Man United's Strength Will Become its Biggest Weakness

Picture this, RVP hits the volley against villa for his second goal, United have all but sealed the title and Arsenal are losing out against Spurs in a battle for the 4th spot. A United hater comes to you and tells in six months time United will be below Southampton, losing at home to West Brom and Arsenal would be at the top of the table. You would be try your best to control your laughter, a mocking laugh perhaps, but even that would not be enough. Fast forward six months and SAF is gone, David Moyes is the new manager and United have had the worst start in their Premier League History. So what exactly has gone wrong ?

It surely can't be because of just one man, can it be ? Yes, Ferguson was a great manager but last year's champions were not just about him, were they ? Yes United does not have the number of world class players like City or Chelsea have, but they aren't that bad to be in this position either.

Sir Alex's last speech as United Manager

It seems a little difficult to follow the great man's words now, after last night's defeat against Everton United now sit 9th on the table, having dropped 20 points in 14 games. The boo boys are out, twitter is raging with #moyesout tags while the ex-united players and board members are busy defending the manager. It is really incredible to see such rapid deterioration of the team which had won the title at a canter last season, 11 points to be exact. Every United fan knew tough times were ahead when Sir Alex retired, but even the most pessimistic of them would be shocked at the current state of things.

It is just not the points dropped that is worrying the United fans, but the way the team is slowly deviating from the 'United-ways' that is a cause for concern. Forget the defeats to City and Liverpool, even teams like Southampton and West Brom came to Old Trafford and played without fear. In the Fergie days this would have been unimaginable.

There was an air of arrogance about United in the 'Fergie era', and opposition teams would often lose the game in the tunnel. They would sit back and park the bus, and were almost resigned to losing at Old Trafford- the fortress. But Roberto Martinez's comments that he was proud Everton played with 'arrogance' just shows what is wrong with United.

You can say that the squad is an ageing one, Ed Woodward was to blame for the farcical summer, and the Glazers have been stingy owners. But David Moyes must share a major proportion of the blame. Moyes lacks confidence and fails to inspire the team. Even when they are a goal down, the United spirit which have all known for years is hard to see. He arrived in the summer a month late, knowing he needed to assess a new squad, chased an unrealistic target for two months, and in the end overpaid for a player that did not suit United. His substitutions have been at times shocking and defensive while his tactics of wing play is outdated in Europe. His record of not winning a trophy has come back to haunt him now as the results are going bad. Teams and managers doubt his capability and in turn United's which gives them so much confidence while playing against the Red Devils.Can you imagine a Mourinho, a Guardiola or a Klopp in such a position ? Even if results did not go their way, they would have had trophies to show their capability. The fear factor would not have diminished.

United fans will not be so forgiving if they miss out on Europe

That is where the board went wrong in the appointment of Ferguson's successor. While they should have taken his opinion into account his opinion, by no means they should have followed it without even interviewing the candidate. A United job is one which came once in 26 years, talk all about Real Madrid and Barcelona, but this is the most prestigious managerial job on the planet. That's why the board should have at least interviewed him,asked about his plans if not other candidates too. But Moyes was handed it on a silver platter and he looks absolutely clueless now. Would this have happened in any other multi-million dollar organization, or even at Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich- all 3 clubs whom United are trying to emulate on the European front. Roman Abramovich has changed managers at his whim, but that has not stopped Chelsea from being as successful as United on the trophies front in the past 10 years. 

While stability is important it should not come at the expense of incompetence. And that is primarily United's biggest strength and weakness too- stability. We all know that David Moyes will be given a minimum of 3 years at United however bad the results go, but United now is vastly different to the one Sir Alex inherited. This is the biggest sports brand in the world, the most popular football club. If results don't go their way, the sponsors will start backing out, the popularity might decrease. With United's debt standing at around 350 million pounds, the sponsors are essential. Otherwise United might start going down the Leeds way.

Ed Woodward was recently quoted as saying that it wouldn't matter if United didn't win a trophy because the sponsors would still remain citing the example of Liverpool who have not won a trophy in 23 years and still have the second largest shirt sponsorship deal in the league, after United. This just proves how business oriented the new CEO is, and even though United is a PLC, it is a football club first. No, Mr. Woodward we fans would not be able to see Man United become another Liverpool. For this either the owners will have to invest a significant amount in the squad,which looks unlikely, or the manager will have to change his tactics drastically, which again looks very unlikely. While the powerful owners cannot be removed, the manager becomes a easy target. It is still very early to sound out judgement, but by the end of the season if United do miss out on that coveted Champions's League spot Moyes will have to go. We all want him to succeed and feel sorry for his current state. But this is Man United, and they can NOT handle mediocricity.

#MoyesOut