Man Utd run by ‘narcissistic, overpromoted, inept’ executives like Wilcox

It’s not Michael Carrick getting all the grief from Man Utd fans but Jason Wilcox and the other untouchables.

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The 12 stages of Man Utd going to the dogs
Shz, writes ‘As a United fan, its hard to know exactly whats gone wrong in the team/club.

I have to say Shz, I couldn’t agree less. I’ll break it down for you.

1) The Glazers completed a leveraged buyout, loading a club that was both debt-free and one of the most commercially successful and profitable in the world, with enormous debt.

2) They did this to make money. The leveraged buyout meant they had to put down almost none of their own cash and the club was profitable enough to pay the interest on the debt, as well as fat dividends for them.

3) As you may have gleaned from the above, they did not take over Man Utd because of any football-based ambitions. It was a corporate raid. As such, they had absolutely no interest in the club being any more successful that it needed to be to continue operating as their own personal cash machine. If Utd could finish 3rd, for example, and qualify for the UCL, while spending £100m on transfers, or win the title, but spend £200m, guess which option they’d take?

4) SAF had begun incubating his last truly great team before the takeover. And this team blossomed between 2006-2009. The Glazers were incredibly lucky with this, because it convinced a lot of people that we’d keep winning under them.

5) The brilliance of SAF kept us competitive right up until his retirement. But, by that time, it had begun to become clear that winning, being the best, wasn’t the Glazers’ priority.

6) When SAF (and David Gill) retired, the mantle of most powerful man in the club fell to Ed Woodward, a finance gonk who gained the Glazers’ favour by helping to broker the very leveraged buyout that handed them the reins. Yeah. That’s right. A man with no experience in football whatsoever was now in sole charge of the football operations at Manchester United.

7) Meanwhile, Man City were busy embarking on a two-decade long period of enormous financial doping. Among other heinous effects, this caused an arms-race in wages and agent payments. Woodward made some disastrous transfer decisions based on trying to keep up with that.

8) The lack of ambition had by now infected the club. Players came to United for money. The one’s who didn’t found that the unrelenting standards of SAF’s era no longer existed. Our rivals had long since closed the gap on our commercial revenue, and many clubs, not just traditionally ‘top’ ones, were owned and stewarded by serious people, who’s ambition was for their club to be as good as it could be, and who made decisions based on that.

9) Our ability to spend began to wane, as a lack of success on the pitch, coupled with sharp rises in interest rates, bit hard.

10) The Glazers, always operating by the rule that they will not spend a f***ing penny on the club, sought outside investment, and INEOS came in.

11) Hamstrung by financial difficulty, the club needed some experienced and shrewd operators to make the most of our resources – a Tony Bloom or Mathew Benham type figure. What we got was a egomaniacal prick, who despite promising to bring in ‘best in class’, continues to meddle in football decisions like he knows something about it. The ‘best in class’ he promised turned out to Jason Wilcox. Sure.

12) Now, we have a club with majority owners who do not, and never have, cared about success and have poisoned the entire culture of the club and minority owners who run the football side who are narcissistic, overpromoted, inept c***s. Is it a surprise that we also have a mediocre squad? No, because good recruitment requires a good structure and points 1-11 have detailed precisely why our structure is the opposite of that.

Shz, you went on to say that,‘I often think its the Glazers/Board… but we have spent a fortune over the last few years..’

We haven’t spent a fortune in quite a while, actually. Liverpool, Arsenal, City (obviously) spend far more than us now, on both transfers and wages. We finished third last season, with a squad clearly in need of major surgery, and spent less than Hull in the summer.

We could do a lot better with our resources than we are, but we won’t; not until we have, somehow, rid ourselves of the both the parasites and the goons. Sadly, I don’t know how that happens.

But, please, our demise is no mystery. Just a heartbreaking and depressing lesson on what a putrid rotting head can do to the most vibrant salmon.
Ben, depressed

Wilcox out
Any gambler worth his salt would have lumped on Bournemouth to turn us over today. I’m finding it hard to even muster up the strength to be angry, it’s almost a feeling of apathy because I know there’s a big chance we’ll be back at this same place in 12 to 18 months. A fish rots from the head down and that’s where changes should be focused.

I don’t blame Carrick for the way things have panned out, he came in and gave us a shot in the arm, had us playing some decent football and there was a feel-good factor at the end of last season. Unfortunately it seems as if he and the coaching staff have no answers to turning around the current malaise. I hope he goes for his own sake.

However, the simple fact is that Jason Wilcox is failing to adequately do his job and he has to go. He is Director of Football and needs to be held accountable for performance, recruitment and football strategy – all areas we are horrifically failing at. Get rid of Berrada too if he is responsible for any of this. We need someone in there with a track record of success as a DoF.

What exactly is our football strategy? It’s really not clear but it absolutely needs to be. They’re all over the place with this – and I mean Ineos, as the Glazers have shown over a long period of time that they are clearly clueless when it comes to the football side of things. Radcliffe and Ineos came in with bluster about best in class, yet have continually dropped the ball.

Ten Hag, Amorim and, likely by the time this is printed, Carrick have been backed and sacked. All three have different styles, systems, tactics – where is the continuity that we were supposed to get from having a “best in class” football department defining a football strategy that would remain regardless of coaching personnel?

The strategy should be built around youth, blooding youngsters and supplementing these with top class signings. The strategy should define a style of attacking, possession-based football with high energy and pressing off the ball. The strategy should be a world class scouting system using cutting edge data analytics to identify players capable of playing the aforementioned style of football. And the strategy should allow us to buy players to fill the positions we need across the pitch – not just focussing on one area of the pitch each window. I mean WTF is that all about?

Changing managers might give us a short-term bounce, we may even salvage this season and finish somewhere respectable, maybe even have a good run in the cups. But you can guarantee we will be back here in the near future and the cycle of doom will continue. Fix the issues at the top and start to build the club from the bottom up under a DoF with a vision and track record of seeing that vision through.
Garey Vance, MUFC

Why are Wilcox and co. untouchable?
Why are CEOs and directors in football so difficult to shift? I genuinely don’t understand why, be interested to know if there are any basic mechanisms when it comes to these particular roles?

Unless they have some kind of ownership or financial stake, I really can’t see why these figures aren’t as easy to replace as a manager. Do a shit job, get sacked.

It kinda makes you wonder how Radcliffe has managed to build his empire, sticking so doggedly with people that aren’t doing their job well. Is he a bluffer as well?
Marc, Bolton

Wilcox and Carrick to blame
So, for the benefit of doubt once again, the vast majority of the blame for this mess lies solely at the door of the billionaire f***wits who run the club, as I said the other day.

But having said that, Carrick’s final dance on Sunday just goes to prove why he was such a terrible pick in the first place and why he should no longer be in a job.

Having decided to drop Bruno Fernandes, he had a perfect opportunity to stick him in the stand and really make his point by not having him as part of the matchday dressing room. It would have told Bruno you’re not in charge, it would have sent a message to the other players that not even the captain is above being dropped for ill discipline, and it might – just might – have even got a reaction out of those in the squad on the day.

Alas, no. By having him on the bench, it sent out the subliminal message that I’ll have you to call on just in case I need you, undermining his own authority. It must also have set totally the wrong tone with the other players, who presumably were just waiting for their skipper to come on at some point and make everything ok.

It is also fairly obvious that the only reason Carrick had him on the bench was to humiliate him by keeping him there, which is hardly the action of someone thinking about what is best for the team. That’s making it personal. Understandable, sure, but it’s using a Manchester United team selection to settle a personal grievance. Gary Neville called Carrick a man of great integrity after the match. Hmm. Ok then…

What next? Carrick will go (rightly) but it changes nothing. The next coach will just be another human flak jacket, sent out just to be publicly flogged every week in order to protect his inept bosses. Rinse and repeat.
Andy H, Swansea

Man Utd in hilarious decline
I’m not a United supporter so am watching with amused detachment, but it seems clear that the current malaise on the pitch is merely a reflection of the state of the club off the pitch; an Inept and incompetent board housed in a crumbling stadium now a shadow of its former self.

Clearly Carrick has lost the respect of his senior players, but the board lack the strength or willingness for an Arteta-like approach and getting rid of the highest earners. Probably the worst thing that happened to Fernandes’ ego was being voted Footballer of the Year, but there is no chance of United allowing him or Martinez to leave on the cheap like Arsenal did when they paid off Ozil and PEA.

Unfortunately, with City inevitably facing a massive points deduction it could take as few as 25 points to stay up this season and even this dire United side should be able to clear that hurdle. But whoever replaces Carrick will never succeed without changes in the boardroom.
Phil

You don’t sack Carrick for Bournemouth
MUN v BOU match is almost done here. 0-3 at min 80. Embarrassing, right? But, strangely, unlike after the last three fixtures I am not as furious as I usually am after our hapless losses. This is not a hapless loss.

Effort and urgency levels are up, willingness and appetite to fight is visible, quicker passing, tireless runs, players clearly up for it; but, the only downer is the quality on the final ball in the last third, and abit of composure in the defence is missing. Not sure where we go from here…

Benching the captain was a gamble that unfortunately didn’t pay off but there is an indescribable spark of a something that has been lit here. Just like we saw briefly in the Como game after we conceded the 4th and Bruno got subbed. The team seems to be playing better without our best player. Not sure how to proceed from here…

Because no way you sack a manager after this, unless you just looked at the FT score and just didn’t bother to watch the game.

It is my opinion that Man Utd need to hit proper rock bottom in order for any real change to happen and so far we are on course towards that. Hiring Conte or Howe will just start a fresh loop on the cycle we are already on right now…so why even do it? The delusion to even think that any manager worth a damn would want to come here and irredeemably shitcan their career with us.

The owners, both INEOS and Glazers only care about the revenue and so far that looks unaffected regardless of how badly we play. They don’t care and will not be forced to sell a performing asset which they can band-aid and keep churning.

Sir Alex looks like he’s embraced the right attitude towards all this, just sit there quietly smirking and watch. What else is there to do but watch?

What a beautiful mess of a club. Imagine being a fly in the Man Utd boardroom tomorrow listening in as Berrarda, Wilcox and Ratcliffe pretend to know what to do from here…I want to bet money one of them suggests Bruno as player-manager 😂
PaddyG, MUFC, Mombasa, Kenya (secretly applauded that 3rd Bournemouth goal, what a beautiful mess of a goal)

…Who would have guessed watching Man Utd games would have been so entertaining?? They really are in a relegation battle. I wonder is Zidane still available.
Ken Charlatan
(Dem boys must be raging lol)

Man Utd now so low that Liverpool fans are offended
We’re all lovers of the game, and find our ways to express the same because we couldn’t become Pro Players (Typing from India, so another 100 years for that dream to even be a probability for Indians).

Coming back to the point, I as millions of people play football on PS and I do it religiously every night after work.

Playing against players across the globe gives one an understanding of how good or sh*t you are at playing the game which reflects in your UNDERSTANDING OF THE GAME.

Watching ManU getting thrashed by Como reminded me of my amateur days when I couldn’t spot obvious passes about to me made by the opposition; getting my defenders out of position naively to leave glaring holes in the back to get undone by a sharp simple through ball. Or when I leave the controller idle for a half a minute to scratch my beard and my team players are in a limbo for that time.

THIS was the state of a team of premium salary drawing professionally trained footballers wearing the ManU badge against Como.
A midfielder and a striker combo was enough to nullify a back four FFS!

IT WAS BIBLICAL TO WATCH THIS LEVEL OF INEPTITUDE BEING DISPLAYED ON A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NIGHT.

I AM A LIVERPOOL FAN WHOSE CHILDHOOD WENT IN WATCHING THE FERGIE ERA AND I AM OFFENDED!

The club has changed managers like a diva changing outfits and yet this bunch of players seem to get worse!

Do you understand the definition of Rock bottom that ManU has arrived at where rival fans have gone beyond banter to actually start feeling pity for the same fans who were intolerable to bear ages ago.

No manager can change this club’s attitude, mentality or fortune.

And unfortunately for the fans, the problem is the management and its thinking; and unless they don’t leave, nothing will change.
M. Nair. Mumbai. LFC

Should Man Utd rip it up and start again?
On Man U, I said something very similar here about 906 managers ago (or a coupla years in new money), and it still stands IMO.

Given they ain’t winning anything anyway with the current mopes, the hierarchy needs install a decent up and coming manager, tell him he’s golden as long as he’s not relegated first season/top half minimum thereafter, and use kids/decent scouting to get the kind of profile players the B clubs go for, having first sold/paid off pretty much the entire first team bar one or two senior players who are good eggs (if there are any).

Obviously they won’t because of global official Man U noodle partner contracts feeding the Glazers’/Ratcliffe’s insatiable need for money, plus their general ineptitude, but they either bite the bullet now or waste another 5+ seasons, when the financial headroom to make that decision is taken out of their hands after the sponsors finally desert them (I refer you all here back to my much more recent mail regarding my favourite cast iron theory: money ruins everything in the end).

Also, on a sorta related note, remember when Marcus ‘CBA’ Rashford rightly got a load of grief for downing tools after a fat new contract (including from me)? Why is Bukayo ‘Zero Output’ Saka not getting similar scrutiny given he’s been utter w**k since signing his, substituting diving in place of output? Is it just because Arsenal are a relative minnow when compared to Man U, or because they are getting results while carrying him?
RHT/TS x

Manchester in the Championship
Chill out United fans, at least you will have us (your noisy neighbours) for company in the Championship. Who knows, perhaps it will be rejuvenating. No Var, No self proclaimed saintly clubs who play set piece dependent haram-ball or buy overrated German and French players north of 100 million, and then cry that everyone else is spending too much.

Also, I doubt any championship clubs have extremely whiny fans that create a huge ruckus when we defeat them or buy their players..
Anyways let’s see the Epl without the Manchester boys. I don’t think there are teams there who would demolish you like the premier league B Clubs.
Victor MCFC
(Can’t we send Haaland on loan to Juventus or milan, pay 60 percent of his salary and then get him back…if we ever get back)