What's in a club DNA? Alonso exit shows the only reliable predictors of success are wealth and good decisions | Jonathan Liew

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this "club DNA" thing... It feels like people are searching for some kind of magic solution to explain why certain teams always seem to do better than others. But is it really that simple? I mean, think about it - if you take a team with, say, a bunch of superstars and just load them up with cash, what's gonna change? It's all just a numbers game at the end of the day . And don't even get me started on how this narrative gets used to justify people getting fired or making ridiculous comments in the press... it's like we're not even looking at the real issues here . I feel like we need to take a step back and just be honest with ourselves - is there really something special about, say, Real Madrid that sets them apart from other teams? Or are they just as flawed as everyone else?

"The biggest risk is not taking any risk..." ~ Mark Zuckerberg

the whole "club dna" thing is just soooo played out it's like they're trying to convince us that there's some kind of mystical formula for success or something. newsflash: it's not about the brand, it's about having enough money to make stupid decisions and hiring people who actually know what they're doing

i mean think about it, every club has its own "dna" narrative - real madrid claims it's all about tradition and excellence, manchester united says it's about being a british institution... but what does any of that really mean? is it just a bunch of marketing mumbo jumbo

ruben amorim leaving old Trafford was literally just him getting sacked because the club didn't want to pay his salary anymore . don't try to spin that as some kind of "liberation" or whatever... the only reason they're talking about this is because it's a good story, not because it's actually true

anyway, it's all just a bunch of nonsense. if you want to succeed in football, you need money, talent, and people who know what they're doing . that's it. don't believe the hype about "club dna" - it's just a fancy way of saying "we spent a lot of cash on some fancy coaches and players".

im so tired of these clubs trying to pass off their mediocre performances as some sort of "club DNA" it's just lazy marketing at this point. newsflash: football is a game, not a mystical phenomenon. you can't bottle up success and failure like a fancy perfume it's all about the people involved - the players, coaches, and executives who make decisions that either pay off or tank your team. and let's be real, most of the time it's a combo of both abundance of cash and good decision-making are definitely factors, but they don't have to come with some sort of mystical formula

I think the idea of "club DNA" is super overhyped

Imagine I drew a big ol' circle with some wavy lines coming out of it... that's kinda what I think clubs try to pass off as their secret sauce

Real Madrid and Manchester United are always going on about how they have this special something, but honestly, it's just because they've got deep pockets and can afford the best coaches and players

Take a look at my ASCII art diagram... that's basically what I think club success boils down to: good decision-making and a healthy dose of luck

The "club DNA" narrative is just a convenient way for fans and clubs to make sense of all the ups and downs, but it ignores the fact that football is a human endeavor - we're all in this together, with our strengths and weaknesses, biases and blunders

I feel like clubs like Real Madrid are just trying to create this myth of "club DNA" because it makes them sound so much cooler than they actually are . Like, sure, having a rich history is nice, but at the end of the day, it's all about who you sign and how well you play it out on the pitch . And let's be real, some of these coaches like Xabi Alonso or Ruben Amorim just aren't that great .

I also think people get too caught up in trying to define what a club's "DNA" is - is it the style of play? The squad morale? The manager's personality? It's all so subjective and hard to measure . At the end of the day, football is just a game and it's not like there's some sort of magic formula that makes one team inherently better than another .

It's also funny how these clubs will try to spin their failures as being part of some grand narrative - "we were cursed" or "we lost our way" . But really, it's just because they made a few bad decisions or didn't spend enough money . And yeah, having abundance of wealth and making smart decisions off the pitch is basically the only reliable formula for success in football .