Motivational Tactics

2009-04-27T20:51:00.000+01:00

Reward is the best motivation, but how do you motivate someone who has achieved everything the game has to offer in terms of rewards? Manchester United started this season as undisputed champions of England and Europe, and their fans were soon able to add "Champions of the World" to their famous chant.*

The biggest challenge faced by Ferguson this season was motivating this team of living legends, a team who arguably will go down in the annals as one of the most succesful United teams of all time. Reward is no longer an incentive for these players, there's not enough elbow-grease in Manchester to clean the silverware housed in Old Trafford already. But United are fortunate, Ferguson has built a team of players who share a single attribute, an uncontrollable hunger for victory. So in order to motivate a team such as this you simply have to convince them they have something to prove.

The most important figure in all of this is the undisputed best player in the World, 'that boy Ronaldo'. A player who, at the age of 23, had a season which may haunt him for the rest of his career. How can he possibly improve on that? During the summer months, and the World Cup competition, Ronaldo was courted by Real Madrid in a saga which was as tedious as it was worrying for United fans. Ferguson was not ready to let this wonderkid go, and in the end, whether you belive media rumours that a pre-contract agreement was signed or not, Ferguson persuaded Ronaldo that he still had something to prove in England. One good season does not a legend make, ask Lewis Hamilton. However it has taken until now for Ronaldo to really start playing like he has something to prove, his celebrations of late have shown real passion. Any reporter who says Ronaldo looks like he wants to be elsewhere is clearly not watching closely enough.

So what's changed in the last few weeks? United have suffered a dip in form, Ronaldo has come under closer scrutiny for his (relatively) poor form, and the media, managers and fans alike have started doubting United's dominance. This final point is the most important. Until recently, Ronaldo's best performance of the season was arguably the 2 leg affair against Inter Milan, a game before which Mourinho had questioned Ronaldo's talent. Mourinho touted his own striker, Ibrahimovic, as a more complete player than Ronaldo, more effective, and more talented. Oh how silly he looked as Ronaldo ran his poor defence ragged and Rio helped Vidic sew a new pocket in his shorts to keep the swede in. So I implore you rival fans, keep booing Ronaldo, and managers, keep questioning his talent, by doing so you are doing Ferguson's job for him. United and Ronaldo in particular will do everything in their considerable power to prove you wrong.

*A brief note about the World Club Cup. In my opinion the competition's premise is solid, the champions of each continental club competition play-off for the world crown, however the branding, marketing and scheduling of the competition lead to its status as a mickey mouse cup which only really matters to the club who win it. FIFA and UEFA have tried to increase the profile of the cup by awarding United, as champions, a unique badge to adorn their shirts, proclaiming their status as reigning World Champions. How did the FA and the Premier League react to one of their own recieving such an honour? They banned them from wearing the badge in all domestic competitions. On a more positive note, the coverage of this year's World Club Cup was far superior to that of previous years, and if the most recent taught us anything, it's that the competition may not count for much, but the red cards earned during it certainly do. Ask Nemanja Vidic.

"Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha, you are the weakest link, goodbye!"

2009-04-26T19:03:00.000+01:00

Djemba-Djemba, Kleberson, Cruyff, Poborski, Forlan, Bellion, Taibi, Blanc, Liam Miller.

A group of players whose sole purpose in life is to give hope to mediocre players, you don't have to be fabulous for Sir Alex to sign you. The latest member of this less-than-exclusive club is Ronaldo-lite, Nani. Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way questioning Ferguson's judgement. Schmeichel, Vidic, Ronaldo, Solskjaer, all players who were virtually unheard of before Sir Alex came a-calling and who all now form part of United's glittering history. Ferguson's scouting network spreads across the globe like the silky tendrils of a spider's web, picking up any talented youngsters who may have slipped the radar of Europe's elite clubs until now. Epic failures such as those mentioned above are 'acceptable casualties', however hard it may be for the fan to endure fluffed shots and spilled crosses, for the benefits far outweigh these negatives.

The problem however is that Ferguson appears to have become more stubborn in recent years. How long did he tolerate the inadequacies of Djemba-Djemba's lacklustre midfield displays? Just 18 months, and 20 games after his signing from FC Nantes, Eric was on his way down the M6 (and down the table) to Villa and then Burnley. For almost 2 years, and over 50 games now, United fans have tolerated Nani's ineptitude in defensive situations, and his failure to (as I have screamed many-a-time) 'get his f*****g head over the ball' when striking at goal. And yet, Ferguson still trusts Nani over the likes of Ji-Sung 'Duracell Bunny' Park, a player with real desire and ability. According to Ferguson Nani always 'looks like he's got a goal in him', unfortunately on the rare occasions these goals do materialise we are forced to watch on as the Portuguese whinger auditions for cirque-du-soleil (see above). It is time for United to cut their losses and move Nani on, possibly to West Brom where they appreciate skillful footballers who make absolutely no impact on a game.

Sit Down Mourinho

Motivational Tactics

"Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha, you are the weakest link, goodbye!"