Manchester United Should Not Sack Solskjaer, Yet
5. Solskjaer is not the one to blame
Firing Ole now reinforces the narrative that has been played out for five years that the problems infecting Manchester United like a tapeworm are due to the manager. This is, dare I say it, fake news.
The reason the most decorated, highest paying, and richest club in England is in the state that it’s in is because of the owners, the Glazer family, and the club’s chief executive, Ed Woodward. In June 2005, the Glazers finalized acquiring full ownership of Manchester United. In order to raise the necessary capital to purchase the team, the Glazers took out loans and leveraged the assets of the team itself in the process.
Per the club’s most recent financial reports for the first quarter of 2020, United still is weighed down by 384.5 million pounds in debt from the initial loans (this was an increase of 55.5% from the same quarter last year). Though Manchester United has amassed significant revenues (135.4 million pounds in the 1st quarter of this fiscal year), the profit has fallen sharply from 6.6 million pounds in the first quarter of 2019 to just 1.1 million in the first quarter of 2020.
In other words, the owners have mismanaged the club’s finances to the point where the money is being taken out of the club instead of putting in. Ed Woodward, United’s day-to-day chief executive has done a reasonably good job from the financial end of things, however, his background is in banking and finance, but he is making the final decisions on player contracts and transfers. As a result of not having a true football technical director and a revolving door of managers, the cash spent on players in transfers and salaries has also been mismanaged.
https://twitter.com/United_Webby/status/1215237687004876802?s=20
Overpaying grossly has cost United more than money
United has grossly overpaid for players in transfers and salaries that either the current or next manager did not want or turned out to be huge busts (or both).
As the Reds have missed out on Champions League football after last season and may do so again after this season, both their revenue and reputation have and will continue to take hits. The result will be less cash on hand available and less willingness of star players to come to Old Trafford.
This is a death spiral caused by the owners and executives, not by the manager who is stuck with whatever players he is left with to throw out on the pitch. When they hired the green and agreeable Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as permanent manager, they hired not only a club legend the fan’s loved but the perfect patsy, who would quietly withstand the visceral criticism for the failings of his bosses. As a result, Solskjaer is an easy target and easily expendable when things go wrong on the pitch.
moyes was destroyed, van gaal retired, mourinho aged about 20 years, solskjaer looks a shadow of the man he was - i’m tired directing my anger at managers. good managers, experienced managers, managers who genuinely care. Manchester United is failing bcos of its’ owners. OUT.
— Annemarie Dray (@AnnemarieDray) January 9, 2020
Next. Maddison should stick around at Leicester. dark
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not the cause of the problems at Manchester United, he is the victim. He is administering a long-term plan of grooming younger players to be Premier League caliber stars in the future. As they get much-needed experience, so does Solskjaer.
It is unclear whether he will eventually be able to match wits with Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola, but he can at least get these players to a point where the next manager can take them to the next level. Fans will have to be patient in the meantime, something which fans are never known for.