NTTF Rene Meulensteen Exclusive: The Club Has Lost Its DNA And Standards Are Nowhere Near The Level Under Ferguson

Speaking exclusively on our No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Sam Allardyce was joined by former Manchester United first-team coach, Rene Meulensteen, to discuss the current issues with the Red Devils on and off the pitch.

Meulensteen, who spent six years as first-team coach before leaving in 2013, has fond memories of being at Manchester United during the club’s prime years and says the mismanagement of the club today is down to losing its DNA from how it was run in its glory years.

Meulensteen and Allardyce also discuss the Glazer’s ownership of United, and whether the new regime headed by Jim Ratcliffe can truly return Man United to the force that was feared worldwide it once was, as well as repairing the crumbling Old Trafford.

Finally, the pair give their thoughts about alleged discussions the club had with managers such as Graham Potter over the summer, and believe those at the top have never been convinced with Erik ten Hag.

Rene Meulensteen: “In a nutshell, when you anticipate change, you need to react in advance to make sure that, okay, how are we going to manage that? I can remember having a conversation with David Gill in 2011, we were in Malaysia having a coffee and sitting together, and I said to him, your biggest challenge is to manage Man United beyond the departure of Sir Alex.

“You try to find a solution within, so you keep the DNA, you keep the stability, you keep the continuity, or you go for somebody outside, and there are not many candidates there that can handle the size of Man United and everything that goes with it, plus play in an attractive way of football and win things.

“There are two things, culture and identity, on and off the pitch. The Manchester United identity off the pitch is the brand. That's brilliant, and it will still be there. But it was very much fueled by the success that Sir Alex Ferguson and all the players and everybody created. Because everybody wants to associate themselves with success.

“Now that success has been taken away over the last 10-plus years, and a lot of changes have happened - managers coming in, managers going, players coming in, others going and they're never able to find the same sort of success formula to play that attacking and attractive way, and win things and compete for the Premier League. So it is hard to say, but it's been down to mismanagement.”

Rene Meulensteen: “At the end of the day if you are owners you have to take ownership, and the most important thing is the guidance from the ownership. They have to put the right people in place, and then it’s managing the whole club, the technical side. Initially, there was this discussion of why does Manchester United not have a technical director. Why did it not have a director of football?”

Sam Allardyce: “They got all of them, and whether that’s too many time will tell. But when you look at how many conflicting opinions there might be now, too many voices. If you got that conflict with that, like Wilcox, Dan Ashworth, you've got all these people who have their own ideas on what you should get and what you shouldn't get. So I hope it works, because we need Man United to be Man United again.

Rene Meulensteen: “You have to look at all aspects, you know, the logistics, the whole thing. And like I said, it all comes down to the ownership and making sure that every department of the club is the best that it can be. It hasn’t been. But every club has its ambitions, but with those ambitions come expectations, from staff and players. To meet those expectations, you need to have the highest standards. Sir Alex put that winning mentality in play, and to meet those standards everybody needs to take responsibility. Now, if that works, and you tick all those boxes, then you have to have a really good chance to make those ambitions come true.”

Sam Allardyce: “They need a new stadium. They need to be brave enough to say we need to build a new stadium. There’s certainly enough land without disrupting Old Trafford as it is now. They’ve got so much car park. I’m sure they can build a new stadium.

“Everybody's talking about revenue, and I recently read about Everton getting sold, and one of the main reasons Everton is getting sold for so much is because they're estimating with a new stadium they're going to create 75 million pounds of revenue a year just through the stadium. Now compared to Everton's old ground, it would probably bring in only 25 million or 30 million. That's all they can raise up to a maximum there, and you've got a new stadium that's going to have the right boxes, the right entertainment, the right values.

“Clearly, the Glazers don’t want to build it. And if it keeps getting this negativity and water keeps gushing down, it doesn’t look good for the football club does it?”

Sam Allardyce: “Dangerous thing to say. This means Man United won’t speak to him now as far as I would say. You don’t let something like that out publicly. You keep that as close to your chest as you possibly can and you get on your knees and pray United are gonna ring you.”

Rene Meulensteen: “What it does do, is it creates that constant media speculation, that creates a discussion with the fans. When Ten Hag won the FA Cup, he did a poll with the fans and the majority wanted him to stay, now it's about 50/50. and that is how it swings with the emotions of the performances and the results. You know, it's an ongoing discussion.

“The clear message that we constantly get from the INEOS group is, now we're backing the manager, and that should be clear to the players first and foremost. What fans and pundits say is not important because most importantly, you have to own that dressing room. Otherwise, if there are cracks there, players will notice it and feel it.”