Are we the worst run top/elite club in the world?

[Un4givableB]

OGS permanent appointment - laughter, disbelief that we actually welcome this as a fanbase

.

Ed couldn't even get the cold calculating ruthless businessman part of the job right.

 

[RedorDead21]

Hmmmm funny if Pooch wins the CL this year.....

 

[Toddler]

Worst run organisation since Nokia.

To a point, it was very well run. But then it went south like we.

 

[lysglimt]

What do you think is wrong with the club specifically?

People like you ?

 

[passing-wind]

The problem and biggest problem I've got is we have hired Ole and not Integrated a director of football. That means consequently we are going down the same tiresome route agin and again, hire and fire.

If Ole spends 300 odd million and fails to replicate success on the pitch, we are stuck with a set of players contingent with HIS vision and then the next coach comes in and deems them surplus to requirements and we are in a rebuilding phase again and again.

We have been rebuilding this squad for 10 years because of the hire and fire policy, we shouldn't have even communicated with Ole about the job on a full time basis without consolidating a DOF.

Absolutely tired of the hierarchy of this club, would take the Saudis buying the club if it revamps the footballing structure. The best thing the Glazer's have done in their time here was bring in Ole in an interim basis, unless there is news within a month or so about a director of football we are already preparing to fail.

Calamity of a football club, how can the Glazer's be so astute commercially in marketing campaigns etc but woeful when it comes to the business side of the football. There is only one word needed to summarise being coherent in one are and poor in amother....delegate ffs.

 

[Charlie Yu]

Glaziers is the problem, Woodward is the problem. We gave more to Glaziers for dividends than we spent in transfer market, let that sink in

 

[captain666]

Wolves are a better run club than us and only cost £30M!

 

[balaks]

I think you do have a problem - there does not appear to be a consistent vision of how they want the football club to be run or where they are going - it appears to be fairly rash and non-thought out decision making in many aspects of the club - from manager hiring to player recruitment.

I realise you have an absolute ton of cash coming in but it shouldn't excuse some of the strange decisions made in relation to the size of contracts many of your players are on - just means they are next to impossible to move on if they do not work out and to me you have a lot of fairly average players on about double what they would get anywhere else. I get paying big bucks for high profile and talented players, but when you have average squad players on more than many first teamers at other clubs that can't be right. Just because you play for Utd shouldn't automatically mean you get paid an absolute fortune - where is the sense of progression or incentive for players to improve and earn those better salaries if they are already on way more than they could expected at another club?

 

[SAFMUTD]

Yes we are, dismantling the team selling deadwood and replacing them with no one. Leaving the squad even more fragile than last year, with a rookie manager we are set up for failure from day 1.

 

[Van Aanholt's Express]

Get a DOF already, I prefer Edwin Van der Saar.

I’d settle for Edwin Starr

 

[wolvored]

I’d settle for Edwin Starr

Or Ringo

 

[wolvored]

They need to get a footballing man in to run the football side. All woody should do on that side is to ask how much the glazers will allow for transfers, and pass this info on to this footballing man. Neville, Ferdinand, Fletcher even Cantona would make a big difference.

 

[NoLogo]

We have owners who have no vision for the club apart to make money. They don't want or understand forming a club philosophy on which to build the structures of our club and neither does Woody. They are business people, and they have no passion apart from making money. The Glazers judge everything by the numbers and fail to see where they are going wrong because the numbers are still very good, they are probably still scratching their head why nothing is working, if they even care about what happens on the pitch at all, which is doubtful.

 

[Lee565]

By a mile we are, it's sad how much we have reversed roles with man city in terms of how to run a club, even when they first started splashing the cash on players that were only joining purely for the money, they were at least battling top 4 football, we will be nowhere near that this season.

 

[AJ10]

Yes.

 

[FreakyJim]

By a mile we are, it's sad how much we have reversed roles with man city in terms of how to run a club, even when they first started splashing the cash on players that were only joining purely for the money, they were at least battling top 4 football, we will be nowhere near that this season.

The difference is the owners. Theirs want to win trophies, ours probably didn't even know what this sport is and what shape the ball is before they bought the club.

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

How is that even a question, that isn’t even debatable that we are.

 

[Josep Dowling]

They need to get a footballing man in to run the football side. All woody should do on that side is to ask how much the glazers will allow for transfers, and pass this info on to this footballing man. Neville, Ferdinand, Fletcher even Cantona would make a big difference.

Agreed but no to getting a Man United man in. We need someone with experience in the role not another romanticist pipe dream.

 

[wolvored]

Agreed but no to getting a Man United man in. We need someone with experience in the role not another romanticist pipe dream.

Yes but any of them would be better than woody

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

Our owners don't care about winning trophies, they only care about making money and attaching their debts to the club. So yes, we are.

We went from the best team in the world to a global laughing stock in 6 years (08 to 14) and we've remained a laughing stock ever since.

 

[Lee565]

The difference is the owners. Theirs want to win trophies, ours probably didn't even know what this sport is and what shape the ball is before they bought the club.

They pretty much dont, I can remember way back when malcom glazer was about to buy United and a sky sports news reporter tried to get a word with him during something to do with the NFL and one of the guys he was was walking with and chatting to laughed of the reporter wanting to talk about English football by saying something along the lines of "nobody cares about soccer" and Glazer had a little smile/chuckle about him saying that and it has always stuck in my mind knowing these are/were the people in control of our club.

 

[minoo-utd]

We will not see light again unless those cnuts in charge all gone.

 

[Mindhunter]

Definitely not.

We aren't an elite club at the moment. We are a fallen giant which is still living in the past. The commercial side just hasn't caught up to the reality on the pitch. No top player or manager will touch us with a barge pole unless we pay them well over the market in which case they will only be here for the money.

 

[freeurmind]

AC Milan and Marseille are probably the only worse run ones.

 

[Betson]

Considering how big we are , the amount of money we have spent over the last few years and the wages we pay and then to end up with such a poor squad of players and such a poor run of results does look very shambolic and more than a bit embarrassing.

 

[Siorac]

AC Milan and Marseille are probably the only worse run ones.

Marseille aren't really an elite club while Milan simply can't compete financially anymore.

 

[freeurmind]

Marseille aren't really an elite club while Milan simply can't compete financially anymore.

Doesn't that fall under "running the club". Plus I disagree on OM but lets not derail the thread.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

In context, yes we are. There isn't even a doubt in my mind.

SAF left a team of champions. A lot of that squad were aging and needed to be replaced. The board knew SAF would be leaving at some point, probably after winning the title at some point so he could deservedly leave on a massive high. They knew it was coming and since 2013 every single thing they've done has been 'putting out fires' without actually putting them out.

Terrible planning leads to terrible results. We are a product of our ownership and wil continue to be that way. The game is up. It's been up since 2013.

 

[jimmyb2000]

Manchester United have always been an extremely poorly run football club...always.

Our periods of success have simply been down to 3 managers that were stronger characters than the faceless nomarks who have run this club.

 

[freeurmind]

Manchester United have always been an extremely poorly run football club...always.

Our periods of success have simply been down to 3 managers that were stronger characters than the faceless nomarks who have run this club.

Thats actually alot closer to the truth than many would like to admit.

 

[fps]

Manchester United have always been an extremely poorly run football club...always.

Our periods of success have simply been down to 3 managers that were stronger characters than the faceless nomarks who have run this club.

A good point. A great chief exec as a partner in crime would go down well at the mo though.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

The worst run organisation from top to bottom.

Glazers - Fail (Actually I lie, they're getting rich)
Woodward - Epic Fail
Ole - Failing
Players - Overpaid

 

[Roboc7]

The club is a shambles and it’s not changing anytime soon.

 

[jimmyb2000]

Once a business (in any field) is run by accountants its the beginning of the end for that organisation. Bottom line becomes the main objective rather than service and customer satisfaction.

Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold are great accountants but its patently obvious that they are atrocious at running a football club. That's why "football club" has been removed from the club badge. We're not a football club any more, we're a limited company first and foremost. Profits and commercial results are our new championships. Forget a FA cup run, we've got a new noodle and tractor partnership.

Our football club president (Martin Edwards) and directors (David Gill, Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson) are appointed in name only. They have no power whatsoever over the football club and are largely impotent in club affairs. What's disappointing is that they are completely silent over where we are as a club. Far be it from me to suggest that they're content to collect their lucrative salaries rather than risking a financial penalty (that they could all easily afford) before coming out vocally to question the direction of the club.

 

[Lentwood]

We have been between 2005 and 2018 that’s for sure

I do think the last window and the current cull show a promising potential change in strategy though

Unfortunately, I think even IF we are indeed pursuing a new strategy and even IF it is a potentially successful one, it will be December 2022 before we can really tell if it’s working, simply because of the damage done over the last 13yrs

 

[jimmyb2000]

We have been between 2005 and 2018 that’s for sure

I do think the last window and the current cull show a promising potential change in strategy though

Unfortunately, I think even IF we are indeed pursuing a new strategy and even IF it is a potentially successful one, it will be December 2022 before we can really tell if it’s working, simply because of the damage done over the last 13yrs

I've just put a reminder into my phone for the 1st December 2022 so we can re-visit this post...by Christ I hope you're right.

 

[Eric7C]

Manchester United have always been an extremely poorly run football club...always.

Our periods of success have simply been down to 3 managers that were stronger characters than the faceless nomarks who have run this club.

Nail on the head.

 

[Ish]

I think we definitely are.

 

[Amerifan]

Once a business (in any field) is run by accountants its the beginning of the end for that organisation. Bottom line becomes the main objective rather than service and customer satisfaction.

A case could certainly be made for this:

Owners either own clubs for fun or they own them to make money. The Glazers are businessmen running a business for profit.

We are now the most valuable football club in the world. The value of the club has soared despite the decline in on-field performance. If any lesson has been learned over the past six seasons it’s that the product on the pitch doesn’t matter a heck of a lot. First, Second, Fifth, or Sixth, the money rolls in regardless.

Over the past 5 seasons we’ve outspent (net spend) everyone but City, yet it hasn’t materially improved the product or generated a reasonable return in investment. Why spend hundreds of millions more and get nothing for it in return? CL football is great revenue, but not when it costs more to achieve than you get in return. Buy what you need to buy to keep the money flowing in, but no more. It’s just smart business.

I believe there is more going on behind the scenes to allow numbers to dictate our every move. But I suppose we’ll have to wait until next summer to find out.

 

[passing-wind]

Without a doubt, we have the worst owners in football when it comes to strategic implementation. The only aspect that is keeping the glazers afloat is the genuine financial success the club has.

Liverpool's NET spend for example, it's significance is important because they've spent next to nothing but their identification in recruitment is a massive success. Arsenal Tottenham, City, Everton, Wolves have also been successful in this region. Since Sir Alex has left we have signed atleast two new teams to field a starting 11. Somehow we are still in a transition.

 

[::sonny::]

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