Time United boss got the Paxman treatment...

Jeremy Paxman once sat in the press conference room at Highbury marvelling at the respect shown to the arsenal manager. George Graham was in endgame at the time, beset by bad results, bad signings and scandal. even so, he was being handled with kid gloves; Paxman was bemused at the civility of it all, compared to his combative turns with politicians. Well, relative importance makes a difference. The people who brought us Brexit deserve a more urgent grilling than a chap who has just dropped points at Brighton. even so, reading the transcript of Jose mourinho’s 336-word press conference on Friday, one wonders how uncomfortable he would be if ever exposed to a gloves-off interrogation? Take this underarm delivery. ‘you have always spoken with great respect about Woodward — I imagine the relationship with him is fine?’ not exactly the Paxman maxim of ‘why is this lying b****** lying to me?’ is it? The journalist is so determined to be polite, so anxious to ensure mourinho is unoffended, the question is as good as answered in the asking. Or this: ‘Do you feel perhaps… there might have been a bit of an over-reaction to the defeat in the second game?’ That was the fixture in which manchester United, a team who cost in excess of £300million, lost limply at Brighton, and their captain and most expensive player, Paul Pogba, admitted the attitude of the players was all wrong. So what over-reaction would that be, then? What reaction is permissible in such circumstances? How much softer must inquisitors go to remain on the right side of these gargantuan egos? Indeed, what did a sour-faced mourinho witness in that 90 minutes at Brighton to make him think he was above challenge or query? United have over £60m-worth of central defenders, bought on mourinho’s watch, who do not look worthy of an elite club. He has a World Cup-winning midfielder talking, and playing, in riddles. He has a game looming against Tottenham tonight that has already assumed greater significance due to the erratic nature of United’s start to the season. and no, it’s not Brexit. all the more reason, then, to ask a straight question and expect a straight answer, rather than tiptoeing around a subject for fear of disturbing the fragile genius at work. If United can’t at least match Brighton’s commitment there really is only one question. WTF?