Following yesterday's news obviously there is only one topic of discussion - the departure of Jose Mourinho from Manchester United. On paper it looked the obvious choice, never have Man United trailed the league leaders by such a distance at this stage of the season, the 36 shots which they conceded against Liverpool was the highest ever recorded in a Premier League fixture and there have been murmurings of several bust ups. The definition of Mourinho third season syndrome. Maybe the timing of his appointment in 2016 to head the restoration project did not help either, when David Moyes was hand picked over the Special One to supersede Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. There are however a number of factors at play. Since the Glazers abrupt takeover in 2005 the club has been quite hotfoot in comparison to the calmness of the Ferguson / David Gill years. It maybe wishful thinking for Red Devils' fans to hope the Portuguese' departure from Old Trafford will herald a new era for United. However in spite of the subsequent problems Mourinho created there were a number he inherited. Save for large scale changes these problems show no signs of dissipating either.
The man at the centre of many fans vented frustration has been Ed Woodward. Berated by fans and media for his ill advised PR stunts and failed transfer dealings United's executive vice chairman has played a huge role in hastening the club's fall from greatness. Whereas his predecessor, David Gill sought to delegate and be away from the limelight you professedly cannot remove Woodward's face from the camera. Woodward is the face of the new commercially driven United as he leads them through uncertain times. To be fair when the Essex born Woodward advised the Glazers in their 2005 takeover it would have been in his wildest dreams to have been placed in a position of such power. In the period between 2005 - 2012 in his role as commercial operator he secured many lucrative sponsorship deals. The results were there for all to see; in 2005 United generated £48.7 million while 2012 the club made £117.6 million which was testament to the great work Woodward had done. However the decision to then promote the head of commercial operations to succeed David Gill; a man revered by all United fans and staff was perhaps an act too big to follow.
It did not help that Woodward's first summer at United coincided with that of David Moyes' too. Moyes who was handed the unenviable task of following Sir Alex as Manchester United manager along with Woodward became the duo who encapsulated many fan's discontent. A huge turning point early on was the failed transfer of Cesc Fabregas who had all put pen to paper on a move before Woodward failed to release the sufficient funds. The failed Fabregas move freed up money for a late opportunistic double bid for Leighton Baines and Mouraone Fellaini. Despite the move to sign the former falling by the wayside , Fellaini moved to the Red Devils for a pricy £27.5million much to the consternation of the United faithful. Since then Woodward's attempts to negotiate a highly inflated market have fallen flat on their heels. Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Daley Blind, Paul Pogba, Victor Lindelof etc and etc. Managers such as Louis Van Gaal have been outspoken in their criticism of the board's ambitions to maximise brand value. Tolietry deals in China, Japanese noodles, Gulf Oil, Asian mattresses, the list is endless pay homage to Van Gaal's sentiment. Lucky for Woodward United's financials are good and as the Glazers continue to usurp eight figured sums from the Old Trafford coffers expect the status quo to remain. United's footballing success is merely a by-product of the huge corporate mirage that transcends the club these days.
The players too have a whole lot to answer for. Contrary to "experts" belief the talents of Pogba, Lukaku, Rashford, Martial and co do equate world class. So why has Mourinho not been able to get the best out of all them frequently? Is motivation an issue? Surely they are compensated adequately to play for and win trophies at one of the world's most prestigious clubs? Fundamentally even in today's age where Barry from Bristol can point out the deficiencies of playing a flat back four surely more responsibility needs to be entrusted in the players themselves. Observing the group of players from afar it is quite clear to see the United squad is devoid of leaders and men. "J-Lingz" doesn't have the same ring to it as a Scholes, Carrick or Giggs while Paul Pogba has done little to justify the adulation he holds himself in. Romelu Lukaku was seen over the summer showcasing his fridge in the Hollywood Hills to his Instagram followers that no other footballer eats as better as the man himself. The Belgian has seemingly took that self prophetic statement a little too much to heart given the condition he currently appears in. The curious case of Anthony Martial echoes the "laissez-faire" approach of many of United's playing personnel Given the Frenchman's exquisite talents as evidenced by the scintillating form he produced in the month of October one would have earmarked Martial as a key facet of the United setup. Despite this the Frenchman since his move from Monaco in 2015 has shown little appetite to build upon the potential he has demonstrated sparsely.
It was not too long ago that the United setup was not defunct of leaders. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had played a crucial role in implementing Mourinho's philosophy on field and was a huge presence in placating Paul Pogba's relationship with the manager. Given his promotion to first team coach it was also obvious to see the esteem which the United players held Michael Carrick in. The loss of both funnily enough within the past season resembled a huge turning point in Mourinho's tenure at Old Trafford. Whereas regards player relationships the worst to an extent was the half time substitution of Henrikh Mhkitarayan at home to Manchester City, there were several breakdowns in the past year none more so than that of the coach and Paul Pogba.There had always been a nagging suspicion that all was not well between Pogba and Mourinho last season as evidenced by their differences in opinions over tactics. The handling of captaincy duties to the Frenchman did little to appease matters however and the situation was thrown back into the manager's face. While Mourinho's ill advised retorts only added fuel to the fire the 25 year old World Cup winner's efforts were futile to aid his boss when he most needed it. The news today confirmed many fans deep held beliefs that Pogba's brand was far more important to the club than that of Mourinho's. To pay the Special One's severage package of an estimated £24million was only a drop in the water when compared to that of what they would have stood to lost on their midfield maverick. For United fans and neutrals alike one hopes the daft haired midfielder remembers the footballing skills that brought him to fame and keep the showbiz away from the confines of Carrington.
The League Cup and Europa League double in his first season and a token second place finish to the might of city-rivals Manchester City in the second, heading into his third year at the helm did not hold illusions of grandeur to the most optimistic of United fans. Albeit not even the most pessimistic would have forseen the plight of United to date. Seven wins, Five draws and Five losses only paints a picture as to the on pitch struggles and does scratch the surface as to the discontent behind the scenes. Save for the doomed relationship with Mourinho and his star man Pogba there have been other internal power struggles too. Mourinho called for the sacking of club ambassador Dwight Yorke who murmured they would have achieved a higher league finish last if Mourinho's nemesis pep Guardiola was in charge. Mourinho throughout his tenure did little to dispel many club legends fear's that he was not a cultural fit at Old Trafford. Yet against murmurings of discontent Ed Woodward handed his main man an additional three year contract this summer. Allegedly Mourinho signed the contract on the basis he would have been given vast sums to improve the playing personnel in the transfer window. Woodward undermined him as attempts to sign Jerome Boateng, Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweirald and Yerry Mina were all either knocked back or quashed. To revoke Mourinho spoke out of his willingness to let Anthony Martial depart during their US pre season tour.
Their public feud did not subside coming into the season start either, Mourinho wrangled over receiving less strategic and financial support than that of Liverpool and Manchester City despite United's remarkable number of 52 full time scouts. In Miami he was remarked as going off record saying "everything is shit". Arguably Mourinho could have made more of an effort to integrate himself into the Manchester way of life and moved away from his residence at the Lowry Hotel in Salford. This among a multitude of things could have a factor in the breakdown in relationships between playing staff and Mourinho himself. Of course given that it was United's worst start to a league campaign in 30 years he was never going to be exempt from criticism. Saying that his spell at Old Trafford was one that paints a disconcerting picture for the future of football. Constantly one of the finest coaches to have graced the game was undermined by the chief commercial operator of Manchester United. Mourinho was merciless to the deciding voice of Ed Woodward a man who's biggest career achievement prior to the Glazer's takeover was passing his Chartered Accountant exams. Simply put as long as United remain metaphorically at least in the black, Woodward will remain in charge. Expect to see United continue to expand their brand image and presence overseas. A club which had climbed to prominence on values, tradition and backbone have sold their spineless soul. A recent addition of the United fanzine claimed that "if it's broken fix it"; and as some fans may believe crisis averted for now, the fleas may have been swatted away but the foundation needs re structuring.