JAN 20 ― MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER David Moyes, who at this very moment could be one of the most frustrated men in the world.

The soon-to-be-kicked off duel against arch-rival Chelsea could be a daunting task where a wearisome lion king is to face off with a ferocious, energy-charged contender.

Man Utd was indeed the Lion King last season but with Alex Ferguson retiring and Moyes taking his place since, the team has begun to show signs of ageing, fumbling at times even on its home ground. It has never won a match against a tough opponent, and might not even win one considered weak.

Its Premier League standing has nosedived from 1st to 7th. As if that is not enough, it was disqualified by the FA and its eligibility for the next season UEFA Champion League might be at risk.

All the fingers are being pointed at Moyes. Some say the kid's trying to man a huge car. His stint while handling Everton was not that bad at all, but he's just not good enough to steer a super machine in the likes of a Rolls Royce.

FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANÇOIS Hollande could be the most embarrassed man now.

His was tracked down by a gossip magazine and his secret lover came into light. Next, his “First Girl Friend” in Élysée Palace was admitted into a hospital mysteriously.

Then, his never ending romances were cooked up by the media one after another and many are shocked this Mr Good Guy president has a romantic history that easily dwarfs his predecessors'.

The French are known for their liberalism and indeed they have grown numb to extramarital presidential romances. François Hollande’s performance since day one has been anything but impressive, falling too far short of public expectations, his support rating tumbling.

And now, many have come to the abrupt realization that this man has exerted much of his energy and vitality not at the presidential office but on the bed, or rather beds. He was even caught sneaking out of Élysée Palace on a scooter in the middle of the night for his romantic rendezvous.

The economy of France remains very much at the bottom of the valley but its commander-in-chief has a great deal of energy albeit used at the wrong place. It is therefore hardly anyone’s surprise that the entire country is fuming with rage.

MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER Najib Tun Razak could as well be a very unhappy man now.

He would never understand why a careless mention of a common local vegetable could spark such massive repercussions. The media, especially online ones, have lashed out at him mercilessly while flash mobs and songs pm kangkung have been creatively conceived.

He might have just said something inappropriate or made a wrong comparison, which is nothing unusual at all, but why all this hoohah?

Kangkung is not the only thing that is controversial now; the word “Allah” has repeatedly come into limelight as aggressive arguments get under way.

Political and economic transformations, meanwhile, is stalled. Running the country has become a tough job for him now. With the government seriously lacking in vibrancy and public acceptance declining, how could the prime minister possibly remain jovial?

THESE THREE MEN: a frustrated man, an embarrassed man and another unhappy man, are the media's darlings for this week.

But in short we can sum up their problems with one word: leadership. A leader, be it on the soccer pitch, in the presidential palace or the Seri Perdana, will no longer be able to compete effectively if he allows his leadership to crumble, his team or nation dragged along with him.

In these three men I see some common weaknesses in their leadership:

1. Confined scope: While Moyes could easily steer a mid-range team like Everton, he may not be able to handle a much more powerful team requiring more sophisticated management skills and with sky-high expectations from fans and directors' board. His skills obviously are not up to the mark yet.

In a similar manner, Hollande’s forte is in his romances in and out of Élysée Palace, not administering the country.

As for our own prime minister, his policies fall short of being macroscopic and visionary, shrinking from the scope of 1Malaysia to 1Umno post-election under the pressure from the rightists and conservatives in his party.

2. Poor strategies: Moyes’ field techniques have been monotonous and unimpressive, denying his boys to fully exert their potentials.

Since his first day in office, Hollande has failed to implement major reforms while prolonging the life of unpopular policies of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy. Excessive prudence has impeded growth and little wonder Nobel economics laureate Paul Krugman has called him “spineless” and “scandalous.”

In the meantime, Najib’s subsidy rationalisation is indeed justifiable but he has failed to throw in relevant packages to mitigate the burden of rakyat. In addition, he has little clue how to fix the skyrocketing prices, allowing irresponsible business owners to take advantage of the current situation to mark up their selling prices.

3. Lousy decisions: Moyes made the wrong decision of replacing the trainers under Ferguson, resulting in dislocation in the team’s training, management and strategies.

The French president, meanwhile, is notable for his indecision. Our prime minister keeps mum most of the time from “Allah” to inflation and this has allowed the issues to blow out of proportion. If he took a decisive stance right from the beginning, perhaps the kangkung issue might not even have taken place.

4. Weak personal charisma: Despite being a team manager, Moyes still lives very much under the shadow of his predecessor Ferguson. As for Hollande, his personal charms are but a fraction of Jacques Chirac’s or Nicolas Sarkozy’s.

So many years into his premiership, Najib is still unable to shed the influences of Mahathir today.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online