Manchester United: Are the Glazers the agents of chaos
By Varun Aithal
The problems started to arise at Old Trafford soon after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
The less proven David Moyes was appointed as manager and was given a long-term contract of six years. The manager didn’t last long and was sacked within 10 months.
For the first time since 1991, the club finished outside of the top four. The club placed seventh, which was unacceptable for fans. Old Trafford was in disarray as they had missed out on Champions League. On top of it, legendary player Ryan Giggs retired in the same season.
CEO Ed Woodward called the dismal season as “challenging and disappointing”. For the first time, Manchester United didn’t even qualify for any of the European competitions. In order to salvage the season, Louis van Gaal was appointed as the manager.
Under van Gaal, Manchester United finished in the top-four once again and the fans believed that 2013/14 was just a blip. They didn’t see the potential danger incoming. Louis was sacked at the end of the 2015/16 season as he failed to finish in the top four.
The same happened with Jose Mourinho
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The Portuguese manager signed Paul Pogba in a record-breaking deal but the club ended up finishing sixth, earning an FA Community Shield and Europa League trophy to help him gain Champions League action the following season.
The club, for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, finished in the top two under Jose but it was a trophyless season in 2017/18. The third season syndrome of Jose Mourinho glared at Old Trafford when he fought with Paul Pogba, Luke Shaw, and Anthony Martial.
Man United tumbled thereafter and Mourinho was sacked in December 2019, following a dismal start to the term. The club then appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a legendary player to salvage their season.
After seeing United through to the end that season, Solskjaer finished in the top-four in his first full campaign thereafter, owing to the signing of Bruno Fernandes in the winter window. With all this in mind and noticing the pattern, we could see the same fate for the Norwegian very soon.