Why didn't Fergie choose Mourinho instead of Moyes?

[lon ball2]

They were thinking long-term. Something which the Glazers may be simply unable to do, at least as a 'corporate consciousness' , with short-term profit and mixed motivations on the line, plus SAF being in post 2013 meaning that footballing operations inevitably skewed towards an old-school model anyway.

Clubs like Brighton think about the manage to replace their newly recruited manager, and 4-5 year cycles (we know this from interviews/features), and likewise City would have been thinking about how to emulate and build upon then arguably the most successful 'modern' system in terms of sustainable player recruitment and development, -La Masia and the Barca mode, since all profit-making was only in the service of brand-building, including the flourishing of the footballing side, and fulfilling any future rules around FFP rather than about short-term gains.

I agree, I bet Brighton have a shortlist of managers they are monitoring if Di Zebri is poached. So why shouldn’t we if ETH is dismissed? You just know we don’t, hence bouncing from one style of football to another, one aim of recruitment to another. The club is, and always will be reactionary under the Glazers

 

[Reiver]

Unfortunately, I think Fergie wanted to add to his legacy by picking Moyes, with Giggs eventually taking over. Any success they had could also, to a certain extent, be laid at his feet too. The same can be said for their failures though. Ultimately, maybe he didn't think Mourinho was the right man.

 

[stevoc]

The issue wasn't just about finding a successor to Fergie, but also the fact that the club was entirely unprepared for the necessary transition. With an aging squad, several seasons went by without the acquisition of a quality central midfielder (Sneijder saga, Scholes coming back from retirement). It was evident at that time that the team was lacking players in other positions as well, such as RB... It's like everyone was expecting SAF would be around forever

Well they only found out in March 2013 that SAF was retiring 8 weeks later. You could make all the plans you want but at the end of the day we were never going to be able to get a top coach in place for the following season on such short notice. We ended up with Moyes because Ferguson had been lining him up in the background by urging him not to renew his Everton contract for months.

 

[glazed]

It's the vanity of old men to choose successors that preserve their reputation and legacy rather than sweep it away. King Lear.

 

[Amir]

The issue wasn't just about finding a successor to Fergie, but also the fact that the club was entirely unprepared for the necessary transition. With an aging squad, several seasons went by without the acquisition of a quality central midfielder (Sneijder saga, Scholes coming back from retirement). It was evident at that time that the team was lacking players in other positions as well, such as RB... It's like everyone was expecting SAF would be around forever

Or they just figured out we'll simply need to appoint another manager and that will be enough.

 

[lon ball2]

Unfortunately, I think Fergie wanted to add to his legacy by picking Moyes, with Giggs eventually taking over. Any success they had could also, to a certain extent, be laid at his feet too. The same can be said for their failures though. Ultimately, maybe he didn't think Mourinho was the right man.

I think I remember at the time in Sir Alex’s book that he claimed Jose had already told him he was returning to Chelsea. But I also recall that night Jose’s real knocked us out of the CL (due to that ridiculous Nani red card) his post match comments were very gracious, calling United the better team and saying we deserved it. It felt like a come get me plea from Mourinho

i guess it’s all moot, there is perhaps an outside chance Moyes would’ve done enough to survive if he didn’t fire the entire back room team. But they would’ve just delayed the inevitable, the job was too big for him

 

[Tincanalley]

The more I look at it, the more that decision looked strange.
….
Mourinho was waiting for Fergie's call all that summer, yet he was snuffed.

Moyes instead of Mourinho at that time would forever be a mystery to me.

Hard man, that Fergie

 

[Kellyiom]

It's the vanity of old men to choose successors that preserve their reputation and legacy rather than sweep it away. King Lear.

awesome quote!

 

[glazed]

awesome quote!

To be clear it's not a quote from King Lear it's a precis of the plot.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

Mourinho might have been better in the short-term but long-term we probably are in the exact same position we are today, Mourinho would have been gone by 2016 regardless having burnt the house down, as he's done in all his jobs.

 

[Yorke to Cole]

I recall an alternative assessment of this story. I read that Ferguson had planned to retire at the end of the 2011/12 season. He did not after the manner in which we lost the league to City right at the end of that season.

Sir Alex was aware at that stage, City under Mancini, did not have the experience to retain a title. Therefore, he knew he just needed Vidic back (after the knee injury sustaine against Basel) and a Premier League striker who would guarantee the goals in order to win games where they dropped the season before (Blackburn, Newcastle, Everton etc).

Step forward Robin Van Persie. Van Persie was the subject of interest between City and United, but it was quite early on during the summer, he chose to join us. Arsenal knew they had to sell as he was on the last year of his contract and he was not going to re sign.

Arsenal were holding out for the highest fee, as they were entitled to do. In order to push this along, Ferguson allegedly phoned Wenger personally. During that conversation Ferguson said along the lines that "the boy wants to join us, we will give you decent fee for him, just tell your board to sell to us." Wenger agreed. He was also fed up of City buying all of Arsenal's players on the cheap when their contracts had run down ( Clichy, Sagna,Adebeyor, Nasri).

Apparently, Wenger went into work the next morning and the first person he told of the conversation between he and Fergie (instead of the board) was his assistant Pat Rice. During that conversation, Wenger said "I have agreed to let him join United, but the strange thing is he (Ferguson) has never done that before ( phoned him personally) , I have a feeling that this is going to be his last year."

This was obviously before the January referred to in the book and before Lady Cathy's sister Bridget passed away. May they both rest in peace.

I think this is plausible, but I obviously do not know if it is true.

Anyway, back to Moyes, he was totally useless a dthe job was too big for him and Mourinho with his contacts could have assembled a better squad and won another title against Pellegrini.

 

[stevoc]

I recall an alternative assessment of this story. I read that Ferguson had planned to retire at the end of the 2011/12 season. He did not after the manner in which we lost the league to City right at the end of that season.

Sir Alex was aware at that stage, City under Mancini, did not have the experience to retain a title. Therefore, he knew he just needed Vidic back (after the knee injury sustaine against Basel) and a Premier League striker who would guarantee the goals in order to win games where they dropped the season before (Blackburn, Newcastle, Everton etc).

Step forward Robin Van Persie. Van Persie was the subject of interest between City and United, but it was quite early on during the summer, he chose to join us. Arsenal knew they had to sell as he was on the last year of his contract and he was not going to re sign.

Arsenal were holding out for the highest fee, as they were entitled to do. In order to push this along, Ferguson allegedly phoned Wenger personally. During that conversation Ferguson said along the lines that "the boy wants to join us, we will give you decent fee for him, just tell your board to sell to us." Wenger agreed. He was also fed up of City buying all of Arsenal's players on the cheap when their contracts had run down ( Clichy, Sagna,Adebeyor, Nasri).

Apparently, Wenger went into work the next morning and the first person he told of the conversation between he and Fergie (instead of the board) was his assistant Pat Rice. During that conversation, Wenger said "I have agreed to let him join United, but the strange thing is he (Ferguson) has never done that before ( phoned him personally) , I have a feeling that this is going to be his last year."

This was obviously before the January referred to in the book and before Lady Cathy's sister Bridget passed away. May they both rest in peace.

I think this is plausible, but I obviously do not know if it is true.

Anyway, back to Moyes, he was totally useless a dthe job was too big for him and Mourinho with his contacts could have assembled a better squad and won another title against Pellegrini.

I'd be willing to believe that, back then I remember in an interview Wenger was asked why he let RVP go to United and he said something along the lines it was because of a conversation he had with Fergie but that it would remain between them.

 

[Kellyiom]

To be clear it's not a quote from King Lear it's a precis of the plot.

Nuff said, takes me back some years! How now you dark, secret and midnight hags?! But that's just last Saturday...

 

[Longlivekeano]

Mourinho sliding on Old Trafford pitch and running like a manic during Porto’s win all but ended the chance of Ferguson considering the portugese