Manchester United’s Historic 19th League Title

Posted by Raj Dhonota | Posted on 15-05-2011

Category : Featured, Manchester United


Manchester United have made history. A 19th league title overtaking Liverpool as the most successful team in England. Who would have thought it was possible all those years ago when Sir Alex Ferguson first became Manchester United’s manager?

Coming from what many believe was the brink of the sack back in 1990, Sir Alex Ferguson deserves every personal and professional accolade he has and will receive for overseeing the most successful run in the history of English football.

For me, Sir Alex is without doubt the greatest manager of all time. Whilst some may argue that he needs to win more European trophies to claim that crown outright, I don’t know of any other manager who can come close to what he has achieved. Some refer to managers that have won numerous trophies at different clubs, but it is far easier to have short term success moving from one club to another, than it is to maintain the level of success that Sir Alex has maintained at one of the biggest clubs in the world over such a prolonged period of time.

27 trophies over 25 years and numerous other missed opportunities through lost finals and second placed finishes, Sir Alex has kept Manchester United in the hunt for trophies each and every year. Harry Redknapp believes that Sir Alex would have won the league with any of the top four teams this season and you have got to agree with that.

So how has Sir Alex been able to maintain so much success over such a long period of time?

Firstly, the nature of football means you need to be a great man manager and have the courage to make strong decisions to stay at the top. Sir Alex has shown those attributes time and time again.

Taking this season alone he has led Manchester United to a 19th league title when he has been without major players such as Antonio Valencia, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Ji Sung Park, Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves; all for long parts of the season. He has instilled his drive and never say die attitude in each and every one of his players which has given them the belief to rescue points that other teams would have dropped. The games against Blackpool and Aston Villa are just two examples.

To maintain success at this level over such a long period of time, you need to adapt and change with the times. Sir Alex has done this consistently over 25 years. He has built team after team, managing players under different circumstances and has never shirked making strong decisions. I remember the surprise when Sir Alex let players like Paul Ince, Van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane and David Beckham go, but he was proved right to each and every time.

Moreover, to be able to achieve what Sir Alex has, you need an enormous amount of personal commitment and drive. Sir Alex has this in abundance. He is a born winner and even now, at the age of 69, he continues to show the same amount of drive and passion he had when he won his first trophy. You know anytime his team suffer a setback they will come back stronger in the next game, and this is all down to him.

Sir Alex is simply relentless and regardless of what he achieves, he continues to look towards the next challenge. No doubt, he will enjoy this milestone for an evening but by the morning I have no doubt he will be turning his full attention to Barcelona at Wembley. The game represents a huge challenge, but who would bet against Sir Alex and his team? So…bring on Barcelona and long may Sir Alex Ferguson continue on the path that has made him unsurpassable.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United Teach Valuable Business Lessons

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Posted by Raj Dhonota | Posted on 05-05-2011

Category : Business, Featured, Manchester United

During the recent 2011 Champions League semi final and the Copa Del Rey 2011 final, we saw two of the top teams in the world in Real Madrid and Barcelona come together in what was an intriguing matchup. Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona were set out for all attack; Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid were set up to defend and counter attack.

Undoubtedly, these two teams and managers are great in their own right, but what was clear was that each team had a Plan A, and no Plan B. And the lack of a Plan B cost each team during the different competitions. In a football match, nothing is ever certain but I can’t help but feel that, had Barcelona been able to change tactics, and ‘mix it up a little’ in the Copa Del Rey Final, they may have been able to find a way to break down a dogged Real Madrid defence that was specifically set up to stop them from playing their game. As we all know they went on to lose to a counter attack.

In the Champions League semi final, Barcelona again played the only way they know how and this time they were successful, but you do need to question whether Barcelona would have scored those two goals had Real Madrid not had a player sent off. Up until the sending off Real Madrid’s tactics, albeit negative football tactics, again appeared to have been working. However, when they had their player sent off, Real Madrid needed the ability to change their tactics but they were unable to. The initial team selection and tactics meant they were unable to change their game plan and subsequently ended up losing.

Admittedly, you would assume that any team playing with one player less than Barcelona, would lose, but I still feel that they could have come away from that game with something had they changed their tactics and tried to threaten the Barcelona defence more.

I am also convinced that had it been Manchester United in either game, Sir Alex would have had a Plan B which would have enabled them to better address the circumstances. They have the players to play it on the ground, play it direct, down the centre and down the wings. Sir Alex has also never been afraid to drastically change tactics and to go for all out attack, and it is this ability to be adaptable and to have a Plan B, which has enabled Manchester United to continually challenge for, and win, trophies in what is without doubt the most competitive league in the world.

And whilst the impact of not having a plan B is most visible on a football pitch, businesses can learn much from the above. Put simply, every business regardless of stage, industry or size needs to have a Plan B for when things do not go as planned. For example, you need to know, in advance, what your options are if your sales do not go according to plan, if your business suffers a downturn, or if it suffers some other major setback. You should also be aware of the impact or likely benefit of choosing an alternative path so that you can make the right decision at the right time. Finally, changing track is not always an easy choice; but if you have done your homework correctly, and done everything to ensure that it is the right decision to make, you should have the strength and courage to make that change.

Failing to have a Plan B may mean losing a match in football, but for a business it could be fatal. So, ensure you reduce the risk to your business by considering your Plan B.