Alex Ferguson was the Manchester United boss – it’s the simple fact and one that doesn’t need much explanation. Nor is it altered by Mike Phelan’s revelation that he was the true boss of the past few seasons.
It’s not totally surprising that Ferguson’s assistant feels that way. It’s not uncommon for managers to delegate much of the coaching of the team to his assistants. Ferguson, however, remained the glue holding United together. He was central to key decisions that needed to be made. If there is an indication as to how much power – power importantly being different to responsibility – Phelan had, he has thus far been the only person to mention this status as boss instead of assistant.
That doesn’t take away from Phelan’s importance to Manchester United. Ferguson always liked to freshen up his backroom staff, and however good the Scot was as a manager, success is normally built on the strong foundations of an entire management team.
Phelan isn’t uncredited, nor is Rene Meulensteen. They are what they are: assistants to the manager. Perhaps there was a misinterpretation on Phelan’s part when he discussing his unofficial title at the club. He spoke of wanting to take up management elsewhere, though it’s telling that he’s been out of work and largely out of the spotlight since leaving Manchester United in the summer. In comparison, Meulensteen has picked up a coaching job at Fulham with possibilities of taking over as manager.
It was always unlikely that Phelan would stay on when David Moyes took over. The former Everton manager, like most, wanted to bring in his own people. It helps, in a way, to ease the transition. And while some may have argued that it would have been sensible to retain some of the old coaching staff, Phelan has clearly been overlooked for any role under the new regime.
The struggles or inconsistencies under Moyes indicate that there isn’t much substance to what Phelan had to say. Ferguson may have offered Phelan the responsibility to run the coaching of the first team, but success and the acquisition of players, among many other things, are rooted to Ferguson himself. Delegating jobs, no matter how small, can be seen as intelligent managing of a club as big as United. Again, maybe Phelan simply got the wrong impression. Phelan’s contribution shouldn’t be overlooked, but Ferguson’s influence preceded most things at the club.
Phelan may eventually end up taking a job as the head boss of a club in England, but it will be interesting to see how he fares. There won’t be someone with the reputation of Ferguson to fall back on, nor is the assistant’s job in any way similar to that of the manager. For now, his side of the story doesn’t carry much weight.
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