As I said, I will have no problem with player power if the players deserve it. My problem is, I don't see it with our bunch of players tbh. Nothing suggesting with better man management they will start to perform. That's more of a wishful thinking imo.
As usual from the Caf when it comes to Rooney 2 issues you're massively overestimating them. He didn't want to push Fergie out. He just wanted the club to sign better players as Ozil and to not be left behind by the rivals. He wasn't trying to force himself or Fergie out. If Fergie thought he had crossed the line he would have been sold but he didn't, it was just the fans interpreting it like that imo, but anyway that's another long discussion.
My point in short is if players want power at the club they should earn it, that's it. I'm not against or with it. I'm against giving power to players who did nothing so far for the club.
Last season, a weaker squad finished second, comfortably, walked the CL group and got to the final of the FA Cup. Can't see us doing that this season. That's on the manager and not the players. And all this - when last season too, the argument was that Jose wasn't getting the best out of the options he had. How many can say that his tactics and selections aren't baffling?
Now, let me give you an analogy.
Say you work for an enterprise you really like. They pay you fabulously, treat you well, you get along with all your colleagues and stakeholders etc. and are content to stay there for a long time. Next thing you know, you get put under a manager that hangs you out to dry at the drop of a hat, asks you to work in ways you know are sub-optimal and destined to fail and you find yourself dropping behind your company's competition as a result. You also find that all your team-mates are similarly frustrated. This affects company morale of course and people are just miserable in office - and spend the post-office drinks sessions to exchange horror stories. What do you do? In the corporate world, you'd quit and find another job OR go to your seniors and ask for your manager to be sacked / replaced. If the seniors have any sense, they accede and remove the manager. But what if quitting and moving isn't the easiest option? What if it requires you to pay off an employment bond / get your next employer to pay it off?
The management's failure to remove your manager wouldn't mean you "stop trying" or "try to fail" because it kills your career too. But what else can be expected from the company and your team, apart from failure? You see it daily -and frustration keeps rising, but hey, you're stuck! With time, you will find your energy levels lower and your frustrations resulting in occasional pettiness. You're still doing the best you can, but performance levels start dipping. It's inevitable.
For the record, I've seen such situations even in Management Consulting, where a bad manager / Principal can ruin the output of a team of absolutely brilliant consultants who're trying their best, but are suffering because of the person/persons above.
Remember the old credo: If you're facing a lot of attrition in a team, look at the manager first as the root cause.
Remember that players don't select the team and nor do they select formations and tactics. They are also aware that a failure to adhere to the manager's diktats will result in their being dropped - and therefore, their value and attractiveness to other clubs also dropping. How do you think this won't affect motivation?
As for the players - remember that a lot of these came at Mou's demand - Pogba, Lukaku, Alexis, Bailly, Lindelöf, Matic, Fred and now Dalot, are all Mou signings. How many is he able to get a tune out of and how many are living up to the potential that the world knows they have? Lukaku's numbers were better for Everton, I think and Alexis' fall has been legendary. Pogba is our best player - and Mou can't stop fighting with him and demanding he be shot? He wanted Shaw sold (second best behind Pogba now). He bemoans the lack of "leaders" and captains the mute Valencia.
It's clear as day - the squad is pulling on, but the tactics and selections are baffling and they're demotivated with a toxic atmosphere and environment. There's no way a new manager doesn't fix some of the issues - and a good one, most of them. Squad gaps may remain, but who doesn't have those? Who is Liverpool's midfield creator? Milner? Wijnaldum? Yet, they're so far ahead of us, it's not funny!
