Monthly Archives: May 2022

Sports

Can Erik ten Hag Succeed at Manchester United?

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When I started this blog eight years ago, one of my very first posts was a summary of a Manchester United season that was unlike any other in the Premier League era, for all the wrong reasons. In 2013-14, United went from defending champions of England to a team that couldn’t qualify for any European competition the following season. Only a quarterfinal run in the Champions League prevented 2013-14 from being labeled a complete disaster.

If only fans knew what was to come in the years since then……

As I type this, it’s been roughly a week since the ending of the Red Devils’ latest season, one that brought their lowest Premier League points tally in history (58); that tally is only one number greater than the number of EPL goals they conceded, which is four more than the amount conceded by a Burnley team that will spend next season in the Championship due to relegation. Thanks to Brighton’s final-day win over West Ham, United will be in the second-tier UEFA Europa League next fall as opposed to the third-tier Europa Conference League, but that can hardly be viewed as a positive.

The problem wasn’t just the poor results, it was how much the on-field performance suffered. Entering May, United was still mathematically alive for a Champions League. The club responded to that opportunity by being thrashed 4-0 at Brighton, then waiting two weeks before limping to the season’s finish line with a 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace. Even in the Champions League Round of 16 against Atletico Madrid, when United had 49 minutes of game time to at least find a tying goal, the players’ body language didn’t necessarily suggest any chance of a comeback.

So it’s safe to say Erik ten Hag has his work cut out for him. The 52-year-old Dutchman was named full-time manager last month, was present for the Palace loss, and formally started his tenure on Monday. Ten Hag does bring with him a successful record from Ajax, but with respect to the Eredivisie, the Premier League – and specifically managing Manchester United – is its own challenge. Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho are two of the greatest managers from the last 30 years, yet their combined success at Old Trafford only yielded one Europa League title, one FA Cup, and one Community Shield. Ten Hag and the MU board are saying all the correct things about fans needing patience in 2022-23, but if the last nine years are any indicator, patience will continue to be in short supply.

A lot of that early success will depend on how the squad looks. There are multiple players the club needs to part ways with this summer, as very few can say they truly gave their all this season. David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo can hold their heads high regarding their individual performances; Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, and few others have earned chances to turn their levels of play around. But change is desperately around multiple facets of the club, lest the next nine years unfold identical to the last nine.

Next season’s EPL fixtures are due to be released on June 16, with the season starting August 6 – a little earlier than usual, but remember most European leagues will be taking extended breaks in November & December for the World Cup. Ten Hag and the Manchester United board can’t afford to wait until those dates to hit the ground running. How they act in the next week will go a long way to determining if Manchester United can return to their long-time position among England’s and Europe’s elite, or if another 26-year wait between league titles is well underway.

News

An Experience of a Lifetime

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The ending of a life chapter is always bittersweet, even if we’re taught from a young age that change is inevitable.

This Thursday marks two weeks since the end of my time as a sports anchor and reporter at WOAY-TV in West Virginia. When I posted the news publicly to social media, I began with the phrase “the last seven years have been a great experience for me….” I meant every word of that. I was able to learn about the business, and I learned a great deal about myself as well.

Even though it’s been seven years, I still remember my very first day at WOAY vividly: January 29, 2015. My colleague and I covered the Big Atlantic Classic, one of the top high school basketball showcases in West Virginia. The very next night marked my on-air debut, and two nights after that, my first two traditional 6 PM & 11 PM sports blocks.

13 months later, when my colleague left for another opportunity and I was approached about being promoted to Sports Director, I was apprehensive about being able to meet the standard he had set. That self-doubt lingered for several months afterward, and even after I had grown more comfortable into the role I would always have “come back to Earth” thoughts, wondering if I was doing right by the various communities in Southern West Virginia.

One of the highlights of my seven years was, without question, the many events I was fortunate to cover. From being on the field for ACC & Big 12 college football games, to a PGA Tour event that featured big names including Tiger Woods. I only covered nine Virginia Tech football games in-person, but all of them seemed to have some deeper meaning attached: the “Battle at Bristol” with Tennessee, the largest attendance for a college football game in history; two home games against defending national champions; the epic six-overtime thriller with North Carolina in 2019.

I was also able to cover various high school sports, including multiple state champions. Maybe it’s because they didn’t occur as often as opposed to schools in other markets around the state, but a state championship always brought out special emotions from the communities involved. I hope I was able to spread that joy to viewers. Another notable event was World TeamTennis, one of the first US-based sports to allow fans back in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So what’s next for me? I am actively pursuing new opportunities in the sports media industry. It’s been my lifelong dream to be a sports anchor, and I have no intention of giving that up. One thing I do want is to post more frequently on this site, something I did not do very often since I’ve been Sports Director. Whether it’s about sports topics or news topics, I want to write more.

As they say in television, stay tuned…….