A Manchester United Unicef dinner in late January revealed the picture was far more complicated than it first seemed when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived as manager.
The Norwegian's team had strolled to seven straight wins, leaving you wondering why the club hadn't thought of going back to the old school sooner.
But guests who had paid out for tables at the Old Trafford event were puzzled by Paul Pogba's apparent disappearance after 45 minutes. They found Alexis Sanchez less than enthusiastic when approached.
Manchester United should sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - he is the wrong man for the job
'The Spaniards — Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and David De Gea — were a different class,' says one guest. Solskjaer's powers of transformation evidently had their limits.
The fundamental humility and humanity of this individual, pictured collecting his clothes from an Altrincham dry cleaners this winter, were like a warm breeze after the preening and self-absorption of Jose Mourinho.
But if the past has taught United anything, it is that a fundamental niceness cannot sustain a football team.
Solskjaer provided hope after Jose Mourinho's departure but his side have struggled recently
There was a myriad of miseries in the team's defeat by relegated Cardiff on Sunday, not least the footage of fans remonstrating with Pogba. But a Premier League 'value for money' table, published by Sporting Intelligence, surely topped the lot.
It revealed Cardiff paid each of their players an average £28,161 for every point they won this season — better value than any side. United were rock bottom, dishing out a monumental £99,010 per point — nearly £20,000 more than any other club.
It says everything that they could not find a way to beat two of the three relegated sides in the season's last week.
Solskjaer now reflects that the necessary rebuild could take years, though it is impossible to sustain an argument he can lead the vast and complex job of overhauling a club which finds itself staggering around in the dark.
There has been no evidence that Solskjaer knows what to do with the players at his disposal
He has been a welcome release from the intimidating conduct of Mourinho.
But beyond his vague attempt to introduce more pace, in keeping with the United of yore, there has been no evidence he has known what to do with those at his disposal. The players sense it. It's
