Why Roberto Martínez has made a mistake (pt.1)

At the height of the hunt-and-dismember-Fred-Goodwin fun a couple of months ago, Daniel Finkelstein argued that Goodwin was making a mistake in putting his pension ahead of his reputation:

“He has overestimated the marginal value of money…in other words, he would rather keep the cash and pay for it with his reputation and standing in society.”

I think that Roberto Martínez has overestimated the marginal value of Wigan.

I have a post, written immediately after the Champion’s League final and never now to be published, that looked at the similarities between Guardiola, Mourinho and Martínez. Admittedly, it was mostly going to look at their clothing decisions, but it seemed like a good idea in light of the ‘Junior Barcelona’ tag that Swans fans were growing fond of. I didn’t publish it at the time because, while writing it, I realised that I was putting a couple of spurious connections (sartorial and geographic) above a more accurate conclusion: that Martínez was a young Arsene Wenger.

How did he resemble Wenger? Let me count the ways:

1. Personality: a softly spoken, articulate, thoughtful, occasionally acerbic anglophile (cymrofile?).
2. Football ‘Philosophy’: emphasis on possession, patience, intricate passing and a preference for walking it in.
3. Management Style: the club and the manager meld into one organic entity. The manager’s approach is comprehensive and he introduces Woodward-esque control beyond the first team and into the scouting, youth development etc. His personality and image come to dominate the club, and the loyalty of the playing and coaching staff is his rather than the club’s. This pattern had, to an extent, been there from the start with Martínez, but it was particularly evident following the Fulham FA Cup game.

Martínez will still provide refreshingly original reflections on the game and use the word ’synonymous’ in his post-match interviews at Wigan. He will also get them to knock the ball about in a fairly pretty fashion. But whatever his new chairman said this week, I don’t think he is going to be allowed the necessary time and control to be a little Arsè in the Premier League – especially at a minnow like Wigan, a team that has unquestionably over-achieved in the last couple of seasons. Dave Whelan is a lot of things, but he is not Steve Gibson.

And the issue goes beyond whether the relative conditions make it worthwhile swapping Swansea for Wigan. Above all else, Martínez’s problem is now one of moral authority. The ‘management style’ described above is almost entirely dependent on the perception that the manager is the most committed person at the football club, the one most dedicated to the ‘project’. Wenger’s just proved his loyalty again by snubbing Real’s advances; Martínez has only demonstrated that he is your average careerist grasper and that he will always have one eye on what he thinks is a juicier appointment. He had credibility when he lectured Bodde about loyalty at Swansea; will he still have it when he tries to repeat the trick with Valencia and Scharner?

Added to this, obviously, he has completely sacrificed his reputation at Swansea. He is delusional if he thinks that we will all be crossing our fingers and sending good vibes to the DW Stadium.

So, in sum, I believe Martínez has destroyed his reputation amongst people who used to idolise him, and, in doing so, has undermined his credibility and chances of future success as a manager.

Adios, Amigo.

(It still stings).