FL4ZGN
10-12-2005, 04:06 PM
1) Lack of success
(And boy does it taste bad!). Let's face it the last five years have
been a disaster - third, first, third, third, .... ? One FA Cup and
embarrassing failure after embarrassing failure in Europe. And let's
be honest about it, United's win in the Premiership in 2003 was more
to do with the Arsenal team choking than any great football from
United. The European Cup has been even worse - since victory in 1999
United haven't even looked like winning the tournament again. One
semi-final and that is it. Simply not good enough. In fact it's a
record that would have got any other United manager sacked.; Ron
Atkinson did better in his five years at the club for example. But
Fergie has been trading on the past all this time. Indeed many fans
still hark back to his record - fantastic as it is. He IS United's
most successful ever manager but that was achieved between 1992 and
2000. Nothing done since has added to his legacy in any meaningful
way. It's just no good living in the past.
2) Failure to replace Keane
It's not as if Fergie hasn't had some warning - as each year has gone
by, Keane has become a year older. It's biology 101 Fergie! Not only
older but more fragile, more prone to injury, more frustrated with
Fergoz' bizare tactics... it led to the great Irishman's eventual
departure. Fergie did experiment of course - Pip Neville, Quinton
Fortune, John O'Shea and now Alan Smith have all been shoe-horned into
the defensive midfield position. None of them fundamentally understood
how to play it. How could they, none are defensive midfielders! It's
about more than running around, kicking whoever comes your way first.
Fergie could have signed a top class defensive midfielder but he
didn't. Instead he tried to do it on the cheap - Djemba-Djemba,
Kleberson, Liam Miller - or spunked the money elsewhere, neglecting a
real desperate need.
3) Falling out with key players
Jaap Stam should have been the heart of the Manchester United defence
for years. He's been a rock at Lazio and now Milan. Instead for one
minor indiscretion - a line in a book about meeting Fergie before his
transfer from PSV Eindhoven - Jip Jaap Staam was cast aside., sold on
to Lazio for a fee the Italian club never paid. It's not as if he'd
ever been a trouble maker or anything less than totally professional.
Jaap's replacement, Lauren Blanc, was a disaster. As good as Lauren
was at reading the game he was so slow even average players had to
measure of him. Then there was David Beckham - the world's best
crossed. The man who provided in Ruud's own words, "4 or 5 chances
every game." Yes, Beckham was rubbish in his final season at United.
Yes, he was getting deeper and deeper into the celebrity lifestyle
that was becoming an embarrassment to the club. And yes, United got a
decent fee in a depressed market. But Beckham has never been replaced,
not really. And Ruud van Nistelrooy has never been the same since.
4) Bringing back Quieroz / 4-5-1
He thinks the fans are "stupid" and he's the single biggest reason
that United have betrayed their attacking traditions - moving from
4-4-2, with wingers, goals and flair to the hated, dour, defensive,
insipid, boring-as-fuck 4-5-1 formation that insults the intelligence
of the fans. Quieroz has taken over training, tactics and analysis. He
doles out the information on matchday and takes the team-talks at
half-time. So influential has the Mozambiqian-Portuguese coach become
that it's almost as if Fergie has morphed with Quieroz - the dreaded
"Fergoz." Perhaps if 4-5-1 had worked the fans would have accepted it
but it hasn't. Ever. United haven't won a trophy playing that way and
aren't like to either. You have to score GOALS to win matched and
United just haven't been doing that that often enough. Yes, perhaps
the 4-4-2 has returned. Sort of. Although all too often United's
wingers are far too central. How many croses do they actually put it -
it can't be many. The fact is, even with 4-4-2 United think safety
first - all-the-time, everytime.
5) Postponing retirement
Let's be honest it was a terrible decision not just for the club but
for Ferguson personally. They say that all managers end in failure but
it didn't have to be that way. Sure United had finished third in 2002
when Fergie had originally planned to step down. Perhaps he didn't
want to end without a trophy. But he'd already booked his place in
United history, he couldn't possibly have achieved any more at the
club. In returning Ferguson has opened himself up to exactly the kind
of criticism he is receiving now.
6) Transfer market misery
The Past:
Bruce
Pallister
Schmeichel
Irwin
Cantona
Kanchelskis
The present:
Forlan
Bellion
Djemba-Djemba
Kleberson
Miller
Veron
Blanc
Ferdinand
Case closed.
7) Supporting Malcolm Glazer
Once upon a time in the Ferguson household Marx' rules applied. You
joined a union, you gave to charity, you looked after your own. Then
Ferguson got rich, he got lazy, he joined New Labour, he forgot about
his roots. Worse still he forgot about the fans. Once upon a time
Fergie said that American ownership would be bad, that "we don't need
anybody else in the club." Then the Americans took over and Fergie
changed his tuned. Shop steward Fergie crawled back into his hole and
"look-after-your-own-arse" Fergie slithered his way out. Admonishing
the demonstrating fans and demanding the Glazers be given a chance. A
fucking disgrace Fergie.
8) Insulting the fans
Red: You've fucked us over big time there Gill. I can't believe you've
sold us out.
Gill: (looks perplexed, doesn't know what to say. Enter Fergie)
Red: You've fucked us over too, you could've spoken out about it.
Fergie: I've got close mates who've been working with me here for 15
years. They come first in all this.
Red: So don't the fans come first?
Fergie: Well I suppose they do come somewhere.
Red: You what? That's well out of order.
Fergie: Well if you don't like it go and watch Chelsea.
Red: The fans have been screwed right over. It costs me £20-odd a
game now as it is.
Fergie: It costs more than that at Chelsea, go and watch them.
[Red storms off, and spots Ferdinand: "Oi you greedy cunt, how you
spending your pay rise?"]
Perhaps you can go watch Chelsea, Fergie. With your P45 in hand.
9) Darren "He's my love child" Fletcher
Alex Ferguson must be sleeping with Darren Fletcher. Either that or
he's banging the boy's mother. It's the only plausible explanation for
the young Scott getting in the team ahead of Ronaldo, Giggs and Park -
almost all the time. RANT doesn't like to slag off Fletcher for the
sake of it. The boy has had some decent games in the middle of the
park, but he's just terrible as a winger. No pace, no goals, no
crosses, no creativity. What the fuck Fergie?
10) Dignity
The last but most important reason for Fergie to go is his own
personal dignity. Don't let your reputation slide any further. Be
remember as the legend that your are. More seasons of failure, of
insipid, lack-lustre, uninspired, unimaginative and passionless
football and the fans will turn on you Alex. We're so grateful for
everything that you've done - from knocking Liverpool "off their
fucking perch" to that wonderful night in Barcelona five and a half
years ago. But your record over the last four and a half seasons just
isn't good enough and RANT for one doesn't believe it's about to get
any better. We love you Fergie, for your own sake please just go now.
Well, I guess no 4 and 6 sum it up the best, IMO. And you?
(And boy does it taste bad!). Let's face it the last five years have
been a disaster - third, first, third, third, .... ? One FA Cup and
embarrassing failure after embarrassing failure in Europe. And let's
be honest about it, United's win in the Premiership in 2003 was more
to do with the Arsenal team choking than any great football from
United. The European Cup has been even worse - since victory in 1999
United haven't even looked like winning the tournament again. One
semi-final and that is it. Simply not good enough. In fact it's a
record that would have got any other United manager sacked.; Ron
Atkinson did better in his five years at the club for example. But
Fergie has been trading on the past all this time. Indeed many fans
still hark back to his record - fantastic as it is. He IS United's
most successful ever manager but that was achieved between 1992 and
2000. Nothing done since has added to his legacy in any meaningful
way. It's just no good living in the past.
2) Failure to replace Keane
It's not as if Fergie hasn't had some warning - as each year has gone
by, Keane has become a year older. It's biology 101 Fergie! Not only
older but more fragile, more prone to injury, more frustrated with
Fergoz' bizare tactics... it led to the great Irishman's eventual
departure. Fergie did experiment of course - Pip Neville, Quinton
Fortune, John O'Shea and now Alan Smith have all been shoe-horned into
the defensive midfield position. None of them fundamentally understood
how to play it. How could they, none are defensive midfielders! It's
about more than running around, kicking whoever comes your way first.
Fergie could have signed a top class defensive midfielder but he
didn't. Instead he tried to do it on the cheap - Djemba-Djemba,
Kleberson, Liam Miller - or spunked the money elsewhere, neglecting a
real desperate need.
3) Falling out with key players
Jaap Stam should have been the heart of the Manchester United defence
for years. He's been a rock at Lazio and now Milan. Instead for one
minor indiscretion - a line in a book about meeting Fergie before his
transfer from PSV Eindhoven - Jip Jaap Staam was cast aside., sold on
to Lazio for a fee the Italian club never paid. It's not as if he'd
ever been a trouble maker or anything less than totally professional.
Jaap's replacement, Lauren Blanc, was a disaster. As good as Lauren
was at reading the game he was so slow even average players had to
measure of him. Then there was David Beckham - the world's best
crossed. The man who provided in Ruud's own words, "4 or 5 chances
every game." Yes, Beckham was rubbish in his final season at United.
Yes, he was getting deeper and deeper into the celebrity lifestyle
that was becoming an embarrassment to the club. And yes, United got a
decent fee in a depressed market. But Beckham has never been replaced,
not really. And Ruud van Nistelrooy has never been the same since.
4) Bringing back Quieroz / 4-5-1
He thinks the fans are "stupid" and he's the single biggest reason
that United have betrayed their attacking traditions - moving from
4-4-2, with wingers, goals and flair to the hated, dour, defensive,
insipid, boring-as-fuck 4-5-1 formation that insults the intelligence
of the fans. Quieroz has taken over training, tactics and analysis. He
doles out the information on matchday and takes the team-talks at
half-time. So influential has the Mozambiqian-Portuguese coach become
that it's almost as if Fergie has morphed with Quieroz - the dreaded
"Fergoz." Perhaps if 4-5-1 had worked the fans would have accepted it
but it hasn't. Ever. United haven't won a trophy playing that way and
aren't like to either. You have to score GOALS to win matched and
United just haven't been doing that that often enough. Yes, perhaps
the 4-4-2 has returned. Sort of. Although all too often United's
wingers are far too central. How many croses do they actually put it -
it can't be many. The fact is, even with 4-4-2 United think safety
first - all-the-time, everytime.
5) Postponing retirement
Let's be honest it was a terrible decision not just for the club but
for Ferguson personally. They say that all managers end in failure but
it didn't have to be that way. Sure United had finished third in 2002
when Fergie had originally planned to step down. Perhaps he didn't
want to end without a trophy. But he'd already booked his place in
United history, he couldn't possibly have achieved any more at the
club. In returning Ferguson has opened himself up to exactly the kind
of criticism he is receiving now.
6) Transfer market misery
The Past:
Bruce
Pallister
Schmeichel
Irwin
Cantona
Kanchelskis
The present:
Forlan
Bellion
Djemba-Djemba
Kleberson
Miller
Veron
Blanc
Ferdinand
Case closed.
7) Supporting Malcolm Glazer
Once upon a time in the Ferguson household Marx' rules applied. You
joined a union, you gave to charity, you looked after your own. Then
Ferguson got rich, he got lazy, he joined New Labour, he forgot about
his roots. Worse still he forgot about the fans. Once upon a time
Fergie said that American ownership would be bad, that "we don't need
anybody else in the club." Then the Americans took over and Fergie
changed his tuned. Shop steward Fergie crawled back into his hole and
"look-after-your-own-arse" Fergie slithered his way out. Admonishing
the demonstrating fans and demanding the Glazers be given a chance. A
fucking disgrace Fergie.
8) Insulting the fans
Red: You've fucked us over big time there Gill. I can't believe you've
sold us out.
Gill: (looks perplexed, doesn't know what to say. Enter Fergie)
Red: You've fucked us over too, you could've spoken out about it.
Fergie: I've got close mates who've been working with me here for 15
years. They come first in all this.
Red: So don't the fans come first?
Fergie: Well I suppose they do come somewhere.
Red: You what? That's well out of order.
Fergie: Well if you don't like it go and watch Chelsea.
Red: The fans have been screwed right over. It costs me £20-odd a
game now as it is.
Fergie: It costs more than that at Chelsea, go and watch them.
[Red storms off, and spots Ferdinand: "Oi you greedy cunt, how you
spending your pay rise?"]
Perhaps you can go watch Chelsea, Fergie. With your P45 in hand.
9) Darren "He's my love child" Fletcher
Alex Ferguson must be sleeping with Darren Fletcher. Either that or
he's banging the boy's mother. It's the only plausible explanation for
the young Scott getting in the team ahead of Ronaldo, Giggs and Park -
almost all the time. RANT doesn't like to slag off Fletcher for the
sake of it. The boy has had some decent games in the middle of the
park, but he's just terrible as a winger. No pace, no goals, no
crosses, no creativity. What the fuck Fergie?
10) Dignity
The last but most important reason for Fergie to go is his own
personal dignity. Don't let your reputation slide any further. Be
remember as the legend that your are. More seasons of failure, of
insipid, lack-lustre, uninspired, unimaginative and passionless
football and the fans will turn on you Alex. We're so grateful for
everything that you've done - from knocking Liverpool "off their
fucking perch" to that wonderful night in Barcelona five and a half
years ago. But your record over the last four and a half seasons just
isn't good enough and RANT for one doesn't believe it's about to get
any better. We love you Fergie, for your own sake please just go now.
Well, I guess no 4 and 6 sum it up the best, IMO. And you?