19-12-2018, 22:48
I`m not sure what you expected him to say, Dancing.
I`ve only heard the interview GB did for Spireites Digital – I`ve no idea whether he`s done another, and that`s the one you`re referring to – but what he said in the one I`ve heard seemed to be perfectly reasonable. It was an acknowledgement that there`s been a breakdown in communication and goodwill between the club and the fans and that it`s part of his mandate to try to repair it. I didn`t get any sense at all of his being pushed by the interviewer for an apology over things that have happened in the past; and let`s face it, if one is due – and it may well be - it`s really not his place to give it.
Interesting résumé on the recent history of Man United that you gave there, Dev, and I think most of what you say is completely accurate. Like a lot of blokes my age, I have a soft spot for United – undoubtedly as a result of Munich and its aftermath , which had a big effect on me as a child (I was 8 years old when it happened ) – and it seems to me that the club`s decline really began when the Glazers took over. The effect didn`t show when Fergie was in residence because he was well established, had a proven track record and was a strong enough character for him to be pretty much fireproof. He could stick two fingers up at all of the politics going on around him, which was a privilege that none of his successors were ever going to have.
Personally – and this is only my opinion – I think they should have given David Moyes a lot more time than they did to regenerate an aging squad whose cracks Fergie had plastered over specifically to win the Premier League one last time before he retired. That doesn`t happen overnight. People forget now that Sir Alex himself struggled for the first couple of years and it`s thought by many that he was only an FA Cup replay win and a Mark Robbins goal away from getting sacked himself. (That`s always been denied by the club, of course.)
The analogy between United and CFC is an interesting one and a very accurate one in many ways. The scale of operations is very different obviously, as is the profile of the club, but in terms of the disconnect between the club and the fanbase there are, as you say, many similarities. Going forward, however, I sense that in the short term the prospects for CFC are actually brighter than they are for United. Dave Allen actually wants to sell the club (albeit on his own terms), which he will no doubt do eventually; the Glazers show no such inclination. Martin Allen has a strong enough personality to ride out the storm that`s been going on for the past few months and, strangely enough, is in a stronger position in some ways than José Mourinho because paying off his contract has a far greater financial impact on us than does paying off JM`s. He also has, I believe, a group of honest, hard-working professionals in his squad rather than the super-egos at Old Trafford.
I hope I`m right – I think.
I`ve only heard the interview GB did for Spireites Digital – I`ve no idea whether he`s done another, and that`s the one you`re referring to – but what he said in the one I`ve heard seemed to be perfectly reasonable. It was an acknowledgement that there`s been a breakdown in communication and goodwill between the club and the fans and that it`s part of his mandate to try to repair it. I didn`t get any sense at all of his being pushed by the interviewer for an apology over things that have happened in the past; and let`s face it, if one is due – and it may well be - it`s really not his place to give it.
Interesting résumé on the recent history of Man United that you gave there, Dev, and I think most of what you say is completely accurate. Like a lot of blokes my age, I have a soft spot for United – undoubtedly as a result of Munich and its aftermath , which had a big effect on me as a child (I was 8 years old when it happened ) – and it seems to me that the club`s decline really began when the Glazers took over. The effect didn`t show when Fergie was in residence because he was well established, had a proven track record and was a strong enough character for him to be pretty much fireproof. He could stick two fingers up at all of the politics going on around him, which was a privilege that none of his successors were ever going to have.
Personally – and this is only my opinion – I think they should have given David Moyes a lot more time than they did to regenerate an aging squad whose cracks Fergie had plastered over specifically to win the Premier League one last time before he retired. That doesn`t happen overnight. People forget now that Sir Alex himself struggled for the first couple of years and it`s thought by many that he was only an FA Cup replay win and a Mark Robbins goal away from getting sacked himself. (That`s always been denied by the club, of course.)
The analogy between United and CFC is an interesting one and a very accurate one in many ways. The scale of operations is very different obviously, as is the profile of the club, but in terms of the disconnect between the club and the fanbase there are, as you say, many similarities. Going forward, however, I sense that in the short term the prospects for CFC are actually brighter than they are for United. Dave Allen actually wants to sell the club (albeit on his own terms), which he will no doubt do eventually; the Glazers show no such inclination. Martin Allen has a strong enough personality to ride out the storm that`s been going on for the past few months and, strangely enough, is in a stronger position in some ways than José Mourinho because paying off his contract has a far greater financial impact on us than does paying off JM`s. He also has, I believe, a group of honest, hard-working professionals in his squad rather than the super-egos at Old Trafford.
I hope I`m right – I think.