Old Trafford - Toxicity in the workplace?

In the aftermath of yesterday's limp defeat to Brighton, United's manager Ruben Amorim repeated a phrase he has produced multiple times since he arrived....

"We got nervous".

Another phrase he has also repeated multiple times soon followed, where he went on to say...

"We could feel it in the stadium".

These two phrases together, the increase in nervousness and anxiety of the players (or employees!), combined with a volatile atmosphere where the tension was palpable and the impending expectation of disappointment lingered in the air, gave Old Trafford two of the classic hallmarks of a toxic workplace.

You can probably remember a certain job role, a particular working environment or a set of professional circumstances that made going there and performing your job role difficult - I certainly do.

It takes up time and space in your mind as you focus on the negatives and the challenges you're about to face (1. A negative focus).

You start to think about all the different ways things could go wrong, the dreaded 'what if?'. You start to run through different scenarios, different possibilities and all the different eventualities that could happen (2. Imagining different options).

You get lost in your own thoughts and feelings, where they sit playing in the background seemingly on repeat. Without choosing to think about it, you notice every now and again that your mind has wandered and you might not even know how long for, the classic staring into space effect (3. Reactive thinking).

And all these thoughts, feelings and mental images are internalised into sensations in your body that you experience as a heaviness, a weight on your chest and/or shoulders. With this heavy feeling interspersed between adrenaline spikes when a certain sensitive topic arises or a setback occurs (4. Internalised focus on bodily sensations).

These four patterns, a negative focus, scanning through multiple different negative scenarios, overthinking, and an internal focus on bodily sensations are the four patterns that when they combine, lock anyone into a negative state.

Consider two of the biggest mental health issues today, anxiety and depression, both of these challenges are different manifestations of these same four patterns.

So it sounds like the crowd and the Old Trafford working environment is the problem doesn't it?

A toxic workplace?

Yet the difference here, well certainly the difference from any workplace I've ever been an employee at, is that those 70,000+ fans in the 'workplace' are all WILLING you to succeed.

All the fans are absolutely united in the objective of sharing in the experience of you winning. They are even paying to watch you to win. (We'll ignore the away support for today).

We also know that the Old Trafford pitch is an ideal environment to showcase fabulous football (ignoring the actual stadium here too, leaky roofs etc).

In these circumstances, it seems more than anything, that it is the perceptions of the players driving these performances.

Of course, with any complex situation, the context is crucial.

Manchester United have been playing counter-attacking football for approaching a decade now.

When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attempted to transition from a counter-attacking team to dominating games, the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion.

Erik Ten Hag was brought in as a possession-based manager, but soon changed tactics and worked towards making the club the best transition team in the world. That didn't materialise either.

Ruben Amorim arrives with a change in formation, but more importantly (I think anyway), a change in playing philosophy, with a clear focus on forcing United to become a possession based team once more. But with only 8 or 9 training sessions in 16 games since his arrival, the players are being asked to do things (play a different formation) and play a different philosophy (control possession and build sustained attacks), and these players are just not used to it. It could also be argued that several of the squad members do not have the profile for what Amorim wants to do anyway.

Position all this in the context that almost every team in the Premier League (especially in the top 10) are well-drilled, well-organised and well-informed about United's weaknesses. It makes the process incredibly difficult for Ruben Amorim.

Amorim himself is already displaying signs of stress, his press conferences post-match involve lots of hand rubbing and wringing of his hands, typical nonverbal expressions of experiencing internal stress. But his facial features also show slight signs of stress - understandably so!

Research has long shown us that stress impairs learning, so players trying to learn a new system and a new philosophy becomes that much harder with each defeat. As Amorim also mentioned after the Southampton game, "we need wins to buy time to train".

So other than more time on the training pitch, what else can the players do?

How do the players relax and start ENJOYING the Old Trafford environment?

There are many different techniques and approaches a Sports Psychologist may employ to help in these situations, which I will defer to their expertise.

The primary component we can focus on here is how do the players change their underlying associations connected to playing at Old Trafford?

To give you an idea how this works, please now think about money.

What are the first 5 words or phrases that come to your mind when you think about money?

These answers give you an insight into the underlying associations you have connected to that concept.

If you were to ask Andre Onana what are the first 5 words that comes to his mind when he thinks about playing at Old Trafford, what words do you think he would say? Share ideas in the comments please!

A positive mental attitude and a positive mindset is essential here. But given the experiences the players have faced so far, it's likely that just trying to think positively will feel a bit like running up a hill. It will be an ongoing battle.

Why is this?

Because of the brain's capacity to process information outside of our awareness. Also referred to as:

Nonconscious Mental Processing.

Common examples of how nonconscious processing influence our behaviour are:

1. The use of bread smells in supermarkets. The aroma of freshly baked bread is often deliberately diffused near the entrance or bakery section to:

• Stimulate hunger and increase overall purchases
• Create positive associations with the store's freshness and quality
• Draw customers deeper into the store

2. Retail stores may use scents like vanilla or lavender to:

• Create a relaxing atmosphere
• Encourage browsing

3. Colour psychology

• Using specific colors in packaging or advertising to evoke certain emotions or associations

4. Fast-food restaurants using upbeat music to:

• Increase table turnover
• Encourage through-flow of customers to maximise number of customers.

All these processes first influence our physiology and our psychology before conscious awareness.

And they are all based on pre-existing associations and connections formed during past experiences.

When these players are out on the Old Trafford pitch, the past memories and associations are activated in the mind's of the players, triggering emotional responses outside of conscious awareness.

When they conceed early in the game.

When a players makes a mistake.

When simple passes are going astray.

Past associations are triggered. But not only in them, in the WHOLE STADIUM.

This then feeds into the players on the pitch and the stadium hosting 70,000 people all wishing the players success turns into a stressful environment, one which would need more an HR Director to resolve.

Until Amorim can have some sustained time on the training pitch, or the players can change their underlying associations, the remainder of this season is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster.

What do you think about United's performance troubles?