Sports
Since the inception of English football, a few clubs have made sure to assert their dominance upon the game and their opponents, Manchester United has been the club that has shown its prowess for decades and decades on end. Whether it is their impeccable record in the Premier league or their fine performances on the European stage, Manchester United have set the bar for what successful football teams should look like and play like. The club has defined success and glory with its story, but the story has taken a sharp, rather unfortunate turn that has turned this one glorious club, into a colossal and chaotic mess.
THE ERA OF FERGUSON.
It won't be a reach to say that Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the greatest managers of all time, he sits at the same table as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and more. His tenure lasted from 1986 to 2013, was defined by a staggering haul of 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, and 2 UEFA Champions League crowns.
Ferguson built teams across generations, constantly reinventing the squad—from the Class of ’92 to the treble-winning side of 1999, to the Ronaldo-Rooney-Tevez trident. His man management and the zest to provide a platform to promising youngsters gave birth to stars like David Beckham, Gary Neville and many more. He built a team around youth, defining United's motto of "Youth, Courage, Success."
His ability to dominate domestically while remaining competitive in Europe made Manchester United a global brand. The club’s commercial success was built upon its consistency on the pitch, with Old Trafford becoming a fortress feared by opponents. But his departure in 2013 revealed that the walls needed him to stay on the helm, as the walls were quick to fall apart once he left.
Poor management? or Poor luck?
Manchester United went into a merry go round in their quest to find a new manager and the successor to Sir Alex, the boots were big and heavy to fill and plenty came and struggled to make their impact, starting from David Moyes who lasted only 10 months.
Since Moyes, United struggled to appoint anyone who could make a reasonable impact, United's woes continued despite the appointment of Jose Mourinhio, Erik Ten Hag and even former club legend Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. United still had success at the highest level but not at the pedigree which they are capable of, United's signings were even worse than their appointment of managers, they signed several high profile players to replace the legends under Ferguson but almost each and every one of them failed.
A LOST IDENTITY.
United are set for a major haul prior to the start of this season, having gone through unarguably their worst season in history, they finished 15th in the Premier league, with their lowest ever point tally and no European football for the next season. United had two managers at the helm this season with Erik Ten Hag, who was sacked mid-season and then Ruben Amorim who is currently managing the club and working towards an almost impossible revival, last season was nothing but a horror show and now it is expected that a lot of changes are going to take place next season with major players like Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and even young sensation Alejandro Garnacho all expected to leave. Ruben Amorim has added Mattheus Cunha to his attacking Arsenal this season and is hoping for more signings along the way for a way back for Manchester United.
It is still a long road ahead, but with a serial winner like Amorim at charge, a revival might just be on the cards. United have had their darkest part of the night and the dawn might be coming sooner than expected.
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