Why Chris Morgan could sharpen the Blades..

                                                   

 

 

Sir Alex Ferguson, Britain’s most successful manager, played football for his country less than a dozen times. He played 317 games for six teams in Scotland, scoring 171 goals. Not a bad return but not what you would call prolific either.

As a manager, he won the Premier League with Manchester United 13 times. He also won the FA cup 5 times and the league cup 4 as well as a cabinet full of silverware won in various European cups.

No one could argue that as a manager he was most definitely prolific.

For much of reign as Manchester United coach his biggest rival was Frenchman Arsene Wenger. Arsenal boss Wenger played 67 professional games, scoring just four times. In management he has won the French title with Monaco, the premier league three times and the FA Cup four times.

England’s most capped player, goalkeeper Peter Shilton played for his country 125 times over two decades. He played over a thousand professional games before retiring at the grand age of 47. After finishing playing he managed Plymouth Argyle reaching the second division play-off final and being relegated the following year.

Former England captain Bryan Robson who played for England 90 times, enjoyed some success as Middlesbrough manager, enjoying promotion to the premier league and spending millions bring in talent from abroad. He eventually left with ‘Boro in a relegation battle and took up the reigns at Bradford who were relegated that season. From Bradford he went to WBA narrowly avoiding the drop in a famous last game escape.

He also had a dismal spell in charge of Sheffield United.

This week Sheffield United sacked manager David Weir after less than 6 months in the role.  Weir is Scotland’s sixth most capped player, representing them 69 times in a 13 year career which saw him play for Hearts, Everton and Rangers. Sheffield United were his first employer in the role of manager but he saw just one victory before being relieved of his duties with United in the bottom three of League one. The Blades are expected to name Nigel Clough as his successor in the coming days. Clough played for Liverpool and Manchester City after making debut for his father, Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. He played for England 14 times, never scoring before going on to manage non-league Burton, leading them into the football league proper. He also spent four years at Derby before being sacked earlier this season. Will he go on to be another highly successful player unable to cut it as a manager, or will he break the mould?

Other world class, brilliant players such as Pele, Maradonna, Roy Keene, Kevin Keegan and Glen Hoddle who were highly decorated as players have failed to maintain that success at managerial level.  Winning trophies as a player does not guarantee success as a manager. Experience in the top division does not guarantee success as manager. The statistics show that even being a great leader on the pitch does not guarantee success from the touchline.

 

It is with this in mind that I wonder if current Sheffield United caretaker manager, Chris Morgan might be the best option. A tough no nonsense defender, Morgan played 185 times for his hometown club Barnsley before moving to Sheffield, playing almost 250 times for the Blades. If the records of the big names above are anything to go by, Morgan could be just what is needed to restore the fortunes of the sorry Sheffield outfit.