“All my successes have been built on my failures” – Benjamin Disraeli
There is, I believe, an underappreciated reason why post-Sir Alex Ferguson all Manchester United managers have failed to have long, sustainable and fruitful tenures, chasing PL and UCL titles.
For sure, there have been numerous, oft-discussed factors: toxic club culture, ownership and cash flow issues, lack of expertise on the sporting side, short-term commercial pressure, etc.
But in addition to that, or rather, as a product of that – Man United keeps making the same mistake when selecting managers.
With every managerial appointment, the club has been trying to correct the last guy’s sins and mistakes.
If you analyse the picks carefully – as well as what was briefed to the media at the time – you’ll notice this clear and problematic trend. It’s been an extremely, almost comically reactive approach.
Instead of thinking about what the next person could bring to the table, how his ideas fit the squad, whether the game model can evolve, and if it’s a match for the PL, it’s always been about atoning for the last person in charge.
All of our success will be built on all failures. Every new manager was a reactive attempt to correct the biggest flaw, real or perceived, that the last manager had.
As David Moyes was nearing his end, the general thinking was: we went with a smaller-club manager with little relevant experience, and that needs to be corrected.
We now need someone who’s been at the very top, coached big players, has their respect, and has the necessary tactical acumen.
Louis Van Gaal fit the bill perfectly – an experienced manager who’s won it all, a famous tactical mind – but there seems to have been little consideration of anything else. How his model fits the squad and the league, can he adapt and evolve in the PL, are his ideas still fresh or outdated?
As LVG was nearing his end, the thinking was: we went with a tactical idealist dedicated to his philosophy rather than trophies, who is also boring us to death with sideways passes.
We now need someone completely dedicated to winning, a ruthless pragmatist with a proven record.
Mourinho fit the bill perfectly – a serial winner who couldn’t care less about “the process” and philosophy – but little else seems to have been considered.
How his ideas fit the squad built under LVG and whether they are competitive in today’s PL or outmatched by bold new managers.
As Mourinho was nearing his end, the thinking was: he doesn’t fit the club’s DNA, he’s too defensive, doesn’t trust youth and is toxic with players.
We now need an attacking-minded manager who understands the club ethos and is a much more positive figure.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fit the bill perfectly, at first as an interim and then permanently – club legend, optimistic about United, talks about attacking and youth.
This time, more consideration was given to game model and sustainability, but not to the eventual ceiling nor recruitment needs.
As Ole was nearing his end, the thinking was: it was mostly good vibes and some great results, but not enough tactical knowledge to take the team further.
We need a cutting-edge tactical mind, a progressive manager who will chase a modern style instead of the good old days.
Eric Ten Haag fit the bill perfectly – a progressive manager universally hailed for the tactical brilliance of his Ajax sides – but little thought was given to anything else.
How his system really translates to the PL, what he wants from the players, and whom the club will need to buy.
As ETH was nearing his end, the thinking was: aloof manager who failed to get a buy-in from players and was unwilling to dedicate himself to a tactical system, which led to chaos.
We must go for a charismatic ideologue who can motivate the squad and knows exactly what he wants.
Amorim fit the bill perfectly – a very passionate, charismatic and honest coach with a clear tactical system, unlike the robotic persona of ETH.
Little consideration seems to have been given to scaling up to the PL, matching with the squad, willingness to optimise and adapt…
Unless something changes, Amorim might be heading towards his end. He was picked for his qualities as much as for the perceived lack of those same qualities in the predecessor. Just like every post-SAF manager.
In a way, it’s extremely unfair on every pick that we make. We expect them not only to perform, but also to correct our most immediate previous mistake.
We didn’t really consider the hire for who they are and how they might perform. We looked back, not forward.
If we had actually focused on building the future, we’d think about:
- System and player match
- Is the game model right for the PL
- How can it evolve/adapt
- Are the principles and tactics currently cutting-edge or already outdated
- Recruitment needs
- Personality and character traits
- Club style/ethos fit
We wouldn’t be appointing completely different managers every 2-3 years, hoping we somehow strike gold.
To paraphrase Disraeli: All of our failures have been built on our failures and that’s basically how United has been making their managerial appointments for a decade now.
This post originally appeared on MUFC’s Facebook page.
