United’s Harlequin

Manchester United’s harlequin, Sir Jim Radcliffe, continues on centre stage into Part 2 with United moving from one crisis to another, to highlight the gross mismanagement at the club, to sit alongside a staggering 358 million pounds loss over the last five seasons. The United stage productions for Jim, the ‘harlequin’, have grided off to a shaky start with the cost cutting methods being planned in many quarters, the club’s days of a money making machine is not of that climate in the current climb. The farce surrounding the appointment of Dan Ashworth as sporting director following a long chase in the park for his services from Newcastle United at a reported figure of 5 million pounds ended in acrimony with Ashworth departing United after 5 months. The club ruled that Ashworth was not of the right fit, so much for the cost cuttings, this sits alongside 250 lower paid jobs being ousted, a big public stink bomb on that one. Sir Jim has taken over the pulling of the trigger mechanism to continue the management theme.

The playing staff has no notable sell on value and the road to drastic reduction in wages is blocked with players contracts. The debacle over Ten Hagg’s dismissal priced out at a reported 10 million pounds plus. All dismantles the cost cutting of no textbook value. Radcliffe’s wealth is ball marked out between 15 to 30 billion pounds with Sir Jim spending a lifetime avoiding UK tax while residing in Switzerland and Monaco, to avoid paying billions in taxes. The hypocrisy falls in line with ‘harlequin’ Jim’s endeavours for the planned 2 billion pound stadium build to replace the decaying Old Trafford, Sir Jim wants the build of a high percentage to be paid by the UK tax payer, this is Jim the rogued player who owns a 27.7 share of a 6 billion pound asset. The misdemeanours can be put into sharper contrast with low paid agency staff employed on match days to cater for the disabled supporters of United, but they are not trained, and complaints have run amok, to sink below the rat infested drains, to pop up one’s head, “Hi, I’m Jim”.

Radcliffe’s true acumen is in the petrochemical industry with the biggest sting in Belgium, that’s one big carbon bomb. In 2016 Jim’s company related pumped caustic soda into the Manchester Ship Canal causing environmental outrage on the pollution Richter Scale hence the rat infestation, parasites, up popped Jim again, “Hi, I’m Jim”. The case has to be ventured that outside the petrochemical industry Sir Jim has a moderate to low rating with one’s sporting ventures. The acquisition of two football clubs, FC Lausanne Sport and Nice have become of no value. An involvement in cycling has hit the buffers with a toxic workplace crippling the INEOS team. Radcliffe likes to ride the saddle the Raleigh Golden Arrow bike of note, there’s nothing golden about this ride, perhaps Si Jim’s carbon imprint will implode at United, ‘BOOM’, the stage production of Jim the ‘harlequin’, quote Radcliffe, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”, Sir has had many free lunches, all tax free of course, the road to redemption does not sit on this production, saddle up Sir Jim on the Red Devils and ride on.

Dyche Lopetegui

Time for a double header feature bill to highlight the two contemptable sackings of the Westham manager Julen Lopetegui and Everton’s Sean Dyche. To say that Lopetegui’s bad seedlings at the Hammers were planted with the failure of the termed technical director Tim Steidten appointed in July 2023 to manage player recruitment under the umbrella of the scouting department. Steidten was much revered at former club Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga but that status was not earned at the Hammers with poor player recruitment. A combined 150 million pound spent on players failed miserably with in the main the signings of the Brazilian teenage winger Sami Guilherme at a whopping 25 million pounds. Guilherme lacks the physicality and mental agility to prosper in the Premiership, four substitute appearances are the paltry offerings. Similar failings with the signing of Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund for 27 million pounds alongside another blockbuster signing with Crysencio Summerville joining from Leeds United for a 25 million pound fee, one goal in nineteen appearances, to observe these major signings as failure on the technical director block, Jim Steidten.

These failed signings transmitted onto the pitch leaving Lopetegui caught in the headlights with failure on player input, a fault of the manager? No, supporters just see a sequence of losing results. The technical director’s role is an overseas concept, good for the game? Good for English football? Good for managers? Good for clubs’ cash offers, good to give technical directors free rein? Good for players’ signings to fall under their remit? Good to become a wrecking ball? TD’s can be closely attached to a club’s boardroom come chairman, managers have to tread carefully, yes managers do not have the time span to embark on scouting missions in today’s modern game with the multiple different apartments created off it, managers should always have the final say, but that is not always the case.

The Westham owners with their changing faces stank the house out with the Lopetegui sacking, coaching and character assassination became prevalent via the press, owner David Sullivan has a panache for swording managers to the guillotine until there are no more drops to be spilt. Sullivan likes to dress up as Napoleon, a miserable shit of the same standing. At Everton, manager Sean Dyche was put to the sword by the array of the X supporters fan groups whose limitations with many are seen to the third eye. The Everton signing of Jake O’Brien from Lyon for 17 million pounds was clearly a technical director’s signing, Dyche froze the player out. Everton classed as the people’s club with their various fan bases scattered around the in the main local outlets but can have unsavoury overtones. It’s interesting to see that the club does not seem to have an outboarding X account with the various supporters affiliated coming the way down the drivel pipes on occasions. Dyche kept the club afloat with Premiership status over the last 2 seasons working from a cesspit of problems, bad management from before created Dyche’s difficult working conditions, quote Dyche “Supporters just want winning results”, can they relate to anything else? Seems not to be the case, of course they have a right to see winning results, but can a jumbo jet go into lift off mode without wings? That was the task facing Dyche. He avoided the crash into burning flames, he stayed calm when all around needed his calmness, Premiership status was afforded, mission impossible was completed. Into the 2024-25 season as we see today, of course another season of struggle is the remit of Everton, tepid performances flamed the supporters, the abuse loaded up v Dyche was not acceptable, they have short memories, Dyche had credit in the bank, he was not given that, Dyche under the Manero watch can leave the club with his head held high, respect to Dyche and to Lopetegui. Link to articles June 5^th 2019 ‘Director of Football Role’ and Sept 2^nd 2021 ‘In Depth Coaching and Management’.