Ryan Giggs | Interviewed for Wales job



''Got to laugh at the brown-nosers in despair at Ryan Giggs not getting the Swansea job. How's about Giggs goes down a division or three!''



''Wonder if a Mr Giggs from Manchester will be applying for the vacant Derby County job?''

Craig Burley will never be everybody's cup of tea but I've always enjoyed his no bullshit, no pandering mates style.
 
I've never even got the impression hes that committed to being a manager. He retired at 40, stuck around even after Fergie had gone.

I'm guessing someone made him believe it was just the natural evolution at United.
 
Ok, I quite dislike the bashing of Giggs on this forum but have to ask what would be lovely about that?
In my mind it would be borderline insanity to appoint the Giggs of today as United manager. Maybe 5 - 10 years down the line but not today.

Lovely because he is a United legend and he would rather like Giggsy than someone else. Blind faith.
 


''Got to laugh at the brown-nosers in despair at Ryan Giggs not getting the Swansea job. How's about Giggs goes down a division or three!''



''Wonder if a Mr Giggs from Manchester will be applying for the vacant Derby County job?''

Craig Burley will never be everybody's cup of tea but I've always enjoyed his no bullshit, no pandering mates style.


Greeat post from Craig Burley, get's it entirely right.
 


''Got to laugh at the brown-nosers in despair at Ryan Giggs not getting the Swansea job. How's about Giggs goes down a division or three!''



''Wonder if a Mr Giggs from Manchester will be applying for the vacant Derby County job?''

Craig Burley will never be everybody's cup of tea but I've always enjoyed his no bullshit, no pandering mates style.


Can't stand the bloke but he's damn right there!
 
Giggs: Why I rejected Swansea
“I was enjoying a bit of travelling and I got a call off Swansea and I met them a couple of times,” he told ITV Sport.

“But in the end it was just mixed messages really from the football side and the ownership side of the club and I felt their ambitions didn’t really match mine so it didn’t quite work out.”

I'm getting confused here. I thought Swansea didn't want him not the other way round?
 
I don't really understand the beef people have with Giggs' comments RE: Swansea.

They're in a bit of a free-fall, have regularly sold their best players, and have gone through 3 managers in 2 and half years, one of which was in his first job in management and as far as many people were concerned, was doing a decent job. People seem to be taking the ambition comment as a comment on Swansea's ability to compete at the top, but that seems highly unlikely and very unrealistic. It seems far more reasonable that the owners want someone on a short-term deal to come in to stabilise the club and keep them up this season, with no guarantee that they'll be kept on afterwards and investment being entirely results dependant, whilst Giggs is looking at something with a bit of longevity and board backing where he can make a name for himself.

If Giggs is serious about management then he's going to want to be one of the best around, and I don't think a job at a relegation candidate is really the best place to kick off a career. Guardiola had a single season with Barca B before taking over the senior side, and Zidane had just two with Madrid's B-team before taking over there. Mourinho hadn't managed anywhere before taking the Benfica job, and Klopp was able to walk into the manager's position at his last playing club and was then afforded time and patience to learn his craft. Even Ancelotti had a fairly kind start to his career, taking over a recently relegated and Reggiana and sending them straight back up, before taking over at a successful Parma side the next season. I can't really think of an active top manager, or at least not one who's come to the fore over the last decade or so, that started their career after a season was underway, at a relegation favourite.

Giggs isn't fortunate enough to have come from a club with a B-team in the division below, nor has he come from a club that has never played in its nation's top flight. He's got a bit of experience now as an assistant manager, and by all accounts wasn't even planning on taking a job this season. All he's known in his playing career is success at the top of the game, and for good reason, probably considers himself unsuitable for a position that requires him to save a struggling team, because it's something he's simply never experienced.

It's all well and good plucking out random teams looking for managers and going "BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS TEAM, RYAN!", but when those teams are Premier League relegation candidates Swansea City, Championship relegation candidates Derby County and Aston Villa, and League Two relegation candidates Newport County, but you're not proving anything other than he's clearly looking for a decent club and a fairly comfortable job to start his career, as many other top managers have enjoyed.
 
I don't really understand the beef people have with Giggs' comments RE: Swansea.

They're in a bit of a free-fall, have regularly sold their best players, and have gone through 3 managers in 2 and half years, one of which was in his first job in management and as far as many people were concerned, was doing a decent job. People seem to be taking the ambition comment as a comment on Swansea's ability to compete at the top, but that seems highly unlikely and very unrealistic. It seems far more reasonable that the owners want someone on a short-term deal to come in to stabilise the club and keep them up this season, with no guarantee that they'll be kept on afterwards and investment being entirely results dependant, whilst Giggs is looking at something with a bit of longevity and board backing where he can make a name for himself.

If Giggs is serious about management then he's going to want to be one of the best around, and I don't think a job at a relegation candidate is really the best place to kick off a career. Guardiola had a single season with Barca B before taking over the senior side, and Zidane had just two with Madrid's B-team before taking over there. Mourinho hadn't managed anywhere before taking the Benfica job, and Klopp was able to walk into the manager's position at his last playing club and was then afforded time and patience to learn his craft. Even Ancelotti had a fairly kind start to his career, taking over a recently relegated and Reggiana and sending them straight back up, before taking over at a successful Parma side the next season. I can't really think of an active top manager, or at least not one who's come to the fore over the last decade or so, that started their career after a season was underway, at a relegation favourite.

Giggs isn't fortunate enough to have come from a club with a B-team in the division below, nor has he come from a club that has never played in its nation's top flight. He's got a bit of experience now as an assistant manager, and by all accounts wasn't even planning on taking a job this season. All he's known in his playing career is success at the top of the game, and for good reason, probably considers himself unsuitable for a position that requires him to save a struggling team, because it's something he's simply never experienced.

It's all well and good plucking out random teams looking for managers and going "BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS TEAM, RYAN!", but when those teams are Premier League relegation candidates Swansea City, Championship relegation candidates Derby County and Aston Villa, and League Two relegation candidates Newport County, but you're not proving anything other than he's clearly looking for a decent club and a fairly comfortable job to start his career, as many other top managers have enjoyed.
As the top jobs look pretty safe at the moment, Ryan could have a long, long wait for a job, in the meantime still getting no management experience.
 
As the top jobs look pretty safe at the moment, Ryan could have a long, long wait for a job, in the meantime still getting no management experience.

He said he wanted a year out. He's had two years as assistant manager of United, and has been out of a job for about 4 months. It's not like he's been out of the game for a number of years.

I'm not necessarily saying he's waiting for a top job immediately, but a job at a relegation favourite with a 3 month wait until you can do anything with the squad transfer-wise is not a good way to start a managerial career, least of all in divisions that you have absolutely no experience of. In all likelihood, he's going to go somewhere following a manager who's departed on good terms. That may well be in the Championship, or even in another country, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Giggs is in the dugout for a mid-table PL side at the beginning of next season. He's just biding his time, and he's wise to do so.
 
He said he wanted a year out. He's had two years as assistant manager of United, and has been out of a job for about 4 months. It's not like he's been out of the game for a number of years.

I'm not necessarily saying he's waiting for a top job immediately, but a job at a relegation favourite with a 3 month wait until you can do anything with the squad transfer-wise is not a good way to start a managerial career, least of all in divisions that you have absolutely no experience of. In all likelihood, he's going to go somewhere following a manager who's departed on good terms. That may well be in the Championship, or even in another country, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Giggs is in the dugout for a mid-table PL side at the beginning of next season. He's just biding his time, and he's wise to do so.
If he is waiting for the perfect job, he might have to wait forever; kind of like waiting for the perfect time to have a kid...
 
If he is waiting for the perfect job, he might have to wait forever; kind of like waiting for the perfect time to have a kid...

Any job's going to be a risk and I'm sure he's well aware of that, but as I said, he's not even been looking properly, and it's been 4 months since he was assistant at United. I don't know where this "waiting for the perfect job" and "sense of entitlement" stuff has come from, but there's very little to back it up.
 
Any job's going to be a risk and I'm sure he's well aware of that, but as I said, he's not even been looking properly, and it's been 4 months since he was assistant at United. I don't know where this "waiting for the perfect job" and "sense of entitlement" stuff has come from, but there's very little to back it up.
Well, I said 'if'.
 
Giggs: Why I rejected Swansea
“I was enjoying a bit of travelling and I got a call off Swansea and I met them a couple of times,” he told ITV Sport.

“But in the end it was just mixed messages really from the football side and the ownership side of the club and I felt their ambitions didn’t really match mine so it didn’t quite work out.”

I'm getting confused here. I thought Swansea didn't want him not the other way round?
And what exactly are his "ambitions" with a club of Swansea's stature?
 
I don't really understand the beef people have with Giggs' comments RE: Swansea.

They're in a bit of a free-fall, have regularly sold their best players, and have gone through 3 managers in 2 and half years, one of which was in his first job in management and as far as many people were concerned, was doing a decent job. People seem to be taking the ambition comment as a comment on Swansea's ability to compete at the top, but that seems highly unlikely and very unrealistic. It seems far more reasonable that the owners want someone on a short-term deal to come in to stabilise the club and keep them up this season, with no guarantee that they'll be kept on afterwards and investment being entirely results dependant, whilst Giggs is looking at something with a bit of longevity and board backing where he can make a name for himself.

If Giggs is serious about management then he's going to want to be one of the best around, and I don't think a job at a relegation candidate is really the best place to kick off a career. Guardiola had a single season with Barca B before taking over the senior side, and Zidane had just two with Madrid's B-team before taking over there. Mourinho hadn't managed anywhere before taking the Benfica job, and Klopp was able to walk into the manager's position at his last playing club and was then afforded time and patience to learn his craft. Even Ancelotti had a fairly kind start to his career, taking over a recently relegated and Reggiana and sending them straight back up, before taking over at a successful Parma side the next season. I can't really think of an active top manager, or at least not one who's come to the fore over the last decade or so, that started their career after a season was underway, at a relegation favourite.

Giggs isn't fortunate enough to have come from a club with a B-team in the division below, nor has he come from a club that has never played in its nation's top flight. He's got a bit of experience now as an assistant manager, and by all accounts wasn't even planning on taking a job this season. All he's known in his playing career is success at the top of the game, and for good reason, probably considers himself unsuitable for a position that requires him to save a struggling team, because it's something he's simply never experienced.

It's all well and good plucking out random teams looking for managers and going "BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS TEAM, RYAN!", but when those teams are Premier League relegation candidates Swansea City, Championship relegation candidates Derby County and Aston Villa, and League Two relegation candidates Newport County, but you're not proving anything other than he's clearly looking for a decent club and a fairly comfortable job to start his career, as many other top managers have enjoyed.

This is a really good post, but I do disagree with the suggestion that Derby or Villa wouldn't be a great job for him. Both clubs have great support and have all the facilities in place to mount a charge for promotion going forward. Maybe not this season directly, but certainly the season after. He'd be lucky to get such a great opportunity, actually.

For me, I can't shake the belief that Giggs generally likes the idea of managing just Manchester United, as opposed to getting into the management gig as a full time thing.
 
This is a really good post, but I do disagree with the suggestion that Derby or Villa wouldn't be a great job for him. Both clubs have great support and have all the facilities in place to mount a charge for promotion going forward. Maybe not this season directly, but certainly the season after. He'd be lucky to get such a great opportunity, actually.

For me, I can't shake the belief that Giggs generally likes the idea of managing just Manchester United, as opposed to getting into the management gig as a full time thing.

Generally, I'd agree, but the pressure of going in to either in the current state is not ideal for a first job in management, Villa especially.

I think we'll see over the next couple of years quite how serious Giggs is about management. I think you might be right that he likes the idea of managing Manchester United, but he's not going to be given the job as his first gig in management. There will be suitable starting jobs available over the course of the next couple of seasons, in England and elsewhere, and if Giggs doesn't show much interest in them then we'll know how committed he is.

I do wonder what he's going to get out of management. He has a very good reputation in football, being one of the most decorated players ever to play the game, and there's so much stress and uncertainty involved in management that I wouldn't be surprised if he decides it's not worth it. I actually wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in international management to begin with, as it's one area of his career that went quite unfulfilled, especially when compared to his club career.
 
Anyone still following this story in the NYTimes and football weekly?

Apparently part of the Swansea interview was to suggest the team and explain your tactical reasoning for Swansea's next fixture against Arsenal. Apparently Bradley had watched a lot of footage of Swansea and explained each players strengths and weaknesses and how they would match up with Arsenal.

Giggsy just said the players need to believe in themselves and run more. I would have thought this was a work of fiction but then I remembered seeing a video of Giggsy at a whiteboard trying to pick a United team, assisted by Scholes and Butt and it looked awfully amateur, did anyone else see it?

It gets worse, just seen an article where he rules out managing Liverpool. I'd expect no less from a United legend but why is he even talking about himself as a football manager? He's not one. He's in danger of becoming a bit of a joke and hard to see him getting a better job than Swansea so if he actually believes he turned them down he's a bit deluded.
 
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Anyone still following this story in the NYTimes and football weekly?

Apparently part of the Swansea interview was to suggest the team and explain your tactical reasoning for Swansea's next fixture against Arsenal. Apparently Bradley had watched a lot of footage of Swansea and explained each players strengths and weaknesses and how they would match up with Arsenal.

Giggsy just said the players need to believe in themselves and run more. I would have thought this was a work of fiction but then I remembered seeing a video of Giggsy at a whiteboard trying to pick a United team, assisted by Scholes and Butt and it looked awfully amateur, did anyone else see it?
Can totally imagine Giggs saying somthing daft like that. He made the same generic comments when he was acting manager as well. If he did go the interview ill-prepared then its quite surprising, as it runs contradictory to the great work ethic he had as a player. I think one problem could be (and I could be wide off the mark) that he is unable to communicate his ideas to a group of people. I mean he probably genuinely belives that the players need to have more belief in themselves and they need to run more. But he isn't able to inspire people to do that. Which could be a big problem if he is serious about managing any club, let alone United.
 
Anyone still following this story in the NYTimes and football weekly?

Apparently part of the Swansea interview was to suggest the team and explain your tactical reasoning for Swansea's next fixture against Arsenal. Apparently Bradley had watched a lot of footage of Swansea and explained each players strengths and weaknesses and how they would match up with Arsenal.

Giggsy just said the players need to believe in themselves and run more. I would have thought this was a work of fiction but then I remembered seeing a video of Giggsy at a whiteboard trying to pick a United team, assisted by Scholes and Butt and it looked awfully amateur, did anyone else see it?

It gets worse, just seen an article where he rules out managing Liverpool. I'd expect no less from a United legend but why is he even talking about himself as a football manager? He's not one. He's in danger of becoming a bit of a joke and hard to see him getting a better job than Swansea so if he actually believes he turned them down he's a bit deluded.

I guess that was how Fergie did, he just told the players it was Tottenham and they should run more, and won the league 13 times using that method.
 
I guess that was how Fergie did, he just told the players it was Tottenham and they should run more, and won the league 13 times using that method.
Its not the message rather how you deliver it that counts, doesn't it? Fergie could be cool as feck when he said, "its Tottenham, lads" but he could also raise hell when he wanted to. If Giggs was asked what his plan or approach would be, and he answered, "well, the players just need to believe in themselves, innit" or something along those lines, then he wouldn't have inspired much confidence.
 
I hope Swansea struggle to have any managers apply for the job in the future. I'd be absolutely fuming if I found out that someone was leaking stuff about a job interview I'd done, whether it was true or not.
 
Anyone still following this story in the NYTimes and football weekly?

Apparently part of the Swansea interview was to suggest the team and explain your tactical reasoning for Swansea's next fixture against Arsenal. Apparently Bradley had watched a lot of footage of Swansea and explained each players strengths and weaknesses and how they would match up with Arsenal.

Alternately, Swansea's American owners leak stories to the media about how amazing fellow American "Bob Bradley" was at an interview in order to help justify their appointment and put a more of a positive spin on things... given that most people's reaction might have been "hmmm, Bob Bradley?"

When you consider where these leaks have been coming from and what reasons they might have for doing so... it deserves zero credence.
 
@ManUchosenbosslvg Thanks for the heads-up. The article doesn't specifically state it's Giggs but you can pretty much read between the lines.

Not every response passed muster. The club’s American proprietors, Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien, were particularly unconvinced by the contender who could offer only the platitude that to come out of a slump that has taken the club to 17th in the Premier League standings, Swansea’s players simply needed to work harder, to run more.

...played a part in landing him the job ahead of the likes of the former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs, the Bayern Munich assistant Paul Clement and the former Villarreal coach Marcelino García Toral, among others.

Hard to imagine Clement or Toral insisting that.
 
I hope Swansea struggle to have any managers apply for the job in the future. I'd be absolutely fuming if I found out that someone was leaking stuff about a job interview I'd done, whether it was true or not.

Yep, fair point.
 
I caught a bit of Giggs' post-match punditry from the England Malta game and actually thought he gave considered and (yes, holy smoke) quite tactical insights about what Walcott, Sturridge and a few others did wrong.

I didn't see the pre-match or half-time waffle (probably boys own banter) but, generally, from what I've seen and heard from him in the last few months, he's far from the monotone, one-trick merchant that many seem to have labelled him on here.

I do think, as a previous poster has said, the Derby and Villa jobs are absolutely ideal for him (at least to apply for) but what's the rush? At the rate of managerial turnovers in the top two leagues, there will almost always be a job vacant at sometime, somewhere.

Better to bide his time and wait till maybe he clicks with a chairman he could do business with. Because, this more than anything, will probably determine where he ends up.
 
Alternately, Swansea's American owners leak stories to the media about how amazing fellow American "Bob Bradley" was at an interview in order to help justify their appointment and put a more of a positive spin on things... given that most people's reaction might have been "hmmm, Bob Bradley?"

When you consider where these leaks have been coming from and what reasons they might have for doing so... it deserves zero credence.

It is possible that there's some kind of American based conspiracy to screw over the Swansea fans, but I'd imagine more likely they felt a man with a 35 year career in football management interviewed better than a man with tiny experience in management. Giggs has only ever known the top of the table too, never been in a relegation battle like the Swans could well be.

It also appears to have been Huw Jenkins pushing for Bradley over Giggseh, that's a Welsh man, that's been chairman of a Welsh club since their days in division 3 14 years ago so I doubt he was pandering to any American owners.

I found the video I was talking about, now he may not have been taking this seriously but I'd imagine if he turned up to an interview for a football management job with this level of tactical planning, he'd be run out of the place.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/fo...oles-Neville-Butt-talking-tactics-United.html
 
It is possible that there's some kind of American based conspiracy to screw over the Swansea fans, but I'd imagine more likely they felt a man with a 35 year career in football management interviewed better than a man with tiny experience in management. Giggs has only ever known the top of the table too, never been in a relegation battle like the Swans could well be.

Nobody is talking about any conspiracy or arguing that Giggs is more qualified...

I'm simply talking about the motivation behind these 'leaks'.

Swansea were being criticised by their own fans over the sacking of Guidolin and many questioning the appointment of Bradley. Some well known and outspoken pundits in the media e.g. Savage, were openly championing Giggs for the job and also questioning Bradley's Premier League credentials.

All of a sudden, the Swansea owners are leaking to the media that Bradley wowed them in an interview with his great knowledge and insight whilst other candidates underwhelmed? It's all pretty obvious why they have done it despite such leaks being really fecking poor from a professional point of view.

If you're taking anything Swansea have to say about this whole situation seriously then more fool you I guess...
 
Manchester United legend Giggs opens up about Swansea job and managerial ambitions

Ryan Giggs admits that his first choice is to manage in the Premier League, but he is open to a job in the lower divisions.

The former Manchester United player and assistant claimed he turned down the Swansea job which eventually went to Bob Bradley , and suggestions followed that the Welshman was expecting a top job for his first foray into management.

But Giggs revealed the key criteria is making sure the ambition of his employers mirrors his own expectations, rather than league position.

"You've got to be open, you can't say you won't go to League One or League Two, there are plenty of big clubs in League One," Giggs said.

"It's about the ambition of the owners, and if that matches yours then why not?

"I know the Premier League inside out so that would be ideal, but why not go to the Championship?"

The Wales international has revealed that Swansea ticked all his boxes and he was in talks with the owners ahead of the decision to appoint Bradley.

"When I left United I had a plan, I wanted to do things I hadn't had a chance to do for 25 years, like go away with my kids in the school holidays - little things like that," he added.

"But I said if the right opportunity came up I would look at it.

"Swansea was definitely that opportunity, they play football the right way and always seem to do the right thing.

"I spoke to them a couple of times but it didn't work out."

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...manchester-united-news-giggs-swansea-12019764
 
He's got a gig alongside Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for Monday Night football.
 
He better get a job quick or he'll be stuck on the sofa. The longer he's out, the harder it will be to get back in.
 
He should stick to media/ambassadorial work.
He doesn't have the drive or work ethic to succeed as a top - level Coach/Manager.
 
What makes you think that?
There's a Tweet somewhere in the Tw*tterverse showing just how serious John Terry is taking his Coaching Qualifications. That's how even a highly decorated club legend gets respect as a potential Manager in a fiercely competitive market like PL/Championship.

Ryan was a terrific player but nothing I'm aware he's done in the last 5 years has displayed his appointment would be anything other than a huge gamble on the part of the hiring club.

Work harder and run more suggests that he's quoting verbatim from biographies of established bosses.
 
There's a Tweet somewhere in the Tw*tterverse showing just how serious John Terry is taking his Coaching Qualifications. That's how even a highly decorated club legend gets respect as a potential Manager in a fiercely competitive market like PL/Championship.

Ryan was a terrific player but nothing I'm aware he's done in the last 5 years has displayed his appointment would be anything other than a huge gamble on the part of the hiring club.

Work harder and run more suggests that he's quoting verbatim from biographies of established bosses.

So there's a tweet saying how hard John Terry is working for his coaching badges, and that means Ryan Giggs is not working hard/did not work hard for his?
 
So there's a tweet saying how hard John Terry is working for his coaching badges, and that means Ryan Giggs is not working hard/did not work hard for his?
Anecdotal evidence suggests so.
No doubt if he has put the graft in he will soon be offered the job a man of his standing merits.
 
Anecdotal evidence suggests so.
No doubt if he has put the graft in he will soon be offered the job a man of his standing merits.

A quick google search reveals that he completed the Pro License, which is the highest you can attain, back in 2013ish, becoming the first person to do so whilst still playing. That seems to suggest that he has indeed "put in the graft."

Additionally, he's not had a single season off since retiring from playing, jumping straight into the assistant manager's role under LvG for two seasons. He's not been out of work half a year yet, and has repeatedly stated his desire to take some time away from football and enjoy doing more "normal" things that he's had to miss out on over the last 20 odd years because of his footballing commitments.

He was contacted by Swansea to go along for an interview, and seeing it as a good opportunity, agreed to it. For whatever reason it didn't materialise into anything for Giggs, and he has since reinstated his desire to have some time away from football, adding that he would still be interested if a good opportunity came along. He's enjoying time with his kids, and enjoying the freedom of not being tied down to a football schedule. He's not going to take a job for the sake of taking a job, but if there's an opportunity he likes the look of, he's more than willing to drop his plans to go for it.

I'm not sure what anecdotal evidence you've heard, but everything else seems to suggest that Giggs has put the graft in, and is in fact willing to drop his plans to take a year out, to manage a team. So again, how exactly did you conclude that Giggs hasn't put the graft in from a tweet about John Terry and his coaching studies?
 
Based on what? Im not saying he would be a good coach, im saying we know nothing.

And there in lies the problem.
Nobody, including a club looking to employ a new manager, has any idea how good this guy is.
If a team like Sunderland (for example) are looking for a manager, they will be in a desperate position, looking for a manager who can keep them in the EPL. They wouldn't hire an unknown like Giggs, for fear of Sunderland getting relegated.
If a team like MUFC was looking for a manager, they will be desperate for success, looking for a manager with a great CV. They wouldn't hire an unknown like Giggs, for fear that he will be another failure who gets fired in a few months.

IMO, his best bet is to work at a lower league club, where there is no pressure and less stress, so he can hone his craft. And if he is very good, he gain promotion to the EPL and show the World that he is a great manager. I think Brian Clough did this with Derby and then with Notts Forest. And then went on to win the league and then the European Cup. ;)