Espen Kjeldseth Mella

This is not the greatest bio in the world, this is just a tribute. I tweet in English and Norwegian. I play guitar in Major Bricks.

[David Schwartz @DavidSchwartz70]

JIMMY KIMMEL: "Yes, he's a criminal and a dictator who's driven his country into financial ruin, while he and his family have lined their own pockets, but Maduro is no saint either."

This is savage... 🤣

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

Manchester United used to be synonymous with leadership. In the dug-out, on the pitch, in the boardroom. Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane, David Gill and many others, revered, even feared, authority figures, rated, adored, never ignored. Leaders who thought about the team and the club and fought for them.

Football (society?) has fewer real leaders generally currently. At United, this great club changed the moment the Glazers arrived in 2005. United gradually came more about what could be taken out (£) rather than put in (commitment). The leadership principle was eroded, and that accelerated when Ferguson and Gill stood down in 2013. United lost expertise, experience and wisdom. They lost leaders.

David Moyes and others tried but the culture had changed under the Glazers. They didn’t know enough, didn’t appoint well enough. They spent money - fans’ money - on the football side but not judiciously enough. They seemed more focused on the business side. The brand played on. The tills were alive with the sound of revenue, the distant Glazers were happy.

But the football drifted. The squad cried out for more players with the right character, and proper investment in training ground and stadium. The Old Trafford leaky roof summed up the lack of attention – and a lack of love and leadership.

New co-owners Ineos promised better. They promised strong leadership. They have delivered some good things, investment in the training ground, but the team continue to slide. How many United players would get into Arsenal’s XI? Arsenal showed leadership and judgement in appointing Mikel Arteta, and backing him because they could see his leadership qualities. Arteta has authority as well as his obvious coaching strengths.

United keep appointing managers and they don’t last. Ruben Amorim – an Ineos appointment - was Manchester United’s fourth manager in their four most recent trips to Elland Road on Sunday following Glazer appointees Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 2021, Ralf Rangnick 2022 and Erik ten Hag 2023. Pay as you churn. How much will Amorim get in his pay-off? Millions. For failure. In a period when Ineos culled good staff – people who care about the club - to save a few quid. Poor leadership. And where was the judgement and leadership in recruiting a head coach committed to wing-backs? United are about wingers.

Amorim deserved to depart for his stubborn commitment to a formation and philosophy that didn’t suit United’s squad or their DNA. Good managers adapt. Good managers also don’t talk like Amorim did in too many press conferences. Nice guy, but naïve, a headline waiting to happen, rarely positive.

“Maybe the worst team in the history of Manchester United” – not great for players' morale? “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United not the head coach” – his job title from the word go was head coach. “That’s going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on” – basically predicting his departure. No wonder Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and Ineos had had enough. At least they’ve showed leadership in taking action. At least they’ve appointed a leader in Darren Fletcher to take the team for the trip to Burnley.

Amorim never felt like a leader. A Manchester United head coach should sound the part – defiant, always positive about his players – and carry some aura. Also be appreciative of the great privilege of leading this great club. Look at United’s remarkable and patient travelling support. Total commitment to the cause. The biggest club in the country deserves to be properly led.

And so to the pitch. Where are the leaders? Bruno Fernandes is captain, United’s best player, but not a natural leader. Moans too much on the pitch (but an admirable ambassador for the club off the pitch). Harry Maguire’s a good leader but not certain of his place (or pace). Bryan Mbeumo in a quiet way. Casemiro’s ageing. Too few leaders. Under Ferguson, there would be 5-6 you could give the armband to. Where are the standard-setters now?

Any complaints about the criticism of pundits Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Keane should be dismissed. Neville, Scholes and Keane represent the standards that United players should aspire to. The levels of commitment. All of them responsibility-takers, winners, and, in different ways, leaders.

Manchester United need to recruit more leaders and for those already at the club, from dressing-room to board-room, to show greater leadership. Amorim was a symptom of the malaise as well as a cause. #MUFC

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

'Thank you for dedicating your life to tell us the truth.’

Al Jazeera correspondents in Gaza, Hani Mahmoud, Hind Khoudary, Tareq Abu-Azoum, and Moath al-Kahlout, recorded these messages for their colleagues murdered by Israel.

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

@2K @mafiagame Will be playing on my #ps5

[Mafia @mafiagame]

🗡️ 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐱𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 🗡️

We're giving away #MafiaTheOldCountry codes to 15 lucky Mafiosi. LIKE and SHARE for your chance to win!

Rules here - https://t.co/9PK5bNqdMZ

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

@Mayoween @DigiTech A lot of them are missing. I’ve still got a handfull

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

@DigiTech After the Stomp Shop update to ios 11, the majority of the pedals are missing. A bug or is this intended? I want the pedals I’ve bought back!

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

@ImpressionistAL We can thank Ole for that blessing!

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

@EivindHolth @FAFiltvedt Ref. hvem kan man hente i vinduet her: hva med å spare pengene og heller bare gunne på med typ Amass, Chido, *sett inn navn*? Mulig tanketomt, men her er jo egentlig muligheten. Jeg tror ikke det ville vært så dumt. Mulig Håkon har noen dypere tanker her?

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

Særdeles sterkt av #unobanden å stille med årets siste pod umiddelbart etter skrellen igår! Tida vi har delt ila 2024 har vært fornøyelig til tross for at United ikke har holdt samme standard! Godt nyttår, gutta! @JonMartinH @EivindHolth @FAFiltvedt (ps: sjekk ut Major Bricks😉)

[Klitschko @Klitschko]

. @joerogan , I disagree

[Alonso Gurmendi @Alonso_GD]

Sure some choose fascism because they are fascists. But most choose fascism because it is a simple explanation for why an economic system designed for the rich and powerful is not working for them. You need to get people to see it is not the immigrant but the greedy billionaire and the bought off politician who are screwing them over. And you need to do this en masse, on the streets, outside of party politics, and regardless of who wins. And do it now.

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

4(!!) episoder av Uno på tre dager! Hadde det ikke vært for at bakteppet er som det er så kunne man mistenkt tidlig jul!🥳

[Eivind Holth @EivindHolth]

Vi klinker til med ukas fjerde Uno-episode i morgen 🇵🇹

Mannen som fikk meg over i Amorim-båten i sommer kommer 🤩

Spørsmål til @tkknamely?

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

Like that’s supposed to be something bigger than it is! 😂 I would’ve bought it if this was Man Utd 2008/2009 editio , but this? Come on, it’s like scoring against a sunday league team🤷🏻‍♂️

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🟣🔵 First goal as West Ham player for Crysencio Summerville today, and it’s against Man United.

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

@EivindHolth Sitter med samme følelse nå som etter Watford høsten 21..

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

Uno har blitt min faste go-to for podcasts, helt fantastisk pod med en besetning som er 10/10!

[united.no @unitedno]

🔴 Uno!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 2-0 mot Rangers
👏🏼 Amad-show
🧐 Yoro-vurdering
👀 Hva skjer med alle vingene?
🤩 «Nye» United på overgangsmarkedet

🎙️ Med: @JonMartinH, @FAFiltvedt og @EivindHolth

🎧 Spotify: https://t.co/IY94fwM71W

🍏 Apple: https://t.co/CpjjgFmTAu

🎥 Ikke på YouTube, dessverre!

[Wolves @Wolves]

Please don't suffer in silence.

There is 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 somebody that will listen.

[Espen Kjeldseth Mella @Espen_LM]

@CheGiaevara 100% enig!

[Fahad Ansari 🇵🇸 (Stop the Gaza genocide) @fahadansari]

It takes the slaughter of white people for Western journalists to start describing Israeli killings as executions.

[Dave Smith @ComicDaveSmith]

As the Israeli assault on Gaza becomes even more transparently indefensible, I’d like to take on the three main “justifications” that I get the most.

1) They have to finish the job! Hamas must be defeated!

The obvious moral hypocrisy of believing that you are justified in killing babies to maybe kill some terrorists aside, this argument demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about what creates terrorism.

Pat Buchanan said that terrorism is the price of empire. I think it’s the price of domination over other people. Honestly, how hard is it to put yourself in their shoes? If someone killed your baby, would you be ready to go kill someone over it?

What Israel has done to Gaza since October guarantees more Hamas or Hamas like groups.

2) What about the hostages?

It is mind boggling that anyone can look at what Israel is doing and believe that their primary goal is to get the hostages out alive. How many of them has Israel already killed? I don’t think anyone actually knows, but it should be self evident that destroying a city that you claim contains hostages is not motivated by valuing their safety above all.

Continuing the war doesn’t help the hostages. Israel can negotiate for them, as they have in the past. They hold all of the chips and they’ve got plenty of hostages of their own.

3) If Israel doesn’t finish the job there will be more 10/7s

This is laughably stupid. I don’t care what the loudest member of Hamas said they wanted to do, what matters is their ability to do it. Hamas has never pulled off anything like 10/7 before and they’re not likely to ever be able to again. Israel underestimated/supported the threat, they can just not do that again. Israel is a fortress and can easily secure its borders.

There is simply no justification for this war to continue and you should never support anyone who wants to force you to fund it.

[Omar Shakir @OmarSShakir]

"If I die, remember that I, we, were individuals, humans, we had names, dreams and achievements and our only fault was that we were classified as inferior."

Powerful @nytimes ad published today