[Dazza]

03/09/2008 13:00, Report by Adam BostockAssistant manager appointedSir Alex Ferguson has announced that his new assistant manager will be former United midfielder Mick Phelan.

Succeeding Mick as first team coach is skills development expert Rene Meulensteen. The appointments, which take place with immediate effect, have been made following the departure in the summer of Carlos Queiroz to manage the Portuguese national team.

Sir Alex Ferguson told ManUtd.com: "I am delighted that Mick and Rene have agreed to fill these important positions.

"Mick knows Manchester United inside out, having been associated with the club for the best part of 20 years. He is a very talented and professional coach, whose ability and contribution to the club's success has often been understated.

“Rene brings different ideas and experience to the role of first team coach. I believe the two will provide an excellent team to continue the club's willingness to try new ideas and constantly drive for success in an increasingly competitive game.â€

LINK : MANUTD.COM

What do you's think . I would have preffered a foreign one so we could tap in to the european market even further like portugal with Carlos..

 

[futbol]

Wasnt he the first team coach ? Good time to appoint. Looking forward to a good season ahead

 

[Dazza]

Ya he was . Now Meulensteen is taking his old position....

 

[RN10]

Two good assists so i am happy Hopefully they make the team better as our opening games so far are not exceptable throughout the season!

 

[Ritesh MU]

-------Right hand------------------SAF---------------------------left hand --------

SAF got two that great

cheeeeers

 

[dlan4327]

Quick question. What's the difference between a first team coach and the reserves coach, Solskjaer? Isn't the first team the reserves?

 

[RedForceRising]

Congratulations to Mick and Rene on their appointments and here's wishing them lots of luck and success.

I guess Fergie might either employ someone to translate for Anderson or manucho or maybe get a coach to take Rene's former position, who can also speak Portuguese?

 

[Skye_Fan]

Wenger

I had a very realistic dream last night that the reason SAF allowed Silvestre to head to Arsenal was because the plan all along was for Wenger to resign and become his number 2. So this announcement is a bit disappointing considering we were so close to having Wenger (and screwing Arsenal in the process).

 

[Jesus Hitler]

I had a very realistic dream last night that the reason SAF allowed Silvestre to head to Arsenal was because the plan all along was for Wenger to resign and become his number 2. So this announcement is a bit disappointing considering we were so close to having Wenger (and screwing Arsenal in the process).

you have some very intresting dreams.... see someone about that

aha and as for this announcement its for sure good news
i wasnt really expecting anyone big to come in
but if fergie picked him hes the right man hes been with us for years so he knows the team well and likewise
so thumbs up from me

 

[marty davidson]

good appointment

 

[ManUtd19]

I had a very realistic dream last night that the reason SAF allowed Silvestre to head to Arsenal was because the plan all along was for Wenger to resign and become his number 2. So this announcement is a bit disappointing considering we were so close to having Wenger (and screwing Arsenal in the process).

Your subconscious should have realised what an unrealistic and retarded scenario that is...

I see you live in Toronto. I'm moving there with my family around May next year. It seems like a nice place. I live in South Africa, so need to get out while I'm still alive. If the crime here was in GTA IV the game would be unplayable.

 

[Red Devil]

I think it was mentioned in here a month or so ago that Phelan would be the one.

 

[Keano!]

Good appointment really.....keep it in house, Someone well known to the players
so theres no real transition to be made....smoothly done IMO.



Good luck to him!

 

[versa]

Didn't feel one bit excited about it. Thought it was a rather rude shock in fact and appeared a bit too 'rushed' after what Fergie has said in the summer about himself being in no hurry and will take his time to find one etc. The impression he gave then was a thorough and careful search for the right candidate, which made perfect sense too, since he has also publicly announced his retirement plan.

With due respect to Phelan, yet before you knew it, it came from within the club, as if out of convenience.

Feeling a bit 'weird' and slightly disappointed, I browsed through what the media said. Almost all just agree along with the appointment as if it is only natural and perfect thing to do. Except for one I managed to chance upon. It describes what makes the appointment feel not too right, if you know what I mean.


Surely Phelan Isn't The Right Man For The Job

............................

Whilst I think it is very important we have people with strong connections to the club, like Phelan has, in our back room staff, I was looking for a lot more experience in the man who took over from Queiroz. To think that our last assistant was deemed good enough to manage a nation like Portugal speaks volumes, and only highlights what Phelan is lacking.

Phelan followed Steve Bruce to United from Norwich, with Fergie forking out £750,000 for the right sided player back in 1989. He collected a few winners medals with United but left the club in 1995 when competition for places got too great for him.

He returned 6 years later though, working as a first team coach after Steve McClaren had moved on to Middlesbrough, and has spent the past 7 years working with our players. Yes, that's great, and I am more than appreciate to have staff like that at Carrington. However, I wanted Queiroz's replacement to be someone who could replace Fergie. It would give them a couple of years to settle in, get to know the players and the Manchester United ‘way', before Fergie set off. There is no way Phelan is of the quality to take on the position of manager.

So, all in all, not too chuffed. You?

http://therepublikofmancunia.com/surely-phelan-isnt-the-right-man-for-the-job/


But before the story ends, don't assume the monster is dead...

Again, most responses to the article were going along with the author except one, whose view may well mirror Fergie's thoughts:

I reckon we promoted Phelan because an outsider or foreign person is going to be made Manager when Fergie leaves. That new person will need a solid right-hand man who has been with the club for a while, knows everyone and everything about the club, can act as an intermediary btw the new manager and background staff, and most importantly, will not be too bitter about not getting the manager job..........

Thought it may be interesting to share such contrasting views here.

 

[RedForceRising]

Didn't feel one bit excited about it. Thought it was a rather rude shock in fact and appeared a bit too 'rushed' after what Fergie has said in the summer about himself being in no hurry and will take his time to find one etc. The impression he gave then was a thorough and careful search for the right candidate, which made perfect sense too, since he has also publicly announced his retirement plan.

With due respect to Phelan, yet before you knew it, it came from within the club, as if out of convenience.

Feeling a bit 'weird' and slightly disappointed, I browsed through what the media said. Almost all just agree along with the appointment as if it is only natural and perfect thing to do. Except for one I managed to chance upon. It describes what makes the appointment feel not too right, if you know what I mean.

......................


But before the story ends, don't assume the monster is dead...

Again, most responses to the article were going along with the author except one, whose view may well mirror Fergie's thoughts:

I reckon we promoted Phelan because an outsider or foreign person is going to be made Manager when Fergie leaves. That new person will need a solid right-hand man who has been with the club for a while, knows everyone and everything about the club, can act as an intermediary btw the new manager and background staff, and most importantly, will not be too bitter about not getting the manager job..........

Thought it may be interesting to share such contrasting views here.

It's strange, but this appointment echoes what is happening at my work place.
My super capable boss has just been promoted to director and is going to move to America - can you dig it? The Singaporean Chinese bossing the Yanks. I'm grinning from ear to ear.

In the mean time one of my peers, who has been at the company the longest has been installed as temporary site mananger. He will have to prove himself and show that he can be as good as the other candidates my boss has.

Now I like my colleague and wish him all the best, but I'm not sure if he's the right man for the job.

Whilst it is important to promote from within - it creates dynamics, gives subordinates the sense that there are no glass ceilings and allows for competition amongst peers, I feel that important positions should really be filled by the most capable hands possible.

I don't know about Mick Phelan to make any ort of judgement and I think none of us knew a lot about Carlos Quieroz or Steve McLaren either.

We just have to trust Fergie's judgement and with Mick well.

I don't envy him, that's for sure. If the team stops winning silver ware, he shares part of the blame, if the team dies well the most praise he;ll get is that he didn't muck it up.

While he isn't the glam assistant manager some of us were hoping for or will be a candidate to take over from Fergie, we should at least give him the chance to do his thing and judge later.

He's earned it through hard work and determination and I feel comfortable knowing that such a hard-working, determined man is the assistant manager.

Plus he's had several seasons working and learning from CQ, so it's not like he's clueless. He is in fact very clued in on what he has to do.
Peace!

 

[Rooneys_Temper]

My Dad is Mike Phelan,will post pics later......

 

[haggler]

as long as his promotion means he has to stop wearing those ball bearing shorts he seems so fond of im all for it . He is like one of the grannies on the seafront with thier legs at quarter to three and a frock riding round thier midriff in those shorts , its not decent i tell yer . rumour has it fergie keeps him to keep the flys down . ahem time for my pill

 

[piazza]

Good call by SAF, as usual.

 

[Jay007]

All in all, a good appointment.

I would have preferred someone who would be able to come in, learn from Sir Alex for 2/3 years, then take over from him. Mike Phelan is certainly not him.

However, as Sir Alex has said, hes been a big part of our success, along with Carlos Queiroz, and if Sir Alex thinks hes the right man for the job, then thats good enough for me!

P.S - When I put Phelans name forward when Queiroz left, quite a few people seemed to tell me that he would never get the job. Hmmmmmm

 

[Stephen]

Not the best. But I trust Fergie. And Fergie knows best.

I'll leave it time to stew.