Historical Reflections

The historian Arnold Toynbee, in a 1947 article for The New York Times, posed the following question, "Are we asking whether history is governed by inviolable laws, which have not only taken effect in every past case to which they have applied, but are also bound to take effect in every similar situation that may arise in the future?"

A Norwegian and an American are, unwittingly, putting that thesis to the test. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has managed Manchester United since 2018, arriving with the accolades that he received as a player for that team. From 1996-2007 Solskjaer scored 126 goals in 366 matches for the Red Devisl. In 1999 his last-minute goald in the UEFA Champions League final lifted Manchester United over Bayern Munich, cementing his legacy with his team's fans. After retiring in 2007, Solskjaer managed Molde, a team in his native Norway and Cardiff in Wales, before being appointed interim manager of Manchester United in 2018.  He signed a three-year extension on July 24, 2021.  

Across the pond, Aaron Boone, was named manager of the New York Yankees on December 4, 2017. Boone's claim to fame for Yankees fans occurred on October 16, 2003 when he it a game-winning home run off of Time Wakefield of the rival Boston Red Sox to win the series and propel the Yankees into the World Series. Like Solskjaer's late-minute goal against Bayern Munich, this became Boone's signature moment. Unlike Solskjaer, Boone had no managerial experience when was selected to be Yankees manager.

Bitter Rivals Get the Last Laugh

Source: Peter Powell/EPA, via Shutterstock

This month both managers suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of their most-hated rivals: Liverpool for Manchester United and the Red sox for the Yankees. On October 5th the Boston Red Sox ended the Yankees' playoff hopes with a resounding 6-2 victory at Boston and on October 24th Manchester United were bludgeoned by Liverpool 5-0 in their own stadium--Old Trafford, known as the "Theater of Dreams". Liverpool rewrote the script into a "Theater of Nightmares". How bad did it become for Solskjaer? As the game for Manchester United progressed from "extremely poor" to "catastrophic", Liverpool fans sarcastically serenaded Solskjaer by singing "Ole's at the Wheel". They were not going to let him forget that he was at the help of the car wreck that played itself out before his very eyes. 

In Boston following the Yankees' defeat, fan chanted "YankeesSuck", this has become a tradition over the years. But the Liverpool fans showed more creativity, spirit, and let's be honest, rhythm in their "homage" to Solskjaer. The "Yankees Suck" chant sounds cultish in its repetition. Neither Boone nor Solskjaer seemed visibly affected by the derisive chants that rained down upon them.  Perhaps this ability to shake off negative comments is a strength of their personality. But does that make them good managers? 

Source: Today in 24

Boone has been soundly criticized for having been hired despite having no managerial experience. Even with his past efforts leading Molde and Cardiff, Solskjaer has been hammered in the press and social media world for not coming close to the level of top coaches such as Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) and Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea). Boone has frequently been outmanaged by Alex Cora, manager of the Boston Red Sox. Solskjaer and Boone have pleasant and calm demeanors. Solskjaer is avuncular and is comfortable with the press, speaking English as it if were his first language while Boone is passive but sometimes struggles with his communication as if English were his second language.

Moving Forward

Over the last few years there has been a tendency to hire relatively young and inexperienced coaches to manage teams. Chelsea hired its former star player Frank Lampard to manage the team, despite no previous managerial experience. He was fired earlier this year. In baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies hired a former player, Gabe Kapler, who had very little experience. He was fired after one year, although to be fair, he led the San Francisco Giants to the playoffs this year.  Will there be a change in hiring practices: opting for the hard-nosed, sometimes abrasive leadership styles over the friendly, laid back and passive style that Solskjaer and Boone display? Already there are rumors that the Italian coach Antonio Conte is being considered as a replacement for Solskjaer. Conte is driven, intense and pushes his players hard, but is a master tactician. The Yankees decided to resign Boone to a three-year contract not longer after he was outmanaged by Alex Cora in the wild card. Cora, by the way, has publicly stated his support for Boone to remain as Yankees manager. Clearly, he enjoys outwitting Boone on the baseball diamond. Eventually, the Yankees will go back to having a driven and intense manager such as Billy Martin, who became infamous in 1978 for yelling at his player Reggie Jackson in the dugout at Boston. But for now, the team prefers to have a milquetoast running the team. If only we could get someone similar to this guy (below) to manage the Yankees!

Life Imitates Art

In his 1928 book Man Who Knew Coolidge, Sinclair Lewis imbues one of his characters with a wild imagination. In sharing the novel he would like to someday write, the character describes the plot where an American marries a princess in Wales and convinces her to leave the royal family and return with him to the US. It is almost as if he predicted the decision by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to leave England and live in the US. This has nothing to do with Manchester United or the Yankees; I just like seeing how sometimes historical/fantastical ideas come true.

The Yankees and Manchester United have grand histories and traditions. But they also have bitter rivals which make those trophies shine with such a bright sheen. Nowadays, the tables have turned and the hated rivals are at the top of their game and the Yankees and Manchester United must adapt and improve. While the Yankees have consigned themselves and their fans to three more years of stultified baseball, Manchester United have yet to make a decision, keeping their fans on edge as to what direction the team will go in. 

"History is an endless conversation," observed the literary critic Ken Burke years ago. Right now that conversation is one-sided and Liverpool and the Red Sox are talking the loudest.