Why the "Special One" should be next in line to manage Man Utd

Betfacts / Paul Moon / 23 August 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Pablo Luna's weekly rant at...the underachieving Sir Alex Ferguson

The 21-year reign of Alex Ferguson over Manchester United is widely regarded in this country with reverence and affection and he is considered a great manager. I think he is an under achiever!

Greatness should be measured by what he has achieved in Europe and I am afraid he fails this test miserably.

One European Cup win in 20 years is simply not good enough and even that win was very lucky indeed. I remember Bayern Munich deserving to win that match.

I think he should have one more attempt this season then go back to his wife, enjoy their horseracing and give advice and support to his son at Peterborough.

His successor will not be easy to find as the job is huge and the pressure to succeed is colossal. Most of the pressure will come from the shareholders as opposed to the fans.

Roy Keane (5.8 on Betfair) is not ready, though I have no doubts he will manage Manchester United one day. Appointing him now would be an enormous risk!

Martin O'Neill (11 on Betfair) is an obvious choice though I am not impressed with his summer signings for Villa. I will watch Villa's progress this season but at best expect it to be mediocre. I question how much he really achieved at Celtic against third rate opposition.

Carlos Queiroz (6 on Betfair) has an impressive CV and seems a likely contender but what dynamic can he bring to the job? I am not sure he has the charisma! He may be a safe rather than the right choice.

Mark Hughes (8.8 Betfair) I had a great admiration for him as a player but he lacks the subtleties required and playing football Blackburn Rovers style is not an option. That would be in direct contrast to what is required.

If I were a major shareholder at Manchester United I would go cap in hand to Jose Mourinho (25 Betfair). Could he resist the challenge? He has been hindered at Chelsea and I wonder if he would relish this matrix. With his winning mentality and own special ingredients The Reds would have a real chance of winning the European Champions League again

Tags: Champions League, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson