United London F.C. is the world’s only managerless football team after their chairman decides to allow the fans to select the team based on a Daily Fantasy Sports style points system.
Bryan Robson was my first favourite player; then Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and finally, Wayne Rooney. He reminded me of a young Paul Gascoigne, but lately, he has been reminding me more of Bamber Gascoigne.
Once one of the most dangerous strikers in world football he is morphing into Michael Carrick. He doesn’t tackle; he can’t head the ball; he doesn’t go past players, and when the ball is at his feet it’s like a boomerang – always going sideways and backwards.
Against Watford on the weekend, Rooney made 33 successful passes throughout the game – 12 went sideways, 15 went back, and only six went north.
As a fan of Manchester United, I have had enough.
If Wayne Rooney isn’t good enough to play up front ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, then he should be on the bench. And I am not alone in my thoughts. Zooming down the highway on Monday, listening to TalkSport Radio, the vast majority of United fans who called in want him on the bench.
But we aren’t the managers of Manchester United.
But what if we could be?
The X-Factor & Strictly Come Dancing Effect
Mark North is the Chairman of United London F.C.; a side formed earlier this year who play in the Essex Alliance Football League.
One Saturday night, at home with his wife, North was flicking through the TV channels when he noticed that Reality TV shows dominated the channels.
He had a Eureka! moment.
How could he incorporate Reality TV into United London F.C.?
So North and his wife started brainstorming over a cup of tea and crumpets and came up with a mind-boggling concept that takes the ‘you can do anything that you set your mind to’ slogan to a whole new level.
They created the world’s first managerless club.
What’s The Fuss, Hull?
Blending the world of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) with Reality TV shows such as the X-Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, and The Voice, North has given the power back to the fans.
That’s not true – United London F.C never had any fans, but North created over 2,000 of them – more than the entirety of the teams in The Essex Alliance Football League – by making them his management team.
North spends his time putting up the nets, setting up a pitch side video camera, and curating all of the stats after each game. He then posts all of this information on the club’s website, and lets the fans pick the squad for the following game based on a DFS style points scoring system.
Those 2,000 fans are not standing in the mud, sipping Bovril from a cup. They are online in countries as diverse as Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Sweden and the United States.
And in a revolutionary twist, because United London film all of their matches – coupled with the interest the managerless system has created in the media – forgotten players are in the shop window on a regular basis.
And there’s no stopping, North. His wants to make the website even better, compile, even more, statistics and one day develop the technology for his 2,000+ managers to make in-play decisions on substitutions, free kick takers, and anything other decision that would typically come from the mouth of a man freezing his balls off on the touchline.
Does the concept work?
United London F.C. currently sits on top of the Premier Division with two wins and a draw.
