There may be a new sheriff in town but, unfortunately for him, the posse he sends out to round up the wanted men is full of the same inexperience and clueless leadership as it was under the previous sheriff.
John Murtough, who is described as ‘Director of Football’, was promoted to this role based on previous experience of having coached the academies at Fulham, Everton and United which was followed by trying his hand at sports science!
Another strange promotion was that of Richard Arnold, a clone of Ed Woodward, who was put in overall charge when the hated Woodward finally fell on his sword.
These two, along with the equally baffling appointment of Darren Fletcher to a position nobody can actually fathom, form the posse finding ten Hag’s wanted men.
Finding them actually proved to be relatively easy and they managed to find Frenkie de Jong very early in the transfer window. The fact that they couldn’t bring him back will forever be an embarrassment and a blot on their copybook. So much so that Arnold, totally inexperienced in these affairs, flew out to Barcelona to help Murtough, who is very slightly more experienced in these affairs, to show him how to close the deal. Needless to say he couldn’t! This was a repeat of Ed Woodward’s abject failure when trying to get Cesc Fabregas for sheriff Moyes!
They also had the chance, for around €60m, to round up Antony from Ajax but decided against it at the time which, as we all know, has resulted in them paying nearly €30m more for him now! Shades of Marouane Fellaini, another Woodward masterclass!
There has been better news however in that United have signed players who do tick a couple of boxes. They have managed to get Tyrrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Cristian Eriksen and Antony through the door. The first box these players tick is that they are actually needed to play football, not to sell shirts. The second ticked box is that they are players the manager wanted, not a list leftover from the previous CEO. So, on that basis alone, this has been a pretty decent transfer window.
Yes, the club has spent a lot of money but, for a change, they have spent wisely rather than recklessly and, because of this, the future is a lot brighter. Add to this a manager who seems to know what he’s doing, another novelty after the last three years, and United fans can start to enjoy watching their team again whilst focusing their concentration on the main job in hand which is to rid the club of it’s parasitic owners.
Whilst on this subject it is pleasing to see the protesting being stepped up to include marches outside the ground on match-days and the usual green and gold banners and scarves in evidence. It’s just a pity that those protesting can still be seen in the souvenir shop and, even worse, inside Old Trafford. The Glazer’s bank account is not affected if people, having protested outside the ground, then pay to go in it!
Still, it’s better than doing nothing and there has certainly been some evidence of success with some sponsors pulling out of deals and the current shirt sponsor ‘Teamviewer’ refusing to renew their contract with the club.
Keep it up but ramp it up! At present the Glazers know they are despised but they don’t care. Manchester United has to be turned into the hottest potato they have ever held!
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 