Sir Alex Ferguson Thread

[zolayes 14,489]

As I said when I first heard we had appointed Benitez Fergie would be LHAO ...he is just enjoying the joke..

[Joker10 946]

So you say Robbie built our CL winning team?

No he didn't construct the team. But you missing another part of Ferguson quote, where he is implying that Rafa had nothing to do in getting the opportunity to compete for the CWC and is in a lucky position. CWC is not a tough competition to win, it is much more difficult qualifying for it.

You can't say the same regarding Robbie situation. He took over our CL campaign when we were down 3-1 to Napoli, nothing ideal about being put in that position. A poor circumstance to be put in. In our FA Cup campaign, He took over before the toughest part of the competition.

His CL and FA cup was deserving.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Di Matteo didn't build that side - he certainly galvanised it though.

Let's not defend Fergie's bullshit mindgames just to have a pop at Benitez. Rafa is our new manager, and he's held in high enough esteem by Fergie that he deems it necessary to have a go at winding him up in his first interview.

We can all argue about what Roman does and doesn't know about football, but I can't imagine Fergie viewed Robbie in the same way.

Is Rafa lucky? Perhaps but every manager we've had since Jose has built on the foundations he built. That spine of Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba is primarily what got us through last season (obviously JT missed the final). Each manager has obviously tinkered with it but they were ALL lucky to come to a club with the resources we have.

But the weird thing is that I don't know many people who give a fuck about the CWC. Most fans see it as something of an inconvenience and not something that's all that important on a manager's CV.

Let's ignore what Fergie said and focus on WHY he said it.

We're 4 points behind them after a dodgy run of form. We've got no Champions League to worry about (in all likelihood) and we've hired a manager who has a pretty 'interesting' track record in this country.

Ask yourselves this - who do you think Fergie would rather manage a Chelsea team against him? Benitez or Di Matteo?

[Rambo 1,729]

Fergie is obviously trying to troll the Chelsea fans by being sentimental towards RDM's departure.

[Danelka 209]

No he didn't construct the team. But you missing another part of Ferguson quote, where he is implying that Rafa had nothing to do in getting the opportunity to compete for the CWC and is in a lucky position. CWC is not a tough competition to win, it is much more difficult qualifying for it.

You can't say the same regarding Robbie situation. He took over our CL campaign when we were down 3-1 to Napoli, nothing ideal about being put in that position. A poor circumstance to be put in. In our FA Cup campaign, He took over before the toughest part of the competition.

His CL and FA cup was deserving.

Yes, the two situation is not identically the same, and I agree with everything what you said, I just said that there is some similarity in the two cases.

Naturally, Robbie gets my full credit for winning the CL and the FA Cup, but for building the team, he doesn't. Of course, he made some tweaks, made certain things better, but that doesn't mean he built it.

[BlueSanti 290]

Then I politely ask you to search in google what picture and written text means. Also, no need to go personal, we could have talked about it without giving stick to each other.

I am sorry if it looks so. It wasn't meant to be personal at all.

I am just sick how people seems to have really short memory; not to mention they laugh at what Ferguson said when there is no reason.

[Manuf 1,448]

Di Matteo didn't build that side - he certainly galvanised it though.

Let's not defend Fergie's bullshit mindgames just to have a pop at Benitez. Rafa is our new manager, and he's held in high enough esteem by Fergie that he deems it necessary to have a go at winding him up in his first interview.

We can all argue about what Roman does and doesn't know about football, but I can't imagine Fergie viewed Robbie in the same way.

Is Rafa lucky? Perhaps but every manager we've had since Jose has built on the foundations he built. That spine of Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba is primarily what got us through last season (obviously JT missed the final). Each manager has obviously tinkered with it but they were ALL lucky to come to a club with the resources we have.

But the weird thing is that I don't know many people who give a fuck about the CWC. Most fans see it as something of an inconvenience and not something that's all that important on a manager's CV.

Let's ignore what Fergie said and focus on WHY he said it.

We're 4 points behind them after a dodgy run of form. We've got no Champions League to worry about (in all likelihood) and we've hired a manager who has a pretty 'interesting' track record in this country.

Ask yourselves this - who do you think Fergie would rather manage a Chelsea team against him? Benitez or Di Matteo?

Since when were JT, Lamps and Cech Mourinho's foundations?

Hate to say but I agree with SAF. How difficult would it be to give the guy a chance just for two more weeks to get that CWC he deserved. Instead a fat waiter will come and claim a trophy he had nothing to do with. And if somebody says Di Matteo didn't build our 2011/12 squad, have you even wondered what the coaching stuff is supposed to do? It's not like they get paid for nothing. We thought our season was lost and Di Matteo revived us from the dead.

Dunno if you remember but if it wasn't for referees in that Premier League game SAF would've lost to Di Matteo twice.. The record was W1 L1

[Sheva. 5,373]

Since when were JT, Lamps and Cech Mourinho's foundations?

Hate to say but I agree with SAF. How difficult would it be to give the guy a chance just for two more weeks to get that CWC he deserved. Instead a fat waiter will come and claim a trophy he had nothing to do with. And if somebody says Di Matteo didn't build our 2011/12 squad, have you even wondered what the coaching stuff is supposed to do? It's not like they get paid for nothing. We thought our season was lost and Di Matteo revived us from the dead.

Dunno if you remember but if it wasn't for referees in that Premier League game SAF would've lost to Di Matteo twice.. The record was W1 L1

If it wasn't for referees AVB would have beaten Fergie twice. AVB told the team before he left they could win the CL, why not let him finish the run he started in both cups?

[The only place to be 11,313]

Since when were JT, Lamps and Cech Mourinho's foundations?

Hate to say but I agree with SAF. How difficult would it be to give the guy a chance just for two more weeks to get that CWC he deserved. Instead a fat waiter will come and claim a trophy he had nothing to do with. And if somebody says Di Matteo didn't build our 2011/12 squad, have you even wondered what the coaching stuff is supposed to do? It's not like they get paid for nothing. We thought our season was lost and Di Matteo revived us from the dead.

Dunno if you remember but if it wasn't for referees in that Premier League game SAF would've lost to Di Matteo twice.. The record was W1 L1

Sorry, but you can clearly see the difference in the way the team was structured before Mourinho, and after Mourinho. You can see it at every level of the club in fact from the first team right through the academy.

I'm not saying Robbie didn't do a tremendous job because he did. But his greatest move was abandoning some of the ridiculous tactics AVB employed and took Chelsea back to what they were under Mourinho - first and foremost, tough to beat. You stop the other team and then you focus on beating them, on the counter if you need to. That first game against Barca was classic Mourinho Chelsea, right down to Drogba's gamesmanship.

That doesn't mean Robbie doesn't deserve credit - I thought the use of Bertrand in the final was a great move, under pressure. But the foundations, the attitude, the arrogance of that team was still Mourinho.

It's part of the reason we've struggled to move on from him.

[Fulham Broadway 17,319]

This verbal sniping by a couple of multi-millionaires, what a load of bollocks.

Saw the title and just for a moment there I thought there'd been a physical assault.

Now that I would pay to see, them scrapping.

[Manuf 1,448]

If it wasn't for referees AVB would have beaten Fergie twice. AVB told the team before he left they could win the CL, why not let him finish the run he started in both cups?

Maybe because we lost 21 out of 36 possible points between December and his departure? Maybe because we got beaten 3-1 in Naples and if it wasn't for Drogba's heroics against Valencia we wouldn't even get past group stage? Not to mention his fallout with the squad and humiliating defeats and draws against the likes of: Everton, WBA, Aston Villa, MU, Liverpool and the unforgetable 5-3 to Arsenal? And I said that he would've won twice because somebody asked whether I'd rather Di Matteo or Benitez against Fergie.

Sorry, but you can clearly see the difference in the way the team was structured before Mourinho, and after Mourinho. You can see it at every level of the club in fact from the first team right through the academy.

I'm not saying Robbie didn't do a tremendous job because he did. But his greatest move was abandoning some of the ridiculous tactics AVB employed and took Chelsea back to what they were under Mourinho - first and foremost, tough to beat. You stop the other team and then you focus on beating them, on the counter if you need to. That first game against Barca was classic Mourinho Chelsea, right down to Drogba's gamesmanship.

That doesn't mean Robbie doesn't deserve credit - I thought the use of Bertrand in the final was a great move, under pressure. But the foundations, the attitude, the arrogance of that team was still Mourinho.

It's part of the reason we've struggled to move on from him.

Only 4 out of 11 players who played that night in Munich were signed by Mourinho and the only players I can say that played as if it was Mourinho's Chelsea were Lamps and Drogba, whereas I don't recall Lampard having so much defensive duties as he had under Robbie. Please don't say that the good old - sit back and wait for the counter is mainly attibuted to Jose. It's been used in the past for so many times. How about we say that we played like the Euro 2004 winners Greece instead of Mourinho's Chelsea? Especially considering we didn't have as much width as we had under Mou.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Maybe because we lost 21 out of 36 possible points between December and his departure? Maybe because we got beaten 3-1 in Naples and if it wasn't for Drogba's heroics against Valencia we wouldn't even get past group stage? Not to mention his fallout with the squad and humiliating defeats and draws against the likes of: Everton, WBA, Aston Villa, MU, Liverpool and the unforgetable 5-3 to Arsenal? And I said that he would've won twice because somebody asked whether I'd rather Di Matteo or Benitez against Fergie.

Only 4 out of 11 players who played that night in Munich were signed by Mourinho and the only players I can say that played as if it was Mourinho's Chelsea were Lamps and Drogba, whereas I don't recall Lampard having so much defensive duties as he had under Robbie. Please don't say that the good old - sit back and wait for the counter is mainly attibuted to Jose. It's been used in the past for so many times. How about we say that we played like the Euro 2004 winners Greece instead of Mourinho's Chelsea? Especially considering we didn't have as much width as we had under Mou.

The key players that night were Cech, Cole, Mikel, Lamps and Drogba. They were all either signed by Mourinho or greatly influenced by him. For all of Robbie's great work in galvanising that squad, that night was very much the culmination of Mourinho's project and a couple of players' seasons of hard work.

And don't confuse width with wide players - we didn't have a Robben or Duff but if you actually look at the team, especially in Europe, the wide players (Ramires more than any other) were the most frequent out ball or focus of the attack. Even in the FA Cup semi-final and final we either used Drogba as a target man or used Ramires's pace on the right wing to break out of defence.

[TheCount 146]

Much as i hate ferguson, i was thinking this exactly my self,

RDM earned the right to at least win the world club cup,

The way roman has treated de matteo is disgraceful on so many levels.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Maybe because we lost 21 out of 36 possible points between December and his departure? Maybe because we got beaten 3-1 in Naples and if it wasn't for Drogba's heroics against Valencia we wouldn't even get past group stage? Not to mention his fallout with the squad and humiliating defeats and draws against the likes of: Everton, WBA, Aston Villa, MU, Liverpool and the unforgetable 5-3 to Arsenal? And I said that he would've won twice because somebody asked whether I'd rather Di Matteo or Benitez against Fergie.

The funny thing is most of those things now apply to RDM. Under him we won 2 of our last 8 games and with Man city and Fulham coming up, there's every chance of that bad run continuing. We got destroyed in Italy yet again, and lost to West brom yet again.

I'm pretty sure he was fired because Roman decided to act quicker this time, and not let things get as bad as they did under AVB - where we fell to 5th and needed to win CL to make the competition this season. If at the end of the season we end up in the top 4 then he would have been justified, whether anyone likes it or not.

[Manuf 1,448]

The key players that night were Cech, Cole, Mikel, Lamps and Drogba. They were all either signed by Mourinho or greatly influenced by him. For all of Robbie's great work in galvanising that squad, that night was very much the culmination of Mourinho's project and a couple of players' seasons of hard work.

And don't confuse width with wide players - we didn't have a Robben or Duff but if you actually look at the team, especially in Europe, the wide players (Ramires more than any other) were the most frequent out ball or focus of the attack. Even in the FA Cup semi-final and final we either used Drogba as a target man or used Ramires's pace on the right wing to break out of defence.

How could Mourinho influence Cech? Did he change his keeping style or what? When we bought Cole he was already one of the best left-backs in the world and both Cole and Mikel played roughly over 1 season with Mourinho. Please don't tell me he made them great players they are now... The only player that was a rough diamond polished by Jose was Drogba and tbh if it wasn't for that Cech penalty save he would be called a villain instead of a hero. He also gave that penalty away that Messi couldn't convert.

Isn't football succes always a result of couple of years of hard work? Mourinho had as much to do with us winning the trophy as all the previous managers, well maybe except Scolari. He did give us Bosingwa tho :eyebrows:

[Manuf 1,448]

The funny thing is most of those things now apply to RDM. Under him we won 2 of our last 8 games and with Man city and Fulham coming up, there's every chance of that bad run continuing. We got destroyed in Italy yet again, and lost to West brom yet again.

I'm pretty sure he was fired because Roman decided to act quicker this time, and not let things get as bad as they did under AVB - where we fell to 5th and needed to win CL to make the competition this season. If at the end of the season we end up in the top 4 then he would have been justified, whether anyone likes it or not.

Well, Roberto lost only 12 out of 36 and tbh the only games I blame him for were WBA and Swansea. We got robbed against Man Utd, couldn't convert our chances against QPR and that cunt Suarez scored a goal after fouling Ramires. He did make few mistakes but I felt that with January window he would change a lot of things, especially this wanker up-front as he realized he's not good enough for anybody in the last games.

Champions League is a different story as we had two teams that were unbeaten for a huge amount of time. Can you really compare Juventus and Shakhtar to Genk, Valencia or Bayer Leverkusen?

[The only place to be 11,313]

How could Mourinho influence Cech? Did he change his keeping style or what? When we bought Cole he was already one of the best left-backs in the world and both Cole and Mikel played roughly over 1 season with Mourinho. Please don't tell me he made them great players they are now... The only player that was a rough diamond polished by Jose was Drogba and tbh if it wasn't for that Cech penalty save he would be called a villain instead of a hero. He also gave that penalty away that Messi couldn't convert.

Isn't football succes always a result of couple of years of hard work? Mourinho had as much to do with us winning the trophy as all the previous managers, well maybe except Scolari. He did give us Bosingwa tho :eyebrows:

Actually Mourinho's influence on Cech changed the way he used the ball. It became a case of getting it up to either Didier to hold the ball up for support from midfield to take advantage of broken formations, or to the wings to isolate full-backs and wingers 1-on-1.

Cole was already a great player, but Mourinho had a pretty big impact on Mikel's personal life and the way he approached the game.

Drogba wasn't a rough diamond, but he did kick on under Mourinho and then again under Ancelotti. You're also forgetting Lampard who became world-class under Jose. My original point though is that Robbie didn't build last season's team. He essentially just let them be themselves with a bit of tinkering here and there.

[Milan 17,958]

Actually, Fergie has 'only' one CWC title (+ one Intercontinental Cup) so he probably can't stand the idea that Benitez would have more than him.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Well, Roberto lost only 12 out of 36 and tbh the only games I blame him for were WBA and Swansea. We got robbed against Man Utd, couldn't convert our chances against QPR and that cunt Suarez scored a goal after fouling Ramires. He did make few mistakes but I felt that with January window he would change a lot of things, especially this wanker up-front as he realized he's not good enough for anybody in the last games.

Champions League is a different story as we had two teams that were unbeaten for a huge amount of time. Can you really compare Juventus and Shakhtar to Genk, Valencia or Bayer Leverkusen?

Yes he didn't lose as many as AVB, but we certainly were not headed in the right direction. The CL group was tough no doubt, but with our bad form in the league and likely elimination in the CL, things could get very very bad before January.

[Manuf 1,448]

Actually Mourinho's influence on Cech changed the way he used the ball. It became a case of getting it up to either Didier to hold the ball up for support from midfield to take advantage of broken formations, or to the wings to isolate full-backs and wingers 1-on-1.

Cole was already a great player, but Mourinho had a pretty big impact on Mikel's personal life and the way he approached the game.

Drogba wasn't a rough diamond, but he did kick on under Mourinho and then again under Ancelotti. You're also forgetting Lampard who became world-class under Jose. My original point though is that Robbie didn't build last season's team. He essentially just let them be themselves with a bit of tinkering here and there.

Well if Mourinho did help Cech with his ball contribution that he should hang his head in shame, becuase that's the only thing Cech's been criticized for.

The man we should be thankful for polishing Mikel is Carlo Ancelotti. He was the man who helped John reach the higher level.

Lampard was chosen as the 2nd best player in the world, behind Henry, the season before Mourinho took charge. Can't say Jose made him world-class either.

Of course Robbie didn't build the last year's team. He gave them confidence, hunger and passion. He collected everything all the previous managers worked on and put the best team possible that night. It wasn't a pretty victory, but a glorious one after all. It's biased to credit how this man changed the whole season to managers who worked few years back.

@edit - excuse me, I made an error above. He was chosen 2nd best player in the PL, not the world.