@Walrus
Glad we could establish the fact that you too think Giggs would be a gamble mate, that is kind of the primary contention of most posters opposed to his appointment. Why take a stab in the dark, when we could have the opportunity to select one of the Top 5-ish managers in the game if things fall into place (certainly looks the case for 2016). Also, none of us have an ulterior motive or agenda in this, and do really appreciate what Giggs has done for the club as a player. And that is the operative word, player or rather former player, which should be really be treated in isolation, apart from his prospective credentials as a manager.
That aside, and onto the next portion of your post, see here is why I can't fathom why his name is being brought up again and again. You stated it yourself :
I stand firm in my belief that managing a club of the stature of United is very different from managing a smaller one - the same applies to other elite clubs as they all have specific 'traits' (for lack of a better word) which do make them unique, to a degree. In United's case, this is the enormous financial juggernaut and global fanbase, and the subsequent expectations from the fans of not just winning, but playing attractive football and continuing our history and legacy of youth development (this latter one can perhaps be argued, but I for one as a United fan would like the club to continue as it has done in snapping up the very best British talent, and promoting youth prospects when possible).
If United is such a daunting proposition with millions in terms of money, aside from prestige at stake, why choose someone who has next to zero (this including his stint as caretaker) experience as a manager at the level? People can talk all they want about acquired experience under Fergie and Van Gaal, and whatnot, and bring up endless platitudes about loyalty, and winning mentality and so forth. But no amount of preparation as an assistant manager can stand to succeed when you're forced into the job, because at the end of the day you're working in a reduced capacity and the manager is the ones who assumes ultimate responsibility. Managerial ability like most leadership roles is not a linear trait that can be picked along via association. Otherwise every club would be training their ex-greats under present great managers in a seemingly endless conveyor belt apparatus.
We talk about great managers and motivators, and the traits are pretty evident right away. Just to cite one example :
And this isn't just something he does after being established as one of the best managers around. This is almost exactly like what Pep was in his playing days too. As a young 20 something year old, he played a position that is arguably the most difficult one to execute in Cruyff's Barcelona, and was the brain of the team from deeper areas highlighting his cerebral approach to the game, a quality he exudes even to this day with his revising and readjustment of the formation to offset opposition advantage, on top of his overall leadership ability, carrying on from the days when he was a young leader in team with Romario, Stoichkov, Laudrop and co.
Here is him about to bollock someone who is almost unanimously considered one of the top 5 players in the world through that period :
Same with the other successful contemporary managers. Jose needs no introduction, Simeone another mentalist, Klopp, and so forth. I just can't see that direct, confrontational, brash, Fergie-esque leadership ability in Giggs. He just seems too gormless for lack of a better descriptive term, too circumspect, and might be wrong (hardly know the guy on a personal level), but I honestly don't think he has a personality big enough to balance the job on a daily and hourly basis. Even in his playing days, the leaders of the team were usually Bruce, Keane, Ince, Schmeichel, Neville and co. rather than Giggs. It was only late into his career that he assumed a visible leadership role. I just don't know if he can juggle personalities similar to Ronaldo, Robben, Ribery, Benzema, while dismissing someone like Ibrahimovic who stepped out of line, like some of the other managers have proven they can. Players of that caliber might respect his accomplishments as a player, but being their manager is a whole new terrain.
Why take a risk, when you admit the magnitude of the position might be too big, when you could possibly have someone who is well versed with managerial roles at clubs of similar stature - Pep with Barcelona and Bayern Munich; and Ancelotti with Juventus, Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid. Even Klopp to a lesser degree, who handled Bundesliga winning expectations bar last season, reached the Champions League final with a team that finished 9th in year he took over, and managed expectations that come with a revenue level that's among the Top 10 in European football. Every managerial appointment can go wrong, but atleast with those managers there's anecdotal evidence to rely on. Giggs is an infinitely bigger gamble, and that's what scares me.
I can understand where you're coming from with the 'giving managers complete control' bit, but that just stands to complicate the issue further. If Giggs is appointed, he won't just have to deal with being a normal coach to start out. As you said, he'll have to deal with a million tangential things that come as a packed deal, and that's way too much pressure for someone so inexperienced. He might've seen Fergie navigate the entire setup with relative ease, but merely seeing, and doing are two totally different propositions. Now to be fair, those issues might rear heir heads with Guardiola and Ancelotti too, both of whom have traditionally worked in more layered surroundings, but the leap wouldn't be that large because Pep was already targeting players he wanted at Barcelona, and dealing with the expectations of millions of fans, aside from molding the team as he saw fit. As for Ancelotti, he seems bright enough to add another couple of responsibilities to his repertoire despite coming across as dullard at times, and frankly I believe he would relish the chance after having worked under stifling owners and staff, ranging from Moggi, Galliani and Berlusconi, Abroamovich, the PSG mob and Fiorentino.
As for continuity, I have zero qualms when it comes to that to be honest. It's a null function argument the way I see it, and undue importance is laid at its doorstep. Managers of that stature can iron out their entire squad in a season, evidenced by their historical record. Top shelf managers don't tear squads down without good reason, they either believe they can retool it to reach a higher level, or make swift changes to halt the decay. LVG's rebuild job was markedly different, and something we're not used to as United fans by virtue of Fergie being the omnipresent figure that he was. Three stalwarts of our backline were gone; Jones, Smalling, Evans, Rafael had a consistent injury record necessitating the purchase of Rojo, Blind, and later Darmian to go with Shaw. The midfield was a barren wasteland with the most important player being 33 years old, justifying a large turnover of personnel. Wider areas? Forget about it. Young and Valencia combined for a handsome 5 goals and 12 assists in 2 seasons before Van Gaal's arrival. Both our key strikers were almost 30 years old. The restructuring job was a long way coming, and had to be done in a hurry to get us back in contention for Top 4 berths. I believe now we have a good young core with Darmian, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Memphis; hopefully Martial, Januzaj and De Gea to serve the club in the medium term, in addition to he likes of Ander, Fellaini, Blind in a utility role and a few others. No sane manager would rip the squad apart again without good reason. And I believe every manager wants to promote youth, provided they are good enough. Pep brought along Pedro, Busquets, Pique who was signed back, later Thiago etc. Ancelotti with Kaka, Varane, Verratti among others. And Klopp with Gotze, Hummels, Subotic among others. If they are good enough, they will play. If not, the club has the finances to supplement the squad through the transfer market.
