It seems clear now that, despite whatever Ed Woodward or the rest of the club’s board may say publicly, Jose Mourinho‘s exit is a matter of when, not if, and the disgruntlement which has spread throughout his squad, most notably from star midfielder Paul Pogba, will be hugely influential in the decision.
Pogba’s role in this saga has been heavily criticised, as his comments in the media have made it increasingly clear how frayed the relationship between the Frenchman and Mourinho is.
The rest of the squad seems to have followed his lead, with tensions between players and manager poisoning the atmosphere at Old Trafford.
The idea players can influence club decisions over managerial appointments and sackings is one which doesn’t sit well with the current football establishment, even as it becomes more prevalent.
If Mourinho is sacked because of player power, it won’t be the first time – not even for him, as he fell victim to it during his second stint at Chelsea and, arguably, at Real Madrid as well.
Both those clubs have seen players account for the jobs of managers in recent years, with Paris Saint-Germain another high-profile example of a club where players have effectively forced a manager out.
But is the establishment – and the majority of football fans, who seem to agree with the pundits’ take on this – stuck in the past?
The vast majority of pundits are ex-players who largely accepted the manager’s authority during their career. That was the norm for them.
Paul Ince on Man Utd Players:
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) October 4, 2018
"They're throwing him (Mourinho) under the bus, despite putting in poor performances every week. And they're getting away with it. Some players want Man United to get beat, just so that there’s pressure on Mourinho to be sacked'' pic.twitter.com/829vSdRliN
The philosophy was put into words most succinctly by Sir Alex Ferguson, who said that the manager has to be the biggest person at a football club.
He, of course, had his own run-ins with Pogba and his agent during the midfielder’s time as an academy star and fringe first-team player, and one can almost expect that if he were in control now, the 25-year-old would be on his way out of the club – though Ferguson likely would never have let the relationship sour this much in the first place.
That thinking remains with his era of managers, which includes Mourinho and his contemporaries, as well as many of the players who played under him or at least at the same time. And fans, especially the United fans who revered Fergie, have largely grown up thinking the same way.
But, in most other walks of life, what’s happening between Pogba and Mourinho, and its likely resolution, is fairly normal.
Think of any workplace. If there’s one rogue, disrespectful, or underperforming employee, they will likely be fired. But if an entire team of employees with potential is being mismanaged, the person in charge will be the one under the scanner.
Managers do run the risk of getting fired if their departments aren’t delivering results and the team members are disgruntled with their leader.
And it’s just as normal for an employee to start looking for a new job if their current one doesn’t showcase their talents properly, or their role isn’t the best fit for them, or, indeed, if their salary doesn’t meet the expectations set by their own performance and the prevailing job market.
Yes, football does exist in its own ecosystem. Most people in the world can’t mouth off to the media when they’re annoyed with their bosses.
Seaman: “When you get Rio and Scholesy have a right go on TV, it’s not good. Something’s got to give and I hope it’s not Mourinho. I know a lot of fans won’t like that but if Mourinho gets the boot, then player power has won and I’m not a big fan of that."
— Man Utd Empire (@Empire_Mu) October 4, 2018
Most would also be pulled up at performance reviews if they weren’t delivering, whatever the reasons. And of course, the money is astronomically more, which is the fans’ usual argument when it comes to player behaviour.
But perhaps, instead of looking at the rise of player power and condemning it, football should look at the world at large and wonder if it has simply fallen behind the times.
