Instant success
SAM MEADE explains why football should take a longer-term view
Why patience is a dirty word
PATIENCE remains a virtue. Unfortunately, football remains so immensely out of touch with society that such a word is associated with naivety and stupidity.
Despite constant calls for time from coaches and managers alike, it’s rarely afforded in today’s game.
Whether justified or not, the status quo has seen little change and that looks set to remain. Owners maintain the right to make any decision they see fit to protect their investment and see a worthwhile return.
There lies the first and core problem to the survival of managers and the instilling of potential future talent.
Those at the top of any club hierarchy care about two fundamental things – 1. The perception, and 2. The success of their establishment - whereas the success of the national team or the state of affairs in a decade’s time are of little concern.
Ultimately, it’s hard to deny such views but it does suggest an apathetic outlook to the larger task at hand.
It is summed up in Arsene Wenger’s reasons for not looking at Riyad Mahrez when he was at French club Le Havre in 2014:“If I sign a player for £400,000, before he plays people will say ‘what is that? That is not serious for Arsenal’ but if you say we signed a player for £40 million they will think he is really good.”
The Arsenal manager made it clear that the market he buys in does not allow him to view players like Mahrez and has to accept that they will go by the wayside.
And you can see why. If he called a press conference to announce he’d signed a 25year-old Algerian from the French second division, he would get little coverage and mass inquests.
But the minute he signs Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for a club record fee, the hysteria and credit goes through the roof. The choices a manager makes are based and enforced by the prejudice of the club they manage and that is beginning to prove as detrimental as it is successful - and it is them who bear the repercussions. Freddie Mercury of Queen famously sang “I want it all and I want it now!” It looks as if 95% of football club owners were big Queen fans in the 70s and aim to sing from the same hymn sheet. Whether it is Roman Abramovich (Chelsea), Florentino Perez (Real Madrid) or Daniel Levy (Tottenham), the mantle persists and people continue to lose their jobs regardless of reputation or records. Carlo Ancelotti was dismissed 12 months after winning the Champions League for Real Madrid and Roberto Di Matteo even quicker from Chelsea. The concept of repetition and maintenance are as fundamental as the original success. Many managerial greats have fallen victim to the system and it is becoming so institutionalised in the game that the blueprint appears set for the long haul. The irony in the long haul is that to reap you must first invest, and whilst time has no price it will always remain invaluable. Louis van Gaal is two years into his three-year contract at Old Trafford but his tenure of Manchester United at present can be classed as nothing short of a failure.
Despite that, if you gave (and he wanted) the Dutchman a ten-year contract, I honestly believe Manchester United would sit next to Barcelona as the best team in the world by the time he had finished.
The Catalans remain the world’s model football club and rightly so, but van Gaal did apply his trade in the Nou Camp so understands their ways.
Not only has he had the confidence to give so many young academy graduates their chances but they have repaid that faith and look like some of United’s best players in a faltering season.
Marcus Rashford, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Jesse Lingard have all shown considerable development in a side that has petered out.With a further five years of educa-
tion, they could comfortably be elite international players.
The problem facing the Dutch manager is he would never be afforded the right, simply because of the dynasty he must embrace and continue.
But when teams are allowed to take a step back in order to take several forward, they often stride with intent, integrity and ambition.
Jurgen Klopp took over Borussia Dortmund in 2008 knowing the stature of the club that had won the Champions League just over a decade previous.
He set about building a team in his image and it took three years before they had the talent to justify the time it took to assemble them. The likes of Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels, Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan emerged as some of Europe’s elite players.
After two successive titles and a Champions League final, the team began disbanding with star players seeking pastures new.
But the foundations had been set and Dortmund are still a class act.
As for current world stars, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo shine the brightest and in many ways we’ve been spoilt with what has been on display.
But with the environment of football everchanging, it’s worth considering what will happen if we continue to dismiss tomorrow’s generation.
The responsibility lies with those in charge and that extends way beyond the man in the dugout.
Hold on... How much did you say he cost?!?