THE INQUEST CONTINUES
‘The Champions League failure against Porto made it feel as if the lights had been dimmed on Manchester United's season, yet the result also casts a pall over the past. Once the piercing regret has eased, the disappointment will invigorate arguments over the policies that have been pursued in recent years.
‘Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to ward off that morbid introspection on Tuesday night and there was a case for presenting United as victims of happenstance. Why, he implied, should anyone despair when a team are strafed by semi-random events in the last minute of a game which had until then gone satisfactorily?
‘United, by Ferguson's account, had been very fortunate to lose only 2-1 in the first leg, so there is no overall injustice to the outcome. It emphasised that, since the 1999 success in the Champions League, the team have become highclass drudges. There have been only three honours for them.
‘Since 1999, United's money has gushed into the transfer market as never before, but the standards of a team who are lagging in the Premiership at present have dipped as the influence of the homegrown element becomes
less pronounced.
‘So far, of the recent headline acquisitions, Ruud van Nistelrooy is alone in showing himself to be worthy of his fee. The United manager is trying to implant a youthful vibrancy in the line-up, by plucking fresh faces out of the reserves or, more commonly, the transfer market.
‘The past five years have not turned out as Ferguson dreamed. There is no present threat to his position, and the board, even as they winced at the legal action against Magnier, handed him a new, rolling contract. If the post were advertised tomorrow he would still be the best candidate to fill it, but he is indubitably ageing.
‘Another blank season to follow the one they endured as recently as 2002 will make it easier for the directors to envisage United without Ferguson.’
Telegraph:
‘It is still premature to say Ferguson bought badly last summer, but there is no doubt that the momentum of Beckham's departure has been lost. The lustre of a big decision made, the thrill of a gamble on something new, has been replaced by a new conservatism. United are on damage limitation duty, and it's the same old faces manning the defences.
‘When it came to picking the side that would overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit to Porto and keep alive United's hopes of winning the one competition that would compensate for their failings in the Premiership, Ferguson had a choice. To reach the quarter-finals he could go boldly with the new school of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kleberson, David Bellion and Louis Saha. ‘Or he could put his faith in the old guard, a group of players he has relied upon for the last eight years to get United out of many tight spots. It hardly needs pointing out that, in the end,
Ferguson chose Nicky Butt - a player he has alienated for most of the season - above Kleberson and relied on the Neville brothers to play out of position, and out of their skins, in his woefully understaffed defence.
‘When he looked at the completed team-sheet on Tuesday, no one will have needed to tell the United manager that this was not a side in exciting transition
but one that drew heavily on the past. Eric Djemba-Djemba's inclusion was an interesting punt that worked for one half. Darren Fletcher's struggles on the right were another vain attempt to fill Beckham's shoes.
‘Ferguson could not have picked a worse time to buy a squad that could take two more years to ripen. If Beckham's sale was the grand gesture intended to usher in the new generation then consider this season a false start. Last night's
team-sheet told you that the revolution is on hold.’
More from the Telegraph:
‘Ferguson has ripped apart and rebuilt teams before. He growls in the face of adversity. No one picks up the gauntlet of a rival more readily. The morning after Tuesday's nightmare against Porto, Ferguson was at his training-ground office early, plotting a revival. The 2004-05 pre-season began yesterday for United.
‘Yet no job in the business of football management can ever be a sinecure, not even a post filled so successfully for so long by Ferguson. United's manager must deliver next season. He should be given one summer transfer window to bring the right players in, to bed them in and bring a significant trophy in.
‘No real glamour pervades Old Trafford now, no box-office darling parades up and down the pitch in the magical manner of an Eric Cantona or David
Beckham. When those beloved past masters were present, match-nights felt like the Oscars, all red carpet and glittering icons. Ruud van Nistelrooy remains a class act - as do Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - but they never seem to scream that "the Theatre of Dreams is my stage, come watch me perform" as did Cantona and Beckham, two real showmen.
‘Losing Beckham was inevitable; not replacing him properly was unforgivable. Failing to reel in Ronaldinho has proved a hugely expensive mistake, one that should make United rethink the way they handle major, often sensitive negotiations.
‘Ferguson's team cry out for a strong personality, someone like a Ronaldinho who will give Ferguson headaches off the pitch and smiles on it. Situation vacant: An Idol.
‘Other areas require strengthening with expert imports, including an Italian-style stopper of the "they shalt not pass" class of Alessandro Nesta to bolster a defence devastated by Rio Ferdinand's suspension. Gary Neville excelled at centre-half against Porto but a truly worldclass defender should be written high up on Ferguson's shopping list.
‘In the midfield engine room, Ferguson must find a new dynamo as Roy Keane shows signs of rust. Liam Miller, another combative Irishman, may blossom into the role on arriving from Celtic, but Ferguson needs to think bigger and sooner. If Crufts boasted a best-in-show category for dogs of war, Edgar Davids would be in there fighting and Ferguson needs such winners. A Davids-type rottweiler is a must.
‘The outgoing champions may also need to rethink their summer plans on the pitch. United traditionally plan their year to have players peaking for the final lap. As this season has progressed, Ferguson's men have looked increasingly tired.
‘One cause may be last July's intense, if lucrative tour of the United States, comprising some high-tempo matches far removed from the usual leg-stretching, lung-clearing exercises of pre-season friendlies. Up to speed quickly,
United began the season well but going flat out caught up with them. That last-minute goal by Porto, when players were too tired to respond to a rebound, has destroyed United's season. Ferguson must get it right next year.’
Independent:
‘Sir Alex Ferguson's face said he was in shock, which in itself was no great surprise. But there was a more intriguing question and it concerned the true source of his despair. Expulsion from the European Cup - for the first time in eight years before the quarter-final stage - cannot have been such a surprise, given Manchester United's recent unconvincing form.
‘No, the big enquiry must be about what Ferguson was mourning precisely. The guess must be that it was something more profound than one defeat.
‘If Ferguson was indeed contemplating, maybe for the first time, the beginning of the end of his extraordinary ascendancy, it was certainly not so hard to identify some of the reasons why.
‘Last spring the Manchester United manager had every reason to believe that he had regained his winning touch. The one great folly of his career had been corrected. His decision to quit, and to announce his status as a lame-duck manager, had been revoked, and with that his authority had come flooding back. Or so it seemed.
‘Real Madrid could not be overcome in the European Cup it was true, but the Spanish club were in devastating form before running into Italian defensive discipline and in the Premiership title run-in United were able to apply, once again, crushing pressure on Arsenal.
‘Ferguson has always had optimism to a unique degree and now it had been once again confirmed and re-enforced.
‘Maybe this was why he decided to take on John Magnier and his financial might and unforgiving nature. Perhaps this was why he assumed he could easily replace the particular talents and the aura of Beckham. Whatever his thinking, it clearly didn't include the possibility that when things started to go wrong they would do so in an unbreakable rhythm.
‘On Tuesday night part of Ferguson's shock was no doubt that he had left such little room for the possibility of defeat. He never does. The prospect of losing, despite the 2-1 loss in Portugal, would inevitably have been remote in his mind. For so many managers defeat is always a possibility. The gods are always poised to gang up against them. For Ferguson defeat is in contrast an impertinence, an unpleasant surprise which permits little rational explanation at
least in terms of natural justice. Normally the unlikely defeat provokes bluster and accusation. The target is an incompetent official, an outrageously fortunate opponent. But there was something different in Ferguson this week, it seemed. His eyes did not blaze, they seemed to invite in doubt.
‘It was the same with United's performance, something was missing, something that might not necessarily have been there had Roy Keane not put himself on the sidelines. Maybe it was a dullness that comes when you no longer assume you are going to win. If that was indeed it, if somehow the doubt had been conveyed by Sir Alex Ferguson, United may have indeed suffered more than the convulsion of an unexpected defeat.
‘They may have glimpsed the end of the story. No doubt Ferguson would rail against such a possibility. United still have some formidable strengths, and it was some relief that Wes Brown was at last able to dredge up the form that not
so long ago made him look a potential giant among a new wave of defenders. There is also the challenge presented by the FA Cup semi-final draw with Arsenal. Surely United will not yield meekly to their bitter rivals the possibility of a treble to match their own in 1999.
‘This at least is one point at which Ferguson might inspire his fading troops to some of their own resolve. Certainly he needs to find an old edge. Most of all it is the one that comes when you believe you are destined to win.’
‘Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to ward off that morbid introspection on Tuesday night and there was a case for presenting United as victims of happenstance. Why, he implied, should anyone despair when a team are strafed by semi-random events in the last minute of a game which had until then gone satisfactorily?
‘United, by Ferguson's account, had been very fortunate to lose only 2-1 in the first leg, so there is no overall injustice to the outcome. It emphasised that, since the 1999 success in the Champions League, the team have become highclass drudges. There have been only three honours for them.
‘Since 1999, United's money has gushed into the transfer market as never before, but the standards of a team who are lagging in the Premiership at present have dipped as the influence of the homegrown element becomes
less pronounced.
‘So far, of the recent headline acquisitions, Ruud van Nistelrooy is alone in showing himself to be worthy of his fee. The United manager is trying to implant a youthful vibrancy in the line-up, by plucking fresh faces out of the reserves or, more commonly, the transfer market.
‘The past five years have not turned out as Ferguson dreamed. There is no present threat to his position, and the board, even as they winced at the legal action against Magnier, handed him a new, rolling contract. If the post were advertised tomorrow he would still be the best candidate to fill it, but he is indubitably ageing.
‘Another blank season to follow the one they endured as recently as 2002 will make it easier for the directors to envisage United without Ferguson.’
Telegraph:
‘It is still premature to say Ferguson bought badly last summer, but there is no doubt that the momentum of Beckham's departure has been lost. The lustre of a big decision made, the thrill of a gamble on something new, has been replaced by a new conservatism. United are on damage limitation duty, and it's the same old faces manning the defences.
‘When it came to picking the side that would overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit to Porto and keep alive United's hopes of winning the one competition that would compensate for their failings in the Premiership, Ferguson had a choice. To reach the quarter-finals he could go boldly with the new school of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kleberson, David Bellion and Louis Saha. ‘Or he could put his faith in the old guard, a group of players he has relied upon for the last eight years to get United out of many tight spots. It hardly needs pointing out that, in the end,
Ferguson chose Nicky Butt - a player he has alienated for most of the season - above Kleberson and relied on the Neville brothers to play out of position, and out of their skins, in his woefully understaffed defence.
‘When he looked at the completed team-sheet on Tuesday, no one will have needed to tell the United manager that this was not a side in exciting transition
but one that drew heavily on the past. Eric Djemba-Djemba's inclusion was an interesting punt that worked for one half. Darren Fletcher's struggles on the right were another vain attempt to fill Beckham's shoes.
‘Ferguson could not have picked a worse time to buy a squad that could take two more years to ripen. If Beckham's sale was the grand gesture intended to usher in the new generation then consider this season a false start. Last night's
team-sheet told you that the revolution is on hold.’
More from the Telegraph:
‘Ferguson has ripped apart and rebuilt teams before. He growls in the face of adversity. No one picks up the gauntlet of a rival more readily. The morning after Tuesday's nightmare against Porto, Ferguson was at his training-ground office early, plotting a revival. The 2004-05 pre-season began yesterday for United.
‘Yet no job in the business of football management can ever be a sinecure, not even a post filled so successfully for so long by Ferguson. United's manager must deliver next season. He should be given one summer transfer window to bring the right players in, to bed them in and bring a significant trophy in.
‘No real glamour pervades Old Trafford now, no box-office darling parades up and down the pitch in the magical manner of an Eric Cantona or David
Beckham. When those beloved past masters were present, match-nights felt like the Oscars, all red carpet and glittering icons. Ruud van Nistelrooy remains a class act - as do Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - but they never seem to scream that "the Theatre of Dreams is my stage, come watch me perform" as did Cantona and Beckham, two real showmen.
‘Losing Beckham was inevitable; not replacing him properly was unforgivable. Failing to reel in Ronaldinho has proved a hugely expensive mistake, one that should make United rethink the way they handle major, often sensitive negotiations.
‘Ferguson's team cry out for a strong personality, someone like a Ronaldinho who will give Ferguson headaches off the pitch and smiles on it. Situation vacant: An Idol.
‘Other areas require strengthening with expert imports, including an Italian-style stopper of the "they shalt not pass" class of Alessandro Nesta to bolster a defence devastated by Rio Ferdinand's suspension. Gary Neville excelled at centre-half against Porto but a truly worldclass defender should be written high up on Ferguson's shopping list.
‘In the midfield engine room, Ferguson must find a new dynamo as Roy Keane shows signs of rust. Liam Miller, another combative Irishman, may blossom into the role on arriving from Celtic, but Ferguson needs to think bigger and sooner. If Crufts boasted a best-in-show category for dogs of war, Edgar Davids would be in there fighting and Ferguson needs such winners. A Davids-type rottweiler is a must.
‘The outgoing champions may also need to rethink their summer plans on the pitch. United traditionally plan their year to have players peaking for the final lap. As this season has progressed, Ferguson's men have looked increasingly tired.
‘One cause may be last July's intense, if lucrative tour of the United States, comprising some high-tempo matches far removed from the usual leg-stretching, lung-clearing exercises of pre-season friendlies. Up to speed quickly,
United began the season well but going flat out caught up with them. That last-minute goal by Porto, when players were too tired to respond to a rebound, has destroyed United's season. Ferguson must get it right next year.’
Independent:
‘Sir Alex Ferguson's face said he was in shock, which in itself was no great surprise. But there was a more intriguing question and it concerned the true source of his despair. Expulsion from the European Cup - for the first time in eight years before the quarter-final stage - cannot have been such a surprise, given Manchester United's recent unconvincing form.
‘No, the big enquiry must be about what Ferguson was mourning precisely. The guess must be that it was something more profound than one defeat.
‘If Ferguson was indeed contemplating, maybe for the first time, the beginning of the end of his extraordinary ascendancy, it was certainly not so hard to identify some of the reasons why.
‘Last spring the Manchester United manager had every reason to believe that he had regained his winning touch. The one great folly of his career had been corrected. His decision to quit, and to announce his status as a lame-duck manager, had been revoked, and with that his authority had come flooding back. Or so it seemed.
‘Real Madrid could not be overcome in the European Cup it was true, but the Spanish club were in devastating form before running into Italian defensive discipline and in the Premiership title run-in United were able to apply, once again, crushing pressure on Arsenal.
‘Ferguson has always had optimism to a unique degree and now it had been once again confirmed and re-enforced.
‘Maybe this was why he decided to take on John Magnier and his financial might and unforgiving nature. Perhaps this was why he assumed he could easily replace the particular talents and the aura of Beckham. Whatever his thinking, it clearly didn't include the possibility that when things started to go wrong they would do so in an unbreakable rhythm.
‘On Tuesday night part of Ferguson's shock was no doubt that he had left such little room for the possibility of defeat. He never does. The prospect of losing, despite the 2-1 loss in Portugal, would inevitably have been remote in his mind. For so many managers defeat is always a possibility. The gods are always poised to gang up against them. For Ferguson defeat is in contrast an impertinence, an unpleasant surprise which permits little rational explanation at
least in terms of natural justice. Normally the unlikely defeat provokes bluster and accusation. The target is an incompetent official, an outrageously fortunate opponent. But there was something different in Ferguson this week, it seemed. His eyes did not blaze, they seemed to invite in doubt.
‘It was the same with United's performance, something was missing, something that might not necessarily have been there had Roy Keane not put himself on the sidelines. Maybe it was a dullness that comes when you no longer assume you are going to win. If that was indeed it, if somehow the doubt had been conveyed by Sir Alex Ferguson, United may have indeed suffered more than the convulsion of an unexpected defeat.
‘They may have glimpsed the end of the story. No doubt Ferguson would rail against such a possibility. United still have some formidable strengths, and it was some relief that Wes Brown was at last able to dredge up the form that not
so long ago made him look a potential giant among a new wave of defenders. There is also the challenge presented by the FA Cup semi-final draw with Arsenal. Surely United will not yield meekly to their bitter rivals the possibility of a treble to match their own in 1999.
‘This at least is one point at which Ferguson might inspire his fading troops to some of their own resolve. Certainly he needs to find an old edge. Most of all it is the one that comes when you believe you are destined to win.’