AS SURE as night follows day the pens, as well as the knives, will be out once more to predict Sir Alex Ferguson's empire is on the point of collapse.
It may be. It might just be that United are suffering one of the troughs which are inevitable in big-time football, which is so often seen in black and white rather than the shades of grey which denote the real world.
No, United are not an ailing club overnight because they lost a tie to Porto in the 90th minute of a Champions League match they never dominated but should still have won.
Yes, they can point to an assistant referee whose first appointment this morning should have been with Specsavers after he ruled out what should have been a perfectly legitimate second goal by Paul Scholes.
And it's true United have endured their fair share of injuries in this most problematic of seasons, the most debilitating being the five months spent on the sidelines by Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer.
But there can be no excuses and no complaints from Ferguson. How can there be when you are in charge of the richest, biggest, most famous football club in the world with resources which could settle a small country's national debt?
It may be tough for Ferguson to accept that on Tuesday against Porto he quite possibly sent out the worst team to wear the famous red of United in Europe for more than a decade.
Leaky defence
It would be even harder for Ferguson, a man not renowned for recognising his own flaws, to accept United's problems have been mostly of his own making and are encapsulated in three key errors.
Mistake number one emanates from the errors which led to Rio Ferdinand missing a drugs test and subsequently being hit with an eight-month ban, since when United's defence has shipped goals by the bucketload.
Sixteen goals conceded in just 10 games since Ferdinand's enforced absence is powerful proof of his worth and an equally strong indictment of Ferguson's reluctance to provide cover for his most vital defender via the January transfer window.
Mistake number two surrounds Ferguson's well-documented protracted row with shareholder John Magnier over stud fees for the racehorse Rock of Gibraltar - the most complex and bitter of disagreements.
Ferguson would insist it hadn't deflected his attention from the running of the team but all the evidence suggests otherwise.
Mistake number three is another Ferguson would not admit to readily - the summer sale of David Beckham.
True, Ferguson has been unlucky in that he had planned for Solskjaer to fill Beckham's position on the right.
The injury to the Norwegian has seen Ferguson utilise the inconsistent cameos of Ronaldo as well as Darren Fletcher being promoted more speedily than anticipated and while the Scot has a bright future his learning curve has far to travel.
However much Ferguson came to resent it Beckham was the heartbeat of United, the man who invariably made them tick with the precision of his crossing and the excellence of his free-kicks.
How Ruud Van Nistelrooy must lament the loss of that famous whipped-in delivery.
Shadow
But it is not the whole story because there appear to be other mistakes of judgement, not least in the arrivals of Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba, David Bellion and Diego Forlan - all purchases who fall short of the quality demanded by teams with a realistic chance of winning the Champions League.
United's demise cannot be laid at their door, but the mistakes, the injuries, the misfortunes, the transitional nature of the team, all add up to the reason the current United side are the palest shadow of the 1999 vintage which garnered that astonishing treble of Premiership, FA Cup and European Champions Cup.
That was a side invigorated by the hungry and youthful talents of such as Scholes, Beckham and Solskjaer, one which blended power and pace and surged forward in wave upon wave. And they were driven on, though admittedly not in the Champions League final against Bayern, by Roy Keane at his peak - at the time arguably Europe's most influential midfielder.
It's as plain as the fury which so often clouds Ferguson's features that for all United's trophies since, including a Premiership title last season which owed much to their grit and determination not to succumb to Arsenal, that they have gone backwards.
From a side which played with wonderful fluency and without fear to one whose display against Porto was punctuated with far too much caution.
Yes, they missed Keane, suspended because of his own stupidity in treading on goalkeeper Vitor Baia in the first leg.
But in the days when United were dominant at home and in Europe Scholes' opening goal would have been an invitation to sweep forward in search of more.
The statistics, which showed United enjoyed just 47% of possession on their own patch, also proved that Old Trafford is no longer a venue to intimidate opponents. Ferguson almost admitted as much.
"It was not a great Manchester United performance," he said.
"But it was laced with a lot of good play and I think we deserved to win the match."
Thrilling
There is no doubt they were unfortunate to concede the crushing goal seconds from time via goalkeeper Tim Howard's weak flap at a free-kick, though we should remember that Howard was being hailed as the buy of the summer for his outstanding form before Christmas. He might yet prove to be one of Ferguson's successes.
We should also remember that just seven weeks ago United led the Premiership by four points and the talk in some quarters was of another potential treble.
Ferguson has achieved too much as Britain's greatest-ever manager for his empire to fall in less than two months - especially two months in which Arsenal have played some of the most thrilling and effective football ever witnessed on these shores.
Not even United's most steadfast fan would argue that Arsenal did not deserve their current claim to the high ground of English football.
It doesn't mean United will not regroup. Who knows, if Keane and Solskjaer and Mikael Silvestre return, perhaps in time for their Premiership and FA Cup semi-final showdowns these next three weeks.
Victory has never been more crucial if the Ferguson empire is to strike back.
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A LOT OF CHANGES ARE NEEDED AT United out with the old in with the new.
Everyone in the club should be blamed for the team's current performance. In addition to that, we should also blame a horse, a traitor to the Blues, a defector to Spain (I still believe that it is Becks plotted his own exit to Real, not SAF sold him), wrong incoming players (except Howards), and also some super bad luck and unfair treatment by the FA. This season might be over, however, we still have the FA cup to go for. We might loss the league, but, fight to the end. SAF's empire will be rebuilt.
Since the start of the season the results have gone from bad to worse, we have never played well at all. We need to win the cup to salvage something from this disastrous season, but I cannot see us beating Arsenal. Poor results are representative of poor signings. Bellion, Djemba Djemba, Kleberson and Forlan are not United quality and Butt has lost it. We need quality established players and a replacement for Kean. Is it time for Fergie to move upstairs and be replaced by McClaren!
Fergie must take most of the blame, although bad luck has played its part.
A few bad buys, selling Beckam which I agreed with at the time.
I do not know if he has got the time or energy to build another team.
I hope it does not end in tears,
because we all love him.
The manager is badly at fault for sellingYapp Stam, does anyone know why he went ? However selling a national treasure like David Beckham is unforgivable.He sold Becks because he felt he was becoming too important,more important than the manager. Why would Fergie not play Becks in central midfield ? I believe it was because Fergie could not bear to see Becks take on even more importance. Strange is it not that Becks is chosen to lead his country in the central midfield position and even in a team of superstars that Real Madrid have Becks is picked to play central midfield. When RVN spoke about missing Becks the player and Becks the person, the manager promptly left him out of the next match (1-1 with Fulham) .Will RVN be the next victim of the control freak manager ?I must also say that the whole episode regarding the rock of gibraltar has been a disgrace and Fergie must surely have been distracted from giving all due care and attention to the team. In conclusion FERGIE should have gone not BECKS.
This is what I and jericho predicted during the summer when the Ronnie deal fell through. Mr Glazer is the only one who can save this club. If not we're in for another summer of failings in the transfer market/some unproven youngsters signed on the cheap followed by another medicre season finishing 15 points behind Arsenal. And come august the plc will announce another 40m profit.
Seven weeks ago we were 4 points clear of Arsenal. Even so, I was not convinced because I felt that Forlan, Bellion etc were not the quality cover we needed. Ronaldo has the ability and I reserve judgement on Kleberson.
Ferdinand's suspension, injuries to Solskjaer, Brown and Silvestre have exposed our soft under-belly. Fans kept asking why Fergie wasn't in the market for a defender or two at the start of the season. Without Ferdinand and Silvestre we have shipped goals.
Add to that the debacle over Ferdinand's missed drug test; Fergie's feud with Magnier; messy transfer dealings with Ronaldinho, Saha, Robben and Beckham being forced out against his will and you have signs that all is not well.
Obviously Fergies Fledglings could not go on for ever and teams need to be rebuilt, but I cannot see how Forlan and Bellion are going to bring success. Phil Neville and Nicky Butt are good servants to the club, but will never instil fear in teams like Real Madrid and AC Milan. There is a definite lack of quality in depth.
Part of the reason that the vultures of the media start circling when we lose an important game like the other night is because everyone and his dog knows that Fergie's days at OT are numbered. He has already nearly retired once and with his volcanic temper, any setback could just be the cue for him to walk. It will happen eventually - the only question is when. This, unfortunately, reduces his effectiveness as a manager - potential new signings may think twice about coming to a club where the manager is nearer the end of his career than the beginning. Existing players may well be wondering how long he will go on for. This makes Fergie a lame duck manager - for all the brave talk of him building another great team, the chances of him being around to see that through are slim. The Board should now identify his successor and move towards a smooth transition. The last thing we need is a messy interregnum where someone like Walter or Phelan has to take over and the media have a field day linking us with everyone from George Graham to Graham Norton. Everyone will have their views on who should take over, but I think the main point is to recognise that Fergie's powers are in decline. This is not a knee-jerk reaction - we have played indifferently all season and the manager's judgement in terms of who to buy and sell just gets more erratic by the year. Yes, it's time for change, but structured change not blind panic.
It is important that we grab the last CL place and finish 4th. It's between us, Newcastle, Charlton and Birmingham but I'm confident we can pull it off with our lead over them, but with our downturn in fortunates it's not guaranteed! We're assured of a UEFA place (I think!) but CL would be better.
Its Jap, and he refused to ride rock of Gibraltar so Alex sold him when he should have sold the horse.
The current team is reminicent of the early ferguson teams. For all his success it has largely happened when has had an exceptional No 2, Kidd, Maclren.
The current team reflects more accurately his abilities or lack of them. Its time he went and we can start building a side based on youth policies blended with effective and excellent purchases rather than the general average players we seem to attract now.
These are hard times to be a United supporter. A few years ago we used to win games in the last minutes of the game. A few years ago we also used to pass the ball around nicely, something which we've been lacking this year, and it might be one of the main reasons for our mediocre season. The 4-5-1 system, often with two holding midfielders (keane and pneville) ensured we had the best defensive record until RFs suspension. But I think it has lead to us losing our way of dominating games. The main reason is that there are too many players in the team who cant pass the ball properly. Its also because there are not enough passing options in front of the man holding posession. I would like Fergie to use the rest of the season to get us back to our old ways with one holding midfielder, two wingers and two strikers. I would like to see him play players who wants to play GOOD, positive football. In this respect I think both Fletcher and Kleberson can be great central midfielders for United. Butt and PNeville are just not good enough unfortunately. I respect their work ethic, and of course their love for the club, but they are just not good enough. PNeville is a good cover for the full back position though. Defensively I think we have great defenders in Wes, Mikael, Rio and O'Shea. What we need is a good left back. We also need a new winger and a new striker.
I think the future is bright for United, as long as we continue the tradition of bringing up young players and play positive, attacking football. What we DONT need is a fat cat in search of a toy!
Come on everybody ..... Arsenal have taken years to get where they are today! United have been at the top of the game for ever now and even they are allowed a slump or a bad season! Chelsea bought massive names this season and they haven't done that well considering their squad depth and the big names - but nobody is on their case! United bought in youngsters to build a team for the future! Give them a chance - Ferguson has never let United down since he has been there and yes this is a shaky season but hang in there - United will be back, sooner rather than later - they have done worse in the past and look how well they pulled through that disaster last time!
Come on United fans - our team need us now - more than ever - they have enough negative criticism they don't need their fans to let them down now! Hang in there!
and you all have to admit Beckham never gave United the same quality he has given Real - he had to prove himself at Real whereas United he was loved regardless of how badly he played and he did play badly at times!
Agree with this piece, except with regards to Beckham, he is still the most overrated player of the new millenium. To Jeffrey of Bury, SAF didn't play Beckham in the middle cos he isn't good enough there. Watch him for Real against any good team. Most spanish teams don't play with strong, ball-winning midfielders, only the best ones do. Beckham has been largely anonymous against Valencia and Deportivo, and I don't think he touched the ball last night against Bayern. His departure has left a hole in United's midfield, only cos Fergie has played half the first team at right midfield, and there's no consistency. Giggs has long been regarded as the best left mid in Europe, Scholes considered the best centre mid, here's a novel idea, PLAY THEM IN THEIR BEST POSITIONS. If Joaquin was signed last summer, no one would say we miss becks.
DC - Spot on with regards to Beckham! I have to agree 100% with you on that as well as re Giggs and Scholes. Come on guys give United and SAF a chance - they haven't let us down before - don't turn on them now when they need the support of the fans.
Last season we win the championship and now the manager must go? Where are we? 3rd and level on points with 2nd place and we were in a clear lead over Christmas against an unbeaten Arsenal side since when we have had an avalanche of injuries and suspensions. Please, get a grip - have a bit of faith in Alex. Admittedly we've had a bad run of late, we messed up with the Ronaldinho bid, and the horse affair got a bit messy but if he had bought a central defender in (and he would have had to be a top class one so he would have expected to play), had we not suffered the injuries we did, we would have a surplus of defenders and nowhere to put them- he would have also needed time to build a relationship with the other defenders. So, it didn't work out as planned - sometimes these gambles backfire (plus the pressure brought on the club by outside influences didn't help). For all those who said we should have kept Beckham - after the clash last year, things were never going to be resolved between them. At the end of the day players and managers are people and the relationship between them can make or break a team so someone had to go. I know who I would prefer to keep. Personally I don't know of a manager I would rather have than Alex Ferguson (1 champions league, 8 championships, 4 fa cups, cup winners cup, league cup) - before responding with knee jerk responses about sacking him try comparing the relative achievements of other managers (I saw McClaren mentioned - what!?!) - in any case history tells us that discontinuity is more likely to break a club than make it. And finally for those who keep saying Man Utd is the richest club in Europe, etc - who helped put them in that position? We should be proud Alex Ferguson is our manager and support him, not attack him after one patchy season.
Lynn in Switzerland, get back to the kitchen sink, you know nought about football. We need a whole new back 4. The way we're playing lately we wouldn't beat the faro islands or norway!!!
It was the most dissapointing performance by man U. This story hit the nail on the head. Fergie shoulg go. we cannot stand his assumed invisibility.
Buy new players to play for the richest club!
Duncan- let me ask you one question: If it was Arsenal that had won the treble in 99, and since then he'd spent almost B#150m on new players, and he was now further away to winning the Champs League than he was 7 or 8 years ago, would you not be pointing and laughing at them? And even more so if they were linked with Europes hottest properties but then signed nobodies, after selling 2 of their best players (eg, Becks & Stam)?
Even last year when we won the championship, the writing was on the wall and it was crystal clear that we were on a downturn. Winning the league was the worst thing that could have happened last season. All it did was paper over the cracks, allowing them to get bigger for another season.
I totally agree with Gunny of Oslo that our future is bright. In goal we have Howard who will continue to improve. In defence we have four world class central defenders to choose from when Ferdinand is back. The Neville brothers can cover the right and left back and Brown and O'Shea can play in these positions too. I think we need one or two more quality defenders to increase the depth of our squad to cover injuries/suspensions situation. It was the lack of cover and not the lack of quality of the first team which was responsible for a sudden collapse of the good defence record we enjoyed in the early season (remember we conceded only 3 goals after 10 matches?). In the midfield I will repeat my belief that Ronaldo is an excellent replacement for Beckham (yes, we don't miss him) and Fletcher should also become a regular right side central midfield, or at least a regualr deputy to Scholes. Keane will be needed to direct the movement of the midfield but in his absence we have DD, Kelberson and Miller who will eventually take over. Giggs should be played on the left where he is most dangerous. A successor must be found for him sooner or later and it is unfortunate that we have missed out on Robben. In attack Vanistrooy and Saha will form an excellent partnership once they get to know each other better. They can easily match the Madrid's pairs of Ronaldo/Raul. I agree with others Forlan, Butt, Bellion and Fortune are not good enough for Utd and it will be kinder to let them go and for good replacements to be found in the summer. As CU Lions of US said Sir Alex will rebuild the empire once the transition is mature. Cheers up my fellow Utd loyal fans. Let the mourning period passes quickly and let us look into the future which is bright as Gunny said.
Fergie must use Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier on than bringing him late. Ole is such a good player and a good reader of the game when its going on.
and if the collapse continues Fergie shall have to go eventhough he has been a very great manager, the best ever for Manchester United.
Who will take over then???????????