No worries, both situations needed change and quite a bit. Both are projects not quick turnarounds.
Its a personal thing but I’d take a 7-8/10 player (an Albiston, a Duxbury (though both good Intls)) with an attitude on the pitch of giving every thing over Maguire, Rashford, Pogba any day of the week. Thats the attitude I want. Our squad may well be better athletes but we still have some who seem to be overly interested in advertising, creating brands, social media, politics. Do that when you quit football (or leave United… I don’t care then).
The departures, the transfer window, the promotion of youth (even if just as squad players initially) and the first few teams ETH puts out next season will tell us a lot.
Most excited I’ve been since Fergie left. Moyes was out of his depth, Jose lives for the short-term/cheque book, Ole out of his depth and had a bunch of babies to manage and Ralf stop gap.
Yeah, I get where you’re coming from. In the fifties myself (not English), my heroes were Lou Macari, Gary Bailey and Bryan Robson to begin with. One half Italian, one half South African, but you knew it was the British game, no doubt about that.
It was actually interesting listening to a podcast put out here in the McClaren thread, where he speaks an hour or so with his son. He’s obviously in his sixties, his son a football fanatic but much younger, and it really comes across how McClaren sr has learnt over time the difference between footballers fifty years ago and footballers now. The macho, no emotions, deliver the grit culture of his previous day, has given over to a combination of courageous aggression and emotional security, of critical honesty and empathical compassion and care. Robson, Giggs and Keane had little time and language for that, Klopp and Guardiola are effective because they have the full monty.
Now, we know from ie Georgie Best that young footballers could be sensitive, impressionable and interested in other atuff even back in the day, but how to get this generation on board is another kettle of fish. In by on board, we are not talking about ‘positive and trying’’, the last mile is about being fanatically dedicated above everyone else (who also try their best).
When you mention the twitter knights, it makes me think back to the cup final of 96’, and Fergie derisory remarking the ‘Pool players in their fashionable white suits, joking and laughing cockily. ‘We’re not like that’. And in a way, maybe Marcus Rashford wanting to secure school meals for kids, Juan Mata making 1% foundation and writing poetry for kids is as much the same as the white suits as JLingz and all that shite is.
A point, though, is that the players today might not stray because they are selfish and spoilt, so much as because they are sensitive and care about other’s feelings and opinions. They down tools not out of laziness, but out of helplessness and despair.
The result on the scoreboard might look similar, but the medicine has to be different. Which is possibly a part of the reason why Roy Keane is not a top manager today. The other part is that he cant read and explain football as well as Guardiola, Klopp, and hopefully Ten Hag can. McClaren is certainly a fan, and he’s older and more British than me