Time to quit, Sir Alex

Regime change needed at Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has lost the plot. As far as I'm concerned, at the end of this season he should hang up his trenchcoat and call it a day.

His stubborness and self-infatuation are significant reasons why United are facing a second straight season without any silverware.

Constant tactical mistakes in pendular matches have all too often led to negative results for the Red Devils. Case and point, the Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid.

How can you leave David Beckham on the bench? How do you play with three defensive midfielders and only one striker when you need to win the game by two or three goals? And why do you rely on Roy Keane to lead your side when he is visibly past his prime?

Too many questions which Ferguson has not answered. Neither now, nor any of the other times he has decided to stick with his ideas when it was obvious to the outsider that they weren't working.

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I know he may still celebrate another Premiership title, but that does not discount a series of questionable decisions that have been made during this campaign.

Remember when United started the season winning only two of their opening six matches? During that run, Ferguson depended heavily on his favored 4-5-1 formation, leaving Ruud van Nistelrooy all alone up front. Even when he started Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (in three matches), he mostly wanted the Norwegian to play behind Ruud instead of by his side.

Only when he decided to play 4-4-2 did his side manage to put together a winning streak. They won four in a row in late September and then seven in a row at the end of 2002. In those 11 matches, Solskjaer started eight times, and when he didn't Diego Forlan stepped in meaning that during those winning runs Ferguson normally played with two up front.

But going with something successful was apparently boring for Sir Alex, so what did he do? He decided to go back to his earlier scheme in order to accomodate his highly expensive but lowly productive signing Juan Veron, who let's face it, has not exactly been a hit in England.

The Roy Keane story is also a curious one. Hampered by a series of injuries, the former Ireland captain can no longer marshall the midfield like he used to and has become ineffective. However, he always seem to be first choice when fit. I can't understand why Keane is still an automatic starter especially when Nicky Butt is more than a decent substitute.

As far as playing Keane and Butt, I feel it's a bit redundant considering they are extremely similar and it would be more constructive to play Paul Scholes instead in the center of midfield, opening up two forward slots.

And what can be said about Fergie's decision to leave Beckham on the bench this past Wednesday? I think it was a childish move by the Scot, one done blatantly to prove that this is his team, not David's.

With all the talk about Becks going to Real Madrid, I think Ferguson wanted his share of the attention. It is also no secret Fergie does not get on well with his midfielder, but to humiliate him in a Champions League quarterfinal is just not fair.

I hope Beckham moves abroad and gets away from a situation which has become increasingly detrimental to him and his career. A move to Spain or Italy would definitely help him develop as a player and it could help England on the international stage as well.

So I believe Ferguson's dynasty should come to an end. He had a wonderful reign at Old Trafford and should not ruin it by overstaying his welcome. I feel that even the players have become tired of dealing with Fergie's antics.

Sometimes changes are needed and I think one is needed in Manchester at the end of the season.

 

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