As if replacing Sir Matt Busby wasn’t difficult enough for Frank O’Farrell, the Irishman had to work in the shadow of the iconic Manchester United manager.
Like Wilf McGuinness before, O’Farrell lasted just 18 months in the hotseat before he was sacked in December 1972.
O’Farrell, who passed away on Monday at the age of 94, was chosen by Busby after making his name in management during the first of three stints at Torquay United before guiding Leicester City to promotion and the 1969 FA Cup final.
Frank O’Farrell, the man who replaced Sir Matt Busby as Manchester United manager, has died at the age of 94
But the two men were at odds from the start. O’Farrell had to insist that Busby vacate the manager’s office at Old Trafford having become a director, and also felt undermined by the Scot’s close relationship with the players he had led to European Cup glory three years earlier.
O’Farrell inherited an ageing team and fell out with George Best, whose off-the-field antics ended up with him being transfer-listed, as well as taking the bold step of dropping Bobby Charlton.
But after finishing eighth in his first season, he was sacked with United third from bottom of the First Division and replaced by Tommy Docherty. The two men were friends from their playing days at Preston, and O’Farrell was godfather to Docherty’s sons.
O’Farrell still had three-and-a-half years left on his £15,000 contract and signed on the dole while suing United for compensation, eventually settling out of court.
O’Farrell was picked by Busby (left) to replace him at the helm of Manchester United in 1971
‘I was more disappointed in him (Busby) than anything else,’ O’Farrell, who went on to coach Cardiff City and Iran, said in 2011. ‘He hand-picked me. He outlined what needed to be done, which is why I had a five-year contract.
‘He was around the place and all the players had grown up with him. The alarm bells started ringing when he questioned my decisions. That to me was interfering and that made the job untenable.’
Cork-born O’Farrell played as a midfielder for West Ham and Preston. He was the Hammers’ oldest surviving player and also won nine caps for the Republic of Ireland.
After retiring from management in 1982, he continued to live in Torquay where he ran a nursing home with his wife Ann and remained involved with the Catholic church.
United said that they were ‘deeply saddened’ to learn of O’Farrell’s death, while West Ham and Leicester were among his other former clubs to pay tribute.
O’Farrell (right) had to insist that Busby vacate the manager’s office at Old Trafford