Overreaction Monday ft Ed Woodward, the death of the 2020/21 season, and Barcelona
SportsCafe
Over-reacting to situations is the human way but when it comes to football something clicks in a person that makes things comical, ludicrous and rarely sensible. That being said after a packed weekend of hysterical of no football in most of Europe, there were bound to be a few hare-brained ideas.
Ed Woodward has finally got it right at Manchester United
The Daily Mirrorâs David McDonnell sounded positively joyous and convinced when he wrote that âEd Woodward has appeared to finally get it right.â
SC Take:Â That quote is from an article about how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has transformed the club which on its own is now an overreaction. Because, while the Norwegian has done good work, heâs done nothing that any manager before him shouldnât have done. The only difference is that for once, Manchester United are willing to give a manager time and the chance to build something. However, saying that Ed Woodward has finally gotten something right, is the problem right there.
The Manchester United chief has earned the club a lot of money by building a solid marketing base on their past glories but in doing so, Woodward has done nothing to add to said glory. Thatâs the extent to what heâs done and it shows why fans are so upset and angry with him. Instead, for some absurd reason, heâs happy with what is happening and that needs to change at United. They need to stop being happy at getting one thing right and start getting everything right.
The 2020/21 season needs to be scrapped completely
A no football world has seen the interweb lose its mind and a few fans believe that the 2020/21 season, not the 2019/20 one, has to be scrapped.
SC Take:Â They go onto explain in great detail why it would save football and while it does make a lot of sense, itâs a ludicrous idea. Itâs about as sensible as rendering the 2019/20 season void, erasing the hard work that many clubs below the national league have done and about as sensible as believing that tractor therapy is the cure for the COVID-19 virus.
The definition of an overreaction, it would see the league season finish normally and then nothing for what might be months. Now all this is predicated on the fact that the coronavirus is not curable, which if reports are to believed, then it is moving towards that stage. The combined might of the world against one tiny virus, but moving on, it doesnât mean scrapping a complete league season and especially not when there are other options.
Barcelonaâs board has no idea what theyâre doing with the club
While the rest of Europe are looking to cut staff and player wages, Barcelona are set to cut the wages after the players turned down the club offer to cut 70% of their wages.
SC Take: Now that is just a small part of the problem because will reportedly Barcelona have used Spainâs labour laws to make this happen. Theyâre not the only Spanish clubs to do that and a statement released by Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez has revealed that the players are happy to take the 70% wage cut. Now, that could just be a PR move but even then, add that with Lionel Messiâs feud with the board, the dressing roomâs feud with the board, the way they sacked former manager Ernesto Valverde and other issues.
It has seen many aboard the internet train claim that the Barcelona board have no clue what theyâre doing and they might just be right. Because all this shows not just a singular problem but instead a systematic failure at Barcelona and that all stemmed from their board and their president. Add that to the reported social media attacks that have reportedly stemmed from the president again and it causes a lot of problems for the club. The question, however, is with Barcelona in the economic state that they are, wasnât there a better way to handle the wage cuts?
Rendering the 2019/20 season null and void is the only option
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has joined the bandwagon and asked that the 2019/20 season has to be rendered null and void for the better good.
SC Take: While Ferdinand does make a good point about why the season should be rendered null and void, with it being a far better one that what Karren Brady had to say, it's still hard to not to say that itâs an overreaction. Because again, while the health and safety of the millions around the world are more important, itâs hard to simply reduce the achievements of what clubs like Sheffield United and Leicester City have managed to do this season.
Even Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, West Bromwich, and so many others below the Premier League will suffer immensely. Some are already suffering, with leagues in the national league having been rendered null and void, and it has seen some clubs even go out of business. But the bigger question is, even if football can be played safely again, how will the FA and the EFL sort out the schedule?
