Widely regarded as one of the best managers of modern-day football, Sir Alex Ferguson took over Manchester United when they languished second from bottom of the English First Division (as it was back in 1986) and led them to 38 trophies.

Tactically astute, and not afraid to call out poor behaviour when he saw it, Sir Alex built his united teams on a strong backbone and selected 'flair players' (see: Class of 92, CR7, etc) and that solid foundation and reluctance to spend massively on players unless he was absolutely certain, saw United finish no lower than 3rd between 1992 and Sir Alex's departure in 2013.

The object of this challenge is to try to replicate the incredible turnaround which Sir Alex produced at Manchester United. I have set myself a few rules to make this more challenging than the usual 'sim till November and take the 2nd bottom side' challenge that is the typical Sir Alex Ferguson challenge.

Firstly, I am aiming for no less than 5 home-grown players In every match day squad after the first season; by giving myself until season 2, I am hopefully going to have enough time to re-structure the squad and build a solid backbone.

Secondly, I will look to develop youngsters and either retain them, or sell them on for reasonable sums which will be reinvested in the youth setup of the club I end up at.

Thirdly, I will be aiming to:

• Win a domestic cup within 4 years
• Win a league title within 7 years
• Win a league and cup double within 8 years
• Win the treble within 10 years

And the club I will be taking to these giddy heights?

Wooooooooo. I can't wait to see how you do with this!! Totally reading

This is gonna be goood!!

Please let the manager be Moyes...

Will be following.

EDIT: Seeing as you're Watford, I suppose I should wish you luck at the Hornets...


Nah I'll just sulk about Moyes being sacked...again.

Great start, looking forward to this. Be interesting to see if you can keep the Mackems up.

Shocked: Moyes stated to the press that his dismissal came as a 'shock' this morning

---

What can you say about David Moyes? The Scot took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but was sacked within 12 months. From there, he moved to Real Sociedad in Spain, and there he managed almost the full 12 months (minus two days) before departing Spain. He was installed as Watford manager at the start of the season, but fans have quickly lost patience with a manager who has overseen the side's slump to 18th in the Premiership with only two wins in 11 matches

Moyes is said to be 'shocked' by his dismissal, but in truth it was a long time coming. Sunderland have moved quickly to secure a new manager, and the breaking news story of today is that they have confirmed the appointment of Nigel Pearson as Moyes' Successor


Pearson is a name Watford fans have heard before: He was a coach at Newcastle between 2007 and 2009, and was linked to the job at the start of the season when Sancho Flores left the club. Pearson masterminded Leicester's survival in 2015 before being replaced by Claudio Ranieri, and this should be encouraging news to Watford fans, as they look to him to guide their team to safety.

Change of club makes my comment look stupid Good luck at The Hornets now then

Poor David lol

Haha with Moyes being a former Everton and Man Utd manager i wish i could say i sympathised...

Hero: Roberto Pereyra jogs back for a restart after scoring against Manchester City

---

In his first month in charge of Watford, Nigel Pearson watched his side turn in 3 of the most stomach-churning performances that fans will see all season. Pearson's reign started with a stunning 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Vicarage Road; a last-minute goal from former Juventus man Roberto Pereyra sealing a rearguard victory.

The promising performance continued in a 1-1 draw away to Southampton. Pereyra was the hero again, opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time with a stunning effort from 35 yards. Watford looked the better side for 75 minutes, but a late lapse in concentration from goalkeeper Huerelho Gomes allowed Charlie Austin to slip the ball into the net from 5 yards out and earn Southampton the draw.

An EFL Cup semi-final against Chelsea followed, and it was here that Watford truly came unstuck against a second-string Chelsea side. Troy Deeney opened the scoring after half an hour, but as Chelsea flew forwards, the game quickly became the Michy Batshuayi show; the Belgian scored twice and set up youngster George McEachran for Chelsea's third and send Watford home devastated.


November 2016 Results
1-0 v Manchester City
1-1 v Southampton
3-1 v Chelsea

League Standing: 18th

Hopefully you can have a better month next month. That win against City is very very nice

Not bad really, 4 points against those sides is very good in my eyes!

I'm with Scott, 4 points is not a bad return and definitely gives you something to build on!

Form: 2 Goals in 4 Games for on-loan AC Milan starlet Niang gave Watford fans hope

---

December did not start well for Watford fans; knocked out of the EFL cup by Chelsea in November, the side followed up with a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, and a 3-0 defeat by Everton. 3 wins on the spin left Watford in a dismal way, rooted to the bottom of the table and needing a drastic turnaround to fight their way out of the relegation battle.

A home tie against Middlesbrough presented the ideal time for manager Pearson to adjust his tactics, and the switch to 3-4-3 paid off, as goals from Sebastian Prodl and M'baye Niang saw Watford coast to a comfortable 2-0 win. The performance was much more assured and confident than Watford had displayed previously.

The wheels threatened to come off against West Ham, a late Robert Snodgrass goal handing the Hammers a 1-0 victory despite a strong defensive game from Watford. That defeat ended up being the catalyst which sparked a four game unbeaten run, including victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and a draw against Burnley.

The new year is full of promise for Watford fans; with the FA Cup 3rd round, and matches against fellow relegation strugglers Swansea and current League Leaders Liverpool coming in the next four weeks, Watford fans will be hoping to have a lot to cheer in the New Year.

December 2016 Results
1-0 v Crystal Palace
3-0 v Everton
2-0 v Middlesbrough
1-0 v West Ham
4-0 v Tottenham Hotspur
1-0 v West Brom
3-2 v Chelsea
1-1 v Burnley

League Standing: 14th

Starting to improve there, keep it up!!