Already, we have had Gary Neville saying Manchester United, a side without a league title in 13 years, should not change for any manager. And Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt picking Roy Keane over Oliver Glasner as the next manager. And Rio Ferdinand genuinely believing Mikel Arteta would swap title-chasing Arsenal to take the Old Trafford helm. All within 24 hours of Ruben Amorim’s exit.
This is the uber-scrutinised world of Manchester United, a welcome or warning to whoever is crazy enough to become its next leader. A dark place where former players will have almost daily doomsday opinions over the job you are doing. Unless you are one of their mates, of course.
Podcasts are the new blogs – everyone has one. Butt and Scholes’ latest venture has been a huge success. Neville’s The Overlap is slowly taking over the world, to go along with his omnipresence on our screens. Ferdinand has left regular punditry well alone and started a rival media empire.
And 90 per cent of the time, there is only one topic of conversation among these United alumni.
So much noise is impossible to ignore. Amorim himself had a warning for his successor in his post-Leeds rant that ultimately cost him his job less than 24 hours later.
“If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club,” Amorim pointedly proclaimed, implying that those within the club take heed of what their most famous sons have to say.
“Criticisms of everything” spoke of an exasperation a growing number of supporters are starting to feel.
Opposition fans of course lap up every second – almost anyone who grew up in the 90s and wasn’t a United fan is loving every second of their current dizzying spiral – but those who once revered the Class of 92 and their illustrious successors are becoming tired.
In the era of soundbites over soliloquies, Keane’s United-bashing sells.
As does Neville’s incessant mentioning of the club’s “DNA” or Scholes’s dogmatic irritation. The sheer volume of shareable clips ensures nobody can escape. Not even those on the inside.
“I’ve experienced that,” current interim boss Darren Fletcher said.
“I’m very lucky, we had Sir Alex Ferguson, we had Roy Keane, we had the experienced players around us who protected us and helped us and fundamentally that’s not the case anymore. You just have to learn to deal with the noise here.
“I think it could have been a lot worse inside the stadium. I’ve probably experienced other stadiums where there has been a lot more pressure and hostility. You can’t ask them [Neville et al] to go easier because they’re passionate guys who have a right to an opinion and they’re really good. I enjoy listening to them.” Spoken like someone who has only been in the job for a matter of hours.
Amorim had always insisted that he does not use social media, as he sees the damage it can cause. For him to namecheck Neville, as he signed his death warrant at Elland Road, is telling.
The social media backlash in the aftermath of Amorim’s sacking, especially towards Neville, has been quite startling. Amorim was not a popular figure by any stretch among the United fanbase, but he is the one getting sympathy in some spaces, in light of how the holier-than-thou ex-player brigade have reacted.
Neville’s reaction, insisting that United should not change for any coach and get someone in who understands the “DNA” of the club has brought the most consternation.
It is this underlying arrogance and unwavering clinging to the past that has held United back in the past decade of decay. Someone that willing to change a side who has completely lost its way is what is actually needed.
“Verbal diarrhoea” is how former Scotland midfielder, now ESPN pundit, Craig Burley labelled Neville’s synopsis. Supporters, en masse, have been digging out old clips of Neville calling for United to deploy a three-at-the-back system, with Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot as wing-backs, prior to Amorim’s arrival. Others have insisted he or one of his opinionated pals take the job on an interim basis, considering they seem to have all the answers.
The fact that such huge stars of yesteryear are competing for airtime only escalates the situation further.
Your next read
Scholes and Butt have been especially critical of Amorim. The former labelled Marcus Rashford a disgrace for turning up two minutes late for training at Barcelona. Rounding on the easiest of targets gets the most listens – just what a new podcast requires.
And if Neville, Butt, Scholes or Ferdinand can’t think of anything, one of their podcast guests, other former players who haven’t quite grasped the concept that the halcyon days are long gone, are sure to pipe up.
The temporary fix until the end of the season is likely to be one of the boys – Michael Carrick or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Whoever comes in after that better have the thickest of skin – or win every game. Otherwise, the former-player podcast chatterati will be abuzz with vitriol soon enough.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/Fv0zOmh
Post a Comment