On Matchday 5 of SACKED!, we sit down with former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen — and what starts as a chat quickly becomes an identity crisis for the modern game.

Who killed the No.9? Why don’t wingers like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis take on full-backs and whip crosses in for a centre-forward anymore?

Meulensteen reflects on an era when United fans were spoiled by elite finishers such as Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham — a golden generation of No.9s who defined a dominant period in the Premier League.

Those days feel long gone. Today’s game is different — more systems, fewer mavericks — and fans are crying out for creativity, drama and exuberance from modern stars.

Meulensteen also delivers brilliant insight from his time working alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, offering a rare glimpse into the standards, psychology and philosophy behind one of football’s greatest dynasties.

It’s a fascinating, honest and provocative conversation about how — and why — the modern game has changed.

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Bonus section with Neil Ashton reflecting on our episode with John Cross and answering fan questions about our previous episodes.

Each week, SACKED! brings together decision-makers and insiders — owners, chairs, executives, managers and head coaches, sporting directors, former players and leading journalists — to discuss the biggest issues in the game.

Please spread the word and tell the football family there’s a new show in town.

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Fleet Street powerhouse John Cross joins Neil Ashton in the Owner’s Box to discuss football’s biggest crises and the decisions that changed the course of history.

From opposing the European Super League “for the fans,” to the toughest managerial departure he’s covered — the end of Arsène Wenger at Arsenal.

He reveals how Arsenal nearly signed a young Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP — but simply couldn’t afford him because of financial constraints in the years leading up to them leaving Highbury for the Emirates.

In Sackology:

The manager who should never have been fired? Mauricio Pochettino — “he performed miracles.”

Why Poch should never go back.

His most under-appreciated players of the modern era: Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba.

And in one of the most emotional moments yet, John shares what happened at the FA Cup Final in 2014 just days after losing his father — when Arsenal’s CEO Ivan Gazidis and the Kroenke family came over to console him during a period of grief.

Smart. Honest. Unfiltered.

This is SACKED!

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