Leave aside the deeply divisive comments about the state of UK, but its beyond human comprehension to understand the need or timing of this statement from Sir Jim. Was it sheer ignorance or a deliberate tirade not sure, but one cannot get over the statement that was made and impact that it will have in general.

I am neither a psychologist nor do I have a degree in this field, but this post is just a human analysis of these statements regarding Why and Why Now.

Let’s start with Why? Could it be some deep-seated emotions that was just waiting for an opportunity to find its way out or was it badly worded? It is difficult to imagine that person of his stature wouldn’t be media trained and importantly don’t realize the weight his words carry. No matter how you try to look at it, picture doesn’t fit the frame isn’t it!

Colonization is such a painful word to use and on a personal note the ramification of the colonization is still felt in my country even after 78 years of Independence and for him to have used in this globally mobile and connected word, feels unnatural unless there are motivations behind it. May be only time will tell.

Let’s zoom in a bit into our Club. Our Club’s fanbase is the most diverse and most passionate amongst all the clubs on the planet. Let’s look at first team, our academy, how many of them are from migrant families and add to the fact that Manchester is one of the most multicultural places in England, then question is as part owner of Manchester United, was this is a responsible statement to make?

The burning question is Why Now? I mean seriously, of all the time that he could have chosen to speak on a topic (that clearly seems to be closer his heart), the timing couldn’t have been worse. We are just recovering from horror show under the pretend manager Amorim and are finally seeing some joy on field and suddenly this. One cannot help but think – when is this curse going to lift? Again, time will only tell.

The psychological impact it can have on his staff in general at INEOS and players, non-playing staff, administrative staff at the club cannot be underplayed. It has most definitely created an uncomfortable calm, and one will only hope it doesn’t end up disintegrating already weak foundation of our club.

UK off late has seen rumblings around illegal immigration and if the statement was targeted at illegal immigration, then statement might have been interpreted differently but having just said immigrants the tone and complexion has changed significantly. The conversations that might have been happening in elite parties or between mates, is now out in the open and one would think the genie is now out of the bottle.

Amorim deserved sack long time ago purely on results and performance but was persisted with because he was INEOS appointment and they wanted to be patient. They were patient and even SJR backed him to complete 3 years.

I think they didn’t like his inflexibility but weren’t outraged, however from public eye last night’s interview might have been the last straw in my view.

Amorim was appointed as the head coach and not the manager.

Source : Manchester United appoints Ruben Amorim (Official Statement)

In all the briefings it was made abundantly clear by INEOS they will be looking to appoint Head Coach and to see this outcome after the outburst yesterday night should be hardly surprising.

Despite run of poor results and even awful performances Amorim was safe and even received public backing however when he said whatever he said I think the scales tilted. Surely that would have ruffled SJR as well who might have been his staunchest supporter.

Now every other factor that was ignored till now will become relevant ( Result Performance, Inflexibility) and ultimately resulted in sack.

Same people who would have said he should be gone now will say this is not the way to do it and he should have been given time. Hypocrisy will lay itself bare in the next few days.

Are we becoming un-manageable not because of the expectation of fans but because of the cabal that exists, that will prey on single detail and make life hell for anyone that is to come?

Only thing I request INEOS is there is an entire machinery that is set up to see us fail so please do have that mind when you do next appointment!

Live coverage of any sporting event must give us, the audience – Commentary (basically describing the match as it unfolds) and Analysis (as the name suggests, analysis of the events and making sense of strategies/tactics on display). Both these can either be provided by an individual or couple of individuals who blends both these perspectives and take us (the audience) through the ebbs and flows of the game and at the same time build and maintain excitement throughout the match.

However, it seems off late that the narratives are not dictated by events as they unfold but rather seems to be pre-decided and then data is propped up that suits the narrative rather than the other way around.

I am going explore this hypothesis of mine through the lens of sports that I follow - Cricket and Football.

For Football, let’s take my team Man United. Although they are not so behind in points table but there is a preset narrative that they are just bad. Bigger picture – they are 3 points behind Man City, 1 point behind Chelsea, but every time when something happens at United the commentators start talking about job of the manager, however if the same thing happens at City or Chelsea, then it’s about a blip in form or some other perspective but never about the ability of the manager! So, it begs the question, where is the objectivity here? And why different strokes for different folks?

Only plausible explanation, they want to create/ sustain a narrative that can then be fed into respective sports channels pre/post-match coverage or their sports news channels so that they can run it 24*7. Identify themes and amplify it across different media – ‘how long will Amorim last’, ‘ why is he so adamant on system’, ‘he has only proven in Portuguese league and has no wherewithal to do it in Premier League’ etc… this then also feeds fan channels, fan forums and then they start running it with it, which creates this unending and vicious circle of frenzy.

Let’s switch to Cricket.

I think it’s well accepted that nationalities of the commentators do influence the type of commentary you hear.

Take Indian commentators for example, one can hardly find any commentator critical of any Indian player (forget about Captain) on air, as the axe will fall on them and they might not earn their next contract. Add to it, Indian cricketers don’t respond well to criticism either and it inevitably impacts the commentator. So here the question is – what value do they really add? Personally, Indian cricket commentary scene is more like a retirement club of ex-cricketers who talks about on-field events on occasion but indulge more in praise of the cricketers or criticize in a way the seems more like ‘ oh you shouldn’t have done that brother’ instead of calling spade a spade (or) worse still, talk amongst themselves about topics which really don’t add value to anyone!

English, Australian commentators have evolved from their narrative of how bad IPL has been for the game, to now using it to praise the mentality of young crop of Indian cricketers, however they are good at drumming up non-events as events to run a certain narrative like ‘spirit of the game’ or ‘these kind of pitches’ or ‘on their day’ etc, when it suits them. Again, one asks for fairness and objectivity.

End of the day, live sports coverage must engage the audience, not from goodness of their heart but for very survival of sport, as they not only want to grow their viewership by adding new markets but also, to make sure that their audiences don’t switch to other content whilst the game is on. Under both these circumstances, if audiences don’t get a fair, objective, insightful analysis of the game with a touch of excitement, then not sure if either of the objective will be met and relevance of live commentary in the times to come will most definitely be questioned!

Yet another week, yet another result, yet another damning indictment of where we are! Patience appears to be treading on wafer thin edge. Only tactic that seems to be working is hope and prayer! Yet our hope lives on and a belief (from not sure where!) that yes this too shall pass…

Often United fans are accused of living in past and in a constant comparison mode with those glory days and even accused of being delusional. But hasn’t the human spirit rebuilt nations, changed destinies of millions? If that can be done to nations, surely why can’t that be done to a club, one can ask! May be the difference lies in the people who are part of the process, do they also believe in it! We can have the entire world cheering and rooting for you but unless you believe in what you have embarked upon, nothing is going to change isn’t it!

I have often pondered - has the past decade of malaise down to the age of social media as well? Are the players and managers finding the social media madness too much to handle (or) have they made it their priority to milk the PR money! Surely, they can’t think social media world is real.

Far too often we have seen players come to United and get lost in all the glaze. It is really tempting to compare United to a blackhole now, whatever goes in doesn’t see the light at all! I do believe we have become a gargantuan mess!

Yes, we cannot absolve the Glazers from all this; however, don’t all the players, staff share the blame as well! End of the day they are the ones who determine outcome on the pitch. We have been on the treadmill of buying players, selling players (not for profit), hiring managers and then sacking managers, on our way gathering trophies. Is that what we are all about now!

Do we have the stomach for a rebuild? Do we have patience to stick with the manager when things aren’t going our way! Mind is scrambling and is in desperate search of that dangling branch to hang onto, else this stream will drown us. By us I mean United fans, end of the day we are the ones who are really suffering isn’t it!

Renaissance was a period where people were rediscovering their roots, their culture , philosophy and their ethos. However, it was preceded by ‘Dark Ages’.

Unprecedented wars against Ownership, destruction of fabric of the club, off-field and on-field carnage and chaos - well i think it fits the defintion of ‘Dark Age’ in sporting sense, doesnt it! Only one major burning question, is there a Renaissance on the horizon?

Like scientists around the world who are intrigued by 3 body problem of celestial body movements under influence of gravitational forces and then trying to ascertain its trajectory, likewise as a United fan I / rather we are forever intrigued by 3 body problem that has plagued the dynamic between Manchester United and English media – Hate, Relevance and Love.

Whether it is us completing a signing for 100m or for 1m (deliberately didn’t mention currency as that’s how media reports them to somehow push it up!), the pomp and coverage never cease to amaze. There are clubs in League who have signed players for £100m whose hairdo makes more waves than performances on pitch or some who have failed drug tests, but those never makes headlines. However if a United player goes out late evening, the English media will be all over it and run it sometimes for weeks/ even months. Let’s call this the ‘Relevance’ dimension, if you aren’t relevant then who is going to read you isn’t it!

We then have characters - be it retired football ‘legends’ from other clubs, or an ex- player who is making news now just because of theatrics around his laughter or some ex-players whose wounds haven’t healed yet – who will go on TV channels or on YouTube channels or Podcasts or Radio shows with a single agenda- ‘What is the new way we can bash United TODAY’. Let’s call this ‘Hate’ and ‘Relevance’ dimension.

We then have some football writers, journalists who take genuine interest in United. Not only do they report on what’s happening but they also go a bit deeper on the why and the how. This acts as a doorway for fans like me who sit from afar and try to make sense of the chaos that used to be Manchester United. One wishes that there are more like them, but we all know that isn’t going to happen. This is the small albeit the most important ‘Love’ dimension.

If one carefully thinks about patterns, then every other article that is written by English media is often driven by ‘Hate’ and ‘Relevance’, as any news about Manchester United sells more papers or now a days drives more clicks. Honesty/ Integrity or sometimes both, one would struggle to find in most publications/YouTube channels/Podcasts, and it might even enrage you, however you then realize it’s revenue generation and its engagement farming.

For the contribution that Manchester United had in building the brand of English Premier League worldwide and in due course helping it reach insurmountable heights (bringing in monumental TV revenues) the utter disrespect and disregard it gets is just unbelievable and shameful. Add to the fact that many publications/TV channels/YouTube channels wilfully leverage United’s name just to gain financially even at cost of their reputation is just pitiful.

Sitting from afar, the fact that most of these media personnel or media houses have just used the brand of Manchester United for respective individual gains but haven’t even bothered to even be little concerned about decay that it was subjected to for a decade or so, never ceases to amaze me.

End of the day all United fans expect is fairness in their coverage, however time and again it has been proven that it is not going to be possible.

As they say, Manchester United – Always hated, seldom loved but NEVER ignored!

The rise of IPL saw a lot of heartburn moments especially in incumbent power cauldrons of Cricket especially in England, as they saw their traditional stronghold dwindling and the lure of fast paced cricket was allegedly tearing away their ‘traditions’. A tradition, one could argue, that never won them any laurel’s at world stage!

Be that as it may, not only did they try to emulate but even attempted to ‘surpass’ IPL by inventing a format called the ‘100’. Not getting into any nuanced discussion here on whether it’s a farce or a desperate SOS call by a cricketing nation who once held the torch for being the ‘founders’ of cricket, but rather it was an acceptance albeit a reluctant one, that world cricket had changed or indeed was chaging rapidly.

In the whole debate of whether IPL has been good or bad for world cricket and other Blah blah blah points…mostly from jealous corners of the world, what they didn’t recognize is that Cricket was in desperate need for a hype cycle. A global event that a cricket fan will look forward to year after year and live through it with passion and the live it again the following year. Unfortunately, neither the ICC nor any of the other Boards had the ingenuity of harnessing that thirst of a cricket fan. It was a brainchild, although reactionary one can argue, of a figure at BCCI that IPL was born. It now, over the years has organically evolved into what is now a global brand.

If IPL is being blamed for cricketers who are retiring early or prioritizing franchise cricket over country, then why aren’t home Boards being held accountable for not running a profitable business and then paying their employees handsomely so that they don’t look outwards for better opportunity, rather look at it as an extra pay day like Australian cricketers do.

The answer for this lies in their own demographic and the ability of respective Boards to harness it. BCCI is blessed that despite them not putting any effort in making match day experience an enjoyable one for its fans, the popularity of IPL is driven purely by passion of fans (including ones like me :) ) that we end up following each match of favourite franchise even after a decade.

So, what can other Boards do? May be the lesson for them is if you can’t grow artificial interest in people about cricket, at least nurture the ones who are already interested in it by creating experiences that is tailor made for your home context.

There is always going to be one side that is going sing praises and other side that’s going to curse it, however the impact that IPL has had either directly or indirectly at world stage is undeniable and whether boards can survive it is something only they can answer.

At times divisive with his sharp anecdotes and take on the game, Ashwin’s presence towered into one of the most respected figures in the modern game not only for mastery of his craft but also for his fearless approach towards the game itself.

Ashwin burst onto Indian cricket mainstream in 2011, as a part of title winning 2011 WC side and title winning 2011 CSK side, he didn’t take a step back afterwards.

2012 was a low point for him after England home series, however 2013 saw his revival after famous Australian series win and then followed by match winning last over in Champions Trophy final.

A student of the game couldn’t have had a greater test in Cricket, than a visit to land of Lankan lions. Not only did he roar but the way he weaved his magic around Sri Lankan Cricketers especially Sangakkara was just poetry in motion.

Years rolled by and we all got accustomed to Ashwin turning up match after match, series after series delivering champion performance, to the extent that it became a second nature to all fans – India puts up whatever runs on the board, Ashwin then does the job that too clinically!

If ever I can be pardoned to make a comparison with the legend - Mr. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar – only other cricketer who could wrap us up in attentive web, with the ball in hand, it was Ashwin.

However, if I were to be honest, 2021 series against England where he didn’t feature in any of the matches, was hurtful. I was seated at Lords – Edrich Stand Upper Tier and English fans there couldn’t hold back their disbelief of Ashwin not being selected. To be honest, I was enraged as well.

Only opportunity I had to witness him in person was in Pune last year against New Zealand, where unfortunately things didn’t go as per plan. Maybe it was then sun started setting in his career.

Ashwin, you have given us so much of joy and memories, that I am not even sure it has dawned on you the effect of your void that our team will face in years to come. You were not only a champion bowler but also a committed soldier who didn’t shy away from any confrontation (even with bat in hand) and always were willing to go that extra mile to see us over the line.

Your rise in Indian cricket and world cricket, is a testimony of distance one can travel with self-belief, perseverance and toil.

Thank you Ashwin, you will be missed…

New era of Indian Test Cricket is upon us.

It has started with a slight glimmer, unlike other eras which started with some dark clouds circling! This time there is freshness and to be honest every Indian fan kind of knows the attitude with which with these players will perform, thanks largely to the legacy of 2 recent captains – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

One might like or dislike Virat Kohli, however what he has undeniably done, is to ignite a renewed sense of passion in Indian Cricket fans for the longest format; which in all honesty wouldn’t have survived the grand arrival of IPL and Franchise Cricket (in general) at the world stage, without backing from one of the biggest superstars of contemporary game.

Last series was certainly a lost opportunity for the Indian team. They were well and truly on the ascendency and had every chance of bagging another series win on UK shores after 2007. It had everything drama, capitulation, fightback and was building up a nice crescendo but then got cut short.

I was lucky enough to have witnessed the famous Lord’s test match in person and the memory of that 5^th day performance is still etched in me.

Last test of the series, which was then played much later, turned out to be one of those test tube games of Baz-ball era that really pummelled any hopes of a grand series win for us.

This new India team has no baggage of its predecessors, however they do have the weight of expectation of a billion. Expectation is not of a series win (although that would be fantastic) but of one where each of the member will fight for the badge in front of the shirt and not indulge in unnecessary engagement farming via social media.

This English side is also going through a transformatory phase especially in bowling, one feels that its battle of Indian batting vs English bowling that will determine if we can nuture any hopes of positive results this series.

Cricket at its core is a simple game but also becomes complicated for those who seem to forget the basics. Battles will be won by the team, which can stick to basics in this series.

For the survival of test cricket, world needs Indian Test Team to play with passion, perform at the highest level and most importantly win.

As we chew on the ruins of the season gone by, it’s hard to think past KL Rahul who would have been the perfect replacement for Ambati in the team. KL has always been an underrated player, who can arrive at 4 and then dominate the game.

His exploits in IPL plus the fact that he does carry team in situations, should have been enough for CSK management to have gone the full distance in securing his services. He might have become yellow forever but it’s now hard to see him being released by Delhi Capitals for a foreseeable future.

Although next season’s team is shaping up well however the importance of player like KL can never be underestimated. His ability to manage game along with aggressive players above and after him would have made him the most potent batsmen in IPL for years to come.

The thing with KL is that his game is simple and once he arrives, it’s very difficult for anyone to dislodge him.

Big teams are not formed by big egos; they are formed by players who stand up in big occasions. KL is a perfect example, and I am really stung by the fact that CSK management didn’t think to go for him up to even 15/17 Cr.

How CSK managed to put up such a poor show at auction with so many miscalculations will remain a mystery and one can only hope they have now realized that T20 has moved on and they need to dump their medieval methods.

Investment in KL should have been the only thought as he would have answered so many questions. Investing in Conway at that price and going for Ashwin was a poor call (with Noor in the team).

KL should have been backed, and CSK should have a gone in for Buttler as well. We would have ended with at least one of them for sure, solving the batting problem that we are still grappling with.

Although one can argue Brevis has been like for like for Buttler, but Brevis has been an afterthought! It might as well be the case that we have found our future super star, but hard to think we would have gone for Brevis had team performed marginally better!

Only time will tell if KL ever makes his way into CSK; however you feel that CSK had the golden chance to secure services of a generational talent, whose achievements gets overshadowed by other performances but when your team is in crisis you need a player like KL in your corner.

Wish you all the best KL, although not against CSK 🙂.

The passion of the fans inside the stadium is something that I wanted to witness ever since IPL began and it came true that day.

If only the passion of the fans was enough to push some life into the players in the middle, who at times were clueless whilst batting.

The match started well, however soon it was clear that second power play bowler was still an issue. It was baffling and unclear why Kamboj was missing from line up, instead Mukesh was selected and a decision that proved costly end of his first over itself!

KL put on such a champion display that in our hearts all the fans knew the target was beyond reach, a thought a CSK fan has had to never entertain as this franchise has been built on pulling off the impossible.

Speaking of pulling of the impossible, CSK think tank did pull off the impossible this time around! Obviously, you also understand the sarcasm in it. The reliance on proven players albeit misfiring/out of favor; in the hope that they will somehow magically revive themselves, backfired incredibly this time around.

Lot many of us were underwhelmed by the lack of fire power in the batting department at end of auction. It was vindicated in matches, but the way management threw punches in press conferences was baffling! Sometimes even questioning the loyalties of fans, when clearly it’s them who lost all the marbles!

I think it’s fine to get it wrong as it can happen to the best, but to then come out and say - we will get to see the true fans and some player suggesting, fans of some other franchises are true as they back their players! - These comments coming from a franchise that was banned for 2 years that left us the fans enduring the emotion of not being able to watch our team play, was hypocrisy with moral vacuum at its peak!

I believe it was an easy way out for them, rather than self-reflection. Maybe it was tactic to get the fans to mellow down and not be too harsh on them! Don’t know but it was for sure baffling!

Signs of acceptance of mistake started to emerge when replacement signings started taking shape of what squad should have looked like in the first place! Hope the lessons are learnt in batting department at least.

Death bowling is still a concern, with team completely ignoring the need for a bowler to partner Pathirana at the death. Ellis was gloriously ignored and so too was Overton! This is where one would question, who is taking those decisions? For the team’s sake hope it was just a stop gap to plug the batting hole, if not its worrying!

The crown has fallen off and prince is getting to grips of the throne with the king still watching from sidelines and sometime from frontline! One wonders who is still in charge, the King or the Prince?

The subjects are wondering whether kingdom will be protected by what it seems like new generals and a Prince who so far has worn the crown of thorns with dignity.

We now wait with bated breath for next edition!