Some of football’s biggest and best minds are either no longer with us or aren’t involved in the game anymore, but even with that being the case, it can still be nice to look back and reflect on what they accomplished. The legends of this game make up the core of the sport we all know and love, and as a result, putting a little bit of respect on their name isn’t the worst idea in the world.
One such man that deserves a lot of praise for what he’s done over the years is Sir Alex Ferguson. The former Manchester United boss single-handedly picked the club up, dusted them off, and turned them into an absolute juggernaut of European football once again. It was a pretty stellar achievement given some of the squads that he had to work with, and to this day he’s still considered to be one of the greatest managers in the history of football.
When he left Old Trafford it’s safe to say that nobody really knew what to expect from the future, because the past had just been so unbelievably lucrative. What followed, of course, was nothing short of a disaster.
David Moyes
Even if you’re his biggest critic, there’s no way of denying that David Moyes drew the short end of the straw when he took over from Fergie. He was probably the right man for the job at the time, but that just didn’t matter. He wasn’t given substantial enough backing, and despite having better results than some of those who followed him, he was dismissed much earlier than he should’ve been. Time is an important thing in football, and Moyes should’ve been given more of it.
Ryan Giggs
‘Give it Giggsy until the end of the season’. Famous words, but in the end, not a bad idea. Giggs did a solid enough job with his time in temporary charge of the club, but it was probably still the right decision to go with someone more experienced. In a few years, after his time in the Wales job, maybe he’ll be in with a good shout.
Louis van Gaal
As amusing as some of his press conferences and little anecdotes were, Louis van Gaal still isn’t the most inspiring of managers – at least, not for Manchester United. He spent big money but there was still no heart to the team, and he was dismissed almost as quickly as he was brought in.
Jose Mourinho
He said that finishing second place in the Premier League with the squad that he had at Old Trafford was one of his greatest achievements. We all laughed, but as it turns out, The Special One seems to have been right all along.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The bookmakers were fairly split on whether or not this would be a good appointment, and at this moment in time, it’s a bit mixed really. The Norwegian started off well but United’s end of season collapse has been fairly dramatic, as they only won two of their last 12 games. Can they turn things around in the summer? We’ll have to wait and see.
