Were Manchester United right to go public about ‘Project 150’?

Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United announced their bold “Mission 21” and “Mission 1” projects as part of their wider “Project 150” initiative — aimed at securing a 21st men’s title and the first women’s title — for the club’s 150th anniversary in 2028.

It has been 12 years since United last lifted the Premier League title, while the Women’s team have never won the Women’s Super League and, despite sitting second behind leaders Chelsea, their current eight-point deficit with just seven games to play looks insurmountable.

On this week’s Talk of the Devils Extra episode, Ian Irving, Andy Mitten and Laurie Whitwell discussed the wisdom of going public with such a bold mission statement.

A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on the “Talk of the Devils” feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Ian: Sir Dave Brailsford and Omar Berrada seem to be the two who are communicating this mission or these projects. It’s like Mission Impossible in some ways… certainly for the men’s side. The women are in a little bit better shape at the minute.

But Andy, fundamentally, is it a good idea for this to be out in the public that the leadership team are aiming to get Manchester United back to this point?…