January 27 – Sir Alex Ferguson, appointed last week as UEFA’s new coaching ambassador to “teach the teachers”, has denounced the culture of sacking managers at the first sign of crisis.
The former Manchester United manager, who will play a key role in the training of young coaches at national association level as well as getting involved in the Champions League, says coaches need time to develop their skills.
“When boardrooms discuss appointing a new manager, they must discuss his qualities, look at his CV, his character and philosophy,” Ferguson told the BBC. “If that’s how they give him the job, why don’t they persevere instead of waiting maybe a year and then going through the same procedure again. It seems to me so stupid.”
Ferguson was famously at United for 27 years but he admits few coaches are given the latitude to enjoy the same authority as he did or stamp their personalities on the job.
“Time is not a guarantee in modern-day football,” Ferguson told reporters last week after his new appointment. “It’s become a results industry. I would tell every young coach to prepare properly by taking the UEFA license. I took my full badge at 24 and it gave me a proper chance to survive and be successful.”
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