Why Man Utd are struggling this year
Man Utd
Manchester Utd won the Premier League last year by 11 points. Yet, this year, with virtually the same players, they are 14 points behind Arsenal after just 22 games.
So, what’s the difference?
The obvious answer is Alex Ferguson’s retirement. However, David Moyes has been proved to be a good manager in the past, overachieving at Everton.
Looters
The problems at Man Utd have been there for a long time – but Ferguson helped mask them by his ability as a manager.
The Glazers have been looting the club for years now.
In 6 years they have taken £480m out of the club. Cristiano Ronaldo was sold for £8om – so the Glazers were taking a Ronaldo a year out of the club for 6 years.
Yes, that’s right – a Ronaldo a year.
Non Spenders
I remembering reading about a year ago that in the past 5 years Man Utd, the biggest and richest team in England, when it came to money spent on transfers net, were only the 7th highest spenders.
Astonishingly Stoke and Sunderland were ahead of them.
And yet they won the Premier league last year by 11 points. I think that may have been Ferguson’s greatest achievement of the lot with that side denuded of funds.
Unique
After Ferguson they had to get a mere mortal as a manager. There just aren’t other Fergusons out there.
This was the guy who, as a young manager, knocked Rangers and Celtic off their pedestals as the Aberdeen manager and won the European Cup Winners Cup, beating Real Madrid 3-0 in the final.
You’ve heard of the 6 million dollar man. Well Ferguson is the Quarter Billion Pound Man – as that is the amount that has been knocked of Man Utd’s share price since Ferguson quit.
Hey Big Spenders
The Glazers won’t like that – so they’ll spend money to try to claw back that Quarter Billion.
Everton has shown that Moyes is a good buyer of players – so the Glazers money and Moyes ability to spot talent should combine to put Man Utd back up there again.
However, they will not have the dominance ever again that they had in the Ferguson era.
Ferguson was and is unique.