Where to now for Manchester United?

One thing is likely and another thing is for certain for anyone who is associated with Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of achievement will likely never be replicated by any manager at a single club ever again.

The reputation the club built under his guidance, the legacy he will leave, and his own personal immortality in the annals of the game will certainly last forever.

Now let me make one thing clear here, being a passionate Arsenal supporter, I have envied the successes of that club, especially in recent years.

But one thing you have to respect is the sheer weight of the argument that tilts any debate about his success in a United fan’s favour.

I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t shaken my head in disgust at the utter regularity, if not anything else, of a United goal in “Fergie time” to win a game or salvage a point.

Fergie time isn’t just a myth. It’s an engrained mental focus that no other club can match, or often handle for that matter, as they surge toward the Stretford End. It may be a simple notion that until the final whistle blows there is still everything to play for, regardless of how desperate a situation may be. There is no denying its truth, though.

It’s this never-say-die attitude developed under his guidance that will be crucial heading into this new era, not only on the pitch but off it as well.

It seems to me that United knew that the time was right to allow Ferguson to step away without vehement opposition.

They managed to get one more year out of him after they were pipped to the Premier League title by a nose hair last season thanks to the ‘Aguerooooooo’ moment.

From various accounts, Ferguson was ready to call it a day having seen off the threat of the noisy neighbours. The fact they were somehow able to blow an eight-point lead with five games to go still ponders a question or two.

He returned home after that final day agony at Sunderland and told his wife that he now had to give it one more season and wrestle back what he believed was rightfully United’s title.

As soon as number 20 was safe, the search for a new leader began. No, it wasn’t won on the 17th of August 2012, when a certain high profile acquisition was made, it was won on the aforementioned afternoon at the stadium of light, 13 May 2012.

This was the moment that Ferguson’s walked his team back into the dressing room after learning they had lost their title.

This is where Ferguson stood alone. Not with tactical chess during the course of 90-plus minutes but the belief and courage he could instill in his players and turn the pain of defeat into motivation and fuel to succeed time and time again.

This is what David Moyes will be judged on above all else. Not when things are going well, but when a young player needs an arm around their shoulder when they are feeling like the walls are caving in.

Fergie was not just a manager who groomed good players into great ones, but boys into men. Most importantly, in appointing Moyes, the club wanted a continuation of the stability that has been the cornerstone of the last 26 and a half years.

It’s a reason why United knew the timing was perfect was because of Ferguson’s age and the fact he is still in good health.

A seamless transition is at the forefront of the club’s future thinking and with Ferguson in a fit state to take a prominent position on the board as well an ambassadors role, I get the feeling he will still have significant involvement in the core football business of the club for a few years at least.

You can visualise the moment the first tricky question is raised about a football matter at a board meeting and the puzzled faces in the room all turn their attention to Fergie for an answer.

You can also see him grinning as he prepares to respond with an entire eight-pack of Wrigley’s in his mouth.

Put it this way, had it come to a point where Ferguson’s health became a serious issue that brought a sudden halt to his involvement with the club, then that would have been the ‘told you so’ situation that everyone affiliated wanted to avoid.

A hip operation this summer is the beginning, as well as possibly the end of any dramas all in one; however it wasn’t a risk that was worth taking.

I assume it was hard for United fans to accept that the fairytale would end, though it was inevitable that the day would one day come.

To ensure the continuity of the model that has served them so successfully, it is vital that this transition period is completed without any major interruption.

Moyes did a magnificent job managing a club on limited funds and squeezed every last drop of effort out of his roster.

He may have been trophy-less at Goodison but I don’t think that can be held against him in the circumstances.

Let’s make no mistake about it, though, the institution that he has taken charge of isn’t a work in progress.

I don’t say it lightly that he will need the mentoring of Ferguson to grasp the sheer size of the mission he chosen to accept.

The club will expect success. Perhaps not immediately although the foundations are in place and he takes over a premiership winning team.

Ferguson’s timing was impeccable when he demanded that the fans “stood behind their new manager” and gave him time to adapt.

It wasn’t scripted but it was as important as anything that he had said in his 26.5 years at the helm. It ensured that Moyes will be given mercy that he won’t have to beg for if things don’t begin as intended.

Any potential perception that United would be a rudderless galleon following the departure of their manager has been dispelled by taking this course of action.

Prepared is the motto on Villa’s crest but United’s anticipation that the timing was right for the change is a triple jump in the right direction to making sure that, well, nothing changes.

The rest of us hope that things don’t continue in that fashion.