United ‘rotten to core’, says furious Neville
Former star attacks Woodward and board Mourinho admits team cannot fail again today
unacceptable for United to go five successive matches without a win for only the second time in 20 years, an unwanted feat they will claim if they fail to beat Newcastle.
Neville has claimed United knew they would be getting a confrontational manager when they appointed Mourinho and believes the Portuguese deserves more support that he has received. The former England defender was previously critical of Woodward for failing to deliver the centre-half Mourinho wanted in the summer transfer window, especially after awarding the manager a new deal in January.
“It comes to a point where this would be the fourth manager in six years,” Neville said. “You have to look at who is bringing them in. The dressing room is leading what is happening. The tail is wagging the dog. Get some control back. Get some leadership. Undermining Jose on the eve of the season on why he couldn’t sign those centrebacks – who is qualified in that football club to tell Mourinho he cannot get them?
“For me, I am reacting a bit emotionally but I don’t particularly care, you could say it’s unprofessional but I am talking as a fan. It’s difficult running a football club, playing in a team but you have to operate in the right manner. But right now it’s rotten to the core and it has to be coming from the top.
“The people in the boardroom at this moment in time are nowhere near good enough. They are playing Football Manager [the computer game] with the biggest club in the world. I hope Jose is there next week because I actually like him. I am sad if he goes and I have to say looking at his face he looked tired, fed up and beaten. The players look like they have had enough and I know some of them players. They aren’t bad lads.
“They knew what they were getting when they signed him. He doesn’t back down from confrontation and he wants a team that can win now. They undermined him in the summer and you cannot undermine the manager, simple as that.”
Mourinho’s public criticism of players has caused growing rifts in the dressing room and there have been fears the situation has reached the point of no return.
But Neville’s former team-mate, Paul Scholes, claims the situation could be retrieved if Mourinho stops moaning about United’s shortcomings and instead focuses on their strengths and picks a settled team after too much upheaval from game to game.
“I’m sick of him moaning about what he hasn’t got when I think he really should be concentrating on what he has got,” Scholes said.
“I think he’s got some real quality in the squad who are very low in confidence. It’s all about giving the lads confidence, I think. When they’re constantly hearing that they’re not good enough – not that they’re not good enough – or that they’re not performing ....
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