It seems we now live in a time where society no longer produces real leaders.
The characteristics of being robust, resilient, outspoken and focused on a single outcome are not promoted and have been replaced by a culture of not overcoming adversity, trying not to upset people and handing out participation medals.
People who are confident and have their backs are often disliked. It makes leadership very difficult and challenging.
Often, if you believe in yourself, you are called arrogant. If you are assertive, they call you aggressive. These are all terms used to put people down by those who feel uncomfortable or envious of prominent and strong-willed people.
The effect on our politics and business is obvious, but it has also trickled down to our national game, where proper captains are a dying breed.
Roy Keane was always considered an excellent example at Manchester United. Some argued that he was too abrasive and combative; but if the benefits of Keane's leadership were weighed against the errors, the result would be hugely in his favour.
Our modern, soft society has made leadership very difficult and challenging for captains.
Roy Keane is widely regarded as one of the greatest captains in Premier League history, but the former Manchester United midfielder was a passionate and no-nonsense leader in the dressing room.
Keane's style of captaincy at Manchester United simply wouldn't work in modern football.
I think we have lost the ability to overcome challenges or say what we really want to say, or even sometimes stand up for what we believe and our true character.
Instead, it feels like we live by Groucho Marx's famous perspective of “these are my principles and if you don't like them… well, I have others.”
We have become softer. The ambition seems to be to become kinder and not bolder.
This is why we have a lack of resilience flowing into our sporting environment and why the very rare breed of a proper leader stands out a mile.
Some people see it as an improvement, the way we need to evolve, but I would be careful what you wish for.
The material value of leadership is desperately needed in all areas of life and we do not want to lose it.
Leadership at its core is the ability to inspire, motivate, support, guide and ultimately unite people towards a common purpose.
We can see the changes in football. It is more difficult than ever to be a leader on the Premier League pitch. It requires real conviction and not many have it.
Bruno Fernandes should not be blamed for being the type of captain he is; our society should
Rubén Amorim admitted that Manchester United is “hungry” for leaders shortly after his arrival
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These days, Bruno Fernandes wears the Manchester United armband instead of Keane, Steve Bruce or Bryan Robson. I say recognize that Fernandes is a highly talented player who is currently enjoying a moment in the sun after two decent results at Liverpool and Arsenal.
As ships rise at high tide, his status as the current leader in place could rise further if his compatriot Ruben Amorim creates the right culture at Old Trafford.
Likewise, Fernandes could revert to his type at the first sign of fragility. We remember his performance when he scored seven goals at Liverpool: he was the model of what a Manchester United player should not be.
When Bruno was given the armband there was discussion that he wasn't the kind of captain you wanted, but who else at Old Trafford could have done it or could do it now? That in itself could explain the magnitude of the unrest and the task ahead of Mr. Amorim.
Harry Maguire was being booed by his own fans when he lost the job. Do you want to give additional responsibility to 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who is still learning his trade despite people elevating him to the status of a great midfielder?
The inevitable comparison is always Keane, but the reality, even if I don't like it, is that the culture of the game (and the country) has changed.
The kind of leaders we used to see are few and far between. The sculptural and moving figures of yesteryear are not seen. Virgil van Dijk is probably the identical captain for 2025 and most likely a throwback to the aforementioned Keane era… no surprise Liverpool are top of the league.
Nobody said that Fernandes excelled with Erik ten Hag. It wasn't an act of genius to put him in charge; more needs must do so. For all the praise he received this week for hailing back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, no one was saying it a month ago when United were beaten against Wolves and Fernandes was sent off.
Former United captain Harry Maguire (right), who was once booed by his own fans after losing the armband, has managed to return to the first team under Amorim thanks to his leadership.
There are few true leaders left in the Premier League today. In the photo: Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
It's too early in Amorim United's reign to suddenly say Fernandes is a brilliant captain
Amorim's system should suit Bruno. The manager is a charismatic operator who demands the basic principle of trying hard, but it is too early to hail this as a united revolution.
The draw at Liverpool followed by wasteful Arsenal's elimination from the FA Cup could prove to be the starting signal for something better at United. But unless they put a very poor Southampton team to the sword on Thursday night, what will they have achieved?
I am not surprised or excited by what Fernandes has done. It's too early to suddenly say that he is a brilliant captain. If Manchester United want to win the league, is he the right man to lead them on the pitch? You could scoff and say of course not, but you can't judge by the standards of the past.
If Amorim creates the conditions, as I suspect he could, he could allow Fernandes to be a modern captain without the shaking fists and demonstrative attitude of his predecessors at Manchester United.
My advice to Marcus Rashford, if he would listen to me…
After Ruben Amorim's first training session at Manchester United, Marcus Rashford expressed his joy. In the usual self-indulgent way of footballers, it was probably about making fun of Erik ten Hag, but you could bet your bottom dollar that his love for the new manager wouldn't last.
It has fallen apart even faster than I thought and with Rashford having three years left on his lucrative contract, someone will have to take a financial cut.
What would you advise him? I'm not sure if I would try it. I would have advised him to keep his mouth shut instead of saying he wanted a new challenge, to have a better attitude and to try harder. Apparently, none of these things have been done.
In a world of radiators and drains it is not difficult to know who Rashford is. Without a radical change in perspective, your career will sink into relative mediocrity.
Everything has fallen apart very quickly for Marcus Rashford since Amorim's arrival at Old Trafford
Tyson Fury may be a fighting man, but he has proven he is debt-free and would burn through cash as a football team owner even if he bought his local club Morecambe in League Two.
Why Fury should stay away from football
Tyson Fury once mentioned that he wanted to sound me out about buying a football club, back in the days when we were talking, to which I replied that he would do himself a favor by giving him a wide berth.
Even someone as rich as Fury will find he can start burning through cash by owning a club, even League Two local Morecambe.
While it is accepted that Fury is a fighter, he is not a debt-paying man. It would be nice to see him settle his bet with Piers Morgan given he bet him a million pounds last time he retired that he wouldn't fight again.
With Piers now out of a job, perhaps he would be better off doing double the duty or quitting in the latest iteration of a Fury retirement, which conventional wisdom says won't last.
I have to say it would be vaguely funny if Fury bought an EFL club and was allowed to call all the owners of other clubs dossers when they didn't pay an inflated value for one of their players.
Just like we're likely to be asked to do when he returns to the ring with Anthony Joshua!