26 Nov 2018 22:32:29
A famous philosopher once said culture eats strategy for breakfast. We once had a great culture throughout our club, all players were fighters and winners, when a new arrived he either embraced it or was gone. This culture was embedded by SAF and with this culture our strategy was easy always fight for every ball and until the end. Now we have a culture of big wages, no pride and no responsibility to the fans or the club. Without a leader to set the tone to enforce the strategy we are in serious trouble as when new players arrive they too, just accept the culture. Until a manager arrives and refuses to accept the lazy culture and remove those who promote it we are stuck. A strong leader must step forward and tell players this isn't good enough for Man Utd and you either work or you are out. SAF always had that power and players new if you weren't up to it he would get rid, our current crop don't have that respect for the manager and until the board either change for a strong manger or back the current one by selling the lazy ones causing the problems we will go around in circles.
{Ed025's Note - good post that redcon..
26 Nov 2018 22:53:49
Good post redcon. Unfortunately I think that left with SAF. He was the implementer of that culture. He did the job of 5 men. when he left that left with him and the club were unable to replace what he did. His voice was the one common voice right through the club. Now we have a number of different voices. SAF was a manager, Jose is just a head coach.
For all the greatness of SAF, him leaving left us in this unusual position that I feel we are only starting to catch up to now.
I look at Wenger and the way Arsenal went about putting in place a number of different people before his departure, therefore being better placed to cope with the loss of such a man, one who micro managed many aspects of the club.
Gill and SAF left at the one time, and therefore left us in a strange place.
The role that we need filling is DOF, but it is an incredibly difficult position to fill.
26 Nov 2018 22:57:06
Isn’t that what Jose is doing? Except the players aren’t responding and hanging him out to dry.
26 Nov 2018 22:58:26
furthermore, Jose has told the club to sell Pogba, Martial etc and apparently they won’t. Jose’s position is untenable and not for reasons just on the pitch.
26 Nov 2018 23:11:41
Really good post mate. I remember reading a while ago that Fergie had 5 players in the dressing room that would set the tone and make sure new players bedded in and were ‘kept in line’ so to speak. I think it was Neville, Vidic, Rio, Rooney and Evra. Jose doesn’t have that. This is partly down to his own mouth running him into trouble by criticising his players in the media and partly down to the players not believing in what he is doing. It is also partly down to the some of players simply not being good enough. How many winners do we actually have in the squad? How many players have won championships? Very few. That is telling.
A part of me feels like we need a clean slate and we get rid of the weak and troublesome players by backing the manager. But the overriding feeling is that the manager can’t turn this around and that he has to go. Some very good players who are looking so average. Too many top quality players for it to only be a player problem. Manager has to shoulder the responsibility. In all my years supporting united I’ve never been so disengaged and so disinterested in a united team. I missed the game Saturday and didn’t even both to watch the highlights. By the sounds of it I didn’t miss much.
It is really tough at the moment. The media storm isn’t helping things and in the new social media age it’s difficult not to flare up when negativity and hysteria is there at your very fingertips on smartphones and tablets. It’s impossible to switch off after a terrible performance but re emerge with hope and excitement that we will be watching our united again on a European night or down at the pub with our mates. It is awful going into work on that Monday morning after another abject and disgraceful performance by a bunch of overpaid players who care more how many views they have on Instagram rather than that badge on their chest. It’s difficult not to get infuriated when the manager comes out with an even more absurd and ludicrous comment each time he steps into the press conference room.
Redcon is right. We have lost our heart. We have lost our way and we no longer have the culture which was ingrained to the very core of our club. We always give our all, we always fight till the end and we always play to entertain those who spend their hard earned cash to watch united week in week out. I know like many I have become disillusioned with it all. Football isn’t ‘fun’ anymore for me. The money has taken away the romanticism and almost innocence of the game. But that is something we have to accept. Likewise we have to accept that winning comes with peaks and troughs. Sometimes I look back at the Fergie era and wish I had savoured every single one of those moments much more dearly. That goal by Rooney, the last minute goal in 99, scholes’ goal v Barcelona and that champions league shootout against Chelsea. That was the real Manchester United. The one which we have all come to know and love.
This current predicament is not what the club is about. We all have different views on what we should do. Some agree and some don’t. But at the end of the day we all want the same thing. I’ve had a few days to digest the current situation and I just wanted to put my thoughts down. Apologies for the long post and apologies if it is emotional. Manchester United is a huge part of my life. I used to go regularly and I would not miss a game for anything. But It’s so difficult to support the team when you struggle to identify with them. But we have to stick together. We have to try and be united. Even if we cannot bare to sit through the horrific football. We must not turn on each other. We have enough rubbish from opposition fans so we cannot start any infighting. I like most people have no clue what is going to happen. This season is a right off for me. I have my views on what we should do, and who we should appoint (Poch) . Until then, we cop the banter from rival fans on the chin. We get behind the team and we stick together. It’s us against them. And if the players and manager cannot see this, then it is time they get shown the door. That is what Manchester United is about.
{Ed025's Note - i enjoyed that park mate..
26 Nov 2018 23:51:33
Great post Redcon.
27 Nov 2018 06:46:10
Redcon
Good post. The thing is that if, as in summer or apparently now, they don’t back the manager to be firm and sort it out, make tough decisions, what makes anyone think they will with another manager? It may just be my impression but remembering Mourinho saying he was more a head coach than manager, it looks from the outside, like someone is making decisions and won’t do everything the manager wants. Like Gary Neville said who is making the decisions?
27 Nov 2018 11:45:39
Redman, problem is mourinho hasn't been either a head coach or a manager this season, he seems to be on a one man mission to protect his reputation exemplified by the fact the man keeps wagging three fingers at anyone he can.
Treble at inter, three premier league titles at chelsea, three premier leagues more than all managers combined. All great achievements but they just show a man living off of past glories who can wait to be given the boot.
27 Nov 2018 18:32:57
Living In the past? Champion of England 3 years ago and won two major trophies 18 months ago. Living off past glories, really, how do you describe Poch and Klopp then? Ancient past glories? i like what both do but it hasn’t yet included any winning.