One of the most Popular

Only because of group commnunication and great teamwork

"Manchester United went to the top of the English Premier League as Chelsea lost 3-1 at Wigan to see their perfect start to the season ruined. A seventh straight victory for the champions, 2-0 at Stoke, saw them move ahead of Chelsea on goal difference with both having 18 points after seven matches."

The above is an excerpt from Man Utd go top as Chelsea stumble at Wigan dated 26 September 2009.

One of the most popular football clubs in the world, Manchester United are the reigning English champions and Club World Cup holders, having won the 2008–09 Premier League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. It is one of the most successful in the history of English football and has won 22 major honours November 1986.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for this team.

Manchester United were formed as Newton Heath L&YR F.C. in 1878. Yet in 1902, the club neared bankruptcy, with debts of over £2,500. At one point, their Bank Street ground was closed by the bailiffs. Just before having to be shut down for good, the club received a sizeable investment from J. H. Davies, the managing director of Manchester Breweries. They decided on new name Manchester United to reflect their fresh start.

The new club secretary brought in some new faces into the club. Charlie Roberts, a new half-back helped Manchester United to a third place finish in the 1903–04 season, just a point short of the second promotion place. It was not long, however, before the club was at last promoted to the First Division for the first time under their new name, finishing in second place in the 1905–06 Second Division.

For the next ten years after 1912, the club went into a state of gradual decline before being relegated back down to Division Two. "They were promoted again in 1925, but struggled to get into the top half of the table, and were relegated again in 1931. In the eight years leading up to the Second World War, the club became somewhat of a yo-yo club, reaching their all-time lowest position of 20th in Division Two in 1934. They were promoted and relegated once again before being promoted in the penultimate season before the Second World War. They guaranteed their place in the top flight for after the war by finishing in 14th in the 1938–39 season."

More information can be found at Manchester United F.C.

And this leads us to the topic of group communication.

A group, as noted by Trenholm, is a collection of individuals who, as a result of interacting with one another over time, become interdependent, developing shared patterns of behaviour and a collective identity. Sometimes it is important to communicate in groups due to the group synergy whereby everyone can leverage on everybody else's strengths, which can be seen in the various positions in a football team such as the goalkeeper and the midfielder.

Between 1945 and 1986, there was much struggle within the team. I think this can be explained by the lack of mutual understanding and chemistry as the members were new to each other. The 1994-1995 first trophyless season since 1988-1989 saw Sir Alex Ferguson doing some major restructuring by replacing some players with those from the club's youth team. Since the start of the English Premier League in 1992, Manchester United have won 11 titles out of 18. This clearly shows the importance of group communication and teamwork, and also the major strengths of the individual players. It also goes to show that full membership comes with time for new players need time to build up the rapport within the team. They also have to recognise the written and unwritten norms that govern each level of membership. Because it is only when members have group rapport and are of one mind that the group can achieve its aims.

Then we come to the topic of group socialisation in which the individuals and group seek to influence each other to best meet their needs. Individuals will continuously measure the rewards gained from their group, a process called evaluation which determines their allegiance to the group.

An example would be Christiano Ronaldo who was sold to Real Madrid about two to three months ago. Before he joined Manchester United in 2003, he was a prospective member. When the club approached him and he joined it, he became a new member whereby he had to acquire idiosyncrasy by credit by conforming. He had to play with the reserves for a short period of time before being promoted to the first team which goes on the telly. This was when he became a full member, tasked with responsibilites of doing his part well. About two to three months ago, Christiano Ronaldo became an ex-member when he went over to Real Marid, reason being that he had wanted new challenges, as he won whatever trophies that were available in England. One other reason, I feel, is that he could have been attracted by the huge price tag that was given to him - 80 million pounds. I think Ronaldo's behaviour effectively portrays how individuals continuously measure the rewards gained from the group.

To me, there should be a balance between group work and individual for sometimes it's nice to be able to make your own decisions instead of having to make decisions basing on the general consensus. Also, there may be difference in opinions whereby group members will then have to compromise. Hence, once in a while, amidst some group work, there should be some work that should be done alone too.