Many theories have been thrown around about the roots of the current crisis at Manchester United. One concept, that some have expounded, is that Sir Alex Ferguson left the squad in bad shape. Some think that he swept the frailties in the team under the carpet and left Manchester United in need of a massive overhaul.
Our favoured publication, The Guardian, this week spoke about how some blame for the current state of affairs needs to be apportioned to Sir Alex. Here are some excerpts:
Nonetheless, it is impossible to assess the club’s current disarray without apportioning chunks of blame in Ferguson’s direction; like many greats, his strengths also manifest as weaknesses.
he developed an entirely avoidable to-do with two club directors, John Magnier and JP McManus, who openly challenged him before selling their shares.
Since then, hundreds of millions of pounds have left the club, the consequence a hideously underfunded playing staff
Every man makes mistakes in his life but to say that Sir Alex Ferguson is in some way responsible for Manchester United’s current malaise is surely very shortsighted, non?
The whole idea that David Moyes is suffering from the spat that Fergie had with Magnier and McManus neglects to cover his previous 20 years in charge of Manchester United – a club which, when Fergie took the reigns, was a whisper of its current self. A club worth a tiny fraction of its current value.
Surely when developing a theory of any type you have to look at the subject in its entirety – not just a tiny piece.
Regardless of how many millions might have left the club since the Glazers took over, Fergie generated those millions by taking a club from the brink of disaster to one of domestic omnipotence. If you gave me £10 and I gave you £100 back would I have failed you?
Fergie built Manchester United back up from scratch. He made the youth academy the envy of all Europe and developed the nucleus of a team worth hundreds of millions of pounds from a bunch of gangly kids.
If Ferguson hadn’t been at the club we certainly wouldn’t be talking now about David Moyes having hundreds of millions of pounds to spend on new players.
Noone would argue that Marouane Fellaini is the best player in the world based on 5 seconds of sublime skill, performed by accident, 6 years ago. Similarly, The Last Supper isn’t a crap painting because of a square inch of grey nothingness in the bottom corner.
Sir Alex Ferguson built Manchester United as we know it today. If he was still managing the first team, they wouldn’t be in this position. And if Manchester United hadn’t been graced by Fergie’s ingenious management for 25 years we could now, feasibly, be talking about jumpers for goalposts and mentioning United in the same breath as Accrington Stanley. Who are they? Exactly!
This is Moyes’ mess and when you look at the whole picture, as is only fair, it’s ludicrous to say that Fergie’s contribution to United has been anything but incredibly positive.
Sir Alex Ferguson took over a club in the wilderness and left Manchester United as champions of The Premier League, having won it 12 times previously. So we certainly aren’t blaming Sir Alex for Manchester United’s current plight.
Are you? Let’s have your thoughts.
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simranjit singh
Jan 12, 2014 at 9:35 pm
well we can not blame sir alex for the current chaos but the one thing that he surely could have done during his reign is that he could have bought a quality midfielder and left back as it could have been easier tu lure somebody to old traffored when sir alex is there. the only thing to blame is the tactics david moyes is trying to implement the negative tactics which was never the old trafford way
Dithering Dave Moyes Fan Club
Jan 12, 2014 at 9:37 pm
Would you keep your eyes on someone that you have entrusted, your legacy of 27 years, on?…..I would……….And regards to the squad……It won by a good margin last year……..and only with a bigoted ,egotistical ,piece of crap of a referee ,whom sent Nani off unjustly,we would have dispensed of Real Madrid……..so far I am not a fan of Moyes…..but should wise up and up his game…..I will be with him…..
gaz7753
Jan 12, 2014 at 10:24 pm
Fergie to blame ? pull the other one ! The problems have been created by moyes when sacking successful champion league & premiership winning backroom staff & replacing them with trophy-less average mid table everton staff and lack of transfer activity in the summer, a lesson not learnt this winter. To early to sack moyes but these blatent errors need to be addressed.