guess who he might have signed. He did have a preference though, particularly later, of signing domestic based players.
Jose sadly, I don't have the same faith in, he has shown absolutely zero signs of wanting to adapt, too dogmatic, too obsessed with signing these big oafs who are average in possession.
We’d of got Kane when he was breaking through at Spurs.
I think Rafael, Welbeck and Evans would all still be here.
Something like that.
I think Rafael, Welbeck and Evans would all still be here.
De Gea
Rafael - Evans - Stones - Shaw
Herrera - Carrick - Kroos
Lingard - Kane - di Maria
Rafael - Evans - Stones - Shaw
Herrera - Carrick - Kroos
Lingard - Kane - di Maria
Something like that.
Pogba would have multiple scars on his forehead.
Yeah I could see Herrera under Fergie, especially after the Bilbao game. I mentioned Shaw in my post and think he's a classic Fergie signing on the face of it, but he would have feelers out about his personality/mentality and he could've swayed either way.
No Fellaini, no Pogba, no Mata, no Mkhitaryan. Not even sure about Rashford to be honest... Rashford didn't exactly stand out as potential word class in youth, James Wilson was a better prospect, I still think LVG was forced to use him due to circumstances at the time and obviously all the dominoes fell down after that, though if the same would of happened under Fergie I don't know. Lingard would still be playing for us, McTominay maybe, I think Fergie would of had more foresight regarding Schneiderlin and not signed him, however, I get the feeling he might of gone in hard for Leon Goretzka, particularly on a free, even if he would of been successful or not. I also think, with his love for pure wingers, he would of loved Pulisic and gone in for him hard as well.
Keeper - De Gea
RB - Rafael
CB - Evans
CB - Stones
LB - Shaw/Tierney
LW - Nani/Kagawa
CM - Carrick
CM - Kroos/Goretzka/Herrera
RW - Lingard/Pulisic
ST - Robin van Persie/Hernandez
He wouldn't sold Rafael, Evans, Nani, Kagawa, RVP or Hernandez, in my opinion.
Keeper - De Gea
RB - Rafael
CB - Evans
CB - Stones
LB - Shaw/Tierney
LW - Nani/Kagawa
CM - Carrick
CM - Kroos/Goretzka/Herrera
RW - Lingard/Pulisic
ST - Robin van Persie/Hernandez
He wouldn't sold Rafael, Evans, Nani, Kagawa, RVP or Hernandez, in my opinion.
I don't think it would be as certain as that. Despite injuries, Nani was still an important squad member in his final season. He started his last ever CL game in charge after all. Or would that be the catalyst for Nani seeing the door?
There's no way SAF would have bowed down to super agents. He's not the type. I think he would have had to finally concede that the old guard is retiring for good. His money pinching tactics would also mean us not signing players who are in a big club's radar. So here's the team I think we would end up with for the 2017-2018 year
-----------------DDG-------------------
Rafael----Evans------Smalling-----Shaw/Tierney
--------Herrera/Mctominay----N'zonzi/Davies-----------
Valencia-------Thiago Alcantara/Barkley-------Martial
--------------------Rashford/Chicarito-----------------
-----------------DDG-------------------
Rafael----Evans------Smalling-----Shaw/Tierney
--------Herrera/Mctominay----N'zonzi/Davies-----------
Valencia-------Thiago Alcantara/Barkley-------Martial
--------------------Rashford/Chicarito-----------------
I'd say something similar, but Coleman for Rafael, Smalling for Stones and Matic for Carrick as SAF was a big fan of Matic.
I'd also say Januzaj and Memphis would still be around and maybe Wilson.