Interesting piece from John Wilson - primarily instigated by Manchester Utd's newest appointment but just as relevant in League 1. https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...from-messiah-fix-to-modern-vision-of-the-game
Good article. Clubs need a rock solid structure, these days, so managers can be moved in and out more easily. Man Utd have had a poor run of manager choices as have Newcastle, the latest being a real gamble imo.
Very interesting piece, that. Excellent points about the 'messiah' scenario. Felt it missed the point with the Barcelona comparison though- not only have their most successful managers since Cruyff been the ones most closely linked to Cruyff but the system whereby the managers are appointed on the basis of their suitability to the club rather than on their CV is closer to the system that the author is advocating than the one he's condemning.
The thing is this describes the ultimate businessification of football. People didn't get emotionally involved in the business side of Football back in the 1960s. It was just passion for their club and its team. The big difference now is that the cost of players outstrips the money a club can rake in even if the team is playing in the Champions League! Becoming a player farm is the only option left to a club is to become a player farm, hoping to loan out and eventually sell maybe five youngsters in order to help fund buying of a single first team player. The charismatic manager is outdated because footballers now have to become top athletes in order to tick the data-driven club agenda's and the influence of a manager's personality has been squashed. For example, Brian Clough would manage the appetite and desire of a player to play in the first team by telling the player not to train for a couple of days before a big game. No manager could do that these days. There would be holes in the player's data that would mean the player wouldn't meet the selection criteria. Even as far as the 1990's footballing heroes were players with individual skills, these days they are super fit individuals who succeed because they play to a plan. I doubt that the likes of Quinney and Phillips could ever be paired up because Niall wouldn’t make it on to the pitch because he would never meet the fitness requirements. The upshot is that I was far happier watching the passionate football of the 1970's than I am watching today's data-driven, formulaic football. I might be an old fart but I think that the players played with more passion and developed a love for the club. Today the player is a detached mercenary, playing to amass statistics, a personal fortune and a place on a pundit panel.
Some fair points and certainly the amount of money win football is huge, which must as you say effect the players attitude. George Best was one of the first 'pop star' footballers many more have followed... However if a young man or woman can make it big by becoming a footballer... good luck to them. The argument is that if we, the fans, are willing to pay at the turnstiles or buy Sky/Streaming services to watch a performance, should/nt the actors get their due?
I agree that the 'actors' should get their due, it's the amount that is being paid which is too much and is resulting in pressure on clubs to increase gate prices to help subsidise these costs. If Companies want to pay the superstars huge sums to endorse their products, so be it, but personally I'm in favour of a wage/signing on cap which rises in line with RPI as this model is unsustainable and will in time result in more clubs going under. There should also be a cap on agents fees too.
I'm of the opinion that if a player uses an agent then he should be paying that agents bill rather than the club
Seems like Marcelo Bielsa, who is an inspiration for so many modern managers, such as Guardiola, agrees with you about the commercialisation of football. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59463066
