Identity and Stability
Only the shortsighted and perhaps those of ill will see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s run and conclude that he doesn’t deserve the job he has been given. Regardless of how successful he eventually is — which I think hinges on other things — to simply say he isn’t qualified is silly. He may not have the experience or the big name. But he — alongside with Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna, Mark Dempsey, and Mike Phelan — surely gives United back the return to needed basics. Identity and stability. As such, while the Manchester United job is a big job, at this moment, the search for identity and stability is a more important job for Ole and the Club. And that task will be his test.
The history and success of Manchester United do not start with Sir Alex Fergusson or Matt Busby. The insistence of non-United fans to routinely point to the appointment of Sir Alex as the person directing Ole is laughable. Undoubtedly, the influence of Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex have had in creating a long-lasting history for the Club, is an important staple of its identity and successes. But after those two giants, United have struggled. McGuinness. O’Farrel. Docherty. Sexton. Atkinson. All punctuate the reigns of the two legendary giants. Their imprint on the club herald 30 years of relative mediocrity.
Post Sir Alex, the imprint of the next 3 United managers and caretakers cannot be easily dismissed as mediocre either. With an aging squad and financial backing, David Moyes replicated the tactics, personnel, and mentality of Everton at United. David Moyes had a premier league winning side. He only needed to maintain the squad and infuse good talent. His task was maintenance. Moyes failed to understand that a blue reliable Volkswagen Beetle is not in the same class an older Ferrari. They use different types of oil. Europe is a must. His attempt at setting the neighbors next door revealed he was out of his depth for the job and out of character for the Club. With the money spent, mentality lacking, and 74 crosses against Fulham worthy of an eye roll, it was understandable why he was axed.
Perhaps personifying the Club’s resilience was caretaker Ryan Giggs. However, one did not need a whiteboard to see he didn’t have the credentials for a job. His reign was shorter than these 3 sentences.
Louis Van Gaal fared better. Unlike Giggs, he didn’t personify the United attitude or style. His slow, lethargic and laborious build-up play was in sharp contrast to the results and air that Giggs had briefly restored. Van Gaal also got a war chest that saw the likes of Radamel Falcao, Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Angel Di Maria unceremoniously grace the Club briefly. Anthony Martial, Ander Herrera, and Luke Shaw are his legacy. However, when he played Robin Van Persie as a creative midfielder and Marouane Fellaini as a striker, he looked out of ideas. His inability to get the best out of his own star signings made it an untenable position for the Club. With an FA Cup victory and numerous funny excerpts and sound bites for the media as all he could muster, he also seemed destined for the ax.
In came Jose Mourinho, a man needed to stabilize an expensive ship. With Pep Guardiola down the road, Mourinho was a counter-reaction. Aware of his personality traits, United took a gamble. His caustic persona and his self-aggrandization went against the United spirit of “no one is bigger than the Club.” The same spirit that had weathered and or disposed of the likes of Pique, Ronaldo, Tevez and Wayne Rooney. His appointment was a risk. His task: nullify the developments down the road, and restore glory to the Club. To do so, he got Paul Pogba, Diogo Dalot, Fred, Romelu Lukaku, Victor Lindelof, Alexis Sanchez, Eric Bailly, Nemanja Matic, and Zlatan, none of these signings seemed to even click, even for him. The moment it seemed as if he was self-sabotaging the team, playing Ander Herrera or Scott Mctominay as a center-back, with Eric Lindelof and Eric Bailly on the bench, questions were rightly asked. With a Europa Cup win, Mourinho achieved only one of those requirements. However, he failed to nullify the developments down the road.
Ole’s task is different. He will be tasked to bring identity and stability. Yes, nullifying the developments down the road is necessary. But at the moment, with Premier League teams in bigger stadiums and sponsorship deals skyrocketing, he will be asked to remain competitive, and navigate a relatively unstable ship. With no money to spend, Ole started out winning a higher percentage of games than the last 4 managers. Ironically, his first game in charge, at Cardiff, was the first game since Sir Alex’s last, where United scored 5 goals. Wigan, what an ass. That reflects the fact that the team should have been able to win some games, they lost. The omens are good. The results are better. The attitude is better. The style is better. The wins are notable. The losses are understandable.
The slump will come. The goal drought will come. The losses will come. The grind will come. The painful matches will come. The costly misses will hurt. The search for his own team will come. The search for identity will come. The contract negotiations won’t make sense. Players will be asked to step up. Kids will be played. Mistakes will happen. Most importantly, the need for restructuring will come.
Resilience has to come. His success will be measured by that.
Going forward, he will be measured by those metrics. While trophies are mandatory at Manchester, succeeding the United way is imperative. The need to continuously strive for success is our identity. If Ole’s task was simply to win trophies, Pochettino would have never been in the conversation. For Pochettino, winning The Carabao Cup is not enough for United. In fact, winning the Community Shield was not enough to keep Moyes. Europa League and FA Cup were not enough to keep Mourinho. And the FA Cup is not enough for Van Gaal.
As a fan, I will be the first to call for his firing if he is provided with money and time and he fails to remain competitive, and bring stability. And if he does a decent job of most of these, then he will have achieved what the moment calls for. For a Club this big, identity and stability are needed. Ole and his assistants understand that point and need to be backed financially and with time.
Now Club structure, that is all on Ed Woodward.
