Are we witnessing the permanent downfall of Manchester United as THE top club?

[HD3D 1,038]

A lot of people claim they are just having a bad transitional period but if you actually take a closer look at it, the mess that they are in has all the ingredients to cause permanent damage and turn them into another Liverpool:

- Clueless manager.

- Aging team.

- Huge debt.

- Rich owners known for being greedy and only interested in milking the club for profit.

-----

Now here's the gravity of these problems:

- Their clueless manager seems to be protected by the club's belief that he needs time, which means they will allow him to do even more damage. I think it will only take 2 or 3 more years of this for United to lose its status and popularity as the EPL's top dog. By then, people will see them as "just another above-average club like Liverpool". It will be harder to attract players AND managers.

- When they do start looking for a new manager, they will need a new world class manager on the level of Mou, Guardiola, Klopp or Ancelotti. But what are the odds such a manager would want to go to a club with no Champions league football, and unwilling to invest money to fix the squad's problems?

- By the end of the season, how many of their best players will want out if given an offer by a title contender with CL football?

- Even if the club's owners decided to inject a few hundred millions to lift the team, they are in debt and the Financial Fair Play rules would limit their spending.

- No European football means not many world class players will want to join them.

- They've been dominating the EPL for a decade. How much of their fanbase is composed by band wagoners who will now stop supporting the club?

- This is a league with the likes of Chelsea, City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, etc. These are all teams with the power to slap them down every time they try to bounce back up. Every time United tries to sign a world class player, these clubs will be there to snatch him from them. Every time United tries to get top 4 or win a cup, these clubs will be there. The EPL is the most competitive league, what is the likelihood that they can continue to compete with us, with so many issues at hand?

[Tomo 21,751]

I actually think they could recover if they act now and get shot off Moyes but they won't because they pride themselves on giving managers time, this was the case even before Fergie, part off the reason they went 26 years without a title was because they always left sacking managers too late.

People like to have a go at Roman for his "itchy trigger finger" but that is 100 times better than stability for the sake off it.

[Yeboii 1,844]

I would never say "permanent" but they are going down for sure.

I want to see how many "fans" they have now and in the later years lol

[DDA 9,937]

This is Liverpool all over again. It's the natural cycle of the change in order that doesn't just happen in football.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

I'm not bothered, I just relax and try to enjoy their failures as they come. Happy times

[didierforever 7,349]

They need a ROMAN. No shame in accepting that they fucked up signing moyes, simply cut your losses

[jan 14]

moyes must have a killer contract

every other team in the EPL would have sacked him already

[Strike 7,489]

At best they'll drag themselves back up to 3rd. Chelsea and City already have the platform

[zolayes 14,489]

sadly I dont think their decline will be like scumpools ,,,BUT Im going to ENJOY it while it lasts hopefully for 3 years at least

[bushman 2,043]

As far as I am concerned, wrong words were used in the above heading.

United are not to be deemed as PERMANENT downfall, I feel.

They have plenty of resources to invest, buy players. United stocks trade on the stock market. The owners cannot afford to become like Liverpoops, I feel. Therefore, we will see a huge investment in the summer.

I would say, in 2-3 years Manures could be very close to challenge anybody.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Every dog has his day.

To quote Prometheus: "A king has his reign. The he dies. It's inevitable".

I don't think we're seeing a permanent downfall, but the United hegemony of the last 20 years was already ruptured by the emergence of Chelsea and Manchester City over the course of the last decade. With Liverpool re-emerging and Arsenal gradually looking stronger year on year, their single-handed dominance has been loosened to such an extent that there are now four or five genuine powers in English top flight football once again. United won't sink into the abyss like some people think; after a couple of years on the periphery, like between 2004-2006 when Ferguson rebuilt their entire team, they will come back. But for the foreseeable, they won't be a major threat. I think their position as guaranteed title contenders has been usurped. For the next couple of years we need to discuss United as a top four team, rather than a top two team.

[Special Juan 28,141]

They need a serious cash injection into that team, possibly more than what Spurs spent last summer, and following that will be a transition period.

Right now they are just woeful which sits alongside some very average players.

[bushman 2,043]

United do have money to invest & we will see it soon. However, I would rather fire Ed first. This man has no clue about transfer market & the Clueless One is as bad as him.

Red nosed Alex is there to help the club.

[The only place to be 11,313]

They're in serious need of rebuilding with players needed in key positions and a manager with a more modern play-style. You're talking about at least £80 million in transfer fees alone and that's from a team who have already misfired with the signings of Fellaini and Mata for more than £60 million.

The only argument I can see against United falling further is that they're 'too big to fail'. The other problem they face is not just their own failings, but the resurgence of teams like Liverpool who may well take their place in the top four. These problems aren't new either, but Fergie simply papered over them (to great success to be fair).

[Special Juan 28,141]

Fergie will be walking down the stairs to take back his seat when they get turned over by Arsenal on Wednesday.

[xnaed 17]

I feel Mata was an impulse buy, unless they change their game i don't see Mata contributing as much as he is capable of. Their squad needs a good overhaul but cash injection will be hard to justify with no champions league money and FFP rules coming into play . One can never be sure, but i predict Chelsea, City, Arsenal, Liverpool and maybe even Spurs doing better than United for 2-3 seasons. Meanwhile lets enjoy their struggle and capitalize on one less quality opponent in the PL.

Also, in Moyes we trust

[HD3D 1,038]

like between 2004-2006 when Ferguson rebuilt their entire team

Except they don't have Ferguson anymore. Even if Ferguson acts as director of football and chooses the players HE thinks the team needs, there's no guarantee the new manager will know how to work with them.

As far as I am concerned, wrong words were used in the above heading.

United are not to be deemed as PERMANENT downfall, I feel.

They have plenty of resources to invest, buy players. United stocks trade on the stock market. The owners cannot afford to become like Liverpoops, I feel. Therefore, we will see a huge investment in the summer.

I would say, in 2-3 years Manures could be very close to challenge anybody.

You didn't read my post. I do acknowledge that United has the capital to invest. But it's not as simple as it sounds:

- The Glazers have always been unwilling to pour money into the club.

- Financial fair play rules will prevent them from abusing in spending.

- They will struggle to attract top players without CL football.

- They don't have a top manager anymore, and whoever they hire will still not be as good as Ferguson.

Now let me ask you something, what if the greedy Glazers do decide to inject a vast amount of money and the club continues to under preform? They have already spent big on Fellaini/Mata and got nothing out of it.

[bababoom 4,478]

They will be back, but it'll take time to rebuild. Before if United failed to win the league you would bet on them winning it the following year, now, i don't see it. It's going to be more even, more teams will have a chance to win it.

Although Chelsea or City have a real chance to take over, we can be the club who wins the league more often than not, we just need to make sure Jose stays long enough.

[Korea 734]

United will do a liverpool and come back in a few years or so....

[yuvala 2,167]

Next season will tell.