Fergie tipped for key Utd role

21 Nov, 2021 - 00:11 0 Views
Fergie tipped for key Utd role

The Sunday Mail

Ferguson should become Man United’s director of football: Jeff Powell

The powers that be at Manchester United can’t see the wood for the trees.

Too many cooks are spoiling the broth.

They are so close to the problem that they fail to recognise the answer staring them in the face.

It is time for the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson to become director of football at Manchester United.

There is no one better equipped to take the role and help Ole Gunnar Solskjaer than Ferguson

Go with whichever cliche you like. They all apply to the masters of this particular universe.

Not least this one: The elephant is in the room. Although this magnificent beast is not so much in the boardroom at Old Trafford as sitting next to the directors at most matches.

It goes by the name of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson has been forced to watch on helplessly during United’s losses to Liverpool and City

It is nothing less than preposterous that the greatest football manager of all time is not being asked to impose his unsurpassed wealth of knowledge and galvanising force of personality against the slump now besetting the club he loves.

It is absolutely ridiculous that the task of reasserting United as one of the mightiest powers of the global game is being entrusted to a gaggle of good old boys and middle management suits.

While it would be asking too much of Ferguson to return to the stress of full-on duties, no matter how complete his recovery from that life-threatening brain haemorrhage, surely he is the man to bring oversight to a much-needed salvage operation.

Has there ever been anyone better equipped to ease himself into the role of Director of Football than Fergie? The over-riding remits of that position are to assist the manager to trophy-laden success with the first team and help identify and recruit the stars to make that possible.

The all-time great has tried not to show that he is squirming inside due to the club’s failures

Yet according to most accounts Sir Alex is barely, if ever, engaged in such discussions, while that position itself is occupied by – er — John Murtough.

John who, the fretful supporters ask? Apparently Mr Murtough is quite well liked by the players at Old Trafford but he is more an establishment figure.

Once in charge of player development at the Premier League, whatever on earth that may mean, he was promoted earlier this year from his job as joint head of Academy and recruitment with United’s women’s team.

Below him come ex-player Darren Fletcher as Technical Director, then somebodies called Mick Court as technical chief scout, Matt Judge as director of transfer negotiations and Justin Cochrane as head of first team player development.

Two more of the Old Trafford faithful, Mike Phelan and Michael Carrick, as well as Kieran McKenna are the first team coaches.

Worthy gentleman, no doubt. But while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs all the high-powered help he can get, Sir Alex sits watching humiliation by Liverpool and damage limitation surrender to Manchester City . . . while trying not to show how much he is squirming inside.

Should the great man be called upon at this time of crisis, when even yesterday’s visit to Watford looks fraught with anxiety? Frankly, it’s a no-brainer.

But don’t just harken to me. Ask Bryan Robson, who eulogises Fergie in his splendid movie Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story which goes on release at Manchester’s Home Cinema next week then on Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and Blu-Ray.

He answers: “The question is why not? The Gaffer has so much more to offer”. — dailymail.co.uk

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