Where have all the good managers gone?

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Here is a question, where have all the good managers gone? Now just to be clear there are some good ones out there in the Premier League. Look at the impact Arne Slot has had on Liverpool and Nuno Espirito Santo is working miracles at Nottingham Forest. Because of their managers the likes of Bournemouth, Brentford and Aston Villa look like becoming consistent sides for a number of seasons. This is all very well but there also seems to be a lack of quality managers to the fact that when your side are about to sack someone the question gets asked around, 'but who can come in'? Manchester United are a good example of this. How can it be that one of the biggest clubs on the planet cannot find a world class manager that can put the club back on track to their glory days, that can at least make them consistent and a threat to any competitions they enter into it, and it's been like this for over a decade. In short a club like United can afford and attract almost anyone in world football. And yet they continue to suffer. Ruben Amorim was seen as the next best manager in the game but United have become worse under him. He has not been able to fix the clubs problems as of yet despite the quality of players they have. 

Over at Tottenham Ange Postecoglou was seen as an astute and quality signing for the club. But he has made them even more 'Spursy'. He refuses like Amorim to adapt his tactics which is playing into the hands of most clubs. United and Tottenham have been linked to relegation stories- it won't happen but even being linked tells us everything we need to know. Ange has been a real disappointment at Tottenham just like Antonio Conte before him. You get the sense that if Ange is sacked, and right now his job seems to be hanging by a thread, that he will probably do better at another club. Chelsea have had there fare share of world class managers turn bad too. Antonio Conte again and England's once bright hope Graham Potter who had done well with Brighton realised within weeks his limitations as a manager when handling egos. Mauricio Pochettino had a tough time at the Blues also and Enzo Maresca after a bright start just feels like yet another manager on the processing plant. There does seem to be a shift in how a new manager is affecting his new club. Recently we have seen managers coming in to clubs whose form has suffered and they have made it worse. Ruben Amorim is a good example. But look at how Leicester have fallen under Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Ivan Juric has made absolutely no difference to Southampton and their inevitable freefall from the Premier League. Graham Potter at West Ham has lost 2 from his first three games. It's an interesting change because a new manager nearly always signalled an upturn in form even for the team in last place. Could this also be linked to a lack of quality managers out there, now that's worth a thought. 

Jim Ratcliffe wants everyone to know he is running Manchester United and will continue to stamp his authority on the club. This week on top of many loyal back room admin staff being made redundant Ratcliffe is now going after former legends of the club. It does not matter who you are either. Even Sir Alex Ferguson will lose his honourable status with the club. In this regard it's not much of a surprise given the already wealthy former manager was being paid £2 million a year for such services. What is more damning is that former players like Bryan Robson who were never able to experience the mega wages of the recent footballer have been told that their fees for giving VIP tours of the stadium will be cut. It has been reported that player legends on certain tours get around £500 every couple of weeks. This money can make a huge amount of difference to their lives. But pay will be cut in cost cutting measures. Fine clubs are not charities, although fans see clubs through their history and Robson et all serve that history to the fullest. United can also afford Robson's wages. Here is a club that spent a reported £200 million in the summer and continue to give their players hundreds of thousands of pounds a week. One has to ask then why is Ratcliffe so adamant in punishing staff on low wages? Why is he so adamant in punishing fans by raising ticket prices to £66 per game even for kids? The former owners the Glazers were not much liked at the club but Ratcliffe does not seem to be the owner that they were looking for. A relentlessly ruthless club owner usually thinks they are making sound financial decisions. But are only on a power trip, it would be no surprise if Ratcliffe's project falls apart around him and ironically ends up costing him billions of pounds with no real results to show at the end of it.