Building a fourth Old Trafford team is the monumental farewell task ahead of the 68-year-old.
Whether the Reds boss had designs on ending his tenure this summer by joining Bob Paisley as the most successful European Cup-winning manager of all time to go along with a historic fourth Premier League title is pure guesswork.
It would have been a neat and appropriate way to end his 23-year golden era.
He doesn't owe any successor a legacy, but my best guess would be that Fergie will want to end his day as United manager with the biggest club prize, the Champions League trophy, as the final piece of silverware on an illustrious CV.
The shock quarter-final exit to Bayern Munich and the possibility that Chelsea will cling onto their title lead could leave United with only the Carling Cup to show for their efforts this campaign.
A League Cup postscript to Ferguson's reign would not be a fitting finale.
So a fourth generation of sides to tag onto the 1994 Dream Team, the '99 Treble winners, the 2008 Champions League side and three-in-a-row title winning squad is probably paramount as Ferguson surveys the damage caused by the quarter-final defeat by Bayern.
That historic four-in-a-row title is still on and if the Reds were to achieve it, it would go down as one of Fergie's best triumphs given the circumstances of this season.
The United manager has already begun the rebuilding with the capture of Chris Smalling from Fulham and, on Thursday, Mexico's Javier Hernandez.
And although he said only this week he is not expecting a massive outlay on players during the summer, he is bound to have handed David Gill a list of targets.
So what areas do Sir Alex need to be addressing when he considers plans for another Old Trafford creation?
REPLACING RONALDO
THIS season-long chestnut has been debated by United fans and refuses to go away. Not an easy task to replace the £80m world record transfer fee player and the man who illuminated the Reds and majorly influenced Moscow '08 and the trio of Premier League crowns.
Fergie's £16m cheque for Antonio Valencia brought in a powerful no-nonsense winger who has won admirers.
Nani has blossomed from infuriating to inspirational at times. But both are largely still inconsistent works in progress.
To fill the Ronaldo void United needed an instant big-hitter who would hit the ground running at Old Trafford and already have had a renowned stature. Franck Ribery could have been that man and there were hints the Frenchman would have lapped up the Old Trafford stage.
If Zinedine Zidane believes Ribery is the jewel in the French crown then it is a gem the Reds should have mined for.
Ribery has the proven class that would have provided the spark so often missing from United's game plan this term.
STRIKERS
THE strength of United's attack has been the burning issue of the season.
Fergie pioneered the four-strong senior strike-force in the 90s but he has limped through the campaign with an unhealthy reliance on Wayne Rooney.
The fact an unfit Rooney was chosen ahead of £30.75m club record buy Dimitar Berbatov was as near to a public admittance of the England striker's importance that Fergie would come to.
The Reds boss chased the signature of French hitman Karim Benzema last summer before losing out to Real Madrid for the Lyon player. It was clear that Fergie knew an extra body was a must. Once Benzema chose the Bernabeu, United turned immediately to the shock second choice of free agent Michael Owen.
But Owen was used in fits and starts before falling to injury once again. Berbatov has had his moments but clearly is not viewed as the man for the big heavyweight matches.
Backing up Rooney, Berbatov and Owen were the precocious talents of Danny Welbeck and Kiko Macheda.
The Mancunian wasn't ready for the set up and was farmed out to Preston on loan and the Italian is only just returning from a long-term injury.
It might not be politically correct to suggest it at Old Trafford but what wouldn't United have given for the goals and impact Carlos Tevez could have provided against Chelsea and Bayern.
When you are considering the kind of goal return and energy United's attack needs to back up Rooney, Tevez ticks the boxes.
Goal merchants are the hardest commodity to find but Fergie's worldwide network of scouts will have to be put on overtime come the end of May.
SQUAD AGE
FERGIE has set great store down the years on a well- balanced squad in terms of age.
A dusting of veteran campaigners and a layer of precocious young talent on the cusp of big-time breakthrough.
The meat in that sandwich was always a man-sized filling of mid-20s performers coming to their peak and still hungry for success.
The '94 Dream Team had Keane, Sharpe, Cantona and Kanchelskis in that bracket.
The Treble side had Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Butt, Neville, Cole and Yorke.
In Moscow Ferdinand, Vidic, Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Carrick, Tevez and Evra were all in that category.
But there is a heavy accent on the 30-somethings in Fergie's squad, a smattering of young wannabes but no real solid middle with a proven track record.
In the veteran section are Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Edwin Van der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Wes Brown.
Edging very close to the big 30 are Evra, Vidic, Carrick, Park and Hargreaves.
Only Rooney and Darren Fletcher can rightly claim among the 24 to 27-year-olds that they have the pedigree.
United need that mid-20 age category of players hitting their peak to be bolstered.
The Giggs, Scholes, Neville and Van der Sars of this world have got experience to burn but it cannot be long before the fire is extinguished.
Giggs and Van der Sra have already signed new one-year deals. Scholes' contract is in the post and there is still a debate over Neville's future.
But increasingly the Class of '92 survivors are discovering their halcyon days can only be revived occasionally. They are still vital brains to be picked but match day influence is waning.
OLD TRAFFORD FORTRESS
UNITED'S Fear Factor has gradually been eroded at Old Trafford.
A home fixture used to mean the Reds were essentially 1-0 up before the referee blew his first whistle.
The ramparts were always up at fortress Old Trafford and few breached them.
But the lists of sides that have scored in front of the Stretford End this season and those who have taken points are longer than normal directories.
The top outfits have come to Old Trafford and scored like Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, City and Bayern Munich and that is understandable.
But Leeds, Villa and Besiktas have all scored and won at Old Trafford and the likes of CSKA Moscow and Sunderland have earned themselves unexpected draws.
Keeping a clean sheet and not shipping points is not a given at Old Trafford but the home record has been a really proud one. However, this season it has been noted that having a go at the Reds can bring its rewards.
Unlike last season, when a long injury list in defence failed to derail the Reds and the makeshift back rearguard mustered a record breaking number of clean sheets, this time the casualty roll call has had a more damaging effect.
But the Reds need to find some home comforts again next term to give the campaign a solid base to work from.
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In fairness, the number of injuries we've had this year are faar more than those we had last. a defense of Feltcher-Carrick-Evra-Giggs can be excused for letting a few goals in.
This analysis just shows and exposes the inadequacies of the current squad, which have been developing over the last 2 or 3 seasons. The accountability for that must be with SAF. I hate to say it but I wonder whether his time has now gone.
I know this Bob Paisley clown he no good joker at Liverpool. Man in appartment next to me is fan for liverpool. I say liverpoll sad and weakless but he not listen because he is fat man who no go to work and never wear no shirt with always food in his ear and head. I always tell him he gormless for being fan for liverpool and why he no wear no shirt but he say he lots of gorm and liverpool are big team in champ league cup and league wins before prem more than Man U. But I tell him read your history book you are no shirt idiot for Man U best and I sing 34 years glory glory Man U because I know he try and pull wool over my face.
One day I writed SHAVE YOUR BACK on his door in big words but I have to go to police and pay fine and wash door and then I must say sorry but police say nothing to him for not wearing shirt. He is liverpool pant face idiot.
i say give the oldies a great send off by winning the 19th league title and then lets party like its the 90's. its time to put our trust in the youth policy and that includes sir fergie. every time we in a corner he turns to neville giggs and scholes and this has to stop. how else are the young ones going to learn if they not given a chance. i was more upset with the chelsea defeat than the bayern defeat/victory because fergie went for youth and it almost paid off. gibson scored, nani played a blinder and raphael had ribery in his tiny pocket for 60 mins..lets not talk about what happend in the last 30 mins
everybody keeps raving about barca's team of stars but they are literally all homegrown. we are doing the same at the moment (raphael, fabio, macheda, petrucci, keane, king, evans, evans, pogba, cleverley) all of whom have great potential and there is more whom i havent even mentioned. maybe its time we unleash these players a bit more frequently on the opposition. we dont need established loads of stars that do not understand the ethos of the club, we need players coming through the system, where they are taught that the club comes first. if you watch barca..they run like dogs and work harder when they dont have the ball. can you honestly tell me that players like ribery will track back if he comes to old trafford.
invest in the future and let the present take care of itself because most times there is nothing really that you can do about it.
footballing standards have been dropping since the european cup win over chelsea,and ive been on here saying it often and getting slated by mostly americans who come on here and tell me that im wrong,because we are still winning.
Mr Woo, R.O.Korea.... I haven’t laughed as much since.... er er er er Wednesday. Keep up the good work.
I think we should all give up writing comments when "Mr Woo, R.O.Korea" is on form. That's all the entertainment we need.
Keep up the good work sir......and try to keep out of trouble!
Just having the opportunity to watch a replay of the game on the internet (ITV 4) and Carrick has played really well up to the 44th minute.
He was almost always available for the ball, he adjusted his position around that of his team-mates to let them play (which in itself suggests intelligence and unselfishness), he tracked back well and always seemed to occupy defensive space in key areas. He won't ever be Xavi or Makelele and there are clearly some negatives to his game, but I think he was far better than he got credit for on Wednesday.
Maybe it's not just wingers who are confidence players ?
Its Waynes World !!, south africa - Totally agree with you. Top post.
People need to stop panicking - things aren't as bad as people would have you believe. Consider these three key moments this season:
1. Chelsea (Away) - Fletcher fairly challenges Cole and wins the ball, referee awards Chelsea free kick. Header by Terry across goal looks set to be cleared by Brown until he is hauled down by Drogba but referee turns a blind eye to it. Chelsea score and we lose the game 1-0.
2. Chelsea (Home) - Drogba scores to put Chelsea 2-0 up and despite being 5 yards offside the goal is awarded. Chelsea win 2-1.
3. Bayern (Home) - Rafael is clearly tripped by Van Bommel but the referee plays on, petulently Rafa hangs a leg out which Van Bommel is more than kean to go over and rolls around holding his knee. Booking. Later Rafael tugs Ribery's arm back when he is beaten just inside United's half with plenty of defenders back covering. Ref clearly awards freekick and is content with that until he is put under intense pressure from about 6 Bayern players and eventually produces a second yellow card. Down to 10 men United struggle to gain any posession and Bayrn eventually score the goal that knocks United out of the CL.
If the referee had done his job on these three occasions United owuld be four points clear in the PL and in the semi-finals of the CL!
What an absolute pile of drivel. Grow up Matiehson orwhateveryournameis god what an idiot.
The Chronicles Mr Woo now stuff of legend OT. Young man inspire all devil men. Neck on line for club great. Brave red firmly stand in scouse provocation face and brutality rozzer. Manc men saluting him all time.
It's not that easy, but fun trying. Keep up the tales of Woo!!
Mr woo ,r.o.Korea , Omg can't breathe for laughing please keep posting , brightened my day after a depressingly bad week
Doc Savage - I'm no fan of Carrick, but I have to admit you're right. Carrick & Park are just easy scapegoats because a lot of their work is done off-the-ball, and their contribution isn't obvious or flashy.
A friend emailed me stats for the first 70 minutes (up until the substitutions) of the first leg at Bayern, and I was really surprised by what I saw. Carrick accounted for eight (8) out of 16 interceptions made by United up till the 70th. That's 50% of the team's total interceptions. Carrick & Park accounted for 70% of that total. No wonder we collapsed defensively after the substitutions.
Also, so many people commented that Carrick & Park kept giving the ball away. But in fact the main culprits in the first leg were Nani, Scholes, Fletcher & Vidic. Carrick & Park were robbed of possession once (1) each. Carrick made two (2) bad passes his entire shift. Park, NONE (0) - he didn't misplace a single pass.
Park actually contributed 2 assists for shots on goal and Carrick himself had 2 shots on goal, both on target.
I actually had to watch the first 70 minutes again because I couldn't quite believe it. I'd post the full stats if anyone's interested.
Alex, Doc,
I thought Carrick was doing ok until their goal - everyone was really. It's easy to forget that he also got a bad head knock - he looked out of it for a while so this won't have helped. But it really was a crucial moment in the tie and he fluffed it badly. Combine with the fact that he has a bad season. He is an enigma to me - he is capable of great vision and sharp incisive passing but when his confidence is low or form is bad he withdraws and is very cautious in his play. He is asked to play a little too deep I believe as well. I won't be unhappy if he stays but I think he needs to regain his belief in his abilities and step up like he has done in the past. I'm sure SAF will work on that.
If we can get a better replacement, wonderful. If not we have to support him.
Fair comments from Mr Mathieson on the whole.
It should be said the squad has done exceptionally well this season despite the injuries and the past recruitment mistakes.
It is clearly unbalanced though, partly due to the fact that it is bloated with too many players below top class, many of whom have been introduced in a largely unsuccessful attempt to replace the ageing backbone of the team.
Aswell as the likes of Giggs, Scholes and Neville we must now add Ferdinand, VdS, Berbatov, Brown, Hargreaves, Carrick and Park who are around or beyond the 30 mark and, in 2 or 3 cases, seriously physically ailing.
Of this list only Hargreaves is actually finished, but you can be sure new contracts for the last of the "Class of '92" would not be on the table again if SAF had made a better fist of replacing them.
Unlike the 90s there is no new phalanx of babes and fledglings ready to emerge together and we are reliant on an unreliable scouting system to get lucky in the bargain basement. After recent experiences like Tosic and Llajic it is probably best not to get too excited about Smalling and Hernandez.
How much better the outlook would be if we could turn the clock back a little and undo even just a couple of the costliest mistakes. Hargreaves is one of course, while preferring Berbatov to Tevez will eventually be seen in the same light as bringing in Blanc for Stam.
On the bright side SAF is still the supreme motivator and could yet get another successful domestic season or two out of his team before he finally goes.
One suspects that the aggressive tax situation in this country is as much of a problem in signing top quality players as is our debt issue. The wages we would have to pay to offset 50% tax payments would
be considerable. I guess thats the real gamble these days. Abramovich seems to be shying away from paying huge transfer fees and inflated wage demands. Abu Dhabi United and Real Mad-Rid are the only ones foolish and desperate enough to buy a trophy at any price.
Football is changing, yet again. I think that United and Arsenal are in the forefront of recognising the shift in economics and the need for better scouting and coaching to develop younger players. I do
hope that we get a better coach in for the first team, to assist SAF. We need more tactical acumen
both on the field and off it.
I am looking forward to these last five games. I turned down a business gig so that I can go home and away. I want to be there when we make history.
All in all guys. Supporting United is worth every penny. Nothing and No-one puts your life on the edge
quite like the Reds [ excepting the missus of course, goes without saying ].
Mr. Woo, your posts crack me up and I look forward to the wonderful humor.
The fact that we lacked fire power up front to help Rooney lies at the feet of the Glazier Family, instead of re investing the 100 odd million pound in new players for Alex to work with, so that we could have secured the premiership title with ease. I sincerely hope we do secure the tital for the 4th year in a row for Alex's sake. But the Glazier's need to realise that United is a tradition and history and not just a money earning corporation. I live in New Zealand and even though i am not at Old Trafford every week which i would be if i did live in England , it upsets me to know that one family holds Mancester United's fate from one week to another. If the Glaziers ever went down then so would United.The Green and Yellows are gaining support not only in England but around the world, should be giving the Glaxier Family when they see the ocean of green and yellow the passion that is in United. The money that was not reinvested showed the attitude that the owners have.
Thank you for your honest contribution to the candid assessment of Utd's present team .The fact we are still in with a chance to win the Premiership is down to luck !
Fergie has to step down as he selected the team every game and sad to say he is only human to heve erred on the wrong side .Sentiment should never had entered his head when selecting for important games like at Munich .The three "amigos" OAPs should "never" have been selected .Rafael should had palyed so he would had the experience against Ribery .Yes Man Utd need to buy a goalkeeper like Lloris,, creative midfielder like David Silva or James Milner, one good defender to replace Ferdinand or Evra , and a class striker like "Jovantec" from Fiorentina or Dzeko from Wolsburg instead of the overrated Benzema who rejected Man Utd last year . Fergie should still step down .
Mr Woo, R.O.Korea
The best post I've read, keep it up you brightened up a dull day.
I read the comments often and can't believe how fickle some of our fans are. It's been a bad week but the team have achieved more this season than I thought they could. It's a team in transition. Older players are playing increasingly smaller parts and some of the younger players need more time. We don't buy success like others in the league - Utd will always (I hope) be a mixture of young talent and big signings. Personally, seeing the likes of Wellbeck making it would give me more pleasure than spending a fortune on Ribery.
Finally its rare to read a comment as thought provoking as that from Mr Woo - MNE, give the man a column.
ihave just read fergi remarks on the web site the squad is very good just need tweeking who is he trying
to kid the sooner he comes down to earth the better neville brown oshea scoles giggs park fletcher?
this is the tweek i woud do oberton needs to play joe cole is ok benzeema good milner ok to get these
people in you have to free up room a squad of 50 is not practilcal no wonder we are in dept paying
players to warm the bench shape up saf ktd 13/04/2010 9.27am