The choice is simple: potential long-term success under Solskjær or guaranteed long-term failure under a load of different managersIt has been widely reported, not entirely without glee, that Manchester United have had their worst start to a league season since 1989-90. Plenty of those reports have excluded one not insignificant detail; that the manager of the club back then was Alex Ferguson.It is easy to forget how truly abysmal Ferguson’s United were between 1988 and 1990. They made the current lot look like freewheeling entertainers by comparison. In April 1989, United scored one goal in five games – and that was an own goal by Tony Adams, all his own work. Related: Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool: the Class of 92,...
Manager’s limitations are being exposed on a weekly basis but the problems at United run deeper than the dugoutShould Ole Gunnar Solskjær need cheering up at any point in the next few days he can at least reflect that Manchester United are still the club everyone is talking about. In terms of the title race Manchester City’s defeat by Wolves was the shock of the weekend, the result absolutely no one was expecting, yet it was United’s altogether more predictable failure at Newcastle that has dominated the news agendas. Related: Newcastle’s Matty Longstaff stuns Manchester United with goal on debut Related: When Manchester United had an even worse start to the season ... in 1989 Related: Manchester misery, Figo in...
By now the malaise at Old Trafford has deep roots – only equally deep systemic change can put it rightAll in all, it’s been an excellent week for Manchester United. There was progress in the Carabao Cup and the announcement of record revenues of £627.1m. What more could anybody want?Excellent, that is, as long as you don’t worry about details such as the limp 2-0 defeat at West Ham last Sunday. Or that the weekend kicked off with United eighth in the Premier League table. Or that a club with a proud cavalier tradition have scored just 18 goals in their last 20 games. Or that the one outfielder of undoubted outstanding quality spent the summer trying to leave. Or...
Winning everything for a couple of decades was fun but since Sir Alex Ferguson departed supporting United has become far more exasperating and yet arguably far more interesting“And Manchester United,” said Mark Chapman on Match of the Day 2, “are eighth.” To supporters of other clubs, this may be a case of how the mighty are fallen. And yes, it is a crashing come-down from Sir Alex Ferguson’s day, but some of us go back a bit further than that.This is my 50th season. I started off as a fairly typical United fan: born and bred in London, idolising George Best, no previous connection with Manchester. In that first season, 1969-70, the number eight loomed large. The first game I...
The policy of targeting players with a point to prove is fine provided the club has the right people to guide themWith Manchester United on the hunt for a centre-back who could do for them what Virgil van Dijk has done for Liverpool, it is no wonder they are sniffing around Leicester City. After all, if Van Dijk’s solidity is encapsulated in that oft-repeated statistic about no player managing to dribble past him last season, then it makes sense for United to pursue the defender who was just below the Dutchman in that ranking, the next best. Taking due care to eliminate daft outliers by restricting analysis to central defenders who played at least 1,500 minutes in last season’s Premier...