Sir Alex Ferguson curse strikes again with two more Man Utd title winners sacked and LEAGUE ONE boss rare success story

FOOTBALL management, bloody hell — Sir Alex Ferguson made it look so easy that a load of his former Manchester United stars tried it.
To say most find it extremely difficult would be an understatement.
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Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United proteges are not faring very well in management
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Man Utd hero Michael Carrick was sacked by Middlesbrough
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Wayne Rooney failed to succeed in various managerial positions
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Gary Neville suffered a devastating run at Valencia
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None of his protegees have come remotely close to what the great Scot managed in his trophy-laden career.
Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley are the latest former Fergie apprentices to see their first permanent jobs in English management end with the axe.
Ruud van Nistelrooy,
Carrick, 43, showed a lot of early promise — taking Boro to the play-offs in his first full season in 2022-23 after a fourth-placed finish — but lost to Coventry in the semi-finals.
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He failed to make the end-of-term Championship lottery in the following two campaigns — and
The Teessiders announced Carrick's exit in a brief 61-word statement.
It was in stark contrast to the relative love letter Watford released to tell the world they had
Carrick's former midfield partner, 35, finished his only season as a boss in 14th — not enough to convince the Hornets he deserved a second campaign.
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Sporting director Gian Luca Nani wrote: 'It has been a privilege to work closely with Tom, to understand how he sees the game and his enthusiasm.
'He deserves to be recognised for this and I'm sure he will have a bright future in the game.'
'What did he expect?' - Sir Alex Ferguson looks 'absolutely disgusted' in new footage from Man Utd Europa League loss
The Dutchman was one of the greatest goalscorers the Premier League has ever seen after crashing in 150 goals in 219 Red Devils games between 2001 and 2006.
So there was a huge irony when his Foxes side failed to net for EIGHT consecutive Prem matches — all of them defeats — between February and April.
It all leaves the managerial success stories of Ferguson's former players looking increasingly thin on the ground.
Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville are two of the more disastrous examples.
With Rooney's ill-fated spells at Birmingham and Plymouth and the latter's Valencia horror show.
No one could keep up
Roy Keane won Sunderland promotion but his last job was Ipswich in 2011.
Blink and you would have missed Paul Scholes' 31 days managing Oldham.
Ryan Giggs' personal problems look to have kiboshed his coaching ambitions.
Jaap Stam got Reading to a play-off final but left the club a year later, while compatriot Robin van Persie's Heerenveen lost 9-1 to AZ Alkmaar in September — though he is now in charge of Feyenoord.
Mark Robins, the man who saved Fergie's job with a famous FA Cup goal back in 1990, has had a middling start at Stoke after working wonders at Coventry.
Phil Neville is in the MLS, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in Turkey and Mark Hughes has been relegated to the National League with Carlisle United despite bossing six Prem teams across 18 years.
Arguably, the biggest hit is Steve Bruce, in charge of Blackpool and having managed more than 1,000 games — but don't tell Newcastle fans that.
And with 12 years now passing since Fergie retired, the options of his former players who could still turn their talent to management is fast running out.
Jonny Evans, released by
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Former Man Utd ace Tom Cleverley was let go by Watford
Credit: Getty
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Ruud van Nistelrooy is facing the axe at Leicester
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Man Utd legend Roy Keane hasn't coached since 2011
Credit: Getty

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The 42

37 minutes ago

• The 42

'For us, it's 68 years, so the people were allowed that' - Sam Mulroy loads up again

THE TROUBLE WITH Shangri-La, is eventually you have to go home and de-scale the kettle. While Sam Mulroy and the Louth team and management went bananas after bridging the 68-year gap back to their last Leinster title, it was fun and it was glorious. And for it to be Meath as the vanquished? Ah, stop! Too much! Too much! 'It was something that none of us, Louth or Meath, probably ever experienced as players. It was unbelievable. I think I was just saying to the few lads here today that like, I think All-Ireland final day has an awful lot of neutral people here,' says Mulroy now. 'Like, I'd be at All-Ireland final day, Louth are not involved, so whereas on Leister final day, it was Louth/Meath, and there were 60,000-plus people here shouting for either side. So yeah, it was noisy, it was electric, it was class.' But 13 days later, they went out in Newbridge against Monaghan and lost. However, they still had Down to come and felt good enough about themselves, right up to the point when they realised that their diesel was still a little dirty. They left themselves too much to do. Down deservedly won. Which left a final day out against Clare, who, let's face it, was their banker. The three point margin and flow of the game however, shows that it was far from comfortable. Bit of a hangover, then? 'Yeah, I think so,' admits Mulroy at the launch of the All-Ireland football series. 'I suppose winning Leinster has been the main goal over the last number of years for this group, so I suppose when you get there and you do it, maybe there is a case of coming down a little bit. 'There was obviously a lot of celebrating for a few days after, and you have to because, as I said, it took a long time to get there and you have to enjoy it and live in the moment for it. 'But yeah, our performances against Monaghan and then Down weren't up to scratch, and we knew then going into last weekend that, as you said, we have to win to stay in the Championship. Advertisement Sam Mulroy scores a penalty for Louth in the nip-and-tuck first half of the Leinster SFC final 📱 Updates - 📺 Watch - — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 11, 2025 'I don't know if we played better that way, but we were backs against the wall a little bit sometimes, so maybe it was the best thing for us. So yeah, I thought at times last week we were good, so hopefully coming back to some sort of form.' They have the unenviable task of an away day in Ballybofey – not quite the fortress now that Tyrone tore up Jim McGuinness' unbeaten record in Pairc MacCumhaill – but intimidating nonetheless. Before we get to that yet, let's stay in the warm bath of the Leinster final before it turns tepid. 'For us, it's 68 years, so the people were allowed that, it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of people, and hopefully it comes around, hopefully the gap's not as big the next time. But I suppose it's hard to get back on track, maybe, even just for people around the county and talking about it and not getting caught up in that as well. 'I think it was a short turnaround of our training on the Wednesday, obviously with a job to do and we knew we were going into a tough group. It was a case of maybe you didn't get to bask in it as much as you'd like, but we enjoyed the few days we did get.' Few deserved the few days quite like Mulroy. He had sent a series of shots wide earlier in the game, but stepped up with 1-7 in total and a critical two-point free towards the end. We're finding ourselves asking forwards about a lot of critical finishing scores in this brave new world of rules in 2025. How does Mulroy keep a clear head in those situations? After all, he is the championship's leading scorer with 4-34 from six games so far, and the top scorer in the round robin, with 3-20, despite losing two of those three games. 'Moments come and pass and it's trying to stay on track, not get too caught up in it, and by the time I took the last kick, I'd completely forgotten about the few before, the few I missed at the start of the second half. Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE Sam Barnes / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE 'I was actually only watching the clips back with the boys on the Wednesday of training that you're like, 'why did I take that shot?' Or 'what was I doing there?'' The next bit is really, really interesting. Read twice if necessary. 'You nearly forget about them, and I think that's an ability and a skill that you develop over the years of just not getting too high and not getting too low with your shots or your chances or whatever it is, because the game's so fast and there's no time. 'I suppose a younger Sam maybe would have dwelled on them and let it get to me and affect me, but I suppose now as I've grown as a player, I've definitely learned to just move on and forget about it. 'I probably expected myself to score one or two of them, and I snatched that one on the top of the arc. I was probably trying to force it a little bit. 'I know the shots I've taken, I think I can definitely score them, and then it's just a case of probably feeling the moment a little bit more, understanding when you need to take the shot or is there a better opportunity to just keep the ball.' The partying, the few sherbets, the music and craic and stories and yarns were priceless. But in time, that stuff fades. What remains is how the children of Louth were inspired by a group of men who have become instant heroes. Only at the start of this week, the former Louth great JP Rooney forwarded Mulroy a video. It was of Rooney's soon, previously a football agnostic who wasn't bothered either way, he would never have been out with a football on his own. Then his father took him to the Leinster final. 'It was very nice to see that yesterday, that you're inspiring the next generation of players to be involved in GAA and want to play for their club or their county,' Mulroy says. 'And then I suppose, maybe there was a glass ceiling in Louth that we could never get over the line and win anything, and I suppose getting that job done, and then obviously the 20s and the minors doing really, really well as well, you're just hoping that people coming through in Louth don't see that there's a ceiling on this thing, you can go as far as we like.' All of this seemed a long way off when Mickey Harte took over in the winter of 2020 and Louth were a division 4 team. It looked just slightly less unlikely when Harte left after the 2023 season, having left Louth as a division 2 side and having reached a Leinster final. The feeling was of a team that had emptied themselves in a few seasons under an All-Ireland winning coach, and gravity would soon ensue. 'When Mickey Harte left I kind of felt, no matter who comes in there, it's a case of next man up and we keep going on this journey, and Ger (Brennan) came in with this team, and we've done rightly,' deadpans Mulroy. Related Reads 'We back you no matter what' - Shane Walsh on backing of Galway team mates 'Just a special talent' - 20 years on from Galway's 'Terrible Twins' brilliance in All-Ireland final 'You are used to being on the road' - Shane O'Donnell makes light of Donegal controversy 'Yeah, look, I think the group is an experienced group. We learned a lot under Mickey and Gavin, but I think the group realised that we didn't want it to stop there, so, yeah, it's a case of just keeping it going no matter who comes in. It brings them to Donegal and a man Mulroy knows well. In 2020 and 2021, Jim McGuinness was in helping out with Mulroy's club, Naomh Mairtín, when they won their first and second Louth county titles. They've had a few brief meetings since, a few snatched words at Ballyshannon for a league meeting and after last year's All-Ireland quarter final defeat. It would be good to catch up, Mulroy says. But they have miles to go before all that. 'We're not going up to Ballybofey for the craic or to fulfill a fixture,' he states. 'We're in a prelim quarterfinal for the All-Ireland series and we played in a quarter-final here last year. so it's a case of let's try and go better again this year and try and progress as a team. As I said it won't be just to fulfill a fixture and just let Donegal go through into a quarter-final.' * Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here

The Irish Sun

39 minutes ago

• The Irish Sun

Sir Alex Ferguson quickly bounces back from Man Utd axe as alternative venture secures him more than a year's earnings

SIR ALEX FERGUSON is still earning a pretty penny, despite being ruthlessly axed from his lucrative role at Manchester United. The legendary manager was the biggest casualty of 3 Sir Alex Ferguson lost his Manchester United ambassadorial role last season Credit: GETTY 3 Sir Jim Ratcliffe chopped Fergie's £2.1million-a-year job as part as sweeping club cuts Credit: ALAMY 3 But a business venture he started 42 years ago is helping keep him financially stable Credit: GETTY Fergie was axed from his multi-million-pound ambassadorial role with the club, with the sacking coming into effect at the end of the season. That decision from INEOS bigwig Ratcliffe saw the Scot wave goodbye to a whopping £2.1million a year salary. But the 83-year-old won't be strapped for cash thanks to a business venture he embarked upon over FOUR DECADES ago. Fergie 's personal company, ACF Sports Promotions Limited, recorded profits of £2.7m last year, taking its total assets to £26.9m. READ MORE ON SIR ALEX FERGUSON That figure is up from £24.2m the previous year, although it's not known if the £2.1m Ferguson received from United was paid into the account. ACF is the company that handles all of Fergie 's commercial activities, including speaking appearances. Fergie stepped down from his role as company director in 2014, handing over the reins to his son Mark. The healthy bank balance of ACF, which was set up 42 YEARS AGO , means Fergie won't have to worry about losing his ambassador's role with United. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Fergie axe comes at the right time - and he knows it By Phil Thomas IT is over a decade since he left the dugout but Sir Alex Ferguson has lost none of his sense of timing. When to sell, when to buy, when to change and ultimately when to go, Fergie has always been in a class of his own. Over the years there were countless decisions which had everyone scratching their head — but Sir Alex always knew the time was right. Some were more obvious than others. Like the night Manchester United won the Treble on the back of his substitutions. Others less so, like the summer of 1995 when terrace legends Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis were sold at the peak of their powers. The whole of football thought the manager had lost his marbles. But Fergie knew better, as he chose that year to unleash his 'you win nothing with kids' Double heroes. Just as he knew best when it came to right-hand men. Brian Kidd, Steve McClaren, Archie Knox and Co — an endless list of world-class coaches who all came and went. And, of course, the biggest decision of all. Calling time on 26 years in which he had gone from the brink of the bullet to English football's greatest-ever gaffer. The majority of people are convinced Ferguson stepped down because he knew United's era of dominance was over. Maybe not the nosedive to come but certainly that an almighty rebuild was just around the corner. Another mass overhaul, yet not one he was prepared to oversee. Now another end has arrived. Not as dramatic or as out-of-nowhere, admittedly, but an end nonetheless. Next summer Fergie will leave his 12-year role as global ambassador. Many see it as the most ruthless swing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's cost-cutting axe — and they are wrong. For while he is trying to save every penny in making United great again — how's that going, Sir Jim? — Ferguson has not suddenly and callously been told he is surplus to requirements. This decision was a two-way call. An amicable parting. Football's own conscious uncoupling, in Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow lingo. And not, incidentally, a departure which means we will no longer see Fergie at Old Trafford on a matchday. That simply will not happen. He will still be there rain, wind or shine . . . Only now as a high-profile non-executive director, rather than a man with the ear — and the sway — behind the owners' biggest decisions. Like he was when urging United to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021. Admittedly not his finest hour, rather an indication of the influence he still retained. Back then, until just before Ratcliffe and his Ineos team arrived, in fact, Ferguson had the owners' ear. Almost a hotline to the Glazer family, you could say. And those days are done. Not that Sir Alex is bereft at the thought. For a start, some of the staff sackings have enraged the Scot — long-serving photographer John Peters and kitman Alec Wylie, for example. This is not a cosy-cosy relationship with Ratcliffe being severed. If anything, it is closer to the opposite. And as Fergie the Red, in every sense The Boss — those who played under him still call him that — knows, trousering £2million or so a year in such tight times is not a good look. Fair enough, not an amount anyone would turn down in normal circumstances. Yet when many in the steerage class are losing their livelihoods, it is not something that would have sat well with him. There is also the practical side of things as well. At the end of December, Sir Alex will be 83 years old, albeit still a freakishly fit 83 years old. Yet even though the grey matter remains oh-so-sharp and the mind clear as a bell, the bones grow creakier and even Superman had to put his feet up on occasion. That does not mean you will not see shots of Fergie alongside Ratcliffe at various points — Sir Jim loves too much the associated glamour of being pictured with the greatest. But any idea of Sir Alex having an emperor's thumbs-down power has gone for good — and quite frankly that is something which suits both sides. Fergie was given the role after bringing his legendary 26-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford to an end in 2013. He was paid just shy of £26m for his post-managerial gig, which Ratcliffe and Co. deemed to be an unnecessary expense. Sir Alex Ferguson spotted with unlikely TV star pal at Cheltenham again as legendary Man Utd boss bags £65k winner In an interview with the BBC in March, Ratcliffe said of the cost-cutting, which has resulted in hundreds losing their jobs : "We have got a club which was in a level of financial difficulty. " Manchester United would have run out of cash by the end of this year -- by the end of 2025 -- after having me put $300m (£232.72m) in and if we buy no new players in the summer . "If we hadn't have implemented the cost programmes and restructuring that we have done over the last 12 months. "So we have to deal with all those things, and there's only so many things you can deal with at once. "We have a new management team, we have to deal with the financial restructure, then we have to move on to the squad, data analysis, and moving forward. "But we are in the process of change and it's an uncomfortable period and disruptive and I do feel sympathy with the fans. "But I am not actually surprised where we are in the league because Ruben's only got a certain size of squad he can deal with, and quite a number of those players are injured or not available to him."

Irish Examiner

an hour ago

• Irish Examiner

'Not sugar coating anything' - Farrell laments Lions' costly errors in Argentina loss

Andy Farrell refused to sugar coat the British & Irish Lions' defeat to Argentina as he took full responsibility for the 28-24 loss ahead of the squad's departure for Australia. The Lions head coach admitted his side's performance in a historic first Lions game on Irish soil at a sold-out Aviva Stadium had not lived up to his expectations as Pumas fly-half Tomas Albornoz led Felipe Contepomi's Pumas to a famous maiden victory over the tourists. Tries from Bundee Aki and Ireland team-mate Tadhg Beirne either side of a penalty try off the back of a powerful Lions lineout drive were some of the highlights. But a matchday 23 missing 14 players who were involved in English and URC finals six days earlier for Bath, Leicester Tigers and the largest one-club contingent within the touring party, 10 of the dozen Leinstermen selected by Farrell, went down to defeat. Argentina prevailed in front of the remarkable sight of 51,700 supporters forming a 'Sea of Red' in Dublin more readily associated with stadia of the ilk of Loftus Versfeld or Eden Park. The Lions will fly Down Under on Saturday, heading to Perth, Western Australia ahead of a tour opener against Western Force seven days later and asked for what response he wanted from his squad, Farrell said: 'Obviously a better all-round performance. You can single out one thing but it's not just one thing, it's a compounding of quite a few bits. 'The amount of balls that we threw blindly, either to the opposition or the floor, is probably a stand-out. If you combine that with the kicking game and the aerial battle and what is disappointing is scraps on the floor from that type of battle, it always seemed to go to Argentina so there's a bit of fight and hunger from them that we can't accept. 'Then you combine stuff at the breakdown, the lineout or whatever, and it's too much. It's too much when it all comes together, it's just compounded, and there's a reason why people do get cramp or look a bit tired or are not able to capitalise on opportunities you have created, because probably subconsciously you're suppressing yourself with the compounding of errors. It obviously needs to be addressed.' Asked about his own performance as head coach, the 2023 Grand Slam-winning Ireland boss said: 'Obviously not good enough. I always take full responsibility, that's my role. It doesn't matter what department or whatever, I'm in charge of the job lot so it obviously wasn't good enough and I need to be better. 'We're not sugar-coating anything because we need to be honest because if we're not honest how do we gain trust with each other? We have to say it as it is. There are certain things we said we were going to do and we need to own that and review that properly.' Farrell urged his players to take ownership of the red jerseys of which they were now in possession. 'We've got to own that. We've got to take responsibility for that. 'We are the British & Irish Lions so we've got to own the right to take that jersey forward. It shouldn't be heavy. We've got brilliant players within our squad and they need to embrace that.'