Strange decisions and proposals have been made the past week in both English and Malaysian football, and for even stranger reasons.
Let us begin by dissecting Wayne Rooney's new contract deal. Apologies for being cynical, but I have a feeling this decision is more of a sellout (or should I say, kop out).
Whichever word is used to describe David Moyes decision to award a lucrative contract to Rooney, this action is an indication of a manager having very little alternative at this point of the season due to follies consistently made at what is the biggest club in English football.
It is not only on the pitch that Manchester United seem to be struggling, now off the pitch too, decisions are made without thought.
The Red Devils need to rebuild, not invest a huge chunk of their war chest on just one player, a 29-year-old footballer whose talent is undeniable but loyalty and consistency questionable. It is simply poor management.
This is not a case of "keep Wayne Rooney and everything will fall into place". Quite simply, Rooney has become an enigma.
His thought process seems to shift between quality and truly disastrous performances. The moodiness in his method, ranging from deciding to enact out his dreams of being Juan Roman Riquelme to deciding to hit 50- or 60-yard diagonals a -la Xabi Alonso - some boys in the studios will be gushing like they used to when an aging Paul Scholes sent diagonals into the stands.
Oh, and he must also be thinking "the current Gaffer once sued me for something I said in my autobiography. Now is the perfect time to show him who is really in charge at Old Trafford".
If getting Moyes was the beginning of the end, then the Rooney deal is certainly the end of the beginning (well, of Moyes's era, at least).
Players will come to Manchester United now, not because of the club's formidable reputation (slightly wavering, yet steeped in history) or the manager (Moyes paid off the buy-out clause for his Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, a last minute purchase after "talks" with Cesc Fabregas and Ander Herrera fell through) but because the club has just set a new standard on wages.
Manchester United have broken the bank - Rooney's deal equates to nearly US$26 million (RM85 million) a year, and is the biggest annual salary in the history of the English Premier League - so it is all systems go now for agents of players all around the world.
Contract talks and contract renewals will have no limits from here on as well, with his team-mates (Robin van Persie being among the most vocal) sure to request similar increments.
Now, the key question to this deal and its impact on the club is whether that kind of money should have been spent on a"final piece of the jigsaw", or should it be spent on the first piece (albeit a slightly stagnant one) of the jigsaw, instead?
At the moment though, Rooney looks like the only piece of the jigsaw for Manchester United; he seems to be the only assurance outside the field, what with all the turmoil surrounding poor performances and a complete lack of ideas on the pitch.
Hats off to Roy Keane for saying what has been oft said in this column. Premier League, the best league in the world? Nonsense. Best-marketed, surely!
It gets better, apparently, the Manchester United owners have been impressed by the "new high tech scouting set-up" complete with gadgets including iPads.
All that is needed now, an eye and nose for talent. My 6-year-old nephew works an iPad like an old pro, so this is hardly a Baseball-esque analytical revolution right now in football.
Meanwhile, back in Malaysia...
A certain Marcel Desailly wants to coach Malaysia. This makes me extremely proud and honoured that such a big name actually recognises the fact that Malaysia is a potential sleeping giant in world football.
However, before we hand an ex-international the job, one question: Marcel, where have you coached before?
No disrespect, but although our football standards may rank a hundred something in the world, but please, we are no idiots when it comes to football knowledge.
There is time on these shores for Laurent Blanc or Didier Deschamps, both world-class internationals as players, as well as intelligent coaches who have proven success on the European level with more than a dozen trophies between them as coaches alone.
But is it worth paying big money for a man who lacks any management experience at the professional level, to coach a national team, who are themselves at a crossroads; with big ambitions but struggling to figure out the right formula for success?
The answer is most certainly, NO! Hiring Desailly is an expensive risk not worth taking for the Football Association of Malaysia.
Just thinking out loud. – February 28, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
Comments
Please refrain from nicknames or comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature, or you may risk being blocked from commenting in our website. We encourage commenters to use their real names as their username. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments