Chasing the Devil

With the conclusion of yet another hardwareless campaign in the Prem, it appears that the Manchester United brain trust have much work to do over the off-season. While much of the current buzz revolves around the probable departure of Van the Man, below the surface lies an even more intriguing question. What is the United Board of Directors to do about their head Red Devil? Will Fergie be allowed to keep the keys to Malcom Glazer's new Cadillac, or will Mally and the B.O.D. finally put their proverbial foot down?

There is no doubt that few match chops with the Prem's most successful gaffer, but the fact remains that Fergie's time has come. If the Devils are to regain their place as the Prem's Cadillac, it is necessary to move forward. In his time at the helm, Fergie's resume is unmatched. Eight EPL crowns since the Prem's inception in 1992, not to mention the numerous Charity Shields and FA Cups. Historically, he is the most successfully gaffer in United's illustrious history. Many will argue that without Ferguson, United never would have become the world-wide super club that it has.

While his guidance over nearly the last 20 years has been insrtumental, in reality United's greatest achievements have come by way of its greatest generation of players since the days of Sir Matt Busby. David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and the Neville brothers all were developed by United's youth academy not by Ferguson. In the early days of his reign Fergie certainly earned his due is steering United up through the standings and away from the threat of relegation. During this time he dumped pikers and added greatness in the likes of Cantona, Schmeichel, and Keano. In doing so he also chased away greatness in the likes of Captain Marvel Bryan Robson, the Gov'na Paul Ince; a tragic trend which he would later repeat.


Over the years, the United faithful have praised the firmness with which he has ruled Old Trafford. Those that applaud it call it conviction. Those that detest it call it stubbornness. It is largely due to the latter that his time has come. For all of his successes there have been many failures. He has yet to find a long term solution for United's goal keeping problem. In the years since the Great Dane departed the Theatre of Dreams, Fergie's revolving door in goal has included the likes of Mark Bosnich, and Fabian Barthez. He successfully replaced Gary Pallister with Yaap Stam, only to mistakenly chase him away a year later. His solution was a bigger mistake, Rio Ferdinand. His failures have not been limited to the signings of such players and Jasper Blomqvist, David Bellion and the Brazilian Klebberson. No, his conviction also led to the departure of England's manager elect, Steve McClaren to 'Boro.

There was a time, not too long ago when United struck fear in their opponents. The whole Prem trembled when faced with squaring-off against the Devils not to mention the Champions League. Since chasing away Becks, it has been three seasons since the Devils last raised the Barclay's Cup and seven since the magical Treble. United were once the crown jewel of the Prem. Gone are the days when the Three Lions boasted a nucleus of United's finest. At its peak earlier in the decade United was represented by no less than seven players on the National Team, five of which were academy products; Becks, Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Nevilles. Earlier in the week Sven announced his 23 man World Cup roster, only three were Devils. Of these three, only Gary Neville is a true Red Devil.


United is not a second tier club, yet second place finishes and early departures from Europe will argue differently. I guess this is what it was like to be an Arsenal fan. Several years ago Schmeichel returned to the Prem after a stint in Portugal, he did so with ManCity not his beloved ManUnited whom he captained to Champions League glory. City over United? Perhaps there was more behind Cantona's abrupt retirement and his refusal for any further involvement with his former club. Having unimaginably chased away Keano a few months ago, who knows how long it will be before the Devils once again climb to the top of the mountain. Of the six academy products who carried United to domestic, European and international greatness only two remain, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs. The time has come for the Devils to chase away Fergie before he chases all the Devils away.