It's been another noisy start to the week from former Man Utd players now pushing their podcasts but fans are losing respect for them.
Lisandro Martinez
Lisandro Martinez has ended up in a war of words with two former Manchester United greats(Image: )
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The Gary Nevilles are at it again. Okay, this time it wasn't actually Neville who incurred the wrath of people at Manchester United, but the podcast personality and once-upon-a-time right-back was used as shorthand in Ruben Amorim's final press conference, and we all know who and what he means.
Podcast culture is the latest battleground between the modern-day United and its greats of the past and no club seems to have it quite as bad. When the Class of '92 came towards the end of their playing days, there was always going to be intrigue at what comes next, but nobody had annoying podcasters on their bingo card.
That is how they are often viewed at United, and the style of a podcast - lighthearted, engaging, different - is causing another pinchpoint. Just witness the war of words between Lisandro Martinez and Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes over the past few days as an example.
If Martinez thought his forthright response after Saturday's derby day victory would be the end of it, he was mistaken. Butt and Scholes escalated the drama on Monday in the latest edition of The Good, The Bad & The Football.
The former United midfielders tore into Martinez for having the temerity to hit back at what he clearly felt were disrespectful comments about how Erling Haaland would bully him at Old Trafford on Sunday. Part of the issue here is the format. Podcasts are different to TV analysis, and the market is so saturated that you have to stand out.
As Butt said, the comments about Haaland picking Martinez up and running with him clearly weren't serious. It's the kind of thing you can't say on TV or radio, but can on a podcast. It's supposed to be funny. If anything, the biggest problem with those comments was their inaccuracy. Martinez has had several excellent games against Haaland in the past.
Now that the Argentine has responded, Butt is telling him to "f***ing grow up". Scholes, it should be said, was much more measured, but there is no doubt the fanbase is firmly in the corner of Martinez here.
Discontent at former players throwing out digs in the media has been rising recently. Podcast sofas, radio booths and pundit chairs are stacked with Old Trafford title-winners and all of them are competing to get that viral clip on social media.
But here's the thing. Supporters would have a great deal more respect for the likes of Butt and Scholes if they turned their attention to the real problem at Old Trafford: an ownership regime that continues to hold the club back. The shoddy mistakes under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the years of waste under the Glazers are a far bigger problem than whether Martinez is tall enough to mark Haaland.
On this subject, they are often quiet. There was a period around the European Super League when criticism grew, and Neville has raised it occasionally since, but for others, it seems to be a topic they are desperate to avoid. Far easier to take shots at the current players.
Scholes said in 2023 that the Glazers had backed every manager they had hired at Old Trafford, which is a very basic view of a club that has been less than the sum of its parts and rarely invested at the right times. Butt spent nine years of his post-playing career at United before leaving, and three years ago, he said he was "sick of people upstairs telling me about football."
There is still an opportunity to go further, however. The ownership structure at Old Trafford remains a mess and further protests are planned at the next home game. The idea of Ratcliffe and the Glazers working together to deliver success feels unlikely.
Ahead of that Fulham fixture, it will be interesting to see whether the club's former players confront the elephant in the room. Martinez vs Butt and Scholes has been great drama and I'm sure their numbers will have gone up this week. But many United fans would like to hear their views on the owners as well as the players.