United contact Gary Neville and other ex players in the media

[Matt007a]

I guess it depends what level the dialogue is. They’ve got no credentials as coaches or directors so they’re not really qualified to be given any such role like that.

I suspect he’s trying to keep them onside to control what is being said about the club on TV.

 

[devilish]

We're like succession with the difference that our Logan Roy had since retired and had left football management to his moron children.

 

[TheReligion]

And just who exactly is we? Do you represent someone? I didn't think so, so speak for yourself and leave plural out of it. And I couldn't give a feck what your suggestion is. And yes having to keep on calling back ex players is making us look like a joke of a club. Its time to make new legends for the club and stop relying on the old ones.

Literally every football club in the world tries to stay on good terms with club legends. On the face of it, that is all that is happening, the new CEO is reaching out to legends of the club who still clearly care deeply about the club to repair relationships that weren't there under the previous CEO. You're the one making this into something it so yeah, @TheReligion speaks for me too on this point.

 

[crossy1686]

Well Arnold has to do something different to Ed if he doesn't want to be branded a moron like him

 

[devilish]

TBF its must be painful for the likes of Scholes to see someone with 1/50 of his football talent be technical director

 

[UnitedSofa]

Probably bollocks but if it happens at least I see a reason behind it. It's to shut them up. After Ole left these pundits will be very critical of Ralf or any other new manager who isn't an ex United player. They can be given non important roles for all I care. As long as they stay away from actual management and coaching, it should be fine.

Ahhh the ol “probably bollocks” line. Gotta love the CAF. Full of Cynicism and negativity.

Joke of a club. Can’t move on. Build something new. Living on the past.

Erm….what? They’re being asked about what can be improved. Nothing about living in the past whatsoever, if anything, it’s forward thinking. He’s asking football people, the football related questions and problems that need solving because he doesn’t know what to do.

Feck me, if Arnold himself done it you’d all be complaining he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He goes to the people he can have a direct line to and he’s being chastised and people claiming it’s a PR move.

United will NEVER win the CAF. Everything is “bollocks” in this place or a “PR” move.

Jesus grow up guys come on.

 

[stefan92]

TBF its must be painful for the likes of Scholes to see someone with 1/50 of his football talent be technical director

Why? Being a talented player says next to nothing about your abilities to fulfill such a management role.

United will NEVER win the CAF. Everything is “bollocks” in this place or a “PR” move.

To be fair something can be a PR move and still be the right thing to do (if it is about fixing the mood around the club)

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Bridge building? Don't know about that. He'd most likely do the opposite.

He's said too many things as a pundit. Rather him continue as one.

 

[devilish]

Why? Being a talented player says next to nothing about your abilities to fulfill such a management role.

I agree but there's nothing that suggest that Darren is decent as technical director either. So its down to what both had done for the club as players which makes Scholes >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Fletcher

Apologies I should have used more >>>>>>>>

 

[stefan92]

I agree but there's nothing that suggest that Darren is decent as technical director either. So its down to what both had done for the club as players which makes Scholes >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Fletcher

Apologies I should have used more >>>>>>>>

I get your point. I still think that in this regard at worst they are on par (both did nothing to prove to be able to be a good technical director), at best Fletcher really got the talent for this task and is rightfully in this role.

 

[littlepeasoup]

To be fair, this is less cringey than showing players social media engagement graphs after matches. Club jumped the shark at that point.

 

[Ogaranya]

Dear Ex players, give us some breathing space, it is becoming annoying.

 

[UnitedSofa]

Dear Ex players, give us some breathing space, it is becoming annoying.

Not like the club reached out to THEM. Nor does it say the request was even accepted. But yeah “give us some space” -

 

[VeevaVee]

Don't see the problem with it. I assume it has very little to do with on the pitch and is about improving behind the scenes.

 

[Isotope]

What do these ex- know that someone like RR doesn't understand, or at worst, Ole and Carrick didn't know when they worked together for 3 years? That fecking "United way"?

We might still keep Ole if these ex- had their way.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

It's one where the club can't win.

Ignore former players and treat them like shit then we are run by bean counters who don't respect the club or its former players.

Do something innocuous like, talk to them in a non confrontational manner to try and mend some bridges, you are cynical and pandering to a "jobs for the boys" culture.

Between the Keane situation, Rio, Evra, Phil Neville getting sacked, Nicky Butt being passed.over for promotion, and Woodward go to town on trying to get.a Hotel to stop being built and more besides we have had a pretty bad relationship with ex players with Woodward be at the helm.

To even just try to repair some of that is fine by me, it's not like they are being offered jobs.

Spot on.

 

[Sandikan]

Get them to come back on board in some make it up later form, and insist they only give positive spin on everything in their punditry.
Marvellous.

Would be like having 10 Paddy Crerands out there.

 

[Abraxas]

I think if we're comparing Scholes and Fletcher on the only things that are actually visible (i.e. without any of the information an interviewer may have access to) I would appoint Darren Fletcher any day of the week from what I've heard out of them, even if that is far more limited for Fletcher.

Scholes flip flops from one opinion to the next depending on which way the wind is blowing, is hardly inspiring in his disposition and generally doesn't come across as a strategist. Big difference between offering a few scathing remarks as a pundit and having the requirement to develop footballing operations.

Not saying Fletcher is going to be the world's best operator, his tenure will be judged after a period of time.

 

[Isotope]

Get them to come back on board in some make it up later form, and insist they only give positive spin on everything in their punditry.
Marvellous.

Would be like having 10 Paddy Crerands out there.

It's ridiculous, isn't it? I hope every pundits and ex- be as negative as possible if the Club is still in this mess. Not sugar-coating it.

 

[devilish]

I get your point. I still think that in this regard at worst they are on par (both did nothing to prove to be able to be a good technical director), at best Fletcher really got the talent for this task and is rightfully in this role.

Can you please explain how you came up with this conclusion?

 

[Vidyoyo]

I guess it depends what level the dialogue is. They’ve got no credentials as coaches or directors so they’re not really qualified to be given any such role like that.

I suspect he’s trying to keep them onside to control what is being said about the club on TV.

My immediate thoughts too. If they're invited for consultation then it naturally follows that they're put into a bit of a jam next time they're told to give an opinion about the ownership.

 

[Giggsy13]

I can understand why some are cynical about this but Arnold is doing nothing wrong. In fact if rumours are true that he’s prepared to properly delegate footballing matters to the experts then that should be a breath of fresh air from Woodward. The last 9 years have been absolute rubbish and there have been so many poor decisions. The fact Arnold is trying something new is a good thing.

 

[stefan92]

Can you please explain how you came up with this conclusion?

It's not a conclusion. I just have no idea, as I think it is quite difficult to see from the outside what Fletcher is actually doing and what his influence is, so it could be everything between "he is totally clueless" and "he is/will be the GOAT at his task".

And more or less the same applies to Scholes in that regard.

I was originally just wondering why you would put Scholes so far ahead of Fletcher for this task that you think it might bother Scholes that Fletcher got the job.

 

[noodlehair]

I don't believe he contacted Neville because if he did he'd still be stuck on the phone now listening to Neville's opinions about everything it's possible to have an opinion on

 

[wolvored]

This club is a joke shop.

"Bridge-building" Why? We need to move on from the "United Way" bolloxology and pandering to the past.

Exactly. Does any other CEO at any other club look to ex players on tv. Its only to offer a bribe to stop rubbishing the Glazers and as they also did with Woodward, Arnold doesnt want the same abuse. Making an even bigger joke of the club.

 

[RedDevil@84]

I suspect he’s trying to keep them onside to control what is being said about the club on TV.

Will it stop Gary Neville from shouting "not a penalty" in the commentary, every time our players are fouled in the box?

 

[wolvored]

Pretty sure they're being called to vote for the next manager as there's a stalemate at board level.


The candidates are ETH and Poch, and the voting will happen in 3 iterations.

• First, each ex-player invited gives their own unbiased (not influenced by any of their peers) vote of who their pick is at the same time after a count down to ensure no one gets unduly swayed.
• Second, if the vote is not unanimous, voters of each choice are given the floor to try and convince their contemporaries of their thinking (PowerPoint slides, simulations, etc can all be used), after which another vote is taken.
• Third, if the vote is still not unanimous, voters from each slide have a last chance to convince their contemporaries of their POV, and a third round of voting is taken.

If the result is not unanimous after 3 iterations, the candidate with the majority of votes wins.
If there is an equal split, all the invitees are chucked out with the uncomfortable realisation that these decisions are not as straight forward as they seem.

Of course it's all extremely wild conjecture, but I had fun writing it.

Dont forget the penalty shoot out at the end!

 

[stefan92]

Exactly. Does any other CEO at any other club look to ex players on tv. Its only to offer a bribe to stop rubbishing the Glazers and as they also did with Woodward, Arnold doesnt want the same abuse. Making an even bigger joke of the club.

Other big clubs try to make sure to stay on good terms with their influential ex players, sometimes even with a real contract (for example Bayern Munich has several ex players on their payroll as "ambassadors" - they represent the club at charity events and such stuff). And yes, this is important if you want to control the media narrative around the club. And United is in dire need of this.

Just look at the facts:
1. United is the self proclaimed "biggest club in the world" and backs this by revenue and amount of (international) fans. That's the positive foundation for the club.
2. On the other hand United is irrelevant as an elite club - hasn't won anything in the last 5 years, hasn't won a "big" title (CL or PL) in a decade.
3. Along with this a lot of media and pundits make a living by shitting on the club. It is a dream scenario for them - a lot of people care (see 1.) and there is loads of stuff to make a story about (see 2.). And this is dangerous for the club, as no one who is not already a fan of the club will become a club of such a shitshow. This in turn is a risk of losing the status as biggest club in the world.

So United has to leverage its status and economical power to fix their issues on the pitch and become an elite club again, while at the same time they have to make sure that people notice and that there is more positivity around the club. United has been in a downward spiral and tries to turn that around. And it is the right thing to try and do that on all fronts.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

Imagine Arnold showing up on the Overlap

 

[clarkydaz]

I guess it depends what level the dialogue is. They’ve got no credentials as coaches or directors so they’re not really qualified to be given any such role like that.

I suspect he’s trying to keep them onside to control what is being said about the club on TV.

quite clearly for PR when the leak says contacting TV pundits. Why not ex legends who actually run football clubs?

 

[Revaulx]

What stupid bridge are they building? Sounds like "please don't criticise us".

Maybe real change is actually imminent, and Arnold doesn’t want Ralf, ETH or whoever undermined by a load of Old Boys moaning that Things Were A Lot Better Before All These New Fangled Changes in the event that things don’t go smoothly from the start.

Having influential pundits not wibbling on about how we should sign Harry Kane or make Gareth Southgate manager is hardly a “stupid bridge”.

 

[Trequarista10]

This club is a joke shop.

"Bridge-building" Why? We need to move on from the "United Way" bolloxology and pandering to the past.

It's a move so the club (more specifically, Arnold) gets to control the narrative.

NinjaZombie is correct, it's not about pandering to the past, it's about attempting to influence pundits. Either way it's meh, but I suppose its somewhat inevitable. In fact I find it hard to believe there were never conversations between Woodward and Neville already tbh.

 

[TMDaines]

Bayern and Ajax get the most out of their ex-players. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t do the same.

 

[The Constant Gardener]

This is perfectly fine. Arnold knows he has limited knowledge when it comes to football. All this is is just canvasing ex players on what they think could be fixed. He'll then just take what they say over to Murtogh and Fletcher. I doubt he's bringing any of them in to enact any change.

That's the worrying thing - we've replaced a guy who knows sod all about football with a guy who knows sod all about football.

We are supposed to be a major European football club and we can't seem to look beyond the Bristol Uni rugger clique.

 

[ManchesterManchester]

Focusing on PR and not making the club better, classic glazers.

 

[sparx99]

I feel like the same people lauds Van Der Sar and Overmars at Ajax are often those saying we need to cut all ties to our ex players. The fact is the biggest and most successful clubs in Europe all involve ex-players to a certain degree. Guardiola and Xavi at Barca. Abidal was DOF. Zidane at Real Madrid. Half the Bayern board played for them.

It’s easy to say Ole ultimately didn’t work out therefore ex-players being involved is bad. The truth is cutting them out just because of Ole failed also be a bad move. If Michael Carrick goes off and becomes a top manager we shouldn’t not give him the job years from now because he’s an ex-player.

I think having ex-players around, involved in the academy, involved in recruitment (not as scouts but to talk us up to targets), making the club a family atmosphere can be hugely beneficial. It’s a support network for the current players to lean on. If you don’t want troops of mercenary players playing just for the wage packet then the romanticism and traditions is a major difference maker.

 

[Greck]

Kinda everything Neville said about United in the last 8-9 years has been wrong, so it makes sense to ask for his opinion.

As long as the plan is to do the exact opposite of what he says.

I don't know why he's still considered the voice a of reason. All he does is spam top red takes.

Our ex players are for all intents and purposes those old conservatives who can't accept doing anything different from what they believe and know to be the right way.

 

[sparx99]

This is one of those things that *sounds* like a good idea, but is actually a terrible idea.

First and foremost, just because they might have been good players, the likes of Neville, Scholes and Ferdinand had nothing to do with actually running the club.

Secondly, 99% of United's problems begin off the field. What experience do Neville, Scholes and Ferdinand really have at the top level when it comes to running a football club? It's fair to say that Neville and Scholes' involvement with Salford hasn't always been plain-sailing.

What we need is experts, professionals in the art of running a football club. The foundations for success at Liverpool and City were laid by Michael Edwards and Txiki Begiristain. Managers like Klopp and Pep are the cherry on the icing on the cake.

You mean ex-Barcelona player Txixi Berigistain who was poached by City from Barca?

Most Sporting Directors had pro careers. There is probably a new generation who grew up with football manager and data analysis coking through but these roles are still being done by ‘football’ men for the most part.

 

[RC89]

Ah, if they manage to get old players in on something like consultancy roles, it stops them trashing them in the media. Smart.

 

[Member 109952]

Why don't we just rename ourselves Liverpool circa 1990 to 2015 and be done with it? Maybe it'll save us another 15 years of jobs for the boys and trying to replicate them good ole days.