11 months ago
It’s easy for us to get carried away, because the whole mood around the club has changed overnight. But we need to be very measured in how we move forward.
We should only really form a view on Ole once the season draws to an end. For him to put himself properly in the frame, he’ll have to get us into the top 4 and get to the latter stages of the CL - because in doing so he’ll have to produce a few results in bigger games. For now, I’m just pleased that it’s enjoyable again.
With Ole, we should also bear in mind the team around him - Phelan, Carrick, McKenna. If it’s working well, then there may be an argument to keep things as they are.
Taking him out for Zidane could be a risk - his record is great, but could he oversee some of the changes we need? Did he just land on his feet with a brilliant Madrid squad or is he the real deal?
Poch might seem a better fit in terms of ticking the boxes that we know we need, and he has experience of the PL. I think he’d be a safer long term bet and as things stand he’s still my first choice.
The bigger matter for me, is how we develop the squad - whoever is in charge for next season, if we bin off the likes of Valencia, Fellaini, Jones, and bring in the right kind of player - someone who fits into a side playing high intensity, attacking football, with a few youngsters coming through, that’s key. We have to get a settled culture, a footballing ethos and playing style that fits the club - not a specific manager. Because the likelihood is, we’ll have to keep changing that role every 3-4 years anyway. We can’t be laden with having to reinvent ourselves with every cycle.