About two minutes before half time in their headline-grabbing victory over Australia at the Rugby World Cup, Fijian back row forward Levani Botia spilled the ball forward at a time when the Pacific Islanders were camped on their opponents’ line. Thereafter, not only did the player literally go round each of his team mates to apologise, it looked as if he was seeking the absolution of his entire nation.
Naturally, his colleagues and kinfolk countered that no such contrition was required. Mistakes are a rudimentary part of not only every sport going, but life itself. Sure the last fella that never made one was crucified on a Good Friday!
What caught my attention about the few minutes of play was Botia’s self depreciation over it. In any facet of life, the first ingredient to stepping to and moving on from a mistake is taking ownership of the fact that there has been an error.
From politics to sport to any walk of life one cares to mention, it’s very rare to see an incident commensurate to John Mullane’s “I love Waterford, love hurlin’, I love me (sic) county” after he’d been sent off in one of Waterford’s Munster final wins and would therefore miss Na Deise’s All Ireland SHC semi final against neighbours Kilkenny.
The De La Salle clubman’s decency came back to mind during the past week when hearing Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana from Cameroon, bail out the ineptitude of those in front of him on two separate occasions in recent weeks.
Right, so being coldly analytical, the custodian is the last line of defence for any team, but, it would be contended here that if the defenders in front of the netminder were doing their job, it shouldn’t come down to the number one to be constantly firefighting.
It’s a depressing sign of how the once mighty have fallen that, barely a month into a new Premier League season there are rumblings regarding Erik ten Hag’s suitability to continue in the Old Trafford dugout.
Yawn. Was the same bovine excrement not splattered around in connection to David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Ralf Ragnick?
It can’t have been all of their faults. At some point, the players surely have to fess up and accept even partial responsibility for the club’s shortcomings.
Now, the point could, with justification, be made that, in view of the fact it’s been 10 years since Alex Ferguson vacated the dugout, few, if any, of the same players have been in situ for the entirety of the misfiring in the interim.
Validly countering such a viewpoint though are the fact that (a) astronomical sums of money have been outlaid on player turnover in the interim and (b) it’s not as if they’re Sunday League standard players that have been brought in.
At this stage, though it even pains me to acknowledge the farcical ongoing circus regarding the ownership of the club, it has been rumbling on for that long at this stage, you have to wonder is it having a destabilising effect on the pitch at this stage too.
Certainly the interview with Solksjaer which emerged during the week would suggest as such. Therein, the popular Norwegian rolled off a list of players – including Erling Haaland – whom he wanted to sign long before his price tag became astronomical – but was impinged from doing so.
Then again, if one wanted to be patriotically biased, it could be pointed out that the fortunes of the club have really gone to pot since there was a reduction of Irish influence at Old Trafford.
Specifically, since JP McManus and John Magnier sold their majority stake in the club and, when you think about it, since John O’Shea was the last Republic Of Ireland player to don the red shirt.
While in one sense the thought of Evan Ferguson togging out in the famed red would of course be exciting, given the mess the club is currently in he is far better off with burgeoning Brighton.
That said, while some might have thought ten Hag’s decision to bring Jonny Evans back to the club from Leicester City to be somewhat odd, I understand.
Aside from the fact that the Northern Irishman is still a highly competent defender who’s more than capable of providing needed cover at the back with Raphael Varane injured, the esteem with which he’s held within the club makes him an ideal fit.
Indeed, there appear to be overtures that he may be lined up for a coaching role further down the line. Send John Mullane in with him!
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