Coulrophobia used to abound at Old Trafford. Now it is there but in smaller doses and with different connotations.
José Mourinho was feared. Not as much as he would have liked to have been but he was feared particularly by his players who were so scared of him that they forgot how to play football in his, yes you guessed it, third season!
Prior to him, Louis van Gaal was feared and, as a strict disciplinarian, he probably had every right to be.
Both of these managers were relatively successful at the club and both were sacked after bringing silverware the previous season. Both could be accused of clownish behaviour occasionally but their CV’s were never in question.
As far as we are aware, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is not feared. He’s too nice. He’s just a baby who mothers want to cuddle when things go wrong. He is the type of man about whom no parent would be concerned if their daughter were dating him.
His style of management is very different to that of any of United’s last four managers in that he prefers the “modern” way of doing things. The arm around the shoulder, the handshake with the opposition, a tad similar to the Pep way but not yet as successful. Not for him the Fergie way, which would probably have involved a clip round the ear for the opposing players along with any under-performers in his own team!
So the aforementioned coulrophobia is not because of Ole. No, it is because of the real clown in the proceedings, the little dictator himself, Ed “the negotiator” Woodward. Ed is not feared because he is a threat to world peace, or because he may go around punching players who don’t accept new contracts. No, Ed is feared for being far worse than any of that. He is feared because he is incompetent.
SEVEN years ago we wrote an article for HITC which suggested United could do with a Director of Football. Ed jumped on this particular bandwagon around a year ago and has done precisely nothing about it since. He has muddled his way through a few transfers, taking much longer than necessary over getting them completed and, in the main, either overpaying or failing to reduce the fees on every one of them.
Ed and his usual cheerful face ponder a future in which he is surplus to the requirements of almost all United supporters!
There used to be an argument for removing Ed from his “football” role and letting him concentrate on signing up new noodle partners but it now appears that the success of the marketing department is down to Matt Judge, not Ed the magnificent. So basically we can see absolutely no reason for even keeping him at the club.
United’s season has turned round since Bruno Fernandes signed and the manager, for the moment, is under no pressure. A couple more signings in summer should see the squad in a position to challenge for the title next season.
Now is the time for the Glazers to do one good deed before they ride off into the Florida sunset, hopefully never to be heard of again. They need to get rid of Ed. It would be the kindest thing to do because one thing is for sure and that is that if the club is ever bought by anybody from the middle east then the first person out of the door would be the little dictator.
This move would also take away the last remaining clown, (as far as we know), from the circus and a proper ringmaster could be appointed.
Then the green and gold brigade and the protests can stop once and for all, or at least until the team loses a game or two!
Stay safe.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 