GARY NEVILLE ADMITS he finds it more difficult to talk about Manchester United than any other club as a pundit.
Neville made more than 600 appearances for United and won just about every trophy going across a remarkable spell with the club, but turned down a role with Alex Ferguson’s coaching staff upon retirement and instead became a pundit with Sky Sports while pursuing business interests.
Gary Neville promotes Cadbury as the Premier League's Official Snack Partner. David Fitzgerald / SPORTSFILE
David Fitzgerald / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
Speaking to The42 today, Neville says that he has found more difficulty in talking about Manchester United than any other side since taking up his job with Sky.
“I find Manchester United difficult sometimes. I don’t find City or Liverpool difficult. I find United difficult sometimes. Van Persie scoring goal late on in derby, I was literally standing up with hairs on the back of my neck, wanting to scream, but had to compose myself.
“Martial’s first goal against Liverpool, I honestly wanted to run on the pitch. On the other side, David Moyes losing 3-0 to Liverpool, and the same against City a week later, I was thinking this is horrific, this is horrific.
“Last year, I was at Brighton and it broke that Jose would be sacked the next day if he lost against Newcastle. I went on a rant for five minutes and I woke up the next day thinking, ‘Should I have been more composed? Should I have said that?’
“It’s harder with your own club, as you have people in the club who you like and trust.
“This is no different to anything in life, by the way. If you’re a journalist and you know someone very well, and they make a mistake or do something wrong, it’s very difficult to go over the top and criticise them, if you know them very well.
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“I’ve maintained a position all the way through that I’ll never ask for a manager to be sacked. It’s wrong. Why would I do that?
“If certain pundits do that, fine. But that’s my line, I’ll stop short of doing that. I’ll criticise a performance or a manager’s tactics or a substitution.
“With Ole, it is particularly difficult.
“I sat next to him in a dressing room for 10 years. So I’m going to be fair to him and I’ll give him a chance. Like I was with Jose Mourinho, and Louis Van Gaal. I want the club to believe in the manager. Forget me. I have no impact at Manchester United.
“I want the club to believe in what they’re doing. I want to see the club stand strong with their decisions. I don’t want to see them sack a manager after eight months, or after winning an FA Cup final.”
Neville and Solskjaer share a joke ahead of kick off against Barcelona last season. Nick Potts
Nick Potts
Neville was critical of United’s hodgepodge transfer strategy over recent years, citing the signings of Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini under David Moyes as evidence that players were not recruited to fit a single overarching style or approach.
“I couldn’t tell you what a Manchester United player was. I can tell you what a Van Gaal player was, or a Mourinho player was, but the club surely can’t recruit for Van Gaal, Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“They are completely different managers. It’s like doing your house up, and 12 months later you think, ‘fucking hell, I need to change it.’
“You don’t do that, nobody does that. If you put a kitchen in your house, you don’t rip the whole thing out and start again. At United, they are changing the kitchen every 12 months.”
It has long been rumoured that United would seek to mitigate these errors by appointing a Sporting Director, but if the club are still recruiting for the position – it hasn’t been filled.
Would Neville take it, were he offered it in the morning?
“No. I’m at Salford, I’m committed to what Salford are doing at this moment and will be for the future. At this moment in time I’m not qualified to be the Sporting Director of Manchester United.
I’m getting to a point I’m getting more experienced at doing this, I’m in the media so I see if from that side. I said for 10 years I want to develop my skills in the media, in business and sport to become someone who is better. I’m only six or even years through that journey. I’m still learning and making mistakes. I closed down two restaurants last year that failed, because I was making instinctive decisions and investments that were emotional. Not experienced, not mature. I need to stop those decisions.
“I’ve made good decisions with Salford. People say we’ve got more money, but there are a lot of clubs with money who aren’t successful. We need to get into League One, do everything we can to get into League One.”
Nor, he says, is a role at United a future ambition.
“No. I like to be in control of my own destiny. I don’t like the idea of being an employee. At Salford, I can basically do what I want in the parameters of the shareholders and what we do. It’s our football club. Same with the university we set up, and the hotels we’ve set up.
“The idea of becoming an employee and being dictated to, it’s not something at this moment I want to do.
“It’s why I left Manchester United, to stand on my own two feet.
“To make my decisions and my mistakes. I could have stayed, I was an ambassador for six months and I left. I haven’t worked for the club for 7 years and it’s not right that I’d go back.
“They wouldn’t ask me to go back. There isn’t a position that would entice me, or one they’d put me in. And I’d say, ‘Don’t put me in.’”
Gary Neville was speaking to promote Cadbury as the Official Snack Partner of the Premier League.
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'I find United difficult sometimes...with Ole it's particularly difficult' - Gary Neville on challenges of punditry
GARY NEVILLE ADMITS he finds it more difficult to talk about Manchester United than any other club as a pundit.
Neville made more than 600 appearances for United and won just about every trophy going across a remarkable spell with the club, but turned down a role with Alex Ferguson’s coaching staff upon retirement and instead became a pundit with Sky Sports while pursuing business interests.
Speaking to The42 today, Neville says that he has found more difficulty in talking about Manchester United than any other side since taking up his job with Sky.
“I find Manchester United difficult sometimes. I don’t find City or Liverpool difficult. I find United difficult sometimes. Van Persie scoring goal late on in derby, I was literally standing up with hairs on the back of my neck, wanting to scream, but had to compose myself.
“Martial’s first goal against Liverpool, I honestly wanted to run on the pitch. On the other side, David Moyes losing 3-0 to Liverpool, and the same against City a week later, I was thinking this is horrific, this is horrific.
“Last year, I was at Brighton and it broke that Jose would be sacked the next day if he lost against Newcastle. I went on a rant for five minutes and I woke up the next day thinking, ‘Should I have been more composed? Should I have said that?’
“It’s harder with your own club, as you have people in the club who you like and trust.
“This is no different to anything in life, by the way. If you’re a journalist and you know someone very well, and they make a mistake or do something wrong, it’s very difficult to go over the top and criticise them, if you know them very well.
“I’ve maintained a position all the way through that I’ll never ask for a manager to be sacked. It’s wrong. Why would I do that?
“If certain pundits do that, fine. But that’s my line, I’ll stop short of doing that. I’ll criticise a performance or a manager’s tactics or a substitution.
“With Ole, it is particularly difficult.
“I sat next to him in a dressing room for 10 years. So I’m going to be fair to him and I’ll give him a chance. Like I was with Jose Mourinho, and Louis Van Gaal. I want the club to believe in the manager. Forget me. I have no impact at Manchester United.
“I want the club to believe in what they’re doing. I want to see the club stand strong with their decisions. I don’t want to see them sack a manager after eight months, or after winning an FA Cup final.”
Neville was critical of United’s hodgepodge transfer strategy over recent years, citing the signings of Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini under David Moyes as evidence that players were not recruited to fit a single overarching style or approach.
“I couldn’t tell you what a Manchester United player was. I can tell you what a Van Gaal player was, or a Mourinho player was, but the club surely can’t recruit for Van Gaal, Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“They are completely different managers. It’s like doing your house up, and 12 months later you think, ‘fucking hell, I need to change it.’
“You don’t do that, nobody does that. If you put a kitchen in your house, you don’t rip the whole thing out and start again. At United, they are changing the kitchen every 12 months.”
It has long been rumoured that United would seek to mitigate these errors by appointing a Sporting Director, but if the club are still recruiting for the position – it hasn’t been filled.
Would Neville take it, were he offered it in the morning?
“No. I’m at Salford, I’m committed to what Salford are doing at this moment and will be for the future. At this moment in time I’m not qualified to be the Sporting Director of Manchester United.
“I’ve made good decisions with Salford. People say we’ve got more money, but there are a lot of clubs with money who aren’t successful. We need to get into League One, do everything we can to get into League One.”
Nor, he says, is a role at United a future ambition.
“No. I like to be in control of my own destiny. I don’t like the idea of being an employee. At Salford, I can basically do what I want in the parameters of the shareholders and what we do. It’s our football club. Same with the university we set up, and the hotels we’ve set up.
“The idea of becoming an employee and being dictated to, it’s not something at this moment I want to do.
“It’s why I left Manchester United, to stand on my own two feet.
“To make my decisions and my mistakes. I could have stayed, I was an ambassador for six months and I left. I haven’t worked for the club for 7 years and it’s not right that I’d go back.
“They wouldn’t ask me to go back. There isn’t a position that would entice me, or one they’d put me in. And I’d say, ‘Don’t put me in.’”
Gary Neville was speaking to promote Cadbury as the Official Snack Partner of the Premier League.
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EPL Gary Neville GNEV Manchester United