I thought I'd write a some observations about SUFC under Nigel Clough. Appointed as manager just over a year ago, the club were in a dire position when Clough signed as manager, and we looked likely candidates for relegation to the lowest tier of the professional game. At that moment we were 21st in division one, things looked bleak after a terrible run of results under former manager David Weir.
Clough came in and his first task was to instil a more professional attitude amongst the players, most importantly to give them belief, but also to stop the slide that we were on. Very slowly this began, at a snail's pace to begin with, but bit by bit, United, under Clough, took one step at a time and started to move in the right direction up the division. One of the most positive changes to happen that season was the loan signing of Cardiff's John Brayford. Such was his impact that Brayford became the unofficial 'reason to believe' United fans had been deprived of. I can't recall a player making a greater impact on the fans, the players, the way we played etc, than Brayford. Affectionately named 'The Beard', Brayford was a class above anything we had at that time, or since, some might chip in, a point you won't find me disagreeing with. We also had the loanee Conor Coady, signed from Liverpool by the previous manager. Coady was initially a puzzle, almost like a fish out of water, but slowly the boy began to impose himself, becoming an integral part of Clough's plans.
Clough's management style was something we were getting used to. He saw potential where many fans turned their nose's up. In Murphy and Flynn, we had two players who had underwhelmed. Clough could see that they had far more to offer and he set about challenging them to stake a place in the team. The result of which was that we finally saw two moderate players blossom into two essential players. Well done Clough I say. Then there was the team bogeyman, Michael Doyle. I was one of many who couldn't fathom why Doyle was a regular week in, week out. But Nigel saw what other managers saw, and played Doyle regularly. The good thing is, that under Clough, Doyle has managed to remove the status of club misfit and become a player we can all respect and realise what value he brings to the team, at least on this level.
That season became one of promise. Ultimately unfulfilled promise, but what it showed was that in Nigel Clough we had a manager who could galvanise the team and thus the supporters. We had the mother of FA Cup runs, being beaten in the semi-final, but far from disgraced. What a run we had in the cup that season! We went to Villa, it was already written that we were meant to lose. Oh yeah? Tell that to the six thousand Unitedites who travelled that day. Even the Villa fans were generous enough to say we were the best set of travelling fans they had seen. Oh, there was the small question of the game we were meant to lose.....we met blow for blow, we outplayed 'em, and who can forget Flynn's killer goal? There was the game against Nottingham Forest at t'Lane, did we play well or what?!? Then we popped down to Fulham for a replay, with many of our 'bredren' thinking that all good things must come to an end. Jeez, a game in which we took the scalp of another team from the Premiership, and were we on a roll!?!? After the gloom of almost diving into relegation suicide, here we were, playing as if we were capable of facing anyone, and what a feeling that season created in everyone. Ok, we were never, realistically, going to get promotion, it was just too late for that to happen. But what a rollercoaster we were on, and it was a sign of a club who had been in the doldrums for far too long, suddenly realising what this club was capable of. I'm not talking about European cups, but our ability to compete in domestic competitions. We had regained the pride that had been allowed to fall by the wayside, and it felt fantastic.
So, fast-forwarding to this season, and expectations were understandably high. Perhaps we should have aimed a little lower, but after last season, and the new regime in control of the club, who could blame anyone for looking forward with ambition? Up until now it's been a strange, at times unsettling season. Frustration and disappointment have raised their heads more than once, and a few of our supporters have asked questions of Clough's suitability to take this club forward. My response to that is.....heresy. Not because I see only good in our manager, no, he's fallible, but then he's human. Here's something to remember, Alex Ferguson got rid of Jaap Stam, a colossus of a defender, and as integral as a player could be at that time. But Ferguson felt betrayed by Stam over a disclosure in a book and it was the end of Stam's career at Old Trafford. Rightly or wrongly, that was Ferguson's style of management. It sent out a clear message, and it gets respect and fear in equal proportions from those who play for him. If that's what it takes then so be it. I should add that Ferguson was a lucky so and so. He managed a great club, had resources to burn, and knew, that if necessary, he could go and buy another centre half to replace Stam. Which brings me onto our manager. What I see in Nigel is the same determination his dad had. You wouldn't want to cross Nigel's path that's for sure, and we should realise that in his hands this club is moving forward.
From languishing in 21st position to currently rising to 6th, in just over a year, with significant personnel changes, boardroom changes, and the hint that United might just be on the cusp of doing more than simply talking about being successful, United have made significant improvement all round. There are over 30 games still to be played, and to paraphrase Clough, if we're in the top group around xmas he'll be happy knowing we can kick on from there. Those are the words of a grounded, determined man. Clough is someone who knows the difficulties that surround managing a club, especially a club like United where it doesn't take much for the baying pack to let it be known that they're not happy. I must add, that discontent has more than a shred of substance. We've been mismanaged, had no serious leadership, and never really promised to deliver in a timescale that I dare not admit too. The fact is we're a club with an infrastructure that flatters to deceive, but the most important factor, the team, is well below the standards of everything else that this club represents. Some of our fans still cannot grasp this fact, because that is what it is, a fact, not an interpretation. But none of this is Clough's fault. He's here to address the everyday problems that hopefully will lead onto success in a higher division. He wants this as much as anyone, so don't let that cynic standing next to you turn your thoughts with tales of doom and gloom. Clough knows his job, far more I'd add than the merchant of gloom who can't see the wood for the trees.
You can bet your bottom dollar that we'll see highs and lows before the season ends. Promotion is the only thing that matters, we know it, but so does Clough. Nigel has and will make mistakes. Anyone who imagines it will be an easy path ahead of us is fooling themselves. What Clough is, I'm convinced, is a man who doesn't need to be told twice. That's a good talent in my book. Make your mistake and then move on, wiser and better for the experience. He's robust, and so should we be. Once we're in the Championship I expect anywhere between 2-4 seasons as we learn to adjust. Maybe too slow for some, but I'd rather we had a solid foundation as we make a concerted drive for promotion to the Premiership.
My one, final, observation is with the supporters of this club. We can be a miserable bunch of bollock heads at times, but what I do know is that even the chief flag wavers for the miserablists is as passionate as anyone else. And it's this passion that unites us. Last night we had over 19 and a quarter thousand inside the ground, on a miserable Tuesday night. That's over a thousand more than QPR had at Loftus Road last Sunday against Liverpool! Think about that, a Sunday match, at home, and against the scousers, and they couldn't top the number we attracted last night. A division separates us from the 'R's' but we're still a bigger club in principal than they could hope to be.
So lads and lasses, miserablists and optimists, and that select bunch of realists that I count myself amongst, let's keep focussed, I sometimes think we underestimate our worth to what happens at this great club.....oh, and well done Cloughie UTB!
ffs.It's like having a chat with my 6 year old daughter.
