That’s what I recall too, wasn’t it not too long after the whole eye poking episode at real as well?
Why didn't Fergie choose Mourinho instead of Moyes?
- Thread starter Sir Erik ten Hag
- Start date
He wanted pep but pep couldn't understand his Glasgow accent.
Also a true story, but if memory serves also that was meant to be more of an informal testing the waters remark to Pep at a previous meet up which Pep did not understand I think.
He's not exactly wrong about that.
All the big names were spoken for, Moyes was bottom of the barrel
I still think Fergie's plan was for Giggs to sit in as his assistant for a season or two before taking the reigns himself.
Cathy's sister dying brought everything forward a by about three years, I reckon.
The fact he was a) getting on a bit, b) on a rolling one year contract just compounds how bad the lack of planning was.
The club should have been working on a succession plan for a while, with a constantly updated shortlist of managers. The fact we basically had to settle for Moyes but then gave him free-reign to do as he pleased with the backroom staff and transfer targets says it all.
He had dinner with guardiola in New York that year. Guardiola gave no hint he was open to a new challenge elsewhere.
Agree with you. I think he would have gone to 30 years in charge and quit.
It was definitely a mistake. He'd have done well with that squad and used the money better than moyes and lvg did.
It's taken you 10 years to realise that was a strange decision. Most United fans knew it was mental at the time.
Sir Bobby couldn't stand him. He made that known when Mourinho was Madrid manager.
I always thought that Sir Alex saw some of himself in Moyes.
Maybe, but you tell him that if he ever does, consider MUFC first.
All by the by anyway.
Pretty sure the first choice was Ancelotti but by the time it had come about he’d agreed to Join Real. I’m sure Ancelotti himself has spoken about being approached for it but it was too late.
I do think if there was a time for Jose that was probably it as he’s so egotistical that replacing Fergie probably wouldn’t have seemed like a big deal and he probably could have done things with those players and commanded respect from them.
I do think if there was a time for Jose that was probably it as he’s so egotistical that replacing Fergie probably wouldn’t have seemed like a big deal and he probably could have done things with those players and commanded respect from them.
Mourinho or Ancelotti taking over from SAf would have been perfect for us. Surely we would have been in a better position than what moyes and van gaal served.
I’ve said it before and of course hindsight is 20-20 but it really would been the best move. Mou would have channeled his post Real need to prove himself into us and won 1 or 2 titles in 3 years before having his usual melt and leaving us, thus already paving the way for an after SAF United trophy life which then would have allowed us to go more progressive with the next managerial choice who would have been awarded more time as us fans would have seen titles after SAF already….sliding doors eh?
I was under the impression that Moyes was Fergies first choice to be a bit of a line for publicity. I thought I read that by the time Fergie and the club were scouting out potential replacements, they’d all committed to other clubs. Mourinho had already agreed to go to Chelsea, Pep to Bayern, Ancelotti to Real, Klopp was to stay at Dortmund. Moyes was merely the only one available to us.
Because Mourinho is short term.
Still our best manager post Fergie
Was wondering how far into the thread before someone actually pointed this out.
If it wasn't so painful, it'd be hilarious how appalling the club got the handover.
Because Mourinho is all about himself and short term glory.
I think Sir Alex wanted someone who he felt was similar to him I assume he respected Jose a lot but his style of play and his attitude probably was the reason sir alex didn't want him.
I personally loved Jose coming to the club out of all the managers we have had He was the one I backed the most.
I personally loved Jose coming to the club out of all the managers we have had He was the one I backed the most.
Ferguson's replacement was chosen/appointed by Woodward and co.
To be honest that's quite a downgrade, no wonder Moyes didn't accept. Even now would any Premier League manager give up their job to Pep's no.2?
I think it's very likely Mourinho and Ancelotti turned us down in favour of joining Chelsea/Madrid respectively (and Pep had already joined Bayern), and so we ended up taking a chance on Moyes despite him being a different profile.
I made a thread about it back in 2015 - https://www.redcafe.net/threads/was-moyes-really-our-first-choice-to-replace-ferguson.404963/
There were reports in Portugal that Mourinho chose a Chelsea return and Duncan Castles who is well connected to Mourinho and Mendes clients went into great detail about how Mourinho discussed the job with United for a while before opting for Chelsea - https://bleacherreport.com/articles...wn-manchester-united-job-to-return-to-chelsea
Yes this is what I heard at the time, Sir Bobby favoured a British manager plus Jose's toxic character came into question
It was only the season before that he was suspended for poking the Barca boss in the eye
I don't believe that Moyes was Fergie's first choice, more the one that no other director objected to
Read Fergies book especially the timeline of events and tell me if you still think it's bollocks. Remember SAF only came out with that Moyes was 5th choice stuff after it went tits up for Moyes.
He spoke to Pep at lunch in NY in December 2012, in his own words he didn't know he was retiring at that point. This was before his sister in laws death, Pep confirms he wasn't offered a job at the lunch and by that time he was already going to Bayern anyway.
Fergie decides over Xmas 2012 he's retiring, doesn't tell the Gill until late February 2013 and club shortly after. In early February though he advised Moyes not to renew his Everton contract because in his words if he'd renewed his contract ''it would make it more difficult for United''. It always struck me as ood that nobody found it funny the one year in over a decade that Moyes was going to be out of contract at Everton just happened to be the same year Alex Ferguson finally decided to retire. What an amazing coincidence.
And then Saf didn't do the rounds to speak to Ancelotti or Klopp until late April 2013, Klopp says he wasn't offered a job and neither did Ancelotti really. This was obviously part of a due dilligence exercise on behalf of the club to see if anyone was actually available for the next year so late in the season. Unsurprisingly none of the top managers were available because they'd already all agreed to go to new clubs.
Once SAF decided to retire I believe he was his first choice yes. He might not have been the clubs first choice but then the club left it to SAF to appoint his own successor.
The posters over here take Mourinho's subsequent jobs as proof that he was wrong, while forgetting that he had to take those jobs due to the PR hit from his stay at United.
One of the reasons he is hated is that he held up a mirror. Same with Ragnick.
But still, 5 years and 3 managers laters, he is still being viewed as a cnut.
One of the reasons he is hated is that he held up a mirror. Same with Ragnick.
But still, 5 years and 3 managers laters, he is still being viewed as a cnut.
I don't know. He said retirement in 2012 was an option, until the way we lost the league changed that.
Ferguson had a legacy to preserve, why else would he pick Moyes.
Somehow I always doubted the idea that a club that sought the likes of Pep, Mourinho, Ancelotti and Klopp, ended up saying "Just did it to Moyes for six years".
Didn’t fergie want klopp originally but he wanted to stay at Dortmund for another year.
I think he was hoping Moyes could be another version of him. Same nationality. Coming from a smaller club. He was a believer of giving chances to someone he thought earned it.
Indeed.
Klopp was never offered the job. In 2013 anyway.
For those thinking that Pep was an option - pretty sure he was never interested. Sir Alex has mentioned in multiple interviews that he wanted to speak to Pep about the role but he never returned his calls.
In hindsight maybe, but you are talking about one of the most successful managers of all time, you'd be nuts not to take serious note of what he suggested
Gil??
Because Fergie knew what many of us said all along, that Mourinho is a grade a Cnut who wasn’t fit to manage manager Utd. He didn’t believe in our history, or philosophy and success is still secondary to those things. At Utd it’s not enough to win, you should win playing the right way and acting the right way. Mourinho (and his cult of fans) never understood that. If the choice was presented to me again I’d still pick Moyes 10/10.
Not picking Mourinho is a fine and commendable choice, but going for Moyes instead, well ... He's quite Scottish, is he not? That's something.