How will United replace the irreplaceable?
I am a big fan of The Office, both the original British version and obviously the American remake. One thing I have noticed after doing a careful bit of research is that the managers of either Wernham Hogg Paper Company and Dunder Mifflin/Sabre and the manner in which they are perceived and loved by the fans of the show is extremely analogous to the goalkeeper position at Manchester United.
Ricky Gervais, the original manager, is in a lot of ways reminiscent of United legend Peter Schmeichel. For many United supporters, Schmeichel is the best keeper they have ever seen don the number one jersey. Tall, powerful and as strong as they came, the Great Dane set the bar for keeping excellence. Gervais, meanwhile, set the example for the kind of actor necessary to play the part of office manager.
Meanwhile, Gervais’ understudy at Wernham Hogg, Gareth Keenan, represented the antithesis of Gervais, the unfunny, awkward type who no one in the office ever took to, much in the same way that Fabian Barthez is viewed by many in the United faithful. Barthez just never seemed meant for English football and many reflect on his time between the Old Trafford sticks as one of a missed opportunity.
Years began to pass with United continuing their search for a proper replacement for Peter Schmeichel and fans of the UK Office began to wonder what would become of the series which only lasted for two years. The year 2005 proved to be crucial for both parties; Sir Alex Ferguson signed Edwin van der Sar and NBC shot the pilot for their re-imagining of the BBC’s programme The Office, recasting David Brent’s character as Michael Scott and casting Steve Carrell for the role.
And at first both van der Sar and Scott stuttered under the weight of such lofty expectations. Both were expected to be the men who would restore Manchester United and The Office to respectability. The initial ratings for The Office were not very high, but NBC had faith that the series could take off, just as Sir Alex Ferguson believed that given time van der Sar could be one of the best keepers in the club’s history. Eventually both men began to live up to the lofty expectations.
Edwin van der Sar has more than filled the shoes of Peter Schmeichel. In the eyes of some supporters he has eclipsed the accomplishments of his predecessor and changed the qualities that United value in a keeper. Edwin has lacked the same sort of power and presence in the box that Schmeichel had, but has made up for with his excellent instincts and has become a better player with the ball at his feet.
Meanwhile Michael Scott in many ways departed from David Brent’s more abrasive demeanor that made many think to themselves “Gosh that chap is a right c*&^ who would ever feel sorry for that git” and became a character who had his more than fair share of awkward moments, but was a personality that viewers had more pity for than scorn.
While van der Sar and Scott were making names for themselves, their understudies waited in the wings, anxious to one-up them and take their jobs. Tomasz Kuszczak and Dwight Shrute have made little secret of their desire for the number one spot at Manchester United and Dunder Mifflin. And during certain times both attempted to deputise for their superior, to mostly unflattering results.
Kuszczak had the opportunity to become the heir apparent to van der Sar last season while the Dutch legend was out due to injury and family issues. While he did turn in a few solid performances, there seemed to be little about him that suggested to anyone that he had what it took to replace van der Sar. Similarly, Shrute managed to mess things up whenever it seemed like he would be offered ultimate control over the office.
Fans of the programme will remember the time when Michael thought he would be receiving a position at corporate and promoted Dwight to be the new regional manager. In the immediate aftermath of that shocking decision, Dwight appointed Andy Bernard (the worst salesman in the office, regardless of his singing talents, and who may be considered for the sake of this whole analogy the Ben Foster of The Office) as his assistant and the two proceeded to paint Michael’s office black. Needless to say when Michael returned empty handed, he was less than pleased.
Click here for the second part
United and Office fans alike find themselves wishing for just one more year, because saying goodbye is perhaps the hardest thing to do in life. Each have changed the way in which many perceived what it meant to be a United keeper and a manager on The Office and replacing either of the two will be a tricky job that will need to be done right by both Sir Alex Ferguson and NBC executives. The futures of both Manchester United and The Office depend on the right decision being made.
Many believed at first that both Anders Lindegaard and Will Farrell would be the eventual successors. Both are highly regarded and both were pursued for a long time. It was perhaps the worst kept secret in football and entertainment that Sir Alex wanted Lindegaard and NBC wanted Farrell. Yet both have stuttered a bit in their brief times with United and The Office, respectively. Farrell’s character, DeAngelo Vickers, has been less than convincing in the role as regional manager. Between messing up the Dundies and nearly losing one of Dunder Mifflin’s most important clients, Vickers has not been off to a great start. Additionally, Farrell has underwhelmed many of The Office‘s loyal viewers, even though they are aware that he has the potential to do the job based on previous performances.
And Anders Lindegaard is viewed by the United faithful much in the same way. Most of us know that Lindegaard is capable of being a number one keeper, judging off of his performances at the international level (one might say that his performance versus Portugal is his Anchorman). And like Vickers, has failed to inspire a high level of support from the United support. Like fans of The Office we are left wanting something more.
During the final episode of The Office with Steve Carrell as Michael Scott, the viewers were introduced to Scott/Carrell’s possible replacements: Ricky Gervais, Jim Carrey, James Spader, Ray Romano and Catherine Tate. I will now go through the potential van der Sar replacements and match them with their Carrell-replacing equivalents.
I personally think that Ricky Gervais is the perfect replacement for Steve Carrell, much in the same way that I believe Manuel Neuer is the best candidate to replace van der Sar. Both represent returns to original interpretations of how the office’s manager ought to behave and how a United keeper ought to conduct himself in the box. While I am not the biggest expert on Schmeichel, I would say that Neuer best duplicates his strong presence in the 18 yard box. Neuer has similar height to Schmeichel and is the Great Dane’s top choice to replace van der Sar next season. But both Gervais and Neuer seem unlikely candidates for their prospective roles. Gervais has his own show on HBO and will probably be more than content with it, while Neuer appears to be on the verge of joining Bayern Munich.
In many ways Igor Akinfeev reminds me of Ray Romano. Everybody seems to love Igor. But I think that given his newly signed extension at CSKA Moscow he is unlikely to make the jump to Old Trafford. Similarly, I doubt Ray Romano will want to ultimately take over for Carrell. He has built his own reputation thanks to his sitcomEverybody Loves Raymond and has done very well playing a woolly mammoth in theIce Age series. He is also committed to Men of a Certain Age and will more than likely limit his work to that series.
As my first choice for both United and The Office appears remote, I will move to the men I believe will be the eventual replacements for Carrell and van der Sar. The papers and the faithful were abuzz about United having already signed David De Gea of Atletico Madrid to become the next United number one. And I had a similar reaction to when I heard that Jim Carrey might replace Steve Carrell on The Office.Neither of the moves have become official as of yet, but both have the potential to pay dividends for United and NBC alike. Carrey has never played the main character on a comedy television show in spite of his obvious suitability for such a role. It could be a way to revitalize his career and it would give something new to a series that has been stagnant in many ways since Jim and Pam got married (one might say the same of United sides after Ronaldo and Tevez left).
At the end of last night’s episode of The Office Michael Scott left in a very Michael Scott sort of way. As he took off his mic, he said “I would like to get something off my chest” and then mouthed the words “that’s what she said!” to the cameraman as he walked away. I am hoping that van der Sar leaves United in much the same way that has characterized his time with the club, a Premier League and Champions League winner. Hopefully both Carrell and van der Sar’s replacements create a legacy of their own worthy of a similar reverence.
If you enjoyed this you can find more work from The Busby Boys here or you can follow the Twitter page