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WAYNE ROONEY WAS A SERIAL WINNER THANKS TO SIR ALEX FERGUSON How Come Manchester United Couldn't Get the Succession Planning Right? by Steve Sampson
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It always amazes me that the manager of a hugely successful football club resigns – first thing the new man does is sack his backroom staff. The very people who lived and breathed the success all the way. The closest connection with the key employees – the players. Evidence Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United.
A shambolic lack of succession planning has led to 10 years of confusion, millions wasted, under performance. Only the Romans did it worse. “Don’t like Caesar, stab him to death”. Look where that got Brutus.
Sir Alex picked Martin O’Neill for Celtic. Dermot Desmond asked if he would present 3 names for consideration. He gave them one. Decisive, perfect. The next manager – Gordon Strachan – won the same number of league championships. Continuity. Yet SAF left Manchester United at precisely the same time as CEO David Gill. Neither apparently knew the other was off. It showed starkly the tenuous nature of the Glazer family’s grip on the business. As owners they were fringe players in the biggest decisions. 03
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It’s why newspapers have deputies and assistants – the next leader comes from within.
Steve Sampson | SteveSampsonJournalist.com
Succession planning has never been more important. Owners and shareholders expect the best performance, have a set of highly sophisticated analytical tools at their disposal. So do the staff.
Five big management decisions to ponder in sport. The wrong succession plans will lead to years in the wilderness and wasted millions. 05
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Will stay as manager of Manchester United. Won’t win the league, this or any other year. At least he brought back Mike Phelan from SAF’s days. The Glazers should have hired Pochettino when he was free. The biggest club in the world needs the biggest names.
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JURGEN KLOPP
The Liverpool way used to be to appoint from within. For a time they ruled the world. Now, just as they are building back to those levels, the best manager around has made it clear he is off. Owners Fenway are tough and shrewd. They won’t be appointing Steven Gerrard.
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TOTO WOLFF The Mercedes F1 boss has said he is stepping back. Inspirational, collected, a German with charisma. Rest assured the succession planning will be supremely efficient and ordered. As will be replacing “Sir� Hamilton. Who can dance round contract talks all he likes – leave Mercedes, win no more races. Toto has got that all covered. No danger.
Eddie Jones Signed an extension for another two years as England rugby coach which is a blessing for the Twickenham blazers. After Sir Clive Woodward disappeared, so did the team. Eddie is right up there with Jurgen.
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Pep Guardiola He is Joe the Toff. Manchester City don’t deserve him, he looks uncomfortable. By the time his contract runs down in another two years he will have been there for five. The longest he has ever done at a club. There is more to life for him than football – golf for one. For all his genius there isn’t any passion or soul and Colin Bell’s death only reminds everyone of how it used to be.
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