The constant noise surrounding Manchester United is a tidal wave of toxic nonsense – something that would not happen with Premier League rivals like Arsenal or Liverpool.
Roy Keane & Co. need to think before they speak (Image: Sky Sports)
Manchester United used to be a club with a siege attitude. It was they who took on the world. Gary Neville, among other things, encouraged new players not to speak to the press.
And while Sir Alex Ferguson often used the media to his advantage, he also did not shy away from economicizing the truth.
Even if it leaves egg on your face. Back in 2012, Fergie gave a press conference in Cape Town during United’s pre-season tour of the United States, flatly denying that he had signed Robin van Persie from Arsenal.
However, what he didn’t know at that moment was that his club had announced the deal on their official website. Oops.
Fergie once banned a journalist from United for daring to reveal that Rio Ferdinand was injured and would miss the season opener against Everton.
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guess what? Ferdinand missed the match due to injury. In other words, the reporter in question was punished for writing the truth.
But the point is that back then United enjoyed circling the wagons and sticking together. Division will not be tolerated.
That was the club’s motto. This is one of the club’s greatest strengths and has helped it achieve remarkable success. But how have times changed?
Some people whose attitudes were once so entrenched now band together or compete with each other, creating a toxic and constant noise around their former clubs.
A constant drone of controversial opinions. A tsunami of almost unbearable voices threatens to sink one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s attitude towards the media was notorious (Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
I once walked into a hotel elevator in Rimini and saw Roy Keane come out. Although we didn’t know each other, his decision to look straight at me while denying me the chance to respond to a polite “hello” felt childish and pathetic.
But these days, when you put a microphone in front of Keene, he can’t shut up. He even gets to the point of mocking Michael Carrick’s wife.
Note to Keane – If Lisa Carrick were to pick a United team now, as you suggested, she would be a great colleague to work with, given how well her husband’s team performed against Manchester City last weekend.
However, the bottom is yet to come. Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes decided to mock Lisandro Martinez’s height by claiming Erling Haaland would pick him up and carry him on his back.
After all, Martinez shoved Haaland in his pocket during United’s commanding victory. Haaland was dragged out with 10 minutes remaining and sat on the bench looking like a ghost.
Lisandro Martinez had the last laugh after being criticized by former United stars (Image: Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
What Butt and Scholes revealed was not analysis. It was disrespectful and degrading to my fellow professionals. That’s tantamount to bullying. And when Martinez puffed out his cheeks to respond, he was told to “make it louder.” Elegant.
Perhaps we can take a week off from listening to pundits spew meaningless vitriol against United. Even if it’s because their mouths are filled with humble pie. The rise of the critic is both surprising and inexorable. You can’t escape the noise.
And when it comes to soccer, the right to free speech has now become so toxic and nauseating in some quarters that we live in a world where a World Cup-winning soccer player (Martinez) gets so angry at what’s being said about him that he invites former greats to his home to pick fights.
Michael Carrick doesn’t let negativity affect him (Image: Copa/Getty Images)
Carrick has too much dignity and composure to be bothered by opinions. But there is no getting away from the fact that the people who talk about United convey so much hate that it is hurting the club rather than helping it.
Liverpool and Arsenal may not be in the same condition as United right now. But even if these two were, it’s doubtful they would have had the same problem with some of their former heroes.
Imagine Steven Gerrard mocking Virgil van Dijk. That will never happen. What a shame that Keane & Co. don’t have enough love for United to listen to them.
Constructive criticism is accepted. But when it comes to United, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find constructive criticism.
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