From what I remember he was feeling him out for it and Pep had no interest. Which obviously would play a big role considering how key Sir Alex was in choosing his replacement.
Who would have been chosen as United manager had Moyes said "no"?
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From what I remember he was feeling him out for it and Pep had no interest. Which obviously would play a big role considering how key Sir Alex was in choosing his replacement.
Pep in knock out comps is suspect + he needs heavy heavy spending to win domestic titles. What makes you think he’d have fared better when Murtough and Woodward were serving him mutton dressed as lamb for mains and a random old player for dessert.
I actually think Moyrinho would genuinely have been more successful if he had taken over directly after SAF, as I think he was one of the only managers big enough for it. He would have commanded the respect of the players and had us instantly challenging. The problem was he'd behaved like such a cnut in his last year in Madrid that I think the club felt he was unbecoming (I don't believe SAF's claim that he had already agreed a deal with Chelsea).
Probably Van Gaal but a year earlier.
Would have been interesting. He'd have had a better squad to work with from the outset and more money.
Mourinho
Because he's literally one of the top 2 or at worst 3 managers of all time?
A million miles ahead of any version of Ten Hag, Van Gaal or 2015 onwards Mourinho.
The fact this is even a question is baffling.
Although it is true that in his third and final summer window at United, Mourinho was let down by the club. However he did spend a lot of money on the likes of Pogba, Lukaku, Matic etc in his first two summers. If Pep had that kind of backing then I'm sure he'd have won a couple of trophies and maybe even have had us in a title race.
Think Mourinho at United was always going to happen as he seemed to always praise us and Fergie as Inter and Real Madrid manager (maybe even before). Shame it didn't happen in 2013 as I think we'd be the ones to win the title in 2014/15. Of course it would go downhill in 3rd season but same happened in 2018 and we got Europa and Carabao Cup in return so obviously not as big trophies.
Mourinho, Ancelotti, Klopp. But sometimes I think it just wasn't meant to be as some of them agreed with other clubs or probably weren't ready to take over such a significant task.
With Moyes who's Scottish and had been at Everton for 11 years I genuinely thought he could stay with us for 20 years
we wanted to believe longevity with managers is still possible like it was in the past. Longevity these days is probably Klopp's 9 years at Liverpool or number of years Pep stays at City (hopefully not too long).
Perhaps club was just never ready for Fergie's retirement. If I remember correctly he decided to retire back in December 2012 to spend more time with his wife. Probably announced it to the club in early 2013 and they let him choose his replacement.
Mourinho, Ancelotti, Klopp. But sometimes I think it just wasn't meant to be as some of them agreed with other clubs or probably weren't ready to take over such a significant task.
With Moyes who's Scottish and had been at Everton for 11 years I genuinely thought he could stay with us for 20 years
we wanted to believe longevity with managers is still possible like it was in the past. Longevity these days is probably Klopp's 9 years at Liverpool or number of years Pep stays at City (hopefully not too long).Perhaps club was just never ready for Fergie's retirement. If I remember correctly he decided to retire back in December 2012 to spend more time with his wife. Probably announced it to the club in early 2013 and they let him choose his replacement.
Mourinho was a disaster by the time we got him, but he would have been the perfect choice to succeed Ferguson and I believe it was a possibility. Only someone with Mourinho's gravitas could have pushed back hard enough on the meddling of Woodward with player selections based on marketability.
I don't know that it would have worked long term but I've always thought that if we hired him after Sir Alex we would have won at least 1 more League title (the Leicester season) and maybe also the season he won it at Chelsea.
A lot had been said about who was in contention for the job over the years, but I’m not entirely sure Moyes wasn’t always the man to get the job in SAF’s eyes.
I always got the feeling SAF underrated his own abilities, thus thinking someone like David Moyes could take over the 2013 team and remain relatively successful.
I mean, its not just that David Moyes was chosen for the job or was offered it, he was literally flat out told he was the next Manchester United manager, by the man himself, in his own house.
It was about as intimate it could get.
David Moyes recently mentioned how he was almost more shocked that SAF told him he was retiring than that he himself would be his successor.
We all were Dave.
I will never forget that day, quite possibly the biggest news in the history of modern football, at least it felt that way at the time.
Mourinho might’ve milked another title or two from that 2013 United team, with a couple of good additions, then left.
Ancelotti would’ve managed that too, would have needed a far better structure around him than we had at the time to build another great team.
Klopp would’ve been the best choice for longevity, not sure how he would’ve done with the structure we had at the time, but we could’ve invested significantly more money than he had to his disposal at Liverpool.
I also think he could’ve done pretty well with players like Nani, Welbeck, Kagawa and Valencia.
Pep was never going to take the job, he would’ve needed a complete overhaul of the squad and many transfer windows to build his team.
Our best players were on their last legs whilst most of the younger players weren’t good enough for his type of football.
We didn’t have the structure that City had in place for him or the quality of David Silva, Aguero, De Bruyne readily available for his arrival, they were building it for Pep for years before he went there.
At City Pep needed to rebuild the defense and replace the goalkeeper, at United he would’ve needed to rebuild the entirety of the team, you do the math how much that would cost and how long that would take, that dude ain’t stupid.
Oddly enough (or not) the current Manchester United team would be far better suited for Pep than the 2013/2014/2015/2016 teams were.
I don’t think Van Gaal coming straight after SAF would’ve made any difference than him arriving a summer later.
I knew David Moyes would be a complete disaster before he sat foot at Carrington with his giant mousepad, although I firmly believe he would’ve built a far better team than LvG and Jose did with the hundreds of millions they’ve been provided with.
The likes of Blanc, Poch, O’neill, or every one else other than the top 3-4 managers in the world would’ve ended in the same manner as Moyes, no one other than the very top had the pedigree or the personality to take on such a job and keep the club successful at the highest level without a complete overhaul and several years of rebuild.
In all honesty, I started supporting United in 1995 and the Moyes season remains one of the most memorable.
It was incredibly captivating in a willfully hideous sort of way, to see the club truly struggle, for the first time in my life, properly struggle and every win was hard fought and had real meaning, it was an interesting experience.
Who knew at the time it was only the beginning, certainly not me.
I always got the feeling SAF underrated his own abilities, thus thinking someone like David Moyes could take over the 2013 team and remain relatively successful.
I mean, its not just that David Moyes was chosen for the job or was offered it, he was literally flat out told he was the next Manchester United manager, by the man himself, in his own house.
It was about as intimate it could get.
David Moyes recently mentioned how he was almost more shocked that SAF told him he was retiring than that he himself would be his successor.
We all were Dave.
I will never forget that day, quite possibly the biggest news in the history of modern football, at least it felt that way at the time.
Mourinho might’ve milked another title or two from that 2013 United team, with a couple of good additions, then left.
Ancelotti would’ve managed that too, would have needed a far better structure around him than we had at the time to build another great team.
Klopp would’ve been the best choice for longevity, not sure how he would’ve done with the structure we had at the time, but we could’ve invested significantly more money than he had to his disposal at Liverpool.
I also think he could’ve done pretty well with players like Nani, Welbeck, Kagawa and Valencia.
Pep was never going to take the job, he would’ve needed a complete overhaul of the squad and many transfer windows to build his team.
Our best players were on their last legs whilst most of the younger players weren’t good enough for his type of football.
We didn’t have the structure that City had in place for him or the quality of David Silva, Aguero, De Bruyne readily available for his arrival, they were building it for Pep for years before he went there.
At City Pep needed to rebuild the defense and replace the goalkeeper, at United he would’ve needed to rebuild the entirety of the team, you do the math how much that would cost and how long that would take, that dude ain’t stupid.
Oddly enough (or not) the current Manchester United team would be far better suited for Pep than the 2013/2014/2015/2016 teams were.
I don’t think Van Gaal coming straight after SAF would’ve made any difference than him arriving a summer later.
I knew David Moyes would be a complete disaster before he sat foot at Carrington with his giant mousepad, although I firmly believe he would’ve built a far better team than LvG and Jose did with the hundreds of millions they’ve been provided with.
The likes of Blanc, Poch, O’neill, or every one else other than the top 3-4 managers in the world would’ve ended in the same manner as Moyes, no one other than the very top had the pedigree or the personality to take on such a job and keep the club successful at the highest level without a complete overhaul and several years of rebuild.
In all honesty, I started supporting United in 1995 and the Moyes season remains one of the most memorable.
It was incredibly captivating in a willfully hideous sort of way, to see the club truly struggle, for the first time in my life, properly struggle and every win was hard fought and had real meaning, it was an interesting experience.
Who knew at the time it was only the beginning, certainly not me.
Shouldve been Mourinho
As time passes by, I don't think any manager would have succeeded.
It was a job destined to fail for anyone.
It was a job destined to fail for anyone.
Agreed. At the very least we would have been in the hunt, not adrift. He still had much to prove then but by the time we got Mourinho he was a cynical, bitter man who was no longer capable of what we expected of him.
Mourinho was the only one with the stature to fill SAF's shoes. Plus, the transfer window likely would have looked different, as he would have attracted more players.
We probably would've been more competitive in domestic cups and, more importantly, the Champions League as well and won a trophy or two which would've made the transition smother.
We probably would've been more competitive in domestic cups and, more importantly, the Champions League as well and won a trophy or two which would've made the transition smother.
I've always thought there's a subliminal undertone in SAF choosing Moyes, I don't think Ferguson would have enjoyed his successor being a celebrity superstar and certainly not a successful celebrity superstar. That was contrary to his personal values and a challenge to his ego at the same time.
As a result you get mediocrity like Moyes.
SAF should never have been able to choose his replacement.
As a result you get mediocrity like Moyes.
SAF should never have been able to choose his replacement.
I remember it was Sir.Bobby who vetoed him because Mourinho didn't fit into the ethos of the club. As we would later find out, he was spot on. I remember Barca turned down Mourinho in favor of Pep for the exact same reason. We should have gone with Klopp and we'd have been fine.
He was right, I agree, but at the time he was the most credible candidate.
Klopp was doing well at Dortmund, too, and would have been fairly popular at the time as well.
People like to laud David Gill as some sort of serious operator, but the reality is that he was a fool. Allowing Ferguson to swan about and handpick Moyes was lunacy.
Fergie retired at short notice, so we were stuck with whoever was out of contract that summer.
If we’d have sounded out a proper replacement with a year or twos notice like we should’ve done it would’ve been much smoother.
If we’d have sounded out a proper replacement with a year or twos notice like we should’ve done it would’ve been much smoother.
Big Ron
Mourinho or Anchelotti were the right choices at the time. Both would have brought massive experience along with the pull that they both had at the time. They also probably would have been better at assessing the club before ditching all the back room staff. Both would have probably got another good year or two from Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra.
Disagree.
Heynckes had just won the Champions League with Bayern, comfortably beating Klopp’s Dortmund in the final, having already won it with Real Madrid. He had the experience of managing the biggest egos in Spain and Germany. He had won the World Cup and Euros as a player.
He was far and away the best qualified candidate and his continued success at Bayern would bear that out. He lost his job at Real despite winning the Champions League that season so he was used to dealing with dysfunctional club management as Utd would become.
Utd should have broken the bank to get him. His status would have meant that existing superstars wouldn’t have gone awol and new ones could have been recruited. Which top players were going to play for Moyes other than for money?
Still can't believe people actually wanted Jose.
Jose should never have been let near the place at any point in time.
Jose should never have been let near the place at any point in time.
Nah, everything that followed - offering Moyes a 6-year contract, then signing a "teacher and former A-lister to succeed SAF" in LvG, who admitted himself that the initial plan was for Giggs to take over, even the rush to make Solskjaer's appointment permanent - paint the picture of a club full of itself, not thinking about change, but believing that the answers will always come from within. The same line of thinking that turned Liverpool from the biggest club in the world to a bad joke in the 90s.
I love Fergie as much as the next United fan, but i don't buy that there ever was a list of top names, like Pep and Carlo, which also included David Moyes. He was always the one to succeed Ferguson. If not in 2013, then a year later. It would have been funny, if it had happened at another club, that one of the main criticisms laid on Moyes was that he changed the backroom staff (something that every newly appointed manager does). It tells you a lot about the mindset of the people in and around the club in the post-SAF era.
And if Moyes wasn't available, i agree with your mention of O'Neill. Or, as someone else mentioned, LvG a bit sooner.
Same. Top managers have huge egos and Ferguson surely wasn't different. Moyes failing after him makes his 20 years of success look even better than before.
Agree. If Mourinho didn't fit because of personality then it had to be Ancelotti.
The short memory of United fans coming to the fore once more I guess…
Pep would have given targets (there’d be no tixi to help him) because we know, as Mourinho literally said it in a presser that he would give a position and 5 players in order of preference to Woodward and then he’d go off on holidays. He’d end up with a smorgasbord of players and would quit after a year or two.
Is it that baffling? Or are you just falling into the trap of x manager = good so he’d have been good for us regardless of the context?
Jose would have won us a league while Ancelotti would have probably won us a CL.
It was always going to be Moyes.
If Fergie didn't have his nepotism there are still 20 managers that's logically and objectively speaking ahead of Moyes
The man seriously underestimate his position and what he did at the club
If Fergie didn't have his nepotism there are still 20 managers that's logically and objectively speaking ahead of Moyes
The man seriously underestimate his position and what he did at the club
I don’t know about 20 but you’re probably not far off.
I got the same feeling about SAF completely underrating his abilities as a manager, a motivator, a tactician, a scout, his understanding of the game, the psychology behind what his rivals might do, you name it.
He always gave praise to his players, even the ones who were squaddies.
I genuinely believe he had no idea how good he actually was, if he had Pep’s structure instead of skint Martin Edwards or the Glazers we would’ve dominated European football for a decade between 99 and 2009, he was the Leo Messi of football managers thinking he was a Kevin Nolan, or something.
Should have been Mourinho.
We had a title winning squad and he would have had the pull to bring in players that aren't Fellaini.
We had a title winning squad and he would have had the pull to bring in players that aren't Fellaini.
I remember being puzzled by the Moyes decision, especially since SAF had said for years that the club had learned the lesson of Sir Matt's departure and would get the right replacement to keep the club on top when he left. I wanted Ancelotti, still think he's a class act, or LvG, and was always wary of Jose, though I felt he'd certainly have made a better job of it if appointed at the time. Wasn't there a story of Jose being so sure he'd get the call that he had a meltdown when the news of Moyes appointment broke? Moyes always looked like the job was too big for him but I figured since we handed him a 6 year contract, he was going to have time to grow into it, little did we know what was ahead.
Obviously Pep. Had we pestered him nonstop and offered money that couldnt be refused he would rather manage United than Bayern. And his career at city is proof. The man has a huge interest in money and winning. At the time we were more likely to keep winning the league than city. I know Sir Alex talking to him was a big factor but what the board should have done was to talk about money and transfer warchest and we would have gotten baldie.
Think it would have been Mourinho.
People think Pep is some sort of a dummy is weird to me.
Say what you will about him, but taking the United job right after Ferguson would not be a good career move for him.
He was the most sought after manager in world football at the time, you think he was looking at the United squads that his
Barcelona team made to look like a literal pub team in 2 CL finals, absolutely demolished us, minus Ronaldo from the first one, plus a few more years on the likes of Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick or Rooney, basically heading to the end of their careers, with Glazers in charge and he was interesting in that sort of project? Come on, that dude ain’t regarded.
There was maybe one or two player tops from the 2011 team that would’ve come ahywhere near his Barcelona team.
Look at the Bayern team he inherited.
Neuer, Alaba, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Robben, Ribbery, that guy wasn’t an idiot.
Or the City squad with Kompany, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, David Silva, De Bruyne, Aguero, we haven’t had anything remotely close to that quality in SAF’s last title winning team.
Plus, changing the entire footballing philosophy of a club the size of United would present a massive challenge in itself as opposed to an almost non existent club like City where he had a blank canvas to draw the club from the ground up in his own image.
Alan Curbishley
It would have been Mourinho.
Not sure about this. They had a good spine in Kompany-Toure-Silva-Aguero and won it the previous year (Toure was 30 so only one getting older). On the other hand, Ferdinand was 34, Vidić 31, Carrick 32, Rooney 27, RvP 30. Rooney only bit younger (as we saw, also went on a decline in 2014). We had habit of winning but without Fergie it was always going to be difficult.
As toxic as it was when he eventually came the reality is that it should have been Mourinho taking over from Sir Alex as he had star power, the arrogance, the ability and would have had the squad and money to win at least another title and more trophies at United.
Back then you’d say that the three biggest names in management were Sir Alex, Guardiola and Mourinho with Ancelotti just behind them, if I remember right Jose was available as he was still at Real when Sir Alex announced he was retiring.
On the back of what happened at Real it was clear Mourinho had a lot to prove and was highly motivated but he was a massive draw for players back then too so we could have brought players in to add to a title winning squad.
Back then you’d say that the three biggest names in management were Sir Alex, Guardiola and Mourinho with Ancelotti just behind them, if I remember right Jose was available as he was still at Real when Sir Alex announced he was retiring.
On the back of what happened at Real it was clear Mourinho had a lot to prove and was highly motivated but he was a massive draw for players back then too so we could have brought players in to add to a title winning squad.
Yes I think SAF would have liked Pep to take over United one day but there was certainly no plan for him to take over in 2013.
Ferguson decided right at the end of 2012 that he was retiring in May 2013. A month or so later he was telling Moyes not to renew his Everton contract so it would in his words make it ''easier for United'' to get him. This before any of these conversations with Klopp or Ancelotti took place, so once the decision was made Moyes was Fergusons first choice regrdless of what he's said since Dave's failure and sacking.