Nate’s 9: Moyes’ Replacements
I only do
this in jest; honestly I was actually preparing up a different topic for “Nate’s
9”, when I couldn’t get United’s season out of my head. It’s been frustrating to say the least, and I’m
not quite mentally prepared for this being my last season as a passionate
fan. So why not dream? Before the season began, I did have David Moyes
high on my own personal list. He had a
solid run with Everton for 11 seasons, built the club from within, and always
seemed to do well blending purchases with the players that had come up through
the club. It was very similar to the
United project, albeit on a smaller scale.
Outside of maybe Jose Mourinho and one or two other guys, he was
definitely qualified enough to handle a club like United. Or so we thought. I’m not sure what the deal is with the
experienced players of the club, but in most any football fan’s eyes, there is
something not right between the players and manager of the club. I am not going to do any speculating, but I
feel like I know which side of the line players are on. That being said, I’m going to have a little
fun and select the managers I wish would take the sideline if the Glazers did
decide to pull the trigger early, and give David Moyes the papers.
#9. Jurgen Klopp. I
love the guy. Not just for what he has
done for Borussia Dortmund, but just his demeanor in general. His players love playing for him, and I think
he’s the only reason why Robert Lewandowski stayed as long as he did. He could’ve pushed for Bayern last year if he
had so chosen. I think Jurgen is ready for the big time job, but I’m not sure he
wants to leave Borussia just yet. I’m okay
with that.
#8. Guus Hiddink. This
guy is probably one of the few managers in the world that can just walk into a
job and succeed. He’d probably have
United 4th by the end of the year.
Doesn’t really have any Premier League loyalties either, which would be
nice. I assume he’s the kind of guy that follows the money though.
#7. Fabio Capello. Very smart, and I don’t think you would
see this lack of motivation if Capello was running United. It appeared that he was running a tight camp
when he was with England, even if he occasionally got the tactics wrong.
(Parker instead of Milner?). Might offend some players by not selecting them,
but how is that any different now?
#6. Harry Redknapp. I always
thought of him as interesting guy. Never
seemed to do the greatest, but his players sure enjoyed playing for him. A lot of players (Defoe, Crouch, Lennon) were
at their best when he was pulling the strings.
And he’d make for a great press conference too.
#5. Marcello Lippi. I
know that he’s kind of at his end as a manager in the game, but I think he’s
about as close to Alex Ferguson as we’ll ever see. He always had tricks up his sleeve, whether
it be with a soundbite through the media or with motivating an uninspired
player (see 2006 Italian national team, any). I know that he’s in China right
now, but I think if United came calling he’d give them a year or 3. For as “boring” as his tactics may be, he
sure does win a lot.
#4. Michael Laudrup.
When he first signed for Swansea City, I thought they got a steal. He
was one of the first players that really grew on me; his playing style is attractive
and fluid. I thought if he got Swansea
to play similar to how he and the Danish sides grew up playing, they could
contend for trophies. Which they
did. I’m not sure why he got fired, but
I think in the right situation he could be one of the great managers of our
day.
#3 Laurent Blanc. He
was one of my favorite players to ever play for United, and he had that
inquisitive style to his game that I thought would translate well in
management. In a way, I’ve been right as
his career has blossomed at Bordeaux, followed by a stint with the French
National Team, and now with PSG. He has
them firing on all cylinders, and he was one of the 2 that I really thought
United should have taken a look at along with David Moyes.
#2. Jose Mourinho. The
other manager I thought United might want to have a chat with. For all his imperfections, he wins wherever
he goes, and the team enjoys playing for him. (And the guys who don’t are gone
in months). I think that he would have used United like a puppet, but I would’ve
been okay with that (the press wars, managerial battles, etc). The guy just
contends for titles, and you can’t deny his results. Plus we could’ve gotten the “Special One”
skits back.
#1. Roberto Mancini. He was nowhere near my radar as recent
as 6 months ago. I thought he was
arrogant, manipulative, and headstrong.
Now I wish we had a manager that had those traits. For as much as I might have been annoyed with
his managerial maneuvers at City, and all his flapping about United, the job
that he did there with those personalities and the pressure from the top was absolutely
incredible. The year they won the title
they were 8 points down with a month to go, and he got a team with Carlos Tevez,
Mario Balotelli, Samir Nasri etc to buckle down and produce results until they
were on top. Over Ferguson’s powerful
engine no less. That year has stayed
with me, and now I would be remiss, if I didn’t see how excellent Mancini was in being able to win that title. Runner up in domestic league and cup wasn't a bad way to go out last season either.
He might go far with Galatasaray this year as well, stay tuned…
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