It is an exchange that comes to mind when considering how Sir Alex Ferguson's assistants at Manchester United have fared after leaving him to try their hand at management. If life was simple, then it would naturally follow that the privilege of working with the greatest manager of all time would be an advantage. Yet, as Brian Kidd, Carlos Queiroz and, admittedly to a lesser extent, Steve McClaren have found out, not everyone is cut out to be the boss or reach the top. It takes a certain type of character to succeed in the big chair, a level of ruthlessness that most people dare not contemplate.
Manchester United confirm departure of coach René Meulensteen
26 Jun 2013
Perhaps the thought has crossed René Meulensteen's mind. Meulensteen is bright and clearly has plenty to offer behind the scenes but, as with many of Ferguson's assistants, he thought he was destined for bigger things. Having been promoted to first-team coach, he left when David Moyes was appointed, accepting the manager's job at Anzhi Makhachkala. He lasted 16 days, returned to England and joined Fulham as Martin Jol's No2, before replacing his fellow Dutchman when Jol was fired in December. But results have remained dire. Fulham are bottom of the Premier League and the abject 1-0 defeat in their FA Cup replay at home to Sheffield United on Tuesday has left Meulensteen on the brink. Not as easy as you might think, this management lark.
Ominously for Meulensteen, he would not be the first member of Ferguson's backroom staff to underwhelm as a manager. Maybe that is not a surprise. The knowledge gained from working by Ferguson's side probably helps in a job interview, yet managers often struggle in their first jobs and that association instantly raises expectations, making it more noticeable when they fail. Didn't they listen to anything he said?
Ferguson never believed that Kidd was cut out for management, a point he witheringly made in his first autobiography, and he was vindicated when his former No2 took Blackburn Rovers down in 1999 after his mid-season departure from United. Kidd is now a coach at Manchester City, while Queiroz has had forgettable spells in charge of Real Madrid and Portugal and will manage Iran at the World Cup.
It is not impossible to make the step up. Ferguson was adamant McClaren would succeed when he left for Middlesbrough in 2001, yet his career has been inconsistent. Now managing in the Championship with Derby County, McClaren won the League Cup with Middlesbrough and the Dutch title with FC Twente but he was sacked by Wolfsburg, resigned at Nottingham Forest and is mainly remembered as the Wally with the Brolly, the man who failed to take England to Euro 2008.
Then there is Mike Phelan, Ferguson's No2 in his final five years at Old Trafford. He has said he wants to be a manager and was linked with the Wigan Athletic job in December but he has been out of work since last summer, and in a bizarre interview in November he claimed he was just as responsible for United's success as Ferguson. Everyone thinks they can be the boss. Until they do it, that is.
"With the way things have gone, my first thoughts are to be the boss, yeah," Phelan said. "It's the progression for me now. That's what I've been doing for the last five years, albeit with the title of assistant boss. He [Ferguson] was the head of the establishment, there's no doubt about it and rightly so. He didn't get to where he's got through not being a big decision-maker but he'll be the first to admit that a lot of people played their part in that."
Maybe Phelan will need that self-belief. Yet it also hints at an overestimation of his abilities, a failure to recognise that while he was a key cog in a winning machine, the man who made sure it did not grind to a halt was Ferguson. He had help but that is a strength, not a weakness.
Final twist brings United glory again
22 May 2008
One theory is that Ferguson exercised too much control for his coaches to grow but that does not wash. He was rarely a major presence on the training field as time wore on and Queiroz was allowed great freedom – while he was unloved by supporters for his defensiveness, they also knew that his precise coaching was critical when United won the Champions League in 2008.
There is a difference between coaching and managing, however. What made Ferguson special is that he understands what makes people tick, a priceless skill that allows a manager to extract every last drop of sweat from his players. José Mourinho is the same. André Villas-Boas, on the other hand, might have plenty of worthy tactical ideas but his lack of man-management skills may always hold him back.
That is not the charge against Meulensteen. Indeed, part of his reputation is built around working with players on a personal basis and he was admired by Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie. Both forwards benefited hugely from his advice. Whether that makes him a manager is debatable.
Meulensteen, a lover of attacking football, is also excellent with youngsters and Fulham have been encouraged by the way he has integrated a number of talented players from their impressive academy into training with the first team. Yet that does not mean he knows how to manage senior players or how to organise a team to defend properly. Fulham have conceded 32 goals in his 15 matches and he has lost eight of his 11 league matches, leading to reports that he could soon be replaced by Alan Curbishley, the club's technical director.
The Dutchman is probably lucky still to be in a job after the debacle against Sheffield United but he has clung on and takes his Fulham side to Old Trafford on Sunday. Will it be an emotional occasion? Probably not. Yet as Meulensteen looks around, he may find himself wondering if it was a mistake to leave.
This blog is powered by: http://visitwebpages.info/paypalchecks
