The only thing to remember when dealing with big institutions is that they mean opposite of what they say and say opposite of what they mean. It is usually not their fault because the only way to sell your story is to tell people what they want to hear and not the truth.
Facebook and Google will spend time telling you why everything they roll out is all about “you” while conveniently omitting how much they will make as a result.
In football, the only response as to fixing issues on the pitch is usually to fire the coach and make sure people see him as the bad guy.
Few weeks ago, Massimiliano Allegri’s name got attached to a rumor about Manchester United making him the next manager of the Red Devils. Later on, the club’s chief executive Ed Woodward came out to publicly back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for doing a “wonderful” job.
He stressed that the Norwegian was following true to United’s biggest tenets: youth, attacking football, and winning.
Except good Ol’ Ed’s definition of winning is different, it is hard to not imagine he was a little tipsy when he gave that interview.
Then, it may just be his own way of telling Solskjaer that his time is actually up. Big institutions can’t speak in plain English and as an executive of one you had best be very good at not speaking in plain English.
United are not improving. The body language from the players who are supposed to act as leaders are not encouraging. The coach looks exactly like the kind of guy you don’t want to be in charge of your club: someone incapable of inspiring his squad to do a job.
Solskjaer used to be United baby-faced hero but that does not stop the people running the club from teaching him that despiteEd Woodward backing him, institutions will never mean what they say.