The once dreaded Manchester United fondly called “Red Devils” who were the pride of England and the most prestigious football institutions in the world, lately have been enduring one of the most spectacular falls from grace in modern-day football history.
According to records, the club has won a total of 66 major trophies, which makes them the most successful club in English football history. They were a cynosure of many because of how they beautifully dissected the game of football, making them earn applause even from rival fans.
This is a club that has produced world-class stars that football pundits always refer to when describing how fantastic a player is. The likes of Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Eric Catona, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, etc. As the popular saying goes “Life Is not a bed of roses”, this phrase depicts the current state that the team is faced with.
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The fall of this “great empire” Manchester United, began when their ingenious coach Sir Alex Ferguson who managed the club from 1986 to 2013, resigned. Ferguson was said to have won 38 major trophies, winning 13 premier league titles, which earned him the position as the most successful manager in British football history. He was a respectable figure who earned respect from football fans.
After he departed from Manchester United, the club’s history underwent a major turning point which has seen the club without any major trophy for a consistent period. As it is expected, displeased with the club’s performances, fans, Ex-players, pundits and critics have all voiced their concerns with coaches always at the receiving end of the blame game.
It seems Sir Alex Ferguson left a very big shoe footprint legacy, as no coach has managed to live up to the standards he set at the club. From David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to the current coach Ralf Rangnick, all seem to find no solution to the unending woes of the club.
Manchester United, a club once regarded as the most dominant force in English football is now ravaged with the dominance decline in their performances, as they now even celebrate making the top four position in the premier league. How are the mighty fallen! This is one phrase that is presumed to be on almost every football fan’s lips as regards united abysmal performances.
I recall while growing up, although I wasn’t a Manchester United fan, I always love to watch their games due to how incredibly awesome they were back then. As a good sign of sportsmanship and as a reasonable football fan, I always gave them their accolades where they deserved.
The club has now been made a thing of ridicule, with mid team’s now defeating them which is gradually turning into a norm. The club never fails to receive ‘bants’ from football rival fans for their abysmal performance. Even with the return of their club legend Cristiano Ronaldo, his presence couldn’t rescue the already drowning team.
Although Ronaldo continues to show his football prowess as he has on countless occasions rescued the club from defeat, but then his efforts seem not to be enough. As they say, “a tree cannot make a forest”, which indirectly means that the efforts of Ronaldo alone can’t help alleviate the plight of the club, as football thrives on collective effort.
Just yesterday, the club was pulverized by rival club Liverpool who ruthlessly thrashed them 4-0. Liverpool dominated the game for the whole 90 mins with Manchester United having only one attempt on goal. While I watched the game, I was befuddled and left speechless by the awful performance of the once-mighty United. All I could utter was “What went wrong”.
The once-mighty club is now a complete shadow of its glorious days. Lately, according to some sources, they disclosed that Dutch professional football manager Eric Ten hag is set to take over managing the club. One question that is probably on the mind of every football fan is “will he restore the club’s lost glory”? Only time will tell.