Why there is no replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United

In the recent times as Sir Alex has reached the age of 70 and completed 25 years at Manchester United, speculations are ripe about the man who will replace Sir Alex on the hot seat at Manchester United. There have been various articles written about the man who will take his place with names from all around being thrown around. Names such as Jose Mourinho and David Moyes rule the roster but there are also many fan favorites who are being touted as the right man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm.

But is it actually possible to replace someone like Sir Alex Ferguson? 25 years is something so huge, that its nothing short of an era. A man who has held this job that requires so much of you for so long. Other top clubs like Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid have all had at least 10 different managers since the time Sir Alex Ferguson took over. The dedication of the man is unmatched and replacing that is impossible; the only person who comes close to Sir Alex’s dedication to the club maybe Arsene Wenger but he has lacked the man management that Sir Alex has and this has led to the trophy drought that Arsenal has had for 7 years now.

So coming back to the question, is there anyone who can replace Sir Alex? Lets look at a few of Sir Alex’s stats

As of 10 September 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson stats as Manchester United manager:

1. 1,397 Games

2. 829 Wins

3. 2,556 Goals

4. 45 Trophies; 15 League wins, 14 Domestic Cups, eight Charity (Community) Shields, two UEFA Champions League Cups, two Cup Winners’ Cups, two Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA World Club Cup.

This is ridiculously brilliant for one man managing a top club that sets you a target of at least one cup every year, and that cup doesn’t include ridiculous cups like Emirates Cup. When Sir Alex took over the post of managing United, he started with rebuilding the team. And that is the way he does it. Since taking over he has built three teams and all of them have gone down in the record books.

He began with Cantona and Cole, then came Scholes, the Nevilles, Giggs, Beckham, Keane. And the recent batch of Ronaldo, Vidic, Rooney and Ferdinand. And he has started rebuilding once again with the likes of Johnny Evans, Welbeck, Rafael and De Gea. He is a man with a remarkable eye for talent and once he gets the talent he harnesses them is such a way that loads of United greats fondly refer to him as their second father. What is really great about this man is that no matter how much he criticizes a player; but when it comes to talking in front of the media or anyone else for that matter, there can be no greater support for the player, no matter how bad the players form may be.

Sure enough someone needs to take his place , because at some point of time he is bound to leave. But for this generation he has been there for every match. When you think of Manchester United, you don not think of Beckham, Cantona, Giggs or Rooney without first thinking of Sir Alex Ferguson. He is the man who has done it all. It doesnt matter who you bring in, Mourinho, Guardiola or Bielsa. They simply can not replace Sir Alex because this is a man who is associated to the club for a whole generation of football lovers.

His character, his personality, his loyalty, his principles are what define Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson defines Manchester United, and Manchester United defines Sir Alex Ferguson.

No Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City fan can ever deny the greatness of Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex Ferguson has built Manchester United into a footballing giant that few teams can now compete with.

Sure enough there will be managers in future who can provide success to United but they will be the “Next Manager” at United. They can be a manager, they can be great managers, but they can never be a “Replacement” for Sir Alex Ferguson. Because no matter what you do, you can not disassociate this man from United and when a person is gone only then can you replace him. But Sir Alex’s impact on United and its fans has been so huge that he can never actually leave them. So there is no replacement possible.

Simply put, “Manchester United of this generation is Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Alex Ferguson is Manchester United. There is no way one can see them apart.”

Sir Alex is a man who will leave but is also a man who can not be replaced. He is the real legend of Manchester United.