Amorim sacked, Rosenior hired: Are sporting directors bigger than the manager?

15:44Liam Rosenior:a good thing through this sort of like week

15:48Nedum Onuoha:that we've had like for perspective because we're talking about United the first thing that comes to mind is Alex Ferguson who managed everything about Manchester United about the city of Manchester itself whereas these days I don't know if that type of guy can exist you know this was a Fergie that could be in contact with agents could like sort out media knows where every player's been to have like food in the city centre like everything managing every single aspect of it he's like a godfather literally yeah but he had his people didn't he that were looking out for him exactly but like going forward the next person's coming at united my issue with say the manager's role and this is just my opinion the more power you give to people sometimes like some on occasion it's almost like a blind trust that they will get it right managers tend to get it wrong so when you for example bring in a manager who says well i I want to do this.

16:39Nedum Onuoha:I want to change this time. I want to bring in this player. I want to do this. I want to do that. When the manager fails, you have to do a full reset again. I think I prefer it where there's, the manager's focus is on the football side of things. And yes, they could be part of the transfer process, but they're not going to be the ones that decide. Like, for example, for me, as I look at City, Roberto Mancini brought in Mario Balotelli. I don't think City necessarily wanted Balotelli, but City's a club, probably brought in David Silva. Davitova has 10 years at club Balotelli has two years because Balotelli is directly linked to the manager that made the signing.

17:13Nedum Onuoha:But here's the thing with United then Laurie which is if it is meant to streamline and make sure the club stays stable what in the main you need is sort of in some ways everybody starting together. and I've used the example over the weekend and here we go with the American sport analogy but ideally if a franchise is going to reset in the NFL they clean sweep the general manager their equivalent of a sporting director and the head coach and then bring in a sporting director, general manager who brings in their head coach and they are aligned from the very start on recruitment and invariably if it doesn't go right then the head coach will go and the general manager might get a second chance or a third chance.

18:07Nedum Onuoha:United in particular have so many people who have come in at different points of this process whether that be a sporting director, a technical director, a CEO, a minority owner or a head coach.

18:24Liam Rosenior:Well that was the whole idea behind Ineos coming in there wasn't it that they would have this kind of clean slate really and they at the point at which they had all these guys in the building ashworth wilcox barad it was like well this is the kind of dream team of what we want to assemble obviously personalities get in the room and there's clashes and you know it doesn't work out that way so then you have this kind of unevenness about it to your point chappers but i do feel that also you go all the way to the ownership right like so you talk the nfl what kind of credentials do these owners have to pick these people in the first place so the Glazers did it for years and appointed Ed Woodward and you know that was really didn't go well now to Jim Ratcliffe has got the authority but do we really know that he knows what he's doing exactly like it's obviously still a big question mark isn't it because three big calls Ten Hag, Ashworth and Ameren have all gone awry so I appreciate it's a very difficult thing particularly a club the scale of United with all the different personalities with all the different egos that go into it and all the heritage the kind of baggage that you have from all the success and the kind of harking back to the glory years, which I think United should be respectful of, but it does mean that things are more difficult.

19:32Nedum Onuoha:When I did the radio last night, I read out the Ineos timeline since taking minority ownership but major footballing decisions with their wanting best-in-class decision-making. So they took over. They kept ten hard after the FA Cup final win after talking to other managers and being unable to find a successor. they gave him 200 million pounds to spend changed his backroom staff then sacked him in October they appointed a sporting director at great cost then sacked him soon afterwards they appointed a manager with a fixed style of play that didn't suit the squad they then kept the manager slash head coach after finishing 15th they then signed players mainly for the long term they backed the manager publicly repeatedly then they reportedly asked the manager to change his approach and then they sacked him

20:17Liam Rosenior:and yet Manchester United are still second to Real Madrid in Forbes' wealthiest football clubs and still brought in£666 million last year.

20:28Nedum Onuoha:But Gabby, I don't support them to be seconded in Forbes' rich list. No, I know you don't,

20:31Liam Rosenior:but the people you're talking about, those people who take over football clubs and the Glazers in particular, aren't they more interested in buying a behemoth of something that can keep generating cash for them? Are they really, are the Glazers still as majority owners really interested in trophies? are they not interested in the bottom line?

20:52Nedum Onuoha:Well this is interesting actually because again Laurie or any other United fan that may be close to me now through the years of say the last decade or so on if the club was say winning the FA Cup against City or things like this there was still always the discussion about how the club was run so the club being in better health does that not matter anymore? Does it not matter to you anymore? Like once the Glazers are doing this the roof's leaking all this stuff if all that stuff is being worked on And truly that is a positive, is it not? Yeah, but whether it is being worked on or not is debatable.

21:24Nedum Onuoha:And there is still a lot of money that leaves the football club to people's pockets who are owners. And there is still a massive debt on the football club, which 20 years ago it had no debt. I think when you ran through that timeline as well with Ineos and so on, from my perspective again, everything always comes back, in my opinion, to what's happening on the field. so you talked about all the different people and all the different roles and yes that could be a lot more streamlined but has Amrind been sacked because he can't work with the board or has he also been sacked because the team wasn't doing as well as say he could have been doing and I think that's something that in some ways I don't know maybe it's because people like Amrind and so on I think he's not got the worst record of any manager in like nearly 100 years at United but yes the discussion is you know the technical director of this Wilcox, Barada maybe they do have their issues as such but I personally don't think Cameron did a good enough job least of all because in the last 14 months where he's been in charge how many players in that squad played better this is going regardless of whatever position they're in how many players did you see improve because for me as a head coach or a manager I think some of the best are able to do that What is it Laurie?

22:39Nedum Onuoha:Performance or falling out with the sporting director?

22:43Liam Rosenior:Well I think the pivotal moment is falling out with the sporting director really the director of football, because they were saying, and even in that meeting, I think Jason Wilcox was trying to say, listen, we want to work with you. We don't want to get rid of you. And the reaction from Ruben Amarin basically told him, told United that this was untenable. So I think if he'd had more collaborativeness, is that a word, about a collaboration about him, I think that could have continued. So I don't ultimately think it comes down to results, but I do think that maybe if he'd been absolutely winning every week, it would have been nervous about making this kind of call.

23:19Liam Rosenior:So, you know, I think props combined, but ultimately the trigger was this deterioration of the relationship. It might have been last night, chap, as I heard it on your show, but I've definitely heard a conversation over the last 24 hours about sticking with a manager. It's a controversial philosophy and very few do it these days. But Arteta was pointed to because obviously he had his wobbly, I mean, he hasn't won anything yet that Arsenal fans are going to be shouting about, But things are a lot better for Arsenal than they were. And that's progress, right? So in terms of how much time you give people, how much you stick with people, is Manchester United a bit of a basket case when it comes to that compared to other clubs?

24:01Nedum Onuoha:I don't necessarily think so. But what I would point to with the Arteta situation, and this is what I think makes a difference, is the fact that he was a player at Arsenal. I think that bought him just enough time to be able to figure the results out. because when they were going through the mess that they were going into, I think from my perspective, the fan base didn't turn on them as quickly as they did with an Emery or somebody that feels like an outsider. I think Arteta still felt like one of theirs and they knew that the club was going through a very, very funny sort of time and I think them winning the FA Cup as well probably carried a lot of good favour going forward.

24:33Nedum Onuoha:And with this Arsenal situation, we've seen most years Arsenal get better, better, better, better, better. I think with United, is it I don't know if it's getting

24:42Liam Rosenior:well if you finish 15th one season and then you're nudging the Champions League places half a season through that looks a bit better

24:48Nedum Onuoha:doesn't it? well it is better because last season was like an abomination let's be honest about that for them and a couple others it was an abomination and if that's going to be the bar that you judge the next season by you know and even this year not being in Europe is key but the funny thing about the league this year in my opinion is that you are or a team can be 5th now but the gap between 5th and 15th we're talking like four or five points so teams can come up and drop down as you know as we see it so i don't know i wouldn't necessarily call this successful just yet when you look at the current trend in in coaching or head coaches or managers do you see it as very process driven rather than and this is a i mean it's a big generalization this as opposed to a bit more emotional intelligence and man management accomplishment maybe when when you were playing aha that's that's a good question and you're pulling on a string there I don't know do you want to yeah anyway I think um across the years from when I started versus when I finished like the example I use is someone like a Sir Alex Ferguson we don't hear the stories and stories and stories of Sir Alex setting a team up on the training pitch from Monday through Friday you know you hear the personal side of things and he put his trust into his coaches to do what they need to do to make the team competitive and then he would give that extra that would take them again to that next level we're talking about one of the best managers in the history of not just football maybe sport as years have gone by i think a good way to sort of find a difference in the championship now for example there are more head coaches than there are managers a manager is neil warnock a head coach was enzo maresco in the championship and i think players are more used to getting that level of detail and instruction from the person that sits at the top as opposed to somebody else so yes we can say that the human side of things isn't necessarily there but then that's again where you rely on your assistant coaches to be that I think historically you would see that in the past anyway and for the human side of things I think players perceptions of what football is is changing and also what's really interesting about Amirim like Amirim and I are the same age I wouldn't have thought that somebody that's my age that's going to be in and around Europe or around the Premier League would want to be the manager of a football club I thought it would be more about the stuff which you do on the field which would make you a head coach the interesting thing with the championship gabby is that somebody who we have worked with a fair bit is currently the head coach i think that's his job title of the championship leaders in frank lampard at coventry they're having a bit of a wobble at the moment but one of the things that frank has spoken about since leaving everton and then take over at coventry was he reflected on how he is with the players actually and whether he was too either aloof or arrogant at times at Everton and to improve that side of his ability you can't doubt his his coaching ability and his tactical knowledge when you work with him as a pundit or actually it's very good companies when he's not arrogant or aloof as a pundit but it was interesting that he focused on that was the thing that he worked on more in between leaving Everton

27:52Liam Rosenior:and going to commentary and interesting I worked with Gary O 'Neill on match of the day on Sunday night and he was talking about his role at Wolves and kind of the opposite to Amarim. He said there was nobody there, like nobody from the ownership, nobody that he could defer stuff to. He was dealing with players' personal issues on a daily basis, players wanting to go back to Brazil to have babies, players wanting to, you know, not wanting to train because they couldn't sort their content. And he was dealing with, like literally at one point he was ringing up local hospitals to try and get an obstetrician that the player was happy with.

28:24Liam Rosenior:Can you imagine? Like, you know, that level of detail, the emotional involvement. And then he said, all I wanted to do was prepare the team. Wolves are definitely at the moment at one end of the Premier League to the kind of teams we're talking about. And that shouldn't necessarily mean that the jobs are all different, but it does mean, doesn't it, that different clubs have different ideas, different ownership groups have different ideas. And yet we link the same people with different jobs, but actually their skill sets are going to be defined by the jobs perhaps that they've had before and their

28:54Nedum Onuoha:relationships they've had before but as long as for me the roles are clearly defined within a football club then I don't think that should be a problem personally but it's very easy for me to sit in this chair and say that because I've got nothing to do with football anymore so Chelsea have have gone with Liam Resenia Laurie who again somebody I've worked with somebody I've interviewed one of the things I think with Liam is he does have really high emotional intelligence actually he does have a real understanding of what his players need or want. And he's not a rules man in the sense of, I'm going to fine you if you leave your phone, which always seems a ridiculous rule to me.

29:33Nedum Onuoha:And the fines in football... That's all, Chappas, I back you 100%. It doesn't happen in the workplace, does it? If I was stuck in traffic, Gabby isn't going to... Well, maybe she is going to fine me. I don't know. You've got your phone right there, Chappas.

29:46Liam Rosenior:That's a straightaway fine, that. I know I have, yeah.

29:49Nedum Onuoha:It's just me and Gabby texting each other whether we like your answers or not. Come on, he's taken too long. So they've appointed Liam. I find it fascinating that Celtic have gone back to Martin O 'Neill, who has got a good... The opposite way. The opposite way. But Sean Maloney, who's worked with Roberto Martinez, will probably do the majority of the coaching, but Martin is very much a people person and I'm not kind of being disrespectful to Martin in that sense. What do you think United want?

30:15Liam Rosenior:Big question. I mean, it seems to me... Well, so Darren Fletcher's got the job for the next two games, which is, as you alluded to there, Chapa has been an incredible journey for him since he's been back at United in all different kind of roles. Then they're also sort of thinking about, is there going to be a caretaker until the end of the season? Because the kind of perhaps ideal candidates for managers are going to become available in the summer or after the World Cup. And so that seems to me that they're tapping into the kind of heritage of United with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Rude van Nistelrooy being mentioned.

30:47Liam Rosenior:And so are they kind of conscious of the need to kind of get the fans back on side because it's been, to your point earlier, you know, quite a sequence of bad decisions, it seems. But ultimately, who do they want? Do they want a head coach manager that will really chime with them, that will understand the demarcation between themselves and then the sporting structure around them? So someone like Iriola, who I think clearly can understand that at Bournemouth, who's done interesting things down there. You kind of look at Oliver Glasner, who's obviously a very credible manager as well, has won things, but he has also kind of come out against the ownership at different times and different clubs.

31:23Liam Rosenior:He knows his own mind. So I wonder at what kind of point they go, right, well, we really need someone that can stand on their own two feet and can project themselves as the face of Manchester United, which is why they went for Ameren, really, the charisma that he had. Or do we want someone that we think will really align with what we're trying to do? And as I say, the question mark's still there in terms of whether they have themselves the credentials to guide this because it's a new thing for them really.

31:47Nedum Onuoha:I think it's really interesting because speaking with my friends who are fans, they want a manager, somebody that's going to be the dominant face and voice within a football club. But if I was an owner or a sporting director, why would I bring in somebody that's going to undermine my position at the club as well? And this is why I think in some ways the best functional thing in my mind for like 2026 and beyond is a head coach. You know, because it's somebody that can focus on what they've deemed something else important, which is the stuff on the training pitch. you know Gary O 'Neill's having to ring places for people to have babies when he wants to just work on the football side of things and then obviously we look at Celtic in that different situation but a lot of Martin O 'Neill's success will be led by how Sean Maloney coaches the side but you know Martin O 'Neill maybe at that point maybe he's his technical director.

32:32Liam Rosenior:I think United are are they a special case it feels like fans certainly want a figurehead who is a manager who kind of can convey that authority you know in front of the cameras to the players has that charisma they want Alex Ferguson mark too yeah don't they that's what they've been searching for for for the last 14 or 15 years and and he's not there anymore no even Ancelotti is

32:55Nedum Onuoha:not that person but also those those people who aren't that person is like Ancelotti being a prime example and the others I mean Thomas Tuchel being high up on that list as well they're at a World Cup if they go deep into a World Cup it's what 10 days after a World Cup final when you would

33:15Liam Rosenior:start pre-season or something it's the same thing they had with the Euros wasn't it a couple of years ago when they were looking at replacing Sen Haag and they were kind of thinking we might need to wait also Tuchel's track record is not to hang around for years and years is it

33:27Nedum Onuoha:and we'll push back against ownership as well yeah but yeah there we go again good luck yeah another happy half hour spent in your company, Laurie. When are we ever going to have just a lovely afternoon stroll through Manchester United? I hope never. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Don't worry, it won't be long before the other half

33:49Liam Rosenior:of the city's finding its own recruitment issues. Don't worry about that. He's not going to last very long. So what for Dunpeco's eh, Naidem, right?

33:55Nedum Onuoha:Yeah. Don't know. I'll leave the country. You won't, you'll be right in that seat next to me. It'll be a five episode special. all right book me in let's do it the sports agents

34:09Liam Rosenior:the sports agents with gabby logan and mark chapman

34:16Liam Rosenior:so thanks to nadam and laurie and we've got a fun rest of the season to look forward to

34:21Nedum Onuoha:well you know it's interesting at least isn't it gives us plenty to talk about and who knows what direction United will go in next.

34:31Liam Rosenior:So imagine, you know, when I first started out in my career, right? And I went to, I don't know, my local radio station that I was working at, you know. It's a good station. It's a big station. It's a commercial station. And then I said, one day I'd love to work for the BBC. Is that a good comparison with what's happened with Lennart Karl here, do you think? I don't know. I'm trying to work out kind of whether it's naivety or it's just enthusiasm that we should perhaps admire.

34:59Nedum Onuoha:You want me to talk about Bayern and Real Madrid, don't you? Not my views on whether the BBC is a step up from a big commercial radio station. Yeah, so Lennon Karl in a fan event said... but of course Bayern is a very, very big team. It's a dream to play there. But at some point I'll go to Real Madrid.

35:43Nedum Onuoha:some crucial goals so it's not a great thing to say but then he's a 17 year old kid isn't he

35:50Liam Rosenior:yeah and so do you think the supporters who are going mad and you know demanding that he's removed or you know it's flogged publicly do you think that they need to just calm down or do you get it

36:01Nedum Onuoha:yeah i get i get the slight anger of hang on a minute we want you to play for us we're and and And Bayern will consider themselves in the same way that, you know, Liverpool do and Manchester United do and, you know, The ultimate. They consider themselves the ultimate. The Milan clubs, maybe. You know, we're the equivalent of Real Madrid in our own countries and we've won plenty of European cups and so on and so forth. So the view would be it's not a step up to go to Real Madrid. See, if Lewis Miley said,

36:33Liam Rosenior:I would love to play for Real Madrid one day as a Newcastle United fan, I'd think, good on you!

36:39Nedum Onuoha:would you though because you're gonna make us loads of money

36:43Liam Rosenior:you're a homegrown talent i'm with you all the way there we are um so that's the difference

36:51Nedum Onuoha:from a fan base i can i can i can understand them being annoyed i don't think it means you try and hound him out of the club demanding be sold you see want a public apology

37:02Liam Rosenior:what the kind of issues that come with being a big club you see you know you're you're as we discussed today on on the podcast the expectation sometimes it's just better to be just below

37:13Nedum Onuoha:that level i i also look at it as the as the uh as the kind of issues that come when you when you do interviews or or speak at an event it's a lot easier it's a lot easier to never do

37:25Liam Rosenior:those and just keep yourself to yourself won't do any more media for about the next three years now we do like you to get in touch with us via our email thesportsagentsatglobal.com or you can message us on social media or via the link in the show notes

37:38Nedum Onuoha:our past episodes are available on YouTube, Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts and please make sure you subscribe or follow and leave a review

37:46Liam Rosenior:even if it's just a review of Mark's best winter jumper. Thanks for listening

37:50Nedum Onuoha:I would turn around and look at where it's from except it's so tight around my neck I've got no chance of doing that. The Sports Agents

37:56Liam Rosenior:with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman

38:03Nedum Onuoha:This has been a Global Player original production.