Echoes from Old Trafford - April 2022

NEWSPAPER POST

Volume 49- Issue 3, April 2022

“I train every day to be the best goalkeeper in the world; that is my aim.”

David de Gea

Manchester United Supporters’ Club-Malta Founded 1959, is officially recognized by the Manchester United Football Club.

In this issue  EDITORIAL ENGLISH................................................................................

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 EDITORJAL BIL-MALTI..............................................................................

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 CLUB NEWS.............................................................................................

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 MARCUS RASHFORD & ANTHONY ELANGA - WHAT IT TAKES TO REACH FULL POTENTIAL? ..................................................................

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Official publication of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta editorial team Clint Camilleri · Braden Galea · Dr. Michael Calleja advertising executive Glenn Lucas contributors Dr. Michael Calleja Clint Camilleri Glenn Lucas Braden Galea Robert Mizzi Kevin, Justyn and Wayne Tabone Iain McCartney Silvio Scicluna Kenneth Abela Alex Dudley Julian Tabone Ray Calleja Stefan Attard

printing Progress Press

 TEDDY’S CORNER.................................................................................

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 Y&Z PERSPECTIVES .............................................................................

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 TALKING ABOUT A REVOLUTION..........................................................

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 THE WOODWARD LEGACY....................................................................

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 MEET THE COMMITTEE - GLENN LUCAS...............................................

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 MEET THE COMMITTEE - ROBERT MIZZI...............................................

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graphic designer James Trapani

 MEET THE COMMITTEE - KEVIN TABONE..............................................

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patron Sir Alex Ferguson

 COMPARING THE FULL BACKS: WAN-BISSAKA vs DALOT; SHAW VS TELLES ......................................  CONTENDERS FOR PERMANENT MANAGER: TEN HAG OR POCHETTINO................................................................

club founder John Calleja

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club president Joseph Tedesco

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club committee Joseph Tedesco

President

 RALF RANGNICK - HAS HE IMPROVED UNITED?...................................

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 THE SAD TALE OF JIMMY McINNES.......................................................

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 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NIGHTS: BRAGA vs MANCHESTER UNITED.......

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Braden Galea Asst. Secretary & Webmaster & Publishing Coordinator

 LOU MACARI: A SPECIAL ON AND OFF THE PITCH................................

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Robert Mizzi

Robert Muscat

Vice-President & Tours Coordinator

Clint Camilleri

Secretary. Media & Design Coordinator

Kevin Tabone

Treasurer & PRO

Egidio Sciberras

Assistant Treasurer Membership Secretary

Marvin Grech Glenn Lucas

Match Tickets Coordinator Advertising Executive & Sports Activities Coordinator

Matthew Portelli O’Toole

Club & Events Manager

Etienne Tabone

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Quarries Square Street, Msida MSD 1101 Malta.

Telephone: +356 21223531 E‑mail: info@manutd‑malta.com Website: www.manutd‑malta.com Based in Msida, Malta, we are a non‑profit organization designed to bring the Manchester United experience to United fans here in Malta. We are the only Official Manchester United Supporters’ Club on the Maltese Islands. We are also the oldest Manchester United Supporters’ Club in the World.

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Souvenir Shop Manager

United Club Gozo Archbishop Pietru Pace Street, Victoria, Gozo.

E‑mail: gozobranch@manutd‑malta.com Telephone: +356 99825090 translator Braden Galea business partners

THE VIEWS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY THE CLUB. VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

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MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Football Stands with

UKRAINE 2

VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

Editorial W

riting about the club’s blight (both on and off the pitch) can become a rather mundane and disconcerting exercise – particularly when Manchester United’s woes ostensibly seem to be compounded by a lack of direction at boardroom level and a convoluted playing philosophy manifested by egregious performances on the pitch.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal was inevitable.

The five-nil hammering at home to Liverpool was the final nail in the coffin that effectively ended Baby Face’s managerial tenure at the club. It was obvious that the players were not responding to the manager’s requests and had lost complete faith in him. The writing was on the wall the minute Mohammed Salah hammered in the fifth and final goal.

The appointment of Ralf Rangnick was, by and large, a sensible and pragmatic decision. Apart from Antonio Conte, the club was unable to appoint a manager who could ‘quickly fit the bill’ and steady the ship on a best-efforts basis. With the benefit of hindsight, considering the circumstances and timing of Ole’s departure, the arrival of Rangnick was a wise decision. As Gary Neville had opined at the time, the sudden collapse in form, poor results and apparent dressing room discontent caught the club completely off-guard. A quick fix or rushed appointment would have certainly made no sense.

This editorial piece is being written two days after another harrowing defeat at home to Atletico Madrid. Apart from the poor performance and frustration caused by the Spaniards – not to mention woefully inadequate refereeing, the defeat signifies yet another season without a major trophy.

It basically allows fans (and critics) to sharpen their knives and blame the overall ‘club culture’ for yet another season of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ – and with damn good reason.

That United have lacked a recruitment strategy is obvious. That the club has steered away from longterm plans and calculated buys/risks is evident.

Despite the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer in John Murtough, it is crystal clear that laying down a new five-to-ten-year plan is not enough.

Visions and dreams are worthless if their execution is not properly managed and implemented by a team of people who are essentially on the same page.

United’s managerial appointments, recruitment and playing styles throughout the past couple of years have basically endorsed the notion that the

entire organisation is basically teetering off a cliff without any back-up plan in sight.

For all of Moyes’s emphasis on continuity, for all of Van Gaal’s emphasis on ‘philosophy’, inasmuch as Mourinho sought to ‘park the bus’, no matter how hard Ole tried to buy players that fit the United mould, a hotchpotch of managers and diverging tactics have led the club to absolutely nowhere.

The facts speak for themselves. Since the 201314 season, United have managed to assemble a meagre three (yes, 3) trophies. Hardly surprising considering the ten years of abhorrent football, ineffective management, complacency & torpor gripping the Boardroom – not mention panic-buying par excellence.

United’s next managerial appointment will be critical for a plethora of reasons. Firstly, it makes no sense in appointing a manager if a playing philosophy/style is not encouraged (and adopted) in unison by all facets of the club. If the so-called ‘Ajax’ way is to be adopted – then a complete revamp of the club’s technical sector would be required.

Secondly, recruitment needs to be drastically improved – players properly scouted, a long-term plan enshrined and an end to players who can realistically only deliver for a couple of seasons.

I recall a particular episode which has been mentioned on several occasions by Sir Alex Ferguson himself. Upon taking over the club in 1986, he discovered that many players were past their sell-date and over the age of 30. Requesting that the then-chairman Martin Edwards initiate proceedings to offload this group, Sir Alex informed Mr. Edwards that the club couldn’t mount a meaningful and significant challenge for the title unless younger players were brought in. Sir Alex was left visibly ‘shocked at how shocked the Chairman was!’ The incumbent Board should also be analogously ready for a similar ‘shock’ over the summer. Thirdly, as City and Liverpool continue to amass trophies and achievements, it’s now or never for United – as fans hunger for much needed silverware and success.

Quite frankly, the Board cannot afford to appoint the wrong candidate for the consequences would be too terrible to contemplate.

Finally, mention must be made of the club’s seemingly complex (and current) predicament pertaining to Old Trafford. According to open-media sources, the owners are seriously considering redeveloping Old Trafford. However, it has not been

discounted that this would, effectively also mean that the hallowed stadium is promptly demolished and rebuilt anew. Now this is indeed a thorny subject and one that can inevitably divide fans. On the hand are the traditionalists – perhaps United fans who have stuck by the club through thick and thin and view Old Trafford as a Cathedral which under no circumstance should be demolished or even redeveloped. On the other hand, another sector of supporters might view the entire episode with a dose of realism and pragmatism. I for one would definitely classify myself as verging towards the latter group – albeit with some strong reservations and misgivings in that major redevelopment is necessary but not at the expense of financial implosion.

It’s no secret that Arsenal’s move to the Emirates Stadium caused huge financial problems for the club – effects of which are still felt to this day. West Ham United’s move to the Olympic Stadium was certainly controversial with fans bemoaning a lack of atmosphere as seen through the club’s tenure at Upton Park. I believe Tottenham’s redevelopment was also met with mixed feelings but contextually made sense considering the way Daniel Levy managed to sell the project to the fans. That Spurs had no other option but to also host NFL-games is another matter entirely but also highlighted that pecuniary considerations ultimately also placed a critical role in the overall long-term sustainability of the project.

Were Old Trafford to be completely demolished and rebuilt, I would hope that the same structural designs and ideas that Archibald Leitch implemented in the early 20th century would be retained. The current stadium, for all its architectural embellishments and additions, is undoubtedly in need of major redevelopment but more significantly is the fact that obtaining match-day tickets is becoming a major headache for fans and stakeholders alike. If possible, a ‘new’ Old Trafford should be able to host, at a minimum, one hundred thousand fans – thereby easing the pressure of exorbitant prices or (even worse) ticket-touts.

Both Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson were traditionalists and at times, conservative. But both managers also understood the essence and importance of progress and development. In this connection, all United fans will be eager to know what ‘big plans’ are in store for one of the most iconic stadiums on the planet.

Enjoy the read and GGMU!

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Editorjal L

i niktbu dwar id‑diżappunti kemm fuq il‑grawnd u barra l‑grawnd mhux xi ħaġa li partikularment nieħdu gost nagħmlu, speċjalment meta jkunu akkumpanjati minn nuqqas ta’ direzzjoni mill‑bord u taħwid fil‑filosofija tal‑logħob, li hi manifestata ċarament bil‑wirjiet xokkanti fuq il‑piċċ.

u stil ta’ logħob fl‑aħħar snin saħħew il‑kunċett li l‑organizazzjoni kollha qegħda f’ xifer ta’ rdum mingħajr ebda pjan ta’ kontinġenza.

It‑tkeċċija ta’ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer kienet inevitabbli. Wara d‑damdima 5‑0 ġewwa darna kontra Liverpool kien l‑aħħar musmar fit‑tebut metaforiku li effettivament temm il‑mandat maniġerjali tal‑Baby Face ma’ Manchester United.

Kien ovvju li l‑plejers ma kienux qed jirrispondu għar‑rikjesti tal‑maniġer u totalment tilfu l‑fiduċja fih. Il‑kitba kienet fuq il‑ħajt mill‑minuta li Mohammed Salah skurja il‑ħames u l‑aħħar gowl.

Minkejja l‑emfasi ta’ Moyes fuq il‑kontinwita’, minkejja l‑emfasi ta’ Van Gaal fuq il‑“filosofija”, minkejja li Mourinho prova jiddefendi l‑vantaġġi minimi, minkejja kemm prova Ole jixtri plejers li jiffitjaw għall‑forma ta’ United, kien hemm tgerfixa sħiħa ta’ maniġers b’ tattiċi diverġenti li ma ħadu lill‑klabb imkien. Il‑fatti jitkellmu waħedhom. Mill‑istaġun 2013‑14, United irnexxielhom jerbħu biss 3 (iva, tlieta), trofej. Ma tantx aħna sorpriżi meta tikkunsidra għaxar snin ta’ futbol ħażin, tmexxija ineffettiva, komplaċenza, u letarġija fil‑livell ta’ Bord – biex ma nsemmux ix‑xiri f ’ paniku ta’ ċertu plejers.

Il‑ħatra ta’ Ralf Rangnick kienet deċiżjoni pragmatika u sensibbli. Apparti minn Antonio Conte, il‑klabb ma setgħax jappunta maniġer li seta’ jistabilizza l‑vapur malajr. Bil‑benefiċċju li nħarsu lura, meta tikkunsidra ċ‑ċirkustanzi u ż‑żmien tat‑tkeċċija ta’ Ole, il‑wasla ta’ Rangnick kienet deċiżjoni għaqlija. Kif poġġiha Gary Neville dak iż‑żmien, il‑kollass fil‑forma tat‑tim, riżultati ħżiena, u dak li deher bħala skuntentizza fid‑dressing room qabdu lill‑klabb fuq sieq waħda.

Li jappuntaw lil xi ħadd permanentament ta’ malajr ma kienitx tagħmel sens.

Il‑ħatra li jmiss bħala maniġer permanenti ta’ United hija kritika għal diversi raġunijiet.

L‑ewwelnett ma jagħmilx sens li tappunta maniġer jekk il‑filosofija u stil ta’ logħob ma jkunux inkoraġġiti u adottati flimkien mill‑faċċati kollha tal‑klabb. Jekk se naddottaw l‑istil Ajax, tiġdid totali tas‑settur tekniku tal‑klabb huwa meħtieġ. It‑tieni, il‑reklutaġġ ta’ plejers irid ikun drastikament imtejjeb – plejers li jiġu studjati b’ reqqa, ikunu parti minn pjan fit‑tul u t‑tmiem ta’ xiri ta’ plejers li realistikament jistgħu ituna riżultati biss għal ftit staġuni.

Dan l‑editorjal qed jinkiteb jumejn wara telfa oħra, din id‑darba kontra Atletico Madrid ġo darna.

Apparti mill‑prestazzjoni fqira u l‑frustrazzjoni kkawżata mill‑ispanjoli – biex ma nsemmux żbalji tar‑referee, it‑telfa tisinifika staġun ieħor mingħajr trofew. Bażikament tħalli lis‑sapporters (u kritiċi) isinnu s‑skieken u jwaħħlu fil‑“kultura tal‑klabb” għal staġun ieħor ta’ “kieku” u “kien” – u bir‑raġun.

Niftakar episodju partikolari li kien imsemmi minn Sir Alex Ferguson innifsu. Meta ħa t‑tmexxija tal‑klabb fl‑1986, induna li ħafna plejers kienu qabżu t‑30 u b’ hekk għaddew iż‑żmien li jistgħu jinbiegħu. Hu talab liċ‑ċerman ta’ dak iż‑żmien Martin Edwards sabiex ineħħi dan il‑grupp ta’ plejers, u li l‑klabb ma setgħax jikkompeti għall‑unuri sakemm jinġiebu plejers żgħażagħ.

Sir Alex tħalla viżibilment ixxukkjat għal kemm kien ixxukkjat iċ‑ċermen Martin Edwards. Il‑Bord li hemm bħalissa għandhom ikunu lesti għal xokk simili dan is‑sajf. It‑tielet, sakemm City u Liverpool ikomplu jerbħu unuri u trofej, huwa każ ta’ jew issa jew qatt għal United – hekk kif il‑fans għandhom ġuħ kbir għal tazzi u suċċess. Frankament, il‑Bord ma jaffordjax li jappunta l‑kandidat il‑ħażin għax il‑konsegwenzi jkunu terribli.

Li l‑United qegħdin bla strateġija meta tiġi għal xiri ta’ plejers hu ovvju. Li l‑klabb svijja milli jipjana fit‑tul u jikkalkula r‑riskji tax‑xiri ta’ ċertu plejers hu evidenti. Minkejja l‑ħatra ta’ John Murtough bħala Chief Executive Officer, hu ċar kristall li nissetjaw pjan ta’ 5‑sa‑10 snin mhux biżżejjed. Viżjonijiet u ħolm mhumiex biżżejjed jekk l‑eżekuzzjoni mhux ġestiti u implimentati kif suppost minn tim ta’ nies li huma essenzjalment fuq l‑istess paġna. Il‑ħatriet ta’ maniġers, reklutaġġ

Finalment irridu nsemmu l‑predikament kumpless u kurrenti tal‑klabb b’ Old Trafford. Skont sorsi

tal‑medja, is‑sidien ta’ United qed jikkunsidraw jerġgħu jiżviluppaw Old Trafford. Il‑possibilta’ li dan il‑grawnd ikoniku jkollhu jitwaqqa’ u jerġgħa jinbena ma twarrbitx. Dan hu suġġett sensittiv u wieħed li bla dubju jaqsam l‑opinjoni pubblika tas‑sapporters. Fuq naħa hemm it‑tradizzjonalisti – forsi dawk li baqgħu juru sapport lill‑klabb minkejja d‑diffikultajiet u li jaraw Old Trafford bħala l‑katidral tal‑fidi tagħhom li bl‑ebda mod m’ ghandu jkunu ri‑żviluppat jew imġarraf. Min naħa l‑oħra għandek sezzjoni ta’ sapporters li jaraw l‑affari minn punt ta’ perspettiva realist u pragmatiku. Jien inqis lili nnifsi ma’ dawn tal‑aħħar – minkejja riservi li kwalunkwe żvilupp maġġuri m’ għandhux isir għal skapitu ta’ implozjoni finanzjarja.

Mhux sigriet li meta Arsenal imxew fl‑Emirates Stadium din ikkawżat problem finanzjarji li l‑effetti tagħhom għadhom jinħassu sa llum.

Il‑mixja ta’ West Ham għal ġo l‑Olympic Stadium kienet kontroversjali mas‑sapporters li xtaqu jżommu l‑atmosfera li kellu Upton Park.

Nemmen li s‑sitwazzjoni ta’ Tottenham ukoll qanqlet opinjonijiet diverġenti imma kienet tagħmel sens wara kif Daniel Levy biegħ il‑proġett lis‑sapporters. Li Spurs ma kellhomx għażla oħra milli jospitaw logħob tal‑NFL hija kwistjoni oħra imma turi kif konsiderazzjonijiet pekunjarji kellhom rwol deċiżiv fis‑sostenibbilta’ tal‑proġett.

Jekk Old Trafford kellhu jkun imġarraf u mibni mill‑ġdid, nispera li d‑disinji strutturali u ideat li Archibald Leitch implimenta fil‑bidu tas‑seklu għoxrin jinżammu. Il‑grawnd kurrenti, minkejja żidiet arkitettorali, għandu bżonn qawwi ta’ ri‑żvillupar, imma anke jaffetwa l‑fatt li sabiex issib biljetti għal‑logħob qed issir dejjem uġigħ ta’ ras akbar. Jekk possibli, Old Trafford il‑“ġdid” irid ikun jospita sa’ 100,000 sapporter – biex ineħħi prezzijiet eżorbitanti u min jinnegozja b’ qerq il‑biljetti.

Kemm Sir Matt Busby u anki Alex Ferguson kienu trazzjonalisti u, f ’ ċertu żminijiet, konservattivi.

Minkejja dan, it‑tnejn li huma fehmu l‑ħtieġa u l‑importanza ta’ progress u żvilupp. B’ din il‑konnessjoni, is‑sapporters kollha ta’ United huma ħerqana għall‑pjanijiet kbar li hemm għal wieħed mill‑iktar grawnds ikoniċi fuq il‑pjaneta. Ħudu gost aqraw u GGMU!

2,000,000 MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

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Thank you

CLUBNEWS

by Clint Camilleri

Since we had to again cancel the Children’s Christmas Party on 12th December 2021, MUSC Malta has donated food & drinks supplied by sponsors to children’s homes; • Angela House in G’Mangia • St. Rita Home in Tarxien • St. Joseph Home in Zabbar MUSC Malta would like to thank the below sponsors for providing us with different food & drinks • Strand Palace • Nectar Group • Lamb’s Brand • Pemix • Gorg Apap • Firm Victor & sons • Buhagiar & sons • Go & Fun • Borg and Aquilina Limited • Bellas Stationary • Ta’ Doughnuts Qormi • First of May • Fairdale • Star Fruit • Smart Supermarket • Four T’s Pastizzerija On the 15 th December 2022, thanks to committee member Matthew Portelli O’Toole, Leelor Garage and The Illuminati Trail, MUSC Malta has organised to take the children of St. Rita Home in Tarxien to the Illuminati Trail in Buskett. We also have given a bag full of sweets to all children.

The members’ Christmas Party held on Friday, 17 th December 2021 was another huge success. MUSC Malta would like to thank all members who attended the Christmas Party which we have organised given Covid-19 restrictions.

During ‘Festa Generozita’, a marathon held by id-Dar tal-Providenza on 1st January 2022, Joseph Tedesco & Kevin Tabone, on behalf of MUSC Malta has donated €1000.

On Thursday, 3rd February 2022, an event was organised to unveil 22 balcony plaques.

The plaques were in honour of those who came forward when MUSC Malta introduced the Balcony Scheme last year and those who helped us refurbish our Club premises during the past years. We also invited Eileen Montesin and presented her with a memento for achieving the Lovin Malta Lifetime Award last December.

We have celebrated our 63rd Anniversary on Friday with a cake during the FA Cup match half

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The Members’ Christmas Party.

The Munich Memorial Mass.

time vs Middlesbrough. 2 days later, on the 64th Anniversary of the Munich Tragedy, MUSC Malta organised the Munich Memorial Mass. Tracy Malone has performed a recorded version of the Flowers of Manchester during this year’s mass.

Before the derby match vs City, on 6th March 2022, we have honoured John Calleja, MUSC Malta Founder, with a plaque at our premises in Msida. John Calleja and his family have attended the short ceremony and urged those present for the ceremony to continue what he had started in a 5-minute speech.

John Calleja, MUSC Malta Founder, plague unveiling.

MUSC Malta 63rd Anniversary Cake.

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The Balcony Scheme Presentation.

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Marcus Rashford

&

what it takes to reach full potential?

by Julian Tabone

I

n a season in which almost everything has gone horribly wrong, there are only a few positives we can take.

Ronaldo’s return in August and his first few games were a real high. At the time, the thought of partnering Rashford, Sancho, Greenwood, Martial and Cavani to Cristiano was mouthwatering. That feeling, sadly, did not last very long.

To make it even worse and at times surreal, Mason Greenwood star ted the season in top for m

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but his kamikaze actions in his private life ruined everything, possibly, his whole career along the way (which frankly, matters little if the allegations brought against him are proved in court). Cavani was sluggish and as expected, was injured too frequently. Martial looked disinterested.

Those circumstances paved the way for Anthony Elanga, our 19 year old striker who had already showed glimpses of his talent in last season’s last match of the season (away vs Wolves) when he scored his first ever Premier League goal.

Elanga, indeed, is perhaps one of the very few positives emerging from a season which has demoralised fans and players alike.

will be even more crucial for him. So many young players have suffered from the so-called second-season syndrome when opposition defenders would have been studying them and are no longer caught surprised. Elanga will not be spared. Next season is when he needs to be consistent and grab his chances.

So what does it take for Elanga and Rashford to reach their full potential?

Self-confidence, as in all walks of life and in every place of work, is key.

Rashford and Elanga may find themselves on different (and in some ways, similar) trajectories.

Both players have got a huge talent, but they need the right environment in which they can thrive.

Regrettably, Manchester United at the minute, is not a healthy place. There is no stability and little long-term planning. We still need to appoint a full-time manager. Players, for a variety of reasons, will inevitably leave the club in the summer and new ones – possibly across 2 or 3 transfer windows - will come in and they will need their time to bed-in. The whole place needs a revamp and there are simply too many decisions that need to be taken for anyone to realistically expect any immediate dramatic improvements.

So, apart from self-confidence and a little bit of stability, both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga will also need a good dose of patience too, if they are to fulfil their potential at Old Trafford.

Anthony Elanga Marcus Rashford, on the other hand, has been a representation of the season so far.

A real nightmare.

Rashford started the season injured. He came back and briefly contributed with a couple of good goals but his form dropped dramatically and so did his attitude. It seems like he is yet to recover from missing that penalty in that Euro 2020 Final or that he has lost his focus following the various off-field initiatives which did enhance his profile nationwide. More than his actual form however, what saddens us the most is his body language and the lethargy he has been showing. Unfortunately, this is also becoming infectious.

Rashford and Elanga are both products of the Manchester United youth academy. They are both quick and possess an eye for goal.

Rashford, we can say, is now an established

member of our squad having played a little less than 300 games and scored 93 goals at just 24 years of age. I don’t buy it that he may have already reached his peak potential. In my opinion, he must be helped to regain his confidence.

Elanga, on the other hand, is still way off from fulfilling his huge potential. So far he has only appeared 20 times and found the net on 4 occasions.

This season can be considered as his breakthrough season and he may still feature consistently in the remaining games of this season. He needs to make the most of the opportunities that will come his way especially whilst some of his team-mates are going through a rough patch. But to cement his place, he needs to build on that. Next season

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TEDDY’S corner

Dear All I am typing these words with mental pain, deep frustration, and a helpless feeling (all emanating from football disillusion of course) a few days after United got once again eliminated at an early stage of the Champions League.

With nothing to play for by mid-March other than a very remote chance of making the 4th place, like most of you, I keep pondering how on earth is our team ever going to get back to those glorious, happy days. I fully understand that in life there is always a process for everything but when one factors in the 1 billion plus pounds spent on players since Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill left the Club and looks at the current status of our beloved football team, 9 years after this great tandem guided Manchester United to the last Premier League success, years during which Manchester United were supposed to start off the new process and have always been in transition, a few questions crop up – What progress has been done? Which players have developed their talent in the first team? Where did it all go wrong?

From where can I start? In 7 of these last 9 years, the so-called greatest football team in the world did not win a trophy (excluding the Community Shield won in David Moyes’ first game in charge). Regretfully 5 from these 7

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have been the last 5 dreadful and frustrating ones. When I ask this question to myself, I get an explosion of thoughts in my mind. No long-term strategy, bad football decisions – managers and players, no leadership on and off the field, marketing and branding prioritised over the football focus, no real and tangible interest from the owners who clearly have no knowledge about the world of football.

With Ole, something went wrong at the end and a section of the Man United fans, most of them being young age glory hunters thinking that what they could do on their PlayStation could be applied in the real world, blamed the manager. Today most of them are confused and have a different opinion - they are now blaming the players (decide please!).

The hierarchy at Old Trafford brought in an interim manager till the end of the season with a subsequent two-year engagement, quasi-director of football role, as a consultant.

Rangnick is very experienced and has nothing to prove to anyone. He brought with him a disciplined mentality which from the outside seemed to be lacking under Ole. However, in my opinion, the interim role does not really help the enforcement of discipline because some lazy prima donnas who are unfortunately wearing the shirt and representing the millions of fans world-wide do not really seem to be bothered knowing this guy is in charge on a temporary basis. How can someone bring

have your say on info@manutd‑malta.com

a new manager at such a great football club but pre appoint his consultant in advance?

Maybe the new manager doesn’t want Ralf as his consultant. Is the management so idiotic or is this a case of hiding what has already been pre agreed? I am pretty sure, at least

hope, the latter is the case. Being honest I have seen considerable improvement in our game configuration since the German took over and if the disinterested ones are replaced with some decent motivated acquisitions, I think the team could drastically improve. Personally, I have no objection if a decision is taken to keep Ralf at the helm. I believe he has the credentials to give this team its football identity back.

But I do not think that this is an option. These owners cannot be that daft. The name of the new manager must be already known in the corridors of the penthouse but will only be announced when appropriate. For s o m e reas o n I believe his nationality will be Dutch.

Liverpool 0-5. Watford 4-1. In both ga m es under Ole we have seen the players throw in the towel while being dominated and

humiliated. Fans blamed Ole. Man City 4-1.

This one no big fuss really on the manager but the fans slaughtered the players. 8 draws in the Premier League so far. Knocked out by decent West Ham at home in League Cup (27 shots, 6 on target) – under Ole. Knocked out by modest Middlesbrough at home in the FA Cup (30 shots, 9 on goal) – under Ralf.

Lost to dirty Atletico Madrid at home in the Champions League (11 shots, 5 on goal) under Ralf. Taking away the managers from the equation, there are 2 significant take aways from these stats for me. 1. When the going gets tough on the pitch there is no leader in that dressing room to lift-up the team. I had high hopes about Harry Maguire, especially after his commanding displays with England in the UEFA Euro 2020. But now I honestly believe that removing the captain’s arm band from his sleeve as soon as possible would be a relief not just to the team and the fans but also a huge stress release for Harry himself.

It is evident the huge responsibility is killing him mentally. He is becoming a laughingstock.

There is no queue for it in my mind but from the current crop I would choose Scott. 2. United create a lot of scoring chances but fail to score hence we are in a desperate need for a prolific striker. If it wasn’t for Ronaldo the team would not even have made its way out of the group stage of the Champions League. So far, he has scored 18 goals in all competitions out of the 62 scored so far, most of them being crucial winners. Ronaldo is 37 years old and still going strong, but Man Utd needs a Van Persie, a Van

Nistelrooy from somewhere, even at the cost of breaking the bank (won’t be the first time).

But how good a proposition will Man Utd be next season if they are not in the Champions League? Seriously worrying times.

The breath of fresh air comes from the very promising group of youth players reaching the FA Youth Cup for the first time since 2011. United are the most successful club in this competition’s history, winning it on 10 occasions and reaching a further 4 finals. The youth policy has always been an essential building block and part of the heritage of this football club. In the past few years under Ole the youth system has been given a revamp and a lot of quality players have been brought in from all over the world.

Now we look forward to seeing how many will emulate Elanga, McTominay and Greenwood (to mention the latest) from the likes of Jurado, Carrera, Mainoo, McNeill, Garnacho, Kambwala and the rest. Not forgetting the ones on loan – Garner, Pellestri, Diallo, etc.

The success at this level must be part of the long-term strategy. The Busby Babes and Class of 92 are essential proof.

Rant over! No matter what, it’s always for the love and not for the glory so we will always keep that red flag flying high. Fingers crossed for the upcoming 9 finals.

Yours United Teddy

VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

11

Y & Z United Perspectives

by Kevin, Justyn & Wayne Tabone

I

f ever there was a period where perspectives differ between the generations, it is definitely not now! All agree that the current state of affairs of the club is the result of the owners’ management, or lack thereof, of the club.

Whatever the reason, what is assured is that now is the time for the Tabone clan to show the United crest even more! United forever, for better and for worse!

Do you think the decision to appoint an interim manager mid-way through the season with the scope to appoint the long term one at the end of the season was a good decision after all?

Explain the reason/s for your answer.

Wayne: A very subjective decision, because the fact that the manager is totally new and has new tactics and playing style can confuse the mentality of the players. On the other hand some may look at the positive side, because if the club had waited for the season to end then we could have been further down the league table and could leave an impact on young players such as Anthony Elanga, Marcus Rashford and maybe even Jadon Sancho. In my opinion, it was a good decision but I’m not convinced the decision to choose Ralf Rangnick for the interim role was a good one.

Justyn: I think that the decision to have an interim manager for so long wasn’t the right decision. Having an interim manager for such a lengthy term does not give the players stability.

Also, it isn’t fair on Rangnick to try and achieve something in such a short period of time, when he knows that he will not be continuing as manager. The club should have gone for their

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target immediately and not wait until the end of the season to make a decision.

Kevin: I feel that the interim appointment clearly shows that the club had no future plans. Starting with the timing of Ole’s sacking. This could have easily been done during the previous international break, giving the club two more weeks to discuss and decide. Then, taking so long to appoint Ole’s successor. And then to make matters look even worse, appointing someone for 6 months, with the possibility that the same manager would be given the role permanently. I am sorry, but this clearly shows that there is no one within the club that plans for continuity and a sustained level of success.

The hype about Ronaldo and him unsettling the dressing room has floated a lot in recent weeks. It could be speculation but do you think bringing Ronaldo back to the Club was actually a good strategy from a football point of view after all?

Wayne: I think that bringing Ronaldo into the team was not a good decision.

Although he still influences the game, he is also a type of player that for him to shine,

the whole team must play for him, even though we have other creative players like Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes amongst others. Also after he leaves, there will be a huge hole since the team has to adopt a new playing style again.

Justyn: In my opinion, all of this speculation of him unsettling the dressing room is not

Wayne: Most managers still want the privilege to manage one of, if not the, best club in world history.

Out of the vast selection I would say that Zinedine Zidane would be an incredible choice as he is able to control the environment of the dressing room. He is also significantly good with youngsters as well as excellent with tactics. Evidence of this is the amount of trophies he won at Real Madrid.

true. Ronaldo has been a true professional throughout his entire career and I doubt that he will be the cause to unsettle the locker room. Especially now having returned to the club and knowing how many headlines he will make. I think that the decision to bring him back to the club wasn’t necessarily a bad one, however I think it was quite premature to think that we could have two ageing strikers as our only options. I think that the club should have gotten another number 9 instead of Cavani as he is very injury prone and can replace Ronaldo whenever he needs a rest.

Kevin: I still have question marks whether

Ronaldo was bought for footballing or commercial reasons. Did Solskjaer really want Ronaldo in his team? Don’t get me wrong, I still think that Ronaldo is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, to have played the game, but from what I’ve seen during his time at Juventus, you have to have the players to play around him and I don’t think we have those type of players that are willing to sacrifice their game for Ronaldo’s benefit.

There are many names being thrown out as the potential new manager for Man Utd come the end of the season. Of all these names, who would be your number one choice and why?

Justyn: My number one choice would be Erik ten Hag. He is the current manager of Ajax and was also the one who guided the team towards the semi-final of the Champions League.

This year Ajax were also having a very good campaign in Europe, however they fell short to Benfica. I think that his style of football suits the modern game brilliantly and matches the United philosophy when it comes to youth involvement. The only question mark is whether he can handle the big characters as he didn’t have this challenge so far. However, I think if he can overcome this, I have no doubts that he will be a very good manager for Manchester United.

Kevin: Ever since Fergie announced his retirement, I always preferred Carlo Ancelotti.

Although many years have passed, I would still go for him. A respected footballing-person, managed a similar-sized club (Real Madrid), has experienced the Premier League (Chelsea & Everton), a winner of trophies (18 so far and will add more this season) and, from what I’ve seen, has improved the teams he’s been with.

My only concern is his age (62), but I’m sure he can manage the club for the next 5 years.

VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

13

TALKING ABOUT A REVOLUTION

by Silvio Scicluna

T

hose of you familiar with the retro music scene will note that this article’s title is also a popular song by the artist Tracy Chapman from the late eighties or early nineties.

It is about the poor people in Africa at the time contemplating an uprising against the oppression from the authorities that was giving rise to an unfair divide between the privileged and the needy. But what has this got to do with United I hear you ask? Thankfully there is no poverty or lack of privileges at the club (although some fans did cause an uprising against the way the owners were running the club last year!). Ironically, however, back in the late eighties and early nineties a quiet revolution was being undertaken at Manchester United. Alex Ferguson was slowly but surely overhauling the sleeping giant that Manchester United was at the time. It took years but all the changes that were made from the very foundations bore fruit because the club subsequently embarked on a prolonged period of dominance both domestically and on the continent that only subsided once the then knighted Sir Alex retired.

I am writing this piece in the week after yet another humiliating defeat at the hands of our noisy neighbours and the media is awash with scathing articles and some strong punditry that is constantly delivering home truths aimed not

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only at the underperforming players but also towards those higher up within the hierarchy at Manchester United. Many are commenting on social media that it is crystal clear that yet another rebuild is needed…the fifth in nine years! I remember myself saying when Sir Alex left that our fall from grace will be a massive one since we were dropping from such heady heights and that it will take many years for our cycle to return. I just hope that the recovery does not take as long, and the demise will not be as catastrophic as the one following Sir Matt Busby’s retirement. That included the ignominy of relegation and six managerial changes to fix! Mind you, we are already into our fourth managerial change with a fifth one on the horizon!

Both prior to the match at the Etihad and also after, interim manager Ralf Rangnick was asked in his press conferences what it is going to take for Manchester United to return back to competing regularly for the top honours. And to be fair to him he remained consistent with what he said when he first was introduced as the club’s interim boss following Solskjaer’s sacking. That is that the club needs to forge an identity and philosophy and stick to them, however long it takes. I have to say that I am in total agreement that this is the way forward if the club truly wishes the glory years to return. And

this is where the concept of a revolution comes in because unfortunately things are so far from where they should be at the club that something akin to a complete overhaul is required.

First and foremost, the hierarchal pyramid needs a revamp. Beginning with the appointing of a Director of Football whose remit will be to oversee all that is football related, from the footballing identity and philosophy, on to the coaching setup and right down to player transfers. Thankfully the club already has the perfect candidate for this role in Rangnick himself. As we all know, following his current stint as interim head coach (manager) he will move upstairs to start a two year consultancy position. And this, for all intents and purposes means Director of Football. The next step will be to appoint a new full time manager. In my opinion this will be a crucial decision. The incoming boss will need to be in synch with the philosophy and identity that Rangnick wants to adopt at Manchester United. He will need to have the same footballing principles and style of play that is in harmony with what Rangnick wants to embed into the players.

And what is this style of play? Before he came to United Rangnick was widely known to be the master of the gegenpress, or the high pressing game. What it means is using an

aggressive high press to win the ball when out of possession. This would then be followed by being proactive with the ball and not giving it away cheaply so as to then be able to create goalscoring chances. If and when possession is lost the whole team will invoke the high press once again to win the ball back. Rinse and repeat. It sounds simple but it takes a certain amount of physicality and stamina to be able to sustain it. A playing style that requires optimal fitness that can only be obtained by specialised training sessions. One that is ideally honed during a full and proper preseason. And in this regard the new boss will bring with him the right coaches to instil this footballing philosophy into the players.

With a Director of Football, the right manger and coaching setup in place, the next logical step would be to start building up a squad of players to fit this philosophy. As things stand, next summer is promising to be quite hectic insofar as transfer activity is concerned. A considerable number of players will be out of contract and most probably will not renew. Some are said to be disenchanted about one thing or another and may seek moves elsewhere. So a significant turnover is envisaged. Crucially though, whoever stays and any new arrivals will have to buy into the new identity and pressing style. They will have to be physically fit and will eventually set the standard for any future incomings. This pressing philosophy will also need to be transmitted to all the age groups

at Manchester United, all the way down to the Academy. It’s hard to admit it but just take a look at the successful clubs like City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern, Real Madrid et al.

They all have a clear identity running through their organisation and any player they buy, or any youngster they promote, is done with their footballing philosophy in mind and, more often than not, they fit in straightaway.

To conclude, in her song Tracy Chapman followed the lyric “Talking About a Revolution” with the hushed words of “sounds…like a whisper”. If Manchester United have their wits about them from this summer onwards, do things well, and quietly start that long overdue and proper reboot, we might just be able to start whispering and.…talking about a revolution!

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VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

15

The Woodward Legacy

by Robert Mizzi

A

fter nearly 10 years as CEO of Manchester United, Ed Woodward has been recently succeeded by Richard Arnold. In this article, I will try to give an overview of the Woodward legacy and how Manchester United have found themselves in their current situation after a catalogue of dubious, if not outright ridiculous, decisions that have contributed to the disintegration of the ethos of Manchester United.

A little bit of background to start with. In 2005, Woodward advised Malcolm Glazer and the Glazer family during their successful takeover of Manchester United. The Glazer family thanked him by recruiting Woodward to join the club in a “financial planning” role.

Two years later, Woodward was given charge of the commercial and media operations of Manchester United. It was in this role that Woodward is credited for United’s success in tying up lucrative sponsorship deals with companies around the world and become renowned for his business acumen.

As a result, Woodward was appointed to the board of directors and named executive vice-chairman of Manchester United in 2012. After the retirement of CEO David Gill in 2013, Woodward was promoted to the top operational role at Old Trafford in a restructuring of the club’s boardroom.

Woodward was succeeded this January by Richard Arnold.

I will now try to briefly provide an overview of the transfer windows overseen by Ed

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Woodward which have inevitably define his legacy at Manchester United.

2013-14: The disastrous first window It is claimed that David Moyes had instructed Woodward to target Cesc Fàbregas, Thiago Alcântara, Ander Herrera, Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini and ended up with only Fellaini on the final day, paying £4m more than the £23.5m buyout clause. Not a great start! Juan Mata’s £37.1m arrival the following January was an improvement, but United’s transfer shenanigans had just begun.

2014-15: The over-the-top transfers Louis van Gaal came in to replace Moyes and incredibly, seven players were added to the squad. Ángel Di María’s arrival for a British record £59.7m from Real Madrid and Radamel Falcao’s £16m loan from Monaco were followed by five other acquisitions being Herrera (£29m), Luke Shaw (£27m), Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (£1.5m), Marcos Rojo (£16m) and Daley Blind (£13.8m). The socalled galácticos proved a disaster.

2015-16: The low-key transfers Woodward and Van Gaal plumped for six signings without an established A-list talent in a move that, again, seemed too polar a reaction to 12 months before. In came Matteo Darmian (£12.7m), Memphis Depay (£25m), Morgan Schneiderlin (£17m), Bastian Schweinsteiger (£6.5m), Sergio Romero (free) and Anthony Martial (an initial £36m). Martial arrived on a final day that also brought the drama of David de Gea’s collapsed move to Real Madrid (remember faxgate?). The Spanish

club blamed United, who countered by citing their time-stamped faxes as evidence, and suggested Madrid had left it too late.

2016-17: The return of Pogba and Zlatan After 13 players had been recruited during the previous two summers, Woodward and his new manager, José Mourinho, went for four players in what remains the highest spend of the Woodward era: £149m.

Despite a (then) world record £89m for Paul Pogba, and £30m apiece on Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, it was the free signing which highlighted another hodgepodge stratagem. This was the bringing in of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a 35-year-old whose arrival meant the 21-year-old Martial was shoved to the margins as United adopted a plodding style. With hindsight, this was a devastating blow to Martial’s confidence from which I believe he never recovered.

Although Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals and United won the League Cup and Europa League, our beloved team still ended 24 points behind EPL winners Chelsea.

2017-18: The rebuild transfers Ibrahimovic’s serious knee injury ended his stint at United and Mourinho sought to construct a more rounded side that could challenge. In came Victor Lindelöf (£31m), Romelu Lukaku (£75m) and Nemanja Matic (£40m) in a £146m outlay. Alexis Sánchez joined the following January, in a swap that took Mkhitaryan to Arsenal, and included a lot of theatrics and social media gimmicks.

We can probably look back at this event as the birth of United being labelled as Social Media FC – a term that I dislike profoundly but have to admit that it is sadly a reality.

to third, I would add, almost single-handedly.

Factor in Mason Greenwood’s growth from academy starlet to potential generational star and all seemed rosy in Woodward’s transfer garden.

2021-22: Woodward’s last summer transfer window The signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dor tmund - a long-term target, finally happened to the tune of £76.5m. In an attempt to strengthen the central defence, Woodward brought in Raphael Varane for a cut-down fee of ‘just’ £36m (he had an expiring contract).

Tom Heaton’s contract at Aston Villa was coming to an end and he joined United on a free transfer. And then CR7 happened literally out of the blue (pun intended). A signing that has divided most of the United fans in recent months.

United ended runners-up. The 81 points still left United 19 behind title winners Manchester City but remains, to date, the highest points tally achieved by a manager in the post SAF era.

2018-19: The disappointing transfers Mourinho was provided with only three players – Diogo Dalot (£19m), Fred (£52m), and Lee Grant (free) – and no one in the position he really wanted to strengthen: that of a centreback. Among those identified were Leicester’s Harry Maguire and Bayern Munich’s Jérôme Boateng. Woodward balked at the prices quoted at the time, but we all know what happened later with Maguire!

After a very disappointing first half to the season during which Solskajer was sacked and replaced by interim manager Ralf Rangnick, United were tipped to return into the transfer market in January. Much to the annoyance of fans, Man Utd did not sign a single player during this transfer window.

It was during this season that Woodward seemingly showed some appetite for appointing a Director of Football. He left his post without ever doing so!

2019-20: The reboot transfers Woodward’s sixth summer transfer season, and it was hoped that lessons had been learned from the past and a future in which Ole Gunnar Solskjær drove identification of the ideal United recruit looked positive.

OGS brought in Daniel James (£15m), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50m) and – surely, to Mourinho’s chagrin – Maguire (£80m). Finally, many of us thought, United had a cohesive set of additions and Woodward’s downgrading of the proposed Director of Football post to Technical Director made sense. Or maybe it didn’t!

The winter transfer window brought Bruno Fernandes for £47m (along with loanee Odion Ighalo – another questionable decision), and the Portuguese midfielder propelled United

a first choice. Only Van de Beek joined early in the transfer window with all the rest becoming United players on the deadline day - just as Fellaini did in Woodward’s opening window.

2020-21: The window of confusion Jadon Sancho: Dor tmund’s demand of €120m was known early so the club should have bought him then, or walked away to concentrate on alternatives. Sancho was Solskjær’s No 1 target but Woodward decided on a wait-and-see tactic hoping Dortmund would fold. They didn’t.

Instead Solskjær acquired two 18-year-olds, Facundo Pellistri (£10m) and Amad Diallo Traoré (£18.2m, to join in January), while Donny van de Beek (£35m), Edinson Cavani (free) and Alex Telles (£15m) made it five signings in all, though only Telles may prove

To sum it all up…

In my opinion, the above overview of the transfer windows overseen by Woodward depicts a very mediocre picture of a club that has lacked direction, managers who did not get the players they identified (and consequently got sacked), and an overall lack of understanding of the ethos of Manchester United.

If one had to look at some of the contracts and salaries agreed to during the Woodward era, one can easily conclude that there were various instances of gross mismanagement that contributed to the situation our beloved club finds itself in today. To name just a couple of contracts – the 5-year contract given to Phil Jones and the Alexis Sanchez debacle! There are many others.

The icing on the cake of Woodward’s tenure was the dragging of our beloved club into the European Super League drama that saw the United fans go up in arms. The fact that Woodward announced his retirement immediately af ter the Super League hullaballoo may, or may not, be a coincidence.

Woodward presided over a series of bigmoney signings but United did not win the Premier League while he was in his post, and he has proved an unpopular figure with the club’s supporters. The Glazers kept him in high esteem till the very end, also thanks to the huge commercial deals he has overseen during his tenure.

Let us hope that his successor has learnt from the past mistakes and leads United to the much-needed restructuring from the roots.

Whether this will be possible or not with the current owners remains to be seen.

Numquam Moribimur

VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

17

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VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

21

Meet the Committee

Glenn Lucas

1) Can you tell us something about yourself (your personal life, age, marital status, work/profession)? What are your favourite past-times apart from football? What was your favourite holiday destination? What are three words that describe you?

Born on the 8th of June 1987, I’m 34 years of age, married to Stefania having 2 kids named Kane and Faye, 6 year old and 2 year old respectively.

Current Profession, Head of Administration within OK Group of Companies. Qualified in Management, Marketing and Insurance.

Apart from football, one of my favourite hobbies is travelling. Visited a vast of European countries however for so many reasons Italy and Switzerland still rank top in my list.

2) How did you start supporting United? What is your best memory of United? How many times have you visited Old Trafford? Who is your favourite current player and club legend? If there was one thing you could change at United, what would it be? If you were Man Utd manager and had an unlimited budget, which player would you bring to United and why? Which team would you support if Man Utd did not exist?

My father’s passion for football of course influenced me to support United. Started to support United at the young age of 9 year old. Actually it was a first disappointment as I watched the team being eliminated in the 1997 Champions League Semi-Final against Borussia Dortmund, eventually winning the cup at the end. This defeat and elimination haven’t stopped me from continuing to follow and support United.

My best memory of United winning the

unique Treble in 1999 still remains intact, even though it has been over 22 years now.

Winning the Double in 2008 and marking the 20th Premier League title in 2013 also rank high in the list of honours.

I have visited Old Trafford a few times now, aiming to visit at least once or twice a year in the much awaited better future. However the recent pandemic has kept us home for nearly two years now. My all-time favourite players are Scholes and Giggs. One thing I would change at United are the owners together with their current management administering the club, clearly showing lack of football knowledge and solid leadership in the industry.

The next step forward is that of acquiring a new manager in the coming months, I sincerely hope the best decision is taken in the interest of the club and the supporters.

A club with the greatest history on the planet must challenge for silverware every single year.

I cannot see myself supporting any other team other than United especially English teams, from which I experienced so much hate towards us during our domination early 90’s and late 00’s, which is also one of the reasons I do not follow the England National Team.

If United haven’t existed, however, growing up in the 90’s at home, we used to follow Italian TV stations and football TV programs at that time, namely the famous ‘novantessimo minuto’ and ‘Quelli che l’Calcio’ and must admit that I have a soft spot for Inter.

Must have been because I have the other half of my family supporting Inter: my mum and my brother.

3) What attracted you to join the Supporters’ Club? What made you contest the Committee election? Describe your role in the club.

Why would you recommend a United supporter to join the world’s oldest Man Utd supporters’ club?

I’ve been a member of our Supporters’ Club for 10 years now, committee member for nearly 3 years. My current role within the committee is that of Advertising Executive & Sports Coordinator.

Since football is my passion, I used to meet up once a week playing a 5-a-side matches with my United friends, namely Kevin and Clint. After some discussions I expressed my interest to join the committee. I always admired the hard work by committee members and the truly professional attitude they undertake duties besides managing to keep a solid committee group ongoing.

Togetherness is the key of this strong committee of whom I can proudly call family.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our President, Joseph Tedesco who has succeeded in leading this group forward striving for positive results year after year.

I encourage all Manchester United supporters both locally and overseas to join our club, the oldest in the world, helping us to keep our focus in serving all our members in the best possible way, and being able to follow all United games at our Club, one of the best venues in the Island.

Moreover to participate in any future events that arise from time to time besides all the benefits our membership holds in itself.

I will never want Manchester United to be second to anybody. Keep supporting our beloved team in good and bad times, keep the red flag flying high cause Man United will never die. Glory Glory Man United.

VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

23

Meet the Committee

Robert Mizzi

1) Can you tell us something about yourself (your personal life, age, marital status, work/profession)? What are your favourite past-times apart from football? What was your favourite holiday destination? What are three words that describe you?

I was born on the 31 May 1968 – just 2 days after Manchester United won the European Cup against Benfica at Wembley. I am employed as a Knowledge Services Manager with one of the leading law firms in Malta where I have been working for the last 12 years. I have also been a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta for the past 18 years.

I grew up playing football in the streets and then with the local teams and football was my passion from a very young age. Over the years, I developed a love for table-tennis which led me to compete in the national leagues in various stages of my life. Apart from sports, my hobbies include also travelling, combined with trying the wines that originate from the places I visit. Wine is a more recent passion which I am still learning about. It is a fascinating world which fits in perfectly with my willingness to travel and discover new cultures.

My favourite destination must be Australia.

Apart from having most of my family over there, this continent is fascinating and there is something for everyone. I am definitely planning on visiting again and this time, I’ll spend more time discovering their excellent wines.

If I had to choose three words to describe me I think these would be realist, inquisitive and tenacious.

2) How did you start supporting United?

What is your best memory of United? How many times have you visited Old Trafford?

Who is your favourite current player and club legend? If there was one thing you could change at United, what would it be?

If you were Man Utd manager and had an unlimited budget, which player would you

24 VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

bring to United and why? Which team would you support if Man Utd did not exist?

I started supporting United in 1976 when they lost the FA Cup final to Southampton. My late Dad, a founding member of this club, had gone to Wembley and as an 8-year-old boy, watching my dad coming back from the UK with sadness in his eyes made me fall in love with Manchester United. One year later, we won the FA Cup against Liverpool, destroying their treble dream and my dad got me a replica of the full kit worn for that match. The love affair was well and truly confirmed – forever!

I am finding it very hard to pick up a favourite player from the current squad. If you asked me this question one year ago it would have been Bruno Fernandes but this season he has not been able to reproduce his initial form.

If I had to change just one thing at United, it would be the owners. I firmly believe that we will not see the glory days again under the Glazers.

These days, I am not watching much football apart from United so I would be hesitant to pick a specific player. What I can say is that a quality central defensive midfielder is needed.

I would go for a young promising talent that has unlimited energy but is also a good footballer who can read the game.

It is difficult to imagine football without Manchester United – I would support Hamilton Academicals if United did not exist. My dad had very good friends familiar with that club, and I had their kit and tracksuit growing up as well. Go Accies!

3) What attracted you to join the Supporters’ Club? What made you contest the Committee election? Describe your role in the club. Why would you recommend a United supporter to join the world’s oldest Man Utd supporters’ club?

I grew up literally running after my father to the MUSC Malta. I am probably one of the

few members who remembers the very first premises in Valletta and then was a regular visitor to the club in St. Lucia Street. As a boy and teenager hungry for anything United, I used to be looking forward to watch the recording of the match from the previous weekend which arrived from OT on a VHS tape in a padded envelope delivered to my dad who used to work at the post office at that time.

Times have changed!

After many years of thinking about joining the committee, I finally made up my mind and approached the current President Joe Tedesco.

I eventually joined the committee in 2020 and took up the membership secretary post which I still occupy today. It has been a difficult start to my time as part of the committee as just a few months later, my dad passed away and immediately after, we were hit by the pandemic, but I have nevertheless witnessed a great deal of work being done during these difficult times and the dedication of the committee members and the support of our members is something I can vouch for because I have seen it happen and am now an integral part of this one big family. I am currently working on migrating our membership records to a new database that will hopefully allow us to facilitate communication with members and improve our data.

One of my objectives in the coming years is trying to come up with ideas on how we can entice more United supporters to join our club.

The committee is working very hard to make our club a home away from home and I think we are succeeding.

To conclude, I would just like to say that in just over 2 years as part of the committee, I now consider the MUSC Malta as part of my life. In all honesty, the club has always been part of my life since I was a small kid and now, forming part of this hard-working committee, I am feeling, more than ever, an integral part of this family. It is like a cumulation of my lifelong journey and I hope to be able to continue giving my service in the years to come.

Meet the Committee

Kevin Tabone

1) Can you tell us something about yourself (your personal life, age, marital status, work/profession)? What are your favourite past-times apart from football? What was your favourite holiday destination? What are three words that describe you?

legend? If there was one thing you could change at United, what would it be? If you were Man Utd manager and had an unlimited budget, which player would you bring to United and why? Which team would you support if Man Utd did not exist?

I’m Kevin Tabone, just turned 40 last January (keep this quiet please), married to my childhood sweetheart Lucianne and have 2 gentlemen, Justyn (20) and Wayne (15), that I’m proud to call my sons. Those close to me know that I put a lot of emphasis on loyalty, honesty and am one who gives a lot of attention to detail. Those who know me would say that I love games. All kinds, ranging from sports, board games, Playstation, etc. This is how I also see life - one full of games. And it is what drives me on and on – winning these challenges daily.

United has been a part of my family even before I was born. I absolutely had no choice! My uncle Lorry, who a long time ago went to live in England, started following the Busby Babes and from that day onwards he and the whole of mum’s family were drawn towards the name of Manchester United. My uncle even managed to convert his dad to follow Utd!

For the past 22 years I’ve been working with the leading furniture company and also have some personal business interests which I’m hopeful will develop and grow so that one day I will be able to work for my own business.

I have plenty of hobbies, though I wish I had more time for these. I absolutely love reading.

My wife says that when I read, I’m in a world of my own and she’s right. I completely detach myself from the world when I read. I also love films and lately been engaged with different types of TV series. They range from historical ones, to sci-fi, to thrillers. But so far, my all-time favourite is Spartacus.

The world is such a big place and it is a dream of mine to visit so many other countries and cities.

To date, Rome has been my favourite place I’ve been to. Although, I witnessed one of my worst days in my life there when we lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final, I visited the city another time with my wife. I would describe the city as a walking-museum! Fascinating! I would go again and again tomorrow.

2) How did you start supporting United? What is your best memory of United? How many times have you visited Old Trafford? Who is your favourite current player and club

My best memory (you’re going to get me in trouble here!) and my best day of my life is the 1999 CL final against Bayern Munich!

I consider myself so lucky to have witnessed this game at the Nou Camp. This was also my first live Man Utd game to have attended. The emotions during the match, the atmosphere after the match and then the celebrations at the Ramblas! As I’m writing this, I’m having shivers down my spine again!

It’s fitting that my favourite all-time Man Utd player used to play his football during this era – David Beckham. The way his right foot used to kiss the football was a sight to behold!

Currently, I would say that Raphael Varane is my favourite player, though if we were to sign Kante from Chelsea I would have him as my favourite one! Apart from being a very good player, he’s such a wonderful human being.

If I had the power to change something at Man Utd, it would be to make sure that the commercial side, which is a must in today’s world, does not overpower the footballing side. I feel that the club can do so much more to ensure we are a much bigger force on the field. Back in 2003, when the Glazers took over the club I was in this very difficult position of having to take a decision whether to continue supporting the club. I’m sure you will all agree that it’s not an easy place to be in. For some reason I have a soft spot for Tottenham (don’t ask me why) and I do follow Salford City’s

results but I can’t see myself ever changing the football club.

3) What attracted you to join the Supporters’ Club? What made you contest the Committee election? Describe your role in the club. Why would you recommend a United supporter to join the world’s oldest Man Utd supporters’ club?

My life used to be about family, Man Utd and work. And please, because I get asked this question so many times, don’t make me rank these! That list grew in 2013 – now my life is about the same 3 plus MUSC Malta. I always knew about the Supporters’ Club though I didn’t visit that often. I used to hate the idea of having to listen to other people’s comments criticizing the manager and the players during the matches. Nowadays, I’m a bit more tolerant though I still voice my opinion if I think otherwise. Joseph Tedesco, a person I’ve known since I was a child and also a great influence in my life, had approached me, first to help out with the scanning of the Club’s documents and then to co-present the club’s radio programme Action Replay. A couple of years after, I organized a Man Utd quiz at the club and then in 2013 I felt it was the right time to fully commit myself to being a committee member. I was elected and in my first year was given the role as a secretary. The following year, a friend of mine, after many years of great service towards our beloved supporters’ club, I was trusted with the role of Treasurer, a role which I hold to-date. I try to not limit myself to only involve myself with the club’s finances but also in other aspects. Together with the whole Committee, we do our utmost to move the oldest supporters’ club in the world towards new grounds. Malta has many other associations and clubs but I truly believe that very few exist that have the same level of professionalism that our beloved supporters’ club has. No other agenda apart from promoting the love we have not just for Manchester United but also for MUSC Malta. And there cannot be any better reason for you reading this to continue supporting or join MUSC Malta! United forever, for better and for worse!

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Comparing the Full Backs: Wan-Bissaka vs Dalot; Shaw vs Telles

Wan-Bissaka vs Dalot Amid tight competition for ‘full back starting roles’ at United, how do Diego Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka measure up? It’s safe to say that Diego Dalot has been putting in the type of performances that should have Aaron Wan‑Bissaka on the bench deeply worried.

Wan-Bissaka burst onto the scene as a future star at Crystal Palace and was soon snapped up by the Premier League giants for £50million after being named as the club’s Player of the Year for the 2018–19 season. 24 years of age, few know that although he was born in Croydon, Greater London, he is of Congolese descent and in fact made one appearance for DR Congo under-20s in 2015. He has gone on to represent the country of his birth, England, at under-20 and under-21 levels. He has made

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87 appearances for United and scored 2 goals.

José Diogo Dalot Teixeira, known as Diogo Dalot, age 22 is Portuguese and a product of the Porto youth system. After making eight appearances for Porto, he joined Manchester United in June 2018 for a reported fee of €22 million. Although with Portugal he won the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and made his senior international debut at the UEFA Euro 2020, there seemed to be no place for him at United so much so that between October 2020 and June 2021, Dalot was loaned out to Italian Serie A club AC Milan. He has made 36 appearances for United. Although he has never scored for United, he did score one goal while on loan.

So how do they compare on the field?

by Kenneth Abela

Wan‑Bissaka is a reliable right back and good defensively while Dalot is seen as a better attacking right-back. The former Porto man hardly had a sniff of football under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who preferred Wan Bissaka whom he had signed from Crystal Palace. However Aaron Wan Bissaka’s minor injury plus Rangnick’s arrival offered everybody a clean slate: an opportunity that Dalot certainly grabbed with both hands.

The German manager clearly prefers attacking full backs - a trait the modern game demands from a full back. Diego has a strong attacking profile, is confident in driving up the flank, making crucial overlapping runs and swinging balls into the box. Dalot is not the tallest but still wins more headers than those around him. He looks comfortable going forward and

does not shirk from taking shots at goal. In fact my most vivid memory of Dalot is those closing minutes of that memorable match against PSG in Paris in 2018 with Diego trying a shot from outside the area. The shot was blocked by a Kimpembe arm in the penalty area, VAR awarding United a penalty and Rashford’s 94th minute penalty sending us all to heaven.

Spiderman a.k.a. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s attacking capabilities have continued to be questioned. Although the England international had a combined total of eight direct goal contributions last season, actually better than Dalot’s return of four, he will need to fight hard and build upon last season’s marginally improved attacking campaign if he is to take back his starting position. Certainly he has improved, even going forward, but at present Diego Dalot seems to be the answer to United’s long lacked defender that is comfortable enough to traverse inside the opposition’s half and add a balance to the attacking intent exhibited by Luke Shaw and Telles on the opposite flank.

Shaw vs Telles Up till just weeks ago, it would have been unimaginable for Luke Paul Hoare Shaw to be absent from the United starting line‑up.

At 26 years of age, Luke is a product of the Southampton youth system. In June 2014, Shaw was signed by Manchester United for

£30 million, then a world-record transfer fee for a teenager. Shaw made his senior international debut for England in March 2014 and scored his first international goal in the UEFA Euro 2020 Final. For United, he has scored two goals. Last season he won the Players’ Player of the Year Award. However this season his starting spot was always under constant threat from Telles. Alex Telles continues to star under interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

Alex, 29 years of age and born in Brazil, also holds Italian citizenship. He had found it difficult to displace Shaw last season, in what was his debut campaign at Old Trafford after a £15million move from Porto. He ended up representing Brazil at international level, making his senior international debut in 2019.

He made almost 130 appearances for Porto and won four trophies, including two league titles, as well as being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year for three consecutive seasons. In October 2020, he signed for Manchester United.

So, who should be picked at left back? Alex or Luke? Statistics show that Shaw scores considerably higher than Telles in terms of defensive qualities, figures for tackling ability, ball recoveries and interceptions, and disrupting opposition moves. However, in terms of defending quality, Shaw ranks lower; and despite being a couple of inches shorter than Shaw , Telles comes out top on

aerial duels. It should also be noted that Telles has a 42 per cent clean sheet ratio, compared with Shaw’s 12.5 per cent clean sheet rate. Anka who compiled the statistics, claims that the differences reflect team styles, Telles’ figures having been recorded while playing for his previous club, Porto. ‘Telles is a progressive passer’, opines Anka, ‘… and his lesser build‑up play at Porto was a result of his approach to ball retention; he would try to get the ball into the box where possible, but if the chance wasn’t on, he’d tend to pass backwards rather than to a midfielder who might work a better angle.’ With regards to Luke Shaw, Anka says, ‘Shaw is a good left-back. He’s not a titlewinning one, and probably needs to do a little bit more to crossover into great full-back, but … Shaw offers a degree of balance and calm in a side often short of both.’

Telles had scored 26 goals and contributed more than 50 assists in his 129 appearances for Porto, while so far in over 40 matches played, he has only grabbed one goal for Manchester United, in the Villarreal Champions League encounter.

In my view Telles has earned the right to stay in Manchester United’s starting line-up, having had to play second fiddle to Shaw ever since he joined. His arrival did lead to an upturn in form for Shaw, the best spell of his career, but his performances nosedived earlier this season, and Alex Telles rightly stepped in.

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Contenders for Permanent Manager

Ten Hag or Pochettino

by Alex Dudley

I

t seems like a lifetime ago now that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of his duties at Manchester United. The Norwegian parted company with the club following United’s 4-1 defeat against Watford in November. Ralf Rangnick was a popular choice to replace the outgoing boss on a short-term basis, with the club reiterating that a permanent manager would be appointed in the summer.

The race to be named the permanent successor is heating up now, with four main contenders left in the race. Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique are among the names that have been mentioned in the newspaper columns, but the front-runners since Solskjaer’s departure have remained Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino.

But, which top-class manager looks to be the perfect fit for the club moving forward?

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What Will Ten Hag Bring To The Table?

The favoured choice among many United fans since Solskjaer’s departure has been the current Ajax boss Ten Hag. The 52-year-old has been the manager of Ajax since joining the club from FC Utrecht in 2017. His spell with the club has been littered with silverware, and he almost did the impossible in 2019, as the Dutch giants were seconds away from reaching the Champions League final before Lucas Moura’s heroics. Since taking over at the Amsterdambased club, success has followed. Tag Hag has won the Eredivisie title on two occasions, as well as picking up two winners’ medals in the KNVB Cup. His success at Ajax has quickly seen him become one of the most sought-after managers in world football, and for good reason. His

side’s play in the traditional way that you would expect for Ajax, with the team being set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with every player given the freedom to bring the ball out and pass it around. One of the key parts of the Ajax style of play has been the back-up that every player has off-the-ball, which means that a pass is always available, leading to oppositions often being overwhelmed by the offence.

However, his greatest achievements can easily be seen based on the players that he has helped flourish. He was able to get the very best out of players such as Donny van de Beek and Matthijs de Lift, who have both struggled since leaving Ajax. Meanwhile, this season, he has managed to get the very best out of Sebastian Haller, who struggled during his time with West Ham United.

Are There Concerns?

There will certainly be questions when it comes to how ten Hag adapts this style of play when moving to United. Ajax very rarely have to deal with the sides of the quality that there are in the Premier League, which means that should ten Hag stick to his exact game plan at present, then United may be vulnerable in transitions. However, he has shown already that there are different plans and styles that can be adapted, and that was evident in Ajax’s Champions League group stage campaign in fixtures against Borussia Dortmund.

The biggest concern would be just how transferrable his style would be on this United side, and how much money he would need to get the players that he would need to get the very best. However, he is the most exciting candidate, and one that has the ability to transform how football is played in the Premier League moving forward.

Is Pochettino The Safer Option?

There has always been a feeling that we would one day see Mauricio Pochettino sitting in the Old Trafford dugout for the home side.

Many believed that day would come after the departure of Jose Mourinho before the club

instead opted for Solskjaer. There was no surprise that the former Tottenham boss was the first name linked to the job as soon as the Norwegian was fired, and there was some hope that a deal could be agreed to appoint the 50-year-old immediately.

However, PSG were reluctant to allow their head coach to leave mid-way through the season when they were fighting on all fronts at the time. That may not be an issue now, as the Parisians would likely be willing to allow their coach to leave given their performances in Europe in the second half of the campaign.

Pochettino does tick all the boxes that the United board will be looking at. He has Premier League experience from his time at Tottenham, he led Spurs to a Champions League final, and also plays an expansive style of football that will keep fans on side even if results aren’t as positive as they should be. But, there are still some clear questions hanging over the potential appointment.

What Are The Big Issues?

Pochettino’s stock remains high in the world game, but it has certainly taken knocks over the past couple of years. First, he was dismissed

by Tottenham Hotspur after a poor start to the

2019-20 season, just months after guiding the club to their first Champions League final. Throughout that summer, he was at loggerheads with Daniel Levy over transfers, which could be a sign of things to come judging

by Mourinho’s response after the lack of backing during his time at Old Trafford.

PSG was believed to be a safe destination to regain confidence for the Argentinean, but things haven’t gone perfectly in Paris for Pochettino either. There was embarrassment in his first season with the club as they missed out on the Ligue 1 title to Lille, while this season, PSG fell apart against Real Madrid in the Champions League despite being the early-season favourites to win the competition.

One aspect of this season that may be a particular worry is how he has dealt with the egos inside in the PSG changing room. Lionel Messi has seemingly been undroppable, while reports have surfaced that Neymar is constantly late for training. The United dressing room also has egos, and whether he can be as strict as he needs to be to get results on the pitch is a very pressing concern, given that he hasn’t been able to get the best out of one of the most exciting forward lines in European football.

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Ralf Rangnick - has he improved United?

by Stefan Attard

B

efore tackling the above, I want to talk about the season so far. I’ll keep it short and sweet, though it’s been a whirlwind. The club were active in the transfer window last season bringing in the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo. Many United fans believed that this was supposed to propel United into a title race. By November though, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked; Man United were 12 points adrift of the league leaders and already out of the League Cup. Following the dismissal of Ole on the 21st of November 2021 after a poor run of results, Ralf Rangnick was shortlisted as a potential short-term manager by Manchester United. The board had initially decided to appoint Michael Carrick as caretaker manager while scouting replacements. Rangnick quickly emerged as the outstanding candidate during interviews and was appointed as interim manager on the 29th November until the end of the season.

The German was brought from his previous position as sporting director of the Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow to lead the side through the rest of the season. Following this period he will continue in a consultancy role for a further two years. Following the approval of the work permit, Rangnick took charge of the team on the 2nd of December. His first match saw the club defeat Crystal Palace 1–0.

The common consensus was Rangnick would steer United through the current campaign before moving upstairs into a consultancy role for the final two years of his deal. Fast forward three months and following United’s elimination from the Champions League, reports emerged that Rangnick could be relieved of his duties before the season is out. We are only in midMarch but already it is clear that Manchester United have very little to play for in the rest of this campaign. They face an uphill struggle to qualify for next season’s Champions League with Arsenal in control of fourth spot. The Gunners’ recent narrow win over Aston Villa has made that task even more difficult, with a four-point gap and a game in hand over United.

But such a margin is not impossible to reduce.

Arsenal still have to play Chelsea and United in their final matches of the season, and that at least gives United some encouragement in being able to decide their own destiny.

Ralf Rangnick initially disassembled Ole’s 4-23-1 formation, in favour of a Red Bull inspired 4-2-2-2. The only problem is that Manchester

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United clearly did not have much in the way of wings in the formation, and the verticality made Rangnick’s team incredibly easy to defend against. In some ways, it allowed the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay to explode into form, proving themselves as sound ball winners capable of holding a central midfield unit all on their own. In other ways, it exposed Fred and McTominay’s lack of ability to adequately defend transitions, a problem magnified by Harry Maguire’s incessant desire to step out of line and Luke Shaw’s poor positioning down the left. With the Red Devils only scoring 6 goals from 5 matches in the 4-2-2-2, Rangnick immediately switched to a 4-2-3-1, which has reinvigorated Jadon Sancho.

Other than the legendary David De Gea, Jadon Sancho has arguably been the key man under Rangnick, as Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to battle for the same spaces and continue to perform better when the other is missing. The British wing wizard has finally showed the promise that he brought with him when he arrived from Borussia Dortmund for a hefty €85 million. On the right wing, Rangnick’s had less consistency, but has handed an opportunity to Anthony Elanga, who has performed promisingly in his first few matches as a mobile, direct, pacey winger. Despite being the most experienced winger, Marcus Rashford’s season has been nothing but abysmal.

Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo are the other undeniable starters in the attacking line, with both wanting to be the central figure at the club. Ronaldo has had a decent start to life back at United with him being integral to the team’s ability to claim crucial victories.

In behind the front quartet, Scott McTominay and Fred have continued to hold down a place and perform well and the two men have performed admirably and consistently under Rangnick’s robust style of play. While Paul Pogba offers a massive edge in possession and could hit a target on the moon, United always look best with the two defensively solid midfielders in their line-up.

Diogo Dalot also excelled under the influence of Rangnick to steal a place away from the out of form Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Alongside Dalot, Alex Telles has also been given time to shine this season at left-back, with mixed success.

Luke Shaw remains the irrefutable best option, but has been substandard at best this season, a

far cry from his incredible form of 2020-21. With Harry Maguire struggling, the inconsistency at left-back has hurt United even more. Alongside Maguire, Victor Lindelof adds an expressive edge to the Red Devils in possession and increases their threat dramatically. With his undeniable ability to both carry and pass the ball out from the back, it’s a mystery why the Swede doesn’t start every game. Raphael Varane is another experienced option, and one that has claimed several European trophies during his prosperous career. However, the inconsistencies in form and apt leadership at the back have allowed David De Gea to go on and have just about the best season of his career. There’s a real argument that David De Gea has been United’s Player of the Season so far, but that is a genuine worry for Ralf Rangnick, and one that needs to be addressed before the end of 2021-22, especially if the Red Devils are to finish in the top four.

So those are the players inside Rangnick’s 4-2-3-1 formation. But now let’s dissect how exactly Rangnick’s team set up both in and out of possession, and why they’ve struggled to truly break back into the top four.

ATTACKING PRINCIPLES For all of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s failures at United, the Norwegian had his team playing with a succinct style of football in the attacking sense of the game. The Red Devils had some of their best performances under a quick counter attacking regime, bolstered by rampant carriers like Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw, and the extraordinary creativity in the final third from the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.

The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo changed all of that, and for a while, United suffered under a newfound uncertainty in identity. Ralf Rangnick’s quest has been to restore, renew or instate a new identity at the club, and that hasn’t quite happened from an attacking perspective.

Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho have made themselves a bundle of energy in the wide areas, and the change in shape back to 4-2-3-1 has been a welcomed one. This, more than anything, has perhaps allowed United to develop some form of consistency without needing to rely solely on the skill of Bruno Fernandes or the finishing power of Cristiano Ronaldo.

As the wide men drive the ball inside, the fullbacks overlap. Dalot’s ability to time his runs forward has been a positive chip for Rangnick.

Despite Dalot’s improved quality, United have continued to attack down the left with the likes of Shaw and Sancho, where Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo also love to roam. Victor Lindelof’s quality in hitting long passes over the top can then allow runners like Ronaldo or Bruno to run in behind in right half-spaces, or can be hit diagonally across for someone like Sancho as he holds the width of the field. Scott McTominay has also improved his long-passing range this season and will frequently look for these types of switches to the left himself.

shooting boots. Jadon Sancho can dance around anyone. Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba can both pick passes out from anywhere. Even someone mighty like Fred can randomly pop up with the ‘wait…what did he just do??’ kind of sorcery. But too much of that isn’t necessarily a good thing, and it’s one of the main reasons why United have failed to find a true sense of attacking identity since Rangnick took over. Every single one of United’s players are trying to be the saviour, when they achieved so much more with only one or two heroic figures under Solskjaer.

While the long-passing specialties of some players has been a positive, their risk-taking behaviour in this regard has also been a negative. Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes dazzle on the ball and certainly can produce magic; however, sometimes they are too quick to release the ball forward in the quest to pull off the extravagant. United have never truly found a balance between the boring and stale passes between their centre-backs that do much of nothing, and the overly adventurous ones that players further up the pitch tend to overhit.

DEFENDING PRINCIPLES Much of Rangnick’s legacy as a sporting director centres around the tireless work his teams do off the ball, predominantly in the defensive side of the game. While the clean sheets and overall defensive intensity have increased, United’s defensive problems persist.

With that kind of individuality and poor decision making in mind, it’s no wonder why United’s players often appear to be on different wavelengths. They have a countless number of players capable of producing magic. Ronaldo, as he showed against Spurs, still has devilish

Part of that might be the inconsistency in defensive structure, with Rangnick remaining fairly adaptive to both the opposition and the needs of his team. The Red Devils have rotated tactics out of possession throughout the past few months, which sees further variations lower down on the pitch, such as 4-4-1-1. In the middle third, where United spend the majority of time defending, Rangnick’s team shape up into a 4-1-4-1, which positions one central midfielder in front of the other.

If the holding midfielder is asked to track the opposition’s number six, it can even shape into more of a 4-5-1, as the defensive-mid steps up alongside the others. As the ball is progressed further down the field, all three midfielders may race back to defend, with a more stable double pivot in-tact and ready to handle passes into the penalty area.

CONCLUSION Ralf Rangnick’s temporary tenure at Manchester United has been a roller coaster of a ride, with no end in sight for their persistent problems.

Rumours continue to roam the footballing landscape, with Erik Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino linked with the job. But regardless of who is to be United’s next manager, a multitude of problems need sorting out before the end of the season, and the players they currently have at their disposal need to pull their act together and pull it off. Rangnick’s achieved some level of consistency in a 4-2-3-1 formation that has brought positive moments from all his players in various moments, but they continue to ship goals for fun. Through those defensive failures, they’ve struggled to find a clear attacking identity, failing to adequately walk the line between patience and progressiveness. Ralf Rangnick hasn’t done the worst job in the world at Manchester United, but the inevitability of his end-of-season departure makes watching United and their tactics all the more unpalatable.

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THE SAD TALE OF JIMMY McINNES

by Iain McCartney Searching for the burial or cremation details of former Manchester United players is a long, often boring, not to mention frustrating task.

However, it is also rewarding when finding a new addition to the database.

There are numerous stumbling blocks along the way, the main ones being the lack of details surrounding the exact place of death, which doesn’t mean that the individual was buried or cremated there, and also the exact date of death. Sites such as Ancestry, whilst being a help, are also frustrating, as they have details of a number of individuals that I am looking for, but they do not give the exact date, nor the place, the latter simply being given as a district. For example, you will find ‘Barton’ for a Manchester death.

So, due to the lack of details surrounding the players that I am still looking for, plus coming up against a brick wall on numerous occasions, I started to trawl through the list of war-time guest players, where there are a host of interesting characters, such as Stanley Matthews and Alex Herd [David’s father], while others, not so familiar, conjure up interesting stories.

One such individual with a more than interesting story behind him is Jimmy McInnes.

A

s you all know, I formed The Manchester United Graves Society a couple of years or so ago and the search continues today for the resting place of anyone with a United connection, be it player or official, with the 400 mark edging closer.

Not content with individuals who were signed by the club, I have also diversified into wartime guest players, where some notable names such as Stanley Matthews, Harry Catterick, Alec Herd and Peter Doherty appear. There is one other that I have recently added and he is Jimmy McInnes. Never heard of him I hear you all echo, so read on.

Jimmy McInnes was born not too far up the road from me at Kilwinning in Ayrshire and began his playing career with the lesser lights of South Beach, Dalry Thistle and Ardeer Recreation, living between his birthplace and the Ayrshire town of Dalry.

He was a player of exceptional promise, two footed, strongly-built, with a more than decent shot to match and had numerous admirers when he played in the Churches League and was considered one of the finest players Ayrshire produced. An exceptional statement, considering the numerous players who came from that area.

1935 saw him step up into the big-time, moving to Glasgow, where he enrolled at the local

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University, and signed on the dotted line for Third Lanark and was to miss only one game during his time with them.

With the Cathkin Park club, he represented the city in their annual match against Sheffield during the 1937-38 season, as well a Second Division championship medal in 1934-35 and Scottish Cup runners-up medal in 1936.

His performances in the Scottish League did not go unnoticed and in March 1938, Liverpool paid out £5,000 for the twenty-six year old, a fair sum in those days, to take him south, and he made an immediate impression, scoring on his debut against Brentford. In all, he was to

make fifty-one appearance for the Merseyside club.

Season 1938-39 saw him come face to face with United for the first time, lining up against them at Anfield on September 7th, alongside a certain Matt Busby in the home sides 1-0 victory. The cover of the Liverpool programme and team pages are shown here.

He was in the Liverpool side for the return fixture on the final day of the season.

On page two of the United programme, it mentions “Much of their stability is due to their polished half-back work, particularly on

McInnes is in the back row, far left, Busby is obviously the man with the ball at his feet.

Jimmy McInnes can also be found in the Liverpool line-up in the programmes for the 1939-40, 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons,

the right flank where Matt Busby, formerly with Manchester City, has proved one of the best captures they ever made. Busby is now an established favourite with the Merseyside crowds, and his cool, constructive style is often held up by the critics as an object lesson.”

Of his half-back partner, it was written: “On the other wing flank, they have McInnes, another Scot with a neat constructive ability.”

On this occasion, United won 2-0.

It was in season 1944-45 that we pick up the Jimmy McInnes story as a Manchester United player, as he played in the opening two fixtures of that season against Everton, at Goodison Park and Maine Road.

When the Second World War came to a close, Jimmy returned to Anfield, where he took up a post on the club’s administration side, going on to be appointed club secretary in 1955.

His appointment was to coincide with

Liverpool’s rise in fortune, lifting the Second Division title in 1961-62 and the First Division title in 1963-64, along with the FA Cup in 1964-65. He had of course been around when Liverpool lifted the First Division title in the first post-war season of 1946-47.

Those successful days of the sixties put considerable pressure on McInnes and it was said that he would be at his desk by 7.00am most mornings, often not leaving until around midnight, if he actually left at all, as he often spent the night sleeping on the floor of his Anfield office.

The championship success of 1963-64 saw Liverpool in the European Cup and on the night of May 4th 1965, Liverpool defeated Inter Milan 3-1 at Anfield, amid much celebration, but those cheers were to turn to tears less than twenty-four hours later as the news

filtered through that Jimmy McInnes had been found hanging from the beams of the Archway turnstile underneath the Kop. At the inquest that followed, his wife was to say that on the morning of the Milan match “he was exceptionally tired and that some mornings he could hardly drag himself out of bed. It took him four attempts, but he said “I have got to get there – there is work to be done”. The verdict was ‘suicide while his mind was unbalanced’.

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Champions League Nights Braga vs Manchester United

by Dr. Michael Calleja

O

n the 7th of November 2012, Manchester United produced one of their most clinical performances on foreign soil when they ruthlessly dispatched a stubborn and resilient Braga side by three goals to one in the seething rain.

Having suffered the ignominy of an early elimination in the 2011-12 Champions League campaign, Sir Alex was determined to ensure the Red Devils would commence their Group H commitments in a determined and propitious fashion. Gritty wins against Galatasaray (1-0),

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CFC Cluj (2-1) and Braga at Old Trafford (3-2) ensured the Reds headed into this fixture with great alacrity and conviction.

In the lead up to the game, Sir Alex had pinpointed that a win was a must as it would all but ensure that United would win the group stage - affording a relative degree of comfor t whilst ensuring young blood could get a taste of Champions L eag ue nig ht s! In t his conne c t ion, Sir Alex decided to field a strong starting eleven. David De Gea started in goal, and the back four consisted of Patrice Evra, Jonny Evans, Chr is Smalling and Antonio Valencia. Anderson was deployed as the holding midfielder whilst Nani and Ryan Giggs were tasked with marshalling the wings and tracking back when necessary.

Offensively, Sir Alex opted to start Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez with Wayne Rooney deployed as a false nine – tasked with often dropping to receive the ball and assist Anderson in the middle of the park.

As was often the case during Sir Alex’s glorious years, United made things hard for themselves and it would take a monumental (yet spirited) comeback to ensure the Reds emerged victorious. On the night, Braga were plucky and certainly not bereft of courage.

Eder had almost opened the scoring on 22 minutes when he latched on to a beautiful cross from Hugo Viana only to see his header cannon off the post. Apart from this fleeting moment of danger, the first half was by and large, a drab affair.

Things became slightly convoluted when United conceded a penalty (Jonny Evans allegedly fouling Custodio) moments after the restart which prompted the referee to immediately point to the spot. Alan promptly dispatched the spot kick with confidence and United suddenly found themselves trailing.

What followed next was certainly bemusing and borderline surreal. Close to the 60 minute mark, the entire stadium suffered a power failure plunging the entire area into darkness.

This prompted the game to naturally pause and all players and technical staff returned to their respective dressing rooms. Thankfully, the

impromptu ‘break’ enabled United to regroup and when minutes later they emerged back on the field of play – it was a different United side altogether. In the meantime, Rio Ferdinand was brought on to afford more defensive organisation at the back whilst the mercurial and talismanic Robin Van Persie was subbed on – to capitalise on Braga’s weariness and ostensibly worn-out centre backs.

On 80 minutes, Sir Alex’s super-sub finally brought United level. Latching onto a pass from Ryan Giggs, the Dutchman spotted Beto slightly off his line and launched a thunderous volley above the goalkeeper levelling matters – much to the relief of all players & fans. Five minutes later, United’s incessant pressure reaped dividends as Rooney was fouled in the penalty area by Nuno Coelho. United’s number 10 promptly scored from the spot - all but sealing the win. Deep into stoppage time, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez latched onto Rooney’s deft pass, rounded the keeper and made it 3-1 on the night.

The performance wasn’t United’s best of the campaign, but those final 10 minutes summed up what Ferguson’s United was all about.

Willing to take risks, throw the kitchen sink at opponents and see out a game. The 201213 campaign could have been a memorable campaign had not a dodgy Turkish referee ruined what would turn out to be an incredibly frustrating evening against Real Madrid in the last 16 of the competition.

United’s final team of Sir Alex’s tenure at the club doesn’t always get the credit it deserves but on torrential nights like those experienced in Braga, it demonstrated that unity within the squad was certainly what ensured that the Reds would eventually capture yet another coveted Premier League title at the end of the season!

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a Tuesday and Thursday for two years. And at the end of that two-year period, they were going to tell me whether I would be given a contract to be with the ground staff or not.”

Lou Macari

A Special On and Off

the Pitch

In 12 years and 400 games for Man United, Lou Macari scored 97 goals, winning the FA Cup and the Second Division title. In March I had the privilege and honour to interview Lou, one of the Manchester United’s all-time legends. During our chat we spoke about his early days as a player, how he broke into the first team at Celtic, his move to United and then the transition from playing to managing.

I also found out about his heart of gold when he decided to help the homeless away from the streets in the town where he lives today.

It was so fascinating to hear Lou’s story which began when he was a young boy and a big football fan from Scotland. He was born on 7 June 1949 in Edinburgh and after spending some years living in London, his family returned to Scotland and moved to Largs in North Ayrshire. He was football mad and for him everything was about football. In his own words “every boy in Scotland played football for as long as possible until the night and until your parents told you to come in. So, I grew up just playing football in the streets and supported Celtic. While I was supporting Celtic, they won the European Cup in 1967, the first British side to win the European Cup. And those Celtic players, who weren’t known to a lot of people, at the time, but quickly became

by Ray Calleja

household names, especially in Scotland. And I was one who obviously supported them. And my dream was to play for Celtic. And because they had won the European Cup and the team was so good, I never ever thought that could happen. I thought it would be impossible because all players like them would play for a long, long time ago. They keep playing and I’ll never get a chance to play for Celtic. However, I got invited by the club two nights a week, on

He was sixteen years old at the time and he trained at Celtic Park twice a week. He trained with famous players like Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain, David Hay and other players, some of whom went on to play in English football later on in their careers. After two years they called him in as it was decision time. He was told that he was going to be employed as a young lad on the ground staff.

He was obviously delighted and he got the job and worked very hard at it. As ground staff, his duties included cleaning the stadium, cleaning the players’ boots, taking the players’ kits to the laundry, putting it back out again the next morning. At that time, it was more about work than playing football. They would let him kick a ball around Celtic Park in the afternoons but not before he did all the work, which he had to do day in day out. The main job of a young apprentice, at the time, was to clean everything. He had to clean Celtic Park after the games and painted the terraces in the summer when they had nothing else to do.

Lou pointed out that it is completely different now. They have academies and he says he’s not so sure that method has worked. He said the ground staff system when he was a young boy certainly worked because he and so many others came through. He eventually got into the team, even though he never thought he would because of the Lisbon Lions, who were there in front of him. However, Lou never gave up and once he was in the team he never looked back. He fondly remembers how they were a great bunch of lads, who looked after him, supported him and wanted him to do well. He made progress and stayed in the team and replaced some of those who had achieved European glory for Celtic but who had grown older and found out that their time was up.

Lou fondly remembers the time he won a winner’s medal when Celtic defeated Rangers in the 1971 Scottish Cup Final and scored in a 2-1 win in the replay at Hampden Park in front of a 128,000 crowd. Macari was Celtic’s

Macari lining-up for Celtic at the Empire Stadium Gzira vs Sliema W with no. 8 on his shorts in 1971.

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only substitute in the first match, played on the Saturday, which finished 1-1 after Rangers drew level with just 8 minutes to go. For the replay, the following Wednesday, Jock Stein, the Celtic manager, threw him in at the deep end from the start, as replacement for Willie Wallace. He showed his eye for goal by scoring an opportunist opening goal as Celtic went on to win the game and Cup 2-1.

Lou spent over four years playing for Celtic. His wages went from £12.50 a week, as a youngster to £50 a week as a regular Celtic first team player and full-time professional. Then his contract was up and he asked the manager for a rise. Jock Stein offered him a £5 increase, which Macari turned down mainly because, he said, he was looking after his mother, Margaret, after his dad, Albert, had passed away, and that he needed a bit more than that. Lou was told that Celtic had a fixed pay structure in place and they could not accommodate his request. For that reason, he told the club that he wanted a move because he could not afford to stay due to the financial commitments he had. He was also getting married.

Next Lou told me the fascinating story about how his move to Manchester United came about. At the time, he had no idea where he could go, how to move clubs or if anyone wanted him. He said he waited and waited to see if the situation would change. Then about 4 or 5 weeks later Jock Stein called him to say that someone was taking him down to England the next day to join a new club. Lou just agreed to go. He said “you never argue with the manager because he’s the man in charge. Stein was just like Sir Alex. In fact, he was Sir Alex’s best friend. So that gives you an idea of how strict he was”. Lou said he was driven to England by someone from Celtic, who did not even tell him where they were going. Before he knew it, he was going through the gates to Anfield.

He was not aware at the time that Jock Stein and the Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly, were the best of friends, both from the same sort of background, from the mining community.

Lou said “Shankly told me that once Stein told him I was leaving Celtic he wanted to sign me right away. We went in, talked about terms and I agreed to sign”. Then he went to the directors’ box to watch the game as Liverpool were playing Burnley that night. Next to him

there was an empty seat until a man walked in about 10 minutes after kick-off. The guy was Pat Crerand, who was assistant to Tommy Docherty, the manager of Manchester United in those days. Lou recalled the event “Pat asked me what I was doing there. He knew me from my time at Celtic. He was also ex-Celtic. I told him, I’m signing for Liverpool. Pat promptly said don’t sign, we’ll sign you. Crerand must have phoned Tommy Docherty, who told him that he wanted to sign me, too. So, after the

captain was England’s captain Bobby Moore, at Old Trafford. His goal at the Stretford End came with only ten minutes left and saved a point for United.

When I asked him why he turned down Liverpool, he said that he knew that without a shadow of a doubt Liverpool were the best team in the country at the time, but he fancied a move to United more. He had heard all about George Best how good he was. The same about Sir Bobby Charlton and he was in the same Scotland team with Denis Law. So, he knew all about these three and they were the main reason why he decided to join Manchester United.

He said he cannot understand how players, nowadays, don’t go to United or fail to agree terms. In his own words “I can’t get my head round it. To be at Old Trafford in my time it was awesome. It’s even better now. The stadium is better, the training facilities are better, everything. It was brilliant for me being there.

You wanted to be there every day at training.

It was fantastic. Even though we weren’t the best team in the country, to be there amongst all those great players, a big crowd every week, fanatical crowd, great support. So that is why I say that I cannot understand nowadays, why it takes people so long or why they make up their mind to go somewhere else. So many great memories for me.”

game I went back to Shankly and told him that I needed more time to think about the move.

It was my way out of not signing for Liverpool.

Next morning, I was going back to Manchester to meet up with Paddy and the Doc to sign for United instead.”

Lou said he was a big fan of the United trio of stars - Best, Law and Charlton. These players, he thought, were getting old so he fancied himself getting into the team eventually and in the meantime train with them on a daily basis. He signed for United for £200,000 after 105 appearances and 56 goals for Celtic. He made a scoring debut the following Saturday, on 23 January 1973, against West Ham, whose

Lou helped United win the Second Division title in 1975, finishing second in the scoring charts with 11 goals. They finished third on their return to the top flight and were runners-up in the 1976 FA Cup before going one better and lifting the trophy a year later, thanks to his winning goal in a 2-1 win against Liverpool.

He was on the losing side in the 1979 final.

Lou recalls that famous 1977 victory over Liverpool, which was a great occasion but not just that. He is proud that he was in that United team which reached Wembley 3 times in 4 years, and says it was by no means something easy to do, even though they lost two of them. To be at Wembley and experience the atmosphere, he said, made him very proud. Many players in a long career never ever get to see Wembley, let alone play in that famous stadium.

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He was a Scotland international and made his debut as a substitute against Wales on 24 May 1972 in a 1-0 win. He was capped 24 times where he scored 5 goals. He played in the 1978 World Cup Finals in Argentina, where Scotland were eliminated early despite a 3-2 win against Holland in the last game of their group, but paid a heavy price for their loss against Peru and a poor draw versus Iran.

In the late 1970s Tommy Docherty moved him into a midfield role and that switch greatly improved Macari’s game. Docherty was replaced by Ron Atkinson in 1982, and Lou fell out of favour with the new boss.

Eventually after 400 appearances and 97 goals for United, he ended his playing career to turn his hand to management. This was in 1984, where he first managed Swindon Town and won back-to-back promotions in 1986 and 1987. Later he would also manage West Ham, Stoke (twice), Celtic, Birmingham and finally Huddersfield, from where he left at the end of the 2001-02 season. Lou was well known for his strict fitness regimes that he adopted with his teams.

changing. The players themselves get to listen to their agents more than they’re going to listen to me as a manager. So, I thought, right, maybe now’s the time to get out.”

That led me to the question about Man United’s current problems. I asked Lou what were his thoughts of why success has eluded the side since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.

He said, “The start of the problem was Sir Alex. Him leaving, I remember saying that on MUTV that we were going in for a bit of tough spell. Because we’ve lost the greatest manager we’ve ever had. We are going to lose some unbelievable players, not players who come with a reputation and then they don’t deliver that reputation, but real players they had produced, top players, youngsters that had come through. I knew that with Sir Alex leaving a different player would be come in, different to the ones we had.

And then things would change and things did

He recalls his management years and said, “I was fortunate to move to management and the only opportunity, at the time, was with Swindon Town.

They were in the old Fourth Division (now called League Two) near the bottom of the league. So, I’ve got the opportunity to go and manage them and decided I would take the job and I was there for five and a half years. It was great because we got on a winning run and we had a winning team. So that was the start.”

About his time as manager of Celtic, which started on 27 October 1993, this is what he had to say, “I eventually had the opportunity to go to Celtic and I knew it was the wrong time to go there because it was when the new owners were coming in. And I had just gotten there under the old owners at Celtic Park, or rather the old directors. So, I knew it was the wrong thing to do but getting the opportunity to manage a club that you once supported, it was too difficult for me to turn down that opportunity.”

Lou was referring to the takeover of the club

by Fergus McCann. He was dismissed on 14 June 1994 which meant that he only lasted for eight months in the job, and around three months after the new owners had gained control of the club.

He took the view that the game had changed, which led him to the decision to quit management altogether in 2002. He said, “I don’t think I was wrong because Sir Alex made that decision years later where he must have thought the game had changed as well. When I went to Swindon, or wherever I went I used to ask the players to work hard and see if we could get anything out of it, get a return. That worked. But as time went on, I found less and less footballers actually wanting to work hard.

So, I thought, right, this is the game now, it’s

change. I didn’t know that the managers who came in wouldn’t be able to do a great deal because I thought one or two of them must do something. But it just proved, because they’re all good managers that came in, David Moyes, Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and then Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer). It just proves that after Sir Alex left and the way he managed the club and his reputation and what he demanded was not what the new managers demanded and they didn’t go down that road. And of course, it hasn’t worked. They just haven’t been anywhere near the calibre of the manager that he was, and no one ever will be because his record is great. But the players that have come in, none of them have matched the class of ’92. None of them have matched any of the other players that we brought in the past. As the years have gone on, we have struggled to find the right players. It’s all about your players.

If you haven’t got the correct players or if you haven’t got enough good players, then, you know, you’re not going to win anything. I just feel we haven’t been able to bring enough good players to Old Trafford, apart from the ones that have come in and done well. We did win things (the FA Cup in 2016, the League

Lou Macari at his Homeless Project in Stoke-on-Trent

Cup and the Europa League in 2017) but in the last five, six, seven years it’s been difficult”.

When I asked him what he thinks should be done to get back the club to winning ways, this is what Lou Macari had to say, “What hasn’t helped is the change in attitude of a lot of the managers. They have different, completely different views than I would say Sir Alex Ferguson. Plus, the money has changed the game. Money has been a monster and has just changed things dramatically. I don’t see it changing around. I don’t see the money getting sort of less important. I don’t see the attitude changing to the way it was in our day where the club came first, where you gave your all and you worked hard and you are desperate to do well for yourself and the club. I don’t think there is that same desire nowadays. But people will say well, you know, the manager of Liverpool or the manager of Man City, maybe they just brought in one or two better players than us. Maybe they are managing slightly different to what we are doing. And maybe that’s why they’ve got better results than we have. But you know, when Sir Alex left, I took the view that … I didn’t know when it was going to change and when things would get really tough, but obviously things have changed”.

Lou still has plenty of connections at Old Trafford. He works as a pundit at Manchester United TV (MUTV). He has been there since the station was launched 20 years ago and he said he still enjoys doing that job, even though, in his own words “some weeks it’s awkward. You don’t like talking about defeats or players not performing or you don’t like talking about the team not being good enough.

But unfortunately, you know, sometimes you’ve got to talk about the team, not having been good enough during that 90 minutes football because that’s what’s actually happened.

And then the way that the game has changed nowadays. There are lots of other issues.

There’s the internet, there’s social media, there’s all these other distractions where many United players seem to get a bit annoyed about what they read, sometimes. My simple advice to them would be don’t go on social media, don’t go on the internet, don’t read the newspapers. And that gets rid of that problem,

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39

but you know, some can handle it and some cannot. And that is why it’s been difficult for so many players in the last five or six years, especially, there’s a lot of things going on at Manchester United. It’s a massive football club, and you’ve got to be able to handle it, you’ve got to be able to be ready to go out and play and give your all and take whatever criticism is given if you don’t perform. But maybe one or two, one or two players can’t handle that”.

Lou currently lives in Stoke-on-Trent and commutes to Manchester for his media work, which apart from MUTV also includes appearances on Sky Sports. In 2016, he set up to work on a completely different and new project of helping the homeless people in his local area in Stoke. This is what he had to say, “Yes, the idea came about because I read the newspapers. The talk of the papers was about the homelessness situation, how it was getting worse and the numbers kept going up. And so, I went out to Stoke-on-Trent, one night, in the town centre to see if we could find any homeless people and I found plenty. And then I went home and I thought well, what can I do for them? And because of my contacts in Stoke, and because I’ve been the Stoke manager and because we had been successful at Stoke as a team and as a club, I took the view that I could help them possibly by clothing them, putting a roof over their head and feeding them because I knew of the generosity of the people in Stoke and the surrounding areas. I

knew that I would get a good response. So, I set out to do that and found the building to house them. I got a building from the Council five and a half years ago. I asked people for food. We got food, we got plenty of clothes. We’re still doing it because that generosity is obviously still there. We started out with about 12 people, now we’ve got 50 people in here, who I look after. We have 22 paid staff members, not volunteers, because I don’t really think this is a job for volunteers. And in my case, this is the toughest job I’ve ever had in my life.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, the homeless Macari Centre in Hanley, Stoke-onTrent had to be adapted according to new rules since the government no longer allowed dormitory-style accommodation. Lou worked with the city council to move the shelter to a nearby warehouse and moved the residents to COVID-safe pods. In this way, Macari was able to provide a safe space for people from the virus. Each pod was kitted out with new beds, heaters, TVs and were numbered on the front door to give the residents proof of address – and help them find employment.

The idea of the Centre is to provide emergency shelter and safe, short-term accommodation for people out in the street, in other words, people in need.

“We had to move quickly to get around to try and find somewhere suitable and we did find somewhere. We brought them into it. A big

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40 VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022

warehouse, which is probably the size of the pitch at Old Trafford. As I say this will get 50 people – we have 48 men and 2 women – a roof over their heads and it gives you an idea of their difficult situation. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more each year. I’d like it to be less and less. Not because it will make my job easier, but because that’s the way you want it to be. Instead, there are more and more homeless each year.”

My final question was to ask if he remembers any previous visits to Malta. He did remind me that he had played in Malta for Celtic in the European Cup preliminary round on 3 November 1971. Sliema Wanderers were the opponents that day and the Scottish champions won 2-1, after a first minute opener by Ronnie Cocks gave Sliema a shock lead. Lou recalled the sandy and hard surface they played on at the Gzira Empire Stadium. Celtic went through having won the first leg 5-0 at Parkhead on 20 October 1971.

He was also in Malta in his early managerial career with Swindon Town team when he brought over his side for one pre-season in the mid-80s. In fact, I recall watching Lou putting his players through a tough drill at Manoel Island one hot summer day.

He admitted that he would love to visit the Island again and pay a visit to the Manchester United Supporters Club to meet the local United fans.

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