Who should be next Man United manager

[yellowcard]

I honestly can't believe that some Man Utd fans want Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Butt or some combination of all of them as managers of Man Utd. In my opinion it is a completely romantic notion that is totally flawed. Very few top class players make great managers. Guardiola and Ancelotti are 2 notable exceptions but Guardiola is a well cultured individual whose appetite for self learning is almost limitless. He is a complete obsessive about the game. The likes of Giggs, Neville, Scholes etc were very good players but aren't well cultured players (typical of English players in general) and have had a very cocooned footballing career spent in one single environment. Look at the likes of Rodgers and Martinez, two of the best young managers in the English game and of similar age to Giggs. They have spent years working in different coaching and managerial environments and travelled around the continent to help develop and form their ideas. If Man Utd were to take a gamble on a younger manager (which I don't think they can afford this time) then they could do much worse than Martinez. But Giggs? Most certainly not. Even the likes of Hughes, Keane, Bruce etc would be much better equipped to take the job since they have managerial experience with differing degrees of success.     

[Kidder81]

I think Hughes is the best manager of the ex-United players but he has no chance as Ferguson fell out with him.

[EC Unique]

I honestly can't believe that some Man Utd fans want Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Butt or some combination of all of them as managers of Man Utd. In my opinion it is a completely romantic notion that is totally flawed. Very few top class players make great managers. Guardiola and Ancelotti are 2 notable exceptions but Guardiola is a well cultured individual whose appetite for self learning is almost limitless. He is a complete obsessive about the game. The likes of Giggs, Neville, Scholes etc were very good players but aren't well cultured players (typical of English players in general) and have had a very cocooned footballing career spent in one single environment. Look at the likes of Rodgers and Martinez, two of the best young managers in the English game and of similar age to Giggs. They have spent years working in different coaching and managerial environments and travelled around the continent to help develop and form their ideas. If Man Utd were to take a gamble on a younger manager (which I don't think they can afford this time) then they could do much worse than Martinez. But Giggs? Most certainly not. Even the likes of Hughes, Keane, Bruce etc would be much better equipped to take the job since they have managerial experience with differing degrees of success.     

I agree but would like to see Gary Neville involved with the new manager (a proven winner like Van Gaal). He is Utd to the core and only wants the best for the club. He obviously understands the game extremely well and also understands the Utd way of playing the game ie attack minded. He dropped many hints during the year that Utd were not playing the way they are used to.

[nrico2006]

I wouldn't want them as manager, but having them involved in the backroom team would be a good move.  Bringing back an experienced head like Rene would also help.  As for cultred managers, Giggs hasn't been afforded the luxury to swan around Europe studying coaching as his playing career has been so successful and long.  I still have reservations about how good a manager Guardiola is.  He inherited an unbelievable Barcelona squad and has done likewise with Munich. 

[muppet]

I wonder is the talk of Roy Keane just a big stick being used to scare the laving daylights out of certain current squad members?

[rodney trotter]

Michael Laudrup hasn't done enough to even be considered.  Sacked recently by Swansea says it all.  Klopp is another non runner as he hasn't the experience yet for the role.

Non runner? He would be very much a runner if hadn't signed a new deal last October. You wanted him as Utd manager on the Utd thread, what has changed your mind?

[yellowcard]

I agree that Neville strikes me as an intelligent man on television and could be a very good sounding board for a new manager. He also has a bit of distance between the players that Giggs doesn't have yet. However the idea that Giggs or Neville can be taken in to work alongside the manager and then take over in 3 or 4 years time is another romantic notion. Firstly, it depends on the success of the new regime and his assocaition with it and secondly he will still never have managed at any level let alone a club of the scale of man Utd. 

As for the doubts over Guardiola, what more would he have to achieve to convince? His success at Barcelona was phenomenal and they have never hit the same heights since he left the club. Those years watching Barcelona will go down as a golden era for football. He has won the Budesliga by a country mile and is two games away from doing what no other club has done by retaining the Champions League and 3 games away from winning the treble in his first season in charge.

[nrico2006]

I agree that Neville strikes me as an intelligent man on television and could be a very good sounding board for a new manager. He also has a bit of distance between the players that Giggs doesn't have yet. However the idea that Giggs or Neville can be taken in to work alongside the manager and then take over in 3 or 4 years time is another romantic notion. Firstly, it depends on the success of the new regime and his assocaition with it and secondly he will still never have managed at any level let alone a club of the scale of man Utd. 

As for the doubts over Guardiola, what more would he have to achieve to convince? His success at Barcelona was phenomenal and they have never hit the same heights since he left the club. Those years watching Barcelona will go down as a golden era for football. He has won the Budesliga by a country mile and is two games away from doing what no other club has done by retaining the Champions League and 3 games away from winning the treble in his first season in charge.

Guadiola picked up a team that had the majority of the key players that enabled Barcelona to be very successful from 09-12, to say that they haven't been as successful since is more due to the natural progression of a team who have peaked and are now past their best, which could be seen to start in Guardiolas last season.  He took over a Munich team that had cleaned up last year so is it that big a surprise that given the addition of a few quality players he has basically done nearly the same with them this year?  Lets see how he does with a team that isn't at the pinnacle of European football.

[yellowcard]

I agree that Neville strikes me as an intelligent man on television and could be a very good sounding board for a new manager. He also has a bit of distance between the players that Giggs doesn't have yet. However the idea that Giggs or Neville can be taken in to work alongside the manager and then take over in 3 or 4 years time is another romantic notion. Firstly, it depends on the success of the new regime and his assocaition with it and secondly he will still never have managed at any level let alone a club of the scale of man Utd. 

As for the doubts over Guardiola, what more would he have to achieve to convince? His success at Barcelona was phenomenal and they have never hit the same heights since he left the club. Those years watching Barcelona will go down as a golden era for football. He has won the Budesliga by a country mile and is two games away from doing what no other club has done by retaining the Champions League and 3 games away from winning the treble in his first season in charge.

Guadiola picked up a team that had the majority of the key players that enabled Barcelona to be very successful from 09-12, to say that they haven't been as successful since is more due to the natural progression of a team who have peaked and are now past their best, which could be seen to start in Guardiolas last season.  He took over a Munich team that had cleaned up last year so is it that big a surprise that given the addition of a few quality players he has basically done nearly the same with them this year?  Lets see how he does with a team that isn't at the pinnacle of European football.

Sounds like you are ACTIVELY trying to seek out reasons why he is not a great manager. And Barcelona weren't at the pinnacle of European football when he took them over, he had a split dressing room and a fine collection of under achieving players. It was Guardiola that raised them to that level in the space of his first season. If he became available in the morning, the majority of Man Utd fans would want him at the club in a heartbeat and that says it all really. 

[nrico2006]

I agree that Neville strikes me as an intelligent man on television and could be a very good sounding board for a new manager. He also has a bit of distance between the players that Giggs doesn't have yet. However the idea that Giggs or Neville can be taken in to work alongside the manager and then take over in 3 or 4 years time is another romantic notion. Firstly, it depends on the success of the new regime and his assocaition with it and secondly he will still never have managed at any level let alone a club of the scale of man Utd. 

As for the doubts over Guardiola, what more would he have to achieve to convince? His success at Barcelona was phenomenal and they have never hit the same heights since he left the club. Those years watching Barcelona will go down as a golden era for football. He has won the Budesliga by a country mile and is two games away from doing what no other club has done by retaining the Champions League and 3 games away from winning the treble in his first season in charge.

Guadiola picked up a team that had the majority of the key players that enabled Barcelona to be very successful from 09-12, to say that they haven't been as successful since is more due to the natural progression of a team who have peaked and are now past their best, which could be seen to start in Guardiolas last season.  He took over a Munich team that had cleaned up last year so is it that big a surprise that given the addition of a few quality players he has basically done nearly the same with them this year?  Lets see how he does with a team that isn't at the pinnacle of European football.

Sounds like you are ACTIVELY trying to seek out reasons why he is not a great manager. And Barcelona weren't at the pinnacle of European football when he took them over, he had a split dressing room and a fine collection of under achieving players. It was Guardiola that raised them to that level in the space of his first season. If he became available in the morning, the majority of Man Utd fans would want him at the club in a heartbeat and that says it all really.

I just think that the great managers have came in and transformed average to poor teams into great teams.  Fergie did it, Mourinho did it but Guardiola hasn't.  Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol etc were at Barcelona when he took over.  I'm not saying he didn't improve them or have an influence but he didn't build that team.  They had won the Champions League not long before Guardiola took over as well with a team that had a great profile age wise. 

[Minder]

I agree that Neville strikes me as an intelligent man on television and could be a very good sounding board for a new manager. He also has a bit of distance between the players that Giggs doesn't have yet. However the idea that Giggs or Neville can be taken in to work alongside the manager and then take over in 3 or 4 years time is another romantic notion. Firstly, it depends on the success of the new regime and his assocaition with it and secondly he will still never have managed at any level let alone a club of the scale of man Utd. 

As for the doubts over Guardiola, what more would he have to achieve to convince? His success at Barcelona was phenomenal and they have never hit the same heights since he left the club. Those years watching Barcelona will go down as a golden era for football. He has won the Budesliga by a country mile and is two games away from doing what no other club has done by retaining the Champions League and 3 games away from winning the treble in his first season in charge.

Guadiola picked up a team that had the majority of the key players that enabled Barcelona to be very successful from 09-12, to say that they haven't been as successful since is more due to the natural progression of a team who have peaked and are now past their best, which could be seen to start in Guardiolas last season.  He took over a Munich team that had cleaned up last year so is it that big a surprise that given the addition of a few quality players he has basically done nearly the same with them this year?  Lets see how he does with a team that isn't at the pinnacle of European football.

Sounds like you are ACTIVELY trying to seek out reasons why he is not a great manager. And Barcelona weren't at the pinnacle of European football when he took them over, he had a split dressing room and a fine collection of under achieving players. It was Guardiola that raised them to that level in the space of his first season. If he became available in the morning, the majority of Man Utd fans would want him at the club in a heartbeat and that says it all really.

I just think that the great managers have came in and transformed average to poor teams into great teams.  Fergie did it, Mourinho did it but Guardiola hasn't.  Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol etc were at Barcelona when he took over.  I'm not saying he didn't improve them or have an influence but he didn't build that team.  They had won the Champions League not long before Guardiola took over as well with a team that had a great profile age wise.

2006 Champions League winning line up

Valdés (GK)
Márquez
Puyol (C)
Giuly
Eto'o
Ronaldinho   
van Bronckhorst   
Edmílson
van Bommel
Deco
Oleguer

2009 Champions League final winning lineup

Valdes
Puyol
Toure Yaya
Pique
Sylvinho
Xavi
Busquets
Iniesta
Messi
Eto'o
Henry

When Guardiola took over in 2008 Barcelona had finished La Liga in third place, 10 points behind Villareal and 18 points behind winners Real Madrid, it's continually baffling why some of you United supporters don't give Guardiola credit for transforming not just a team but a club.

[smort]

Seen an interview the other day where Guillem Balagué credited Van Gaal for the transformation of Barcelona over the last decade.

[muppet]

2009 Champions League final winning lineup

Valdes
Puyol
Toure Yaya
Pique
Sylvinho
Xavi
Busquets
Iniesta
Messi
Eto'o
Henry

When Guardiola took over in 2008 Barcelona had finished La Liga in third place, 10 points behind Villareal and 18 points behind winners Real Madrid, it's continually baffling why some of you United supporters don't give Guardiola credit for transforming not just a team but a club.

How did this team line out?

3 at the back?

[Minder]

2009 Champions League final winning lineup

Valdes
Puyol
Toure Yaya
Pique
Sylvinho
Xavi
Busquets
Iniesta
Messi
Eto'o
Henry

When Guardiola took over in 2008 Barcelona had finished La Liga in third place, 10 points behind Villareal and 18 points behind winners Real Madrid, it's continually baffling why some of you United supporters don't give Guardiola credit for transforming not just a team but a club.

How did this team line out?

3 at the back?

Can't remember but I think Toure played as a centre back ? With Puyol RB.

[nrico2006]

The point was that Barcelona were there or thereabouts at the top of the pile in Europe when Guardiola took over.  The guts of the 2009 team were already at the club when he took over.  From the 2006 squad, you had Valdes, Puyol, Sylvinho, Xavi, Iniesta and Eto'o in the 2009 team.  Add into that the like of Messi and Busquets who were already at the club in 2006 but were just too young.  I honestly don't see why Guardiola is so highly regarded.  Until he transforms a team we really don't know how good a manager he is.  At the minute I would rate Mourinho as the best in the business.