Enzo Calzaghe just can't keep his mouth shut

Not since the Liverpool era, realistically

The transition from number two to head honcho is mind bogglngly huge

In fact having been number 2 hugely detracts from your ability to be number one

 

I used to go to Old Trafford with my mates when he first took over (I hate Man U by the way, just born in the wrong place)

And I (and my mates) were convinced United would NEVER win the title in our lifetime, it seemed that remote a possibility

Trust me, Ferguson is te key to that club, barren years could easily follow when he leaves

 

With the spending power of United and the size of their global fanbase it's hard to see them not at least maintaining some degree of success post Ferguson providing they get a capable manager which I assume they will.

It's a different game from when say Liverpool fell from grace. And their fall coincided with the appointment of Graeme Souness who is every bit as bad a manager as he is good a player. He rocked that clubs tradition to its core: one that had been based on evolution (the old 'boot room' where guys graduated from within the club to become managers, players reared up in the reserves before thrown in the deep end etc) by trying to change too much too soon which was disastorous.

Queiroz wouldn't do that I don't think and I believe United are going to follow the old Liverpool template: Solskaer is on the coaching staff and Ferguson anticipates Neville and Giggs will follow in his foot steps.

EDIT: Souness is good, good, good as a player! ****, ****, **** as a manager!

 

???

Souness was an exquisite player.

United had the spending power throughout the 80's, 70's, 60's 50's...

Spending power will keep you therebaouts but it takes extraordinary management to lift the sliverware repeatedly, in my opinion

 

I missed out the word 'good' I rever Souness as a player: Im Scottish and I follow Liverpool.

 

Hehe I did wonder what planet you were on

He was a great player, a great captain

Under appreciated by the Scots though, from what I read, like Hansen

Any truth in that?

 

Maybe if he had Fergusons money to spend......

 

He'd buy Reyes, Jeffers, Wright, Van Bronchorst etc

Wenger gets money every year and refuses to spend most of it.

You can't underestimate the pressure of being expected to win the title...Wenger doesn't really have this pressure.

 

Im pretty young (20) so I wasn't around to actually watch Souness as he was playing so im not so sure. Hansen is certainly under appreciated: he earned a paltry number of caps (26) considering the extent of his talent. This I believe was due to the unwillingness on the part of Scottish managers like Stein and even Ferguson when he was briefly in charge to break up the Aberdeen partnership of Miller and McLeish at CB - so Hansen was underappreciated then. His case has hardly been helped by what seems to be his pandering to the English down south as a pundit.

Souness is rated highly I believe by Scotland fans. If he is slightly underappreciated up here I believe it's due hugely to his links to Rangers and thus his alienation from the best supported club in the country, Celtic. However in the media he is held in some esteem and also by most of my Dad's generation. It has to be said though that you probably have a point: guys like Billy Bremner, Jimmy Johnstone, Jim Baxter and also Kenny Dalglish do seem to be rated higher. For me, he is underappreciated: he's rated but not nearly highly enough as he is one of the best midfielders in British football history.

 

Yup. Ferguson has had flops too, but thats just it: arrogant Wenger refuses to spend money now that he has it. What was it he said a few months back that he wouldn't have any other player in his squad as it would spoil morale and 'we have grown together'? This was just after the inevitable collapse had began in the title race and was hilariously funny given that Chelsea and Man U had caught them and overtaken them. The point was hammered home when Liverpool sent them packing in the CL - they weren't good enough and NEEDED to buy top class players.

Besides others in his team don't give a **** about growing together. Flamini(probably the best player in the team last year) is off and Hleb is going to follow him soon. People are waking up to what Ive been saying for years: Wenger is all style and no substance. Look at his success or lack of for proof of this.

 

TBH I dont follow the sport as much these days, but pre-Campbell Arsenal had a low budget and had a strict lower wages policy.

They still dont have the financial clout of Man U/Chelsea

Yes Wenger has bought some turkeys in his time but lets not forget his diamonds: Henry, Viera, Petit, etc etc, and those players came from nothing to stardom. And both Man U and Chelsea have bought turkeys, both bought Veron after all :yep