Date: 25th January 2012 at 3:06am
Written by:
Jose Mourinho Alex Ferguson

Is sooner rather than later better for the Special One?

It seems a silly question, one with an answer so obvious its almost rhetorical, after all regardless of hw much you may or may not rate Jose Mourinho, there’s no denying that Sir Alex Ferguson is the greater manager and hardly likely to step aside for anyone. 

Why would Sir Alex stand aside for a less gifted man?  Normally I would never pose such a pointless question: for several reasons. Mourinho is usually not available  Sir Alex Ferguson has still got several years left in him. Pep Guardiola is my own personal choice to succeed Fergie as United boss.

So why have i bothered to ask such a seemingly absurd question now? Well allow me to elucidate, point by point.

For starters there’s a good chance ‘the Special One’ may be available this Summer, as reports in the Spanish media suggest he’s finally had enough of Real Madrid and they’ve finally had enough of him. There’s been a report in Madrid’s very own paper: Marca of a training ground row between Mourinho, Iker Csillas and Sergio Ramos, both players have subsequently denied there is a rift.

Then there’s the feeling that even if Mourinho was to deliver the La Liga to the capital, it still wouldn’t silence his critics, unhappy with the fact that he’s already been beaten three times by arch rivals Barcelona this season, and barring a surprise may well face a quartet  of defeats in tonight’s Copa Del Ray semi final second leg at the Nou Camp. There’s also reports of a split within the Madrid team, with the Portuguese and Spanish players not always gelling as they should be.

The main reason Mourinho may leave this Summer, though is if Madrid win La Liga- which they could well do, they’re currently five points clear of Barca, then it would give the Special One the chance to leave with his head held high and not consider his time at the Bernabeu a total failure.

Now more than ever the chances of Mourinho leaving Madrid in the Summer seem very real- if you’ll pardon the own.

That brings me to my next point, ‘Sir Alex has several seasons left in him,’ well does he? At the end of the season, Fergie may only have two more seasons at Old Trafford. Of course theres no way of knowing that and he may well go on for another five years- when he’ll be 75. All I’m asking is ‘if Mourinho were to become available, would Sir Alex feel it’s better long-term to step aside and allow one of the most gifted managers on the planet the chance to perhaps take over for the long-term?

As I stated earlier, my own preference is Guardiola, who Ive always felt would leave Barcelona around the same time Sir Alex decides to retire, after all even the most successful Barca bosses don’t stay around for more than five or six years. There’s nothing to say that Guardiola couldn’t break the mould however and actually end up being the first Barcelona boss to actually stay on past a decade.

If United were to wait for Guardiola, then it could be a very long wait that takes us well past Fergie’s retirement. So my question is simple- if Mourinho was willing to commit to a long-term deal at United this Summer, could Sir Alex step aside and let the younger man take charge? It may not be better in the short-term but longer term it could be beneficial, after all love him or hate him, there’s no denying the ‘Special One’ has an amazing managerial record. Sir Alex always puts Manchester United first and he may well think a manager he’s long admired is the man to cary the club forward.

Personally, I think Sir Alex should stay on as long as possible no matter who’s available, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be given pause for thought should his ‘good friend’ Jose Mourinho join the dole queue.

Have I gone in off the deep end even asking the question? Do you agree with me that ultimately Sir Alex should stay on as long as possible? Would you want to see Jose at United this Summer? Feel free to comment, suggest and abuse below:

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30 responses to “Could Sir Alex Stand Aside For Mourinho In The Summer?”

  1. Red devil in Sweden says:

    Mourinho is creating scandals and problems in every club he has been in, I’d rather not see him in United.
    Bring in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer along with SAF for the next 2-3 years and ease him in on the job.

  2. Paul Gartland says:

    Mourinho positive – tactical nous, extensive knowledge of european game, good man management (generally)

    negative – “quick fixer” buys older players for short term success, stifingly negative football at times, does not invest in, or bring through, the youth system, (even more important with FFP looming)

    Negatives outweigh the positives for me…….

  3. Gibraltarian says:

    The answer is yes. Fergie is the best but everything comes to an end. We have not invested where we should and while I think this is due to the Glaziers, he (Fergie) is not being straight with the fans. There have a number of very good midfielders that have gone to other clubs and I just cannot stomach the way Fergie tries to pull the wool of our eyes. We cannot buy Sneijder because it would stifle the development of Pogba; Cleverly is the best midfielder in Britain. It is spin. I am also concerned about the loss of our young players and Fergie’s propensity to fall out with top players; in this case Rooney. I worry that by the time he leaves a team in the same situation Sir Matt left United in 1970 – a team in decline, suffering from underinvestment and with few quality young players coming through who are top class. I think Maurinho would inject the impetus we need; he is tactically very astute; he has the experience of facing Barcelona on numerous occasions; he has the charisma to attract top players and is a winner.

  4. chongo says:

    Personally myself, I’m more a Kean man, the bbn variety.

  5. Will says:

    I would personally choose Cantona. He has no managerial experience at all which shows what a risk it would be. But he has an aura about him which is just magical. He has previously said he would like to return to united but only as manager and he would make us play football the way he thinks it should be played. He has the personality to do it. He may be a risk but if you want someone to replace a man like ferguson who seemingly cannot be followed you need a wildcard, a High risk because playing it safe just ain’t good enough.

  6. McGrath says:

    Bryan Robson…

    (only joking 🙂 )

  7. RedScot says:

    Tisk tisk lets not mention finance? lmao
    Past and presence.Oic , mere detail. lol