Manchester United have ended up with a temporary coach before they look for an interim manager. Haven’t we heard that before? Oh yes, a few years ago, shortly before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was given the job. It sounds like United haven’t got a clue what they are doing. Which is a bit rum for a stock-market-listed club and one of the biggest brands in the world.
Poor old Ole just wasn’t cut out to be an elite football manager. But could anyone cope with the presence of that choleric United legend, Sir Alex Ferguson, up in the stands shaking his head mournfully at some on-field idiocy before burying his head in his hands in a piece of theatrical despair? Solskjaer wasn’t helped by his players: goalkeeper David de Gea observing that United just didn’t know what to do with the ball, for instance.
Why United won’t look at an English manager seems a mystery
The truth is, though, that Fergie’s 25-year reign was the aberration. After Sir Matt Busby there was a chain of short-lived managers (including Frank O’Farrell, Tommy Docherty and Wilf McGuinness) before Ferguson, and even he had a shaky start. In the eight years since he stood down, Old Trafford has had four for heaven’s sake, including marquee names like Van Gaal and Mourinho. Now the finger of fate seems to be pointing at Mauricio Pochettino, who has made it clear he’s happy to leave PSG.
Why United won’t look at an English manager seems a mystery, though that stock-market listing is probably the decisive factor. How sad. Anyway, the board’s dithering means that they have missed their chance with Steven Gerrard and Eddie Howe. Gerrard did brilliantly at Rangers but now has to turn Aston Villa into a top-four club.
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