I’ve never watched The Debate on Sky.
Because I already see too much chat from footballers and ex-footballers.
But Matthew Syed was on last night, so I taped it.
Syed opened the show : “The focus on managers, which is understandable, is something I think is exaggerated. The most important people in football are the players, 85% of the variation in results is explained by how much you can afford in wages. The best teams are populated by the best players, and that’s why they win.”
This guy is not just any old football hack. I respect him hugely. He’s an author, consultant and columnist who’s on another level because of his insights, his range of reference.
Syed said, “Wenger can make a difference on the margins. But most of what they do is hidden from us, it’s behind closed doors.”
He explained that reporters are not allowed to see training, that they are not allowed to get to know the players. Access is very strictly controlled, especially at Arsenal. Because King Arsene doesn’t want them to hear any voice but his own.
Syed said : “On the question of Wenger’s longevity, that can be a strength if, and only if, that manager is prepared to adapt. Football evolves, society evolves, we’ve seen tactics evolve with Guardiola.
“My sense of Wenger, he came in, he was a great innovator, introduced nutrition, he was very good at sports science. But when you go to Arsenal, and I’ve been a few times, there is a real sense that it’s exactly the same terrain. The blinkers have come down.. And when Wenger is challenged internally, he absolutely rules that club”
So he’s in a position of supreme power?
“That happened beyond football. Margaret Thatcher, when she was there a long time, she stopped taking advice, stopped listening. Kodak, the company, was an innovator. But it wasn’t prepared to move to digital. And it died.”
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Just got this email from a lifelong Gooner : I’ve just been reading The Telegraph & Guardian football pages – Wenger lambasting the players for ‘complacency.’ And I thought satire was dead!!
Remind me, who created the ‘Colney Crèche’ culture in the first place?
My friend must be psychic. Because I was wondering when I first used that phrase.
The link to Syed’s excellent website
http://www.matthewsyed.co.uk/about-me/