Mark Connolly

“Manchester United cut corners…and so they get punished. And they deserve to get punished…” Roy Keane is adamant. His old side can be great in-possession, with the ball at their feet - they can have this all they want, with abundance. But winning requires the dirty work out-of-possession. And that dirty work must be delivered with detail intact. The small movements to close down space. The aggressive last step into the challenge. The desire to get to the ball first. “We’re in control. We’re in charge. This is our pitch. This is our game.” It’s skill wrapped in attitude… Winning in high performance sport is often unpleasant. It’s little moments of theft, it’s unabashed selfishness…it’s even a modicum of violence (in context). Now, that’s not running around like a headless chicken…but it is doing everything with high levels of certainty and aggression…to completion. It’s like (but not the same as) those who are ambitious in the workplace. Just as those in high performance sport have to attack the game…so you have to attack the business. No, you’re not crunching anyone in a 50/50…but you have to make damned sure you’re getting the detail right in a pitch for new business. There’s no room for cutting corners…otherwise your prospective client will punish you by going elsewhere. Attack the game…attack the business…attack the detail… Roy Keane only knows one identity. From head to feet and from feet to head his identity was to do what was required to win. To attack. To steal. To aggressively and assertively rule the pitch. That’s football…that’s sport…and that’s so often business…