Derby County manager Jim Smith has warned that whoever succeeds Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford faces an almost impossible task and believes his former assistant, Steve McClaren, should be cautious about stepping into the manager's shoes when the United chief finally calls it a day. McClaren, who teamed up with Peter Taylor recently to form the management team for England's friendly in Turin, is widely regarded as one the best coaches in the English game and Smith believes he has a bright managerial future ahead of him.
However, the Rams' boss advised him: "Don't follow Alex because it will be a hell of a job for anyone to replace him."
"Everything there has been created by, and for, Alex," Smith continued. "For me he is the greatest manager the game has ever seen and what he has achieved is beyond anyone's belief. I certainly wouldn't want to follow that.
'It's one thing being a coach - something else to be a manager. Alex has succeeded to a degree beyond anyone's belief. You only have to look at what he achieved in Scotland with Aberdeen before he came to England and carried everything before him.
"I don't know quite what it is about Ferguson - but the Scots have a tremendous feeling for football, a no-nonsense and common sense approach. They have an ethic for hard work and expect the same from those who play for them.
"Everyone looks with admiration at the quality of players like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. But each has a tremendous work rate and is a team player.
"That is the discipline and attitude which Sir Alex has instilled into his squad - and his successor will have to emulate that.
'It is easy to talk about but extremely difficult to achieve and sustain for championship after championship."
McClaren has already played a significant part in guiding United to two Premiership titles, the European Champions' Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the FA Cup, including the historic treble in 1999. He was in charge of the team for the Manchester derby, with Sir Alex attending his son's wedding in South Africa, and the Reds' boss has already indicated that he feels his number two has everything it takes to succeed him when he does retire.
"Steve has been brilliant since he came here," said Ferguson. "He has shown a willingness to learn.
"It is not my decision to make but I would have thought all the credentials were there for Steve to take the job."
Sir Alex is due to retire at the end of the 2001/2002 season and he has already stated his desire for his last game in charge to be the Champions League final, at Ibrox.
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