Man Utd mediocrity erodes interest; Ruben Amorim MUST deliver top six
I think most of us think Manchester United will be better this year, as much as we might wish they wouldn’t be. They were certainly much better against a tedious, unimaginative and lucky Arsenal side.
Being utterly rotten for two consecutive seasons when you’ve spent millions seems unlikely and goes against the orthodoxy that it’s not how you perform that dictates your Premier League position; it’s how much you spend on transfers and wages. And all those football brains couldn’t be wrong, could they?
But if this is true, it is a time of danger to the United behemoth because there is much entertainment in watching them fail. It’s funny for the rest of us, representing – as it does – the collapse of the elites more broadly. In this world where failing upwards to positions of power and responsibility is sickeningly common, seeing expensive, over-vaunted players being useless is very satisfying and makes the world seem more sane.
So in this way, radical failure is good for business. People want to watch them to see them be useless and fans want to see them to prove they’re not fickle.
Fine for a season, but what happens if they’re a bit better? Say they finish ninth; that’s a disaster. Everyone has a blip, but what if it’s not a blip? Mediocrity can become endemic and there’s nothing like mediocrity to erode interest.
READ: 16 Conclusions on Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal: Gyokeres, Mbeumo, Martinelli, £100m Fernandes
In other words, if they want to maintain their global position as one of the world’s biggest clubs, they need to get good and quickly. Winning a few, losing a few, simply won’t do. They have to aim at the top six to retain the level of interest they’re used to; being average is an interest-killer.
Because this is a fanbase increasingly drawn from an encouraged tourist trade and they can’t be relied upon to keep buying all the expensive tat and snapping up over-priced tickets to watch mediocrity. TV people also want to build up their games as A Big Event and trying to do that when they keep getting turned over won’t do. They’re used to selling them with inappropriate hyperbole. But you can’t sell sh*t as sugar forever.
Obviously coming back from 15th wouldn’t be easy for any side and United’s case is harder than most because of the pressure of the money that has been thrown at the problem, but that’s what Ruben Amorim must do to keep his job. No time to build, no time for bedding in; you’ve had those days. Be successful now. That’s the be all and end all.
It doesn’t seem fair – in many ways he’s like the current government taking the blame for but having to deal with 14 years of the worst, most irresponsible, lunatic and hapless government. It’s not his fault, but nonetheless he’s got to do something about it. Does he look like he can?
