The 10 biggest problems in 10 post-Fergie years at Manchester United: voodoo, media leaks, Glazers…

Peter Fitzpatrick
A composite image of Jadon Sancho, Manchester United fans holding a Glazers Out banner, and Ed Woodward
It's been quite the decade at Manchester United.

It might feel like Groundhog Day for everyone at this stage as Manchester United somehow plummet to new lows over the last decade. Sunday’s derby demolition has led to fresh questions around more or less everything at England’s biggest sporting institution. But what are the 10 biggest problems at Old Trafford right now?

Trying to narrow it down to that figure might seem impossible given Manchester United have more problems than Jay-Z and Martin Luther combined (and more questions than the joined forces of 50 Cent and Nate Dogg) but let’s give it our best shot.

Here goes nothing.

 

10) An apparent voodoo curse on the club over the last decade
Despite all of what’s about to come in this article, sometimes it’s hard to believe this much has gone wrong for the club in the post-Fergie wilderness years. Even out of blind luck, one would assume something might work out at some point. Instead, when it goes wrong, it just goes so wrong and often to a comedic level.

How many sides have embarrassed United in the last decade? City’s 3-0 win didn’t even come as a surprise, it’s just become par for the course.

Think back to all the dark days in the last 10 years, all of the disastrous signings, managerial stints and outright shambolic situations a once-proud football club has found themselves in.

It begs the question, outside of the obvious major issues, are Manchester United somewhat just paying for the 20 years of near-unparalleled success? Somewhere out there, is there a voodoo doll of United just repeatedly being jabbed at? By this point, would it even come as a shock?

 

9) Media leaks
Now the supernatural shout is out of the way, onto the serious business and the old reliable when United find themselves in these now-numerous apparent points of no return: media leaks and briefings.

It comes from every level of the club, with everyone looking out for themselves and hoping to shift the blame elsewhere.

It felt like Erik ten Hag had got a hold on that last season after shifting so much deadwood and supposed bad apples, but they have reared their head again this season.

A club United in name only these days.

 

8) Divided fanbase
Speaking of division, United’s fanbase has been at odds with one another for large parts over the last decade, mostly on social media where the likes of Mark Goldbridge have benefited from consistent negativity.

No club quite falls into crisis quite as often or as quick as United, but it is not helped by fans turning on one another when the issues are so clear at the top of the club.

The only consensus is usually ‘Glazers Out; but even that has become a debatable topic, such was the fear among conscionable fans who would rather stay in the doldrums than be owned and associated with state money, sportswashing and human rights abusing regimes.

Manchester United protest against the Glazers' ownership.

Manchester United protest against the Glazers’ ownership.

 

7) Senior players
As Roy Keane has consistently said in typically accurate and angry fashion, United players will throw managers under the bus when the going gets tough.

It happened under Jose Mourinho, it happened under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and it could very well happen to Ten Hag. It is different senior players and ‘leaders’ for each of those managers, but the result is nearly always the same.

The go-to guys last season have been the worst players this time around, with Marcus Rashford going backwards at a worrying rate and Casemiro seemingly forgetting that he is a defensive midfielder. As for Bruno Fernandes, Keane and Jamie Carragher both questioned his role as captain and based off it to date this season, it’s hard to put up a defence of the Portuguese star.

As for Jadon Sancho, while only 23 years of age, he’s downed tools in record quick fashion. Not a single United fan would mourn his exit.

 

6) Ten Hag and his questionable second season methods
While the club is not conducive to true success in its current guise, no manager is ever faultless, with every single post-Fergie manager getting many things wrong at different points.

Ten Hag is currently following that second-season syndrome trend that has engulfed the club in the last decade, with every manager initially having some positivity before it fell away – and often hard – in their second full season. Although David Moyes didn’t even get that far.

Pre-season, while obviously commercially driven, somehow left United unready for the season, which was evident early in the opening game against Wolves. Alongside apparent overly intense training, it has seen the club record a silly number of injuries. The fitness and medical teams also must be questioned. United didn’t even have a full-time club doctor to start the season with and how was Lisandro Martinez allowed to play on an unhealed broken foot?

From a relatively solid, defined system last season, United have deviated into seemingly nothing. The players look clueless, the tactics don’t make sense and selections and substitutions currently defy logic.

Why was the sole centre defensive midfielder in Sofyan Amrabat taken off at half-time against City? Why was Rasmus Hojlund taken off when the side needed a goal (they have scored 11 in 10 league games!)? Why was Jonny Evans selected over Raphael Varane? What is going on with Mason Mount?

United might be an unmanageable club but don’t make it even worse for yourself, Erik. Those Ajax style comments were also very small-minded.

 

5) Off-field issues
A thesis could be written on this problem alone, much of which would be made up of events over the last year.

What sort of club would try and bring back Mason Greenwood? Did United know about the allegations against Antony? Was there no due diligence done on Sancho? It’s not like his training issues are anything new.

Throw in Cristiano Ronaldo embarrassing himself with Piers Morgan last season and it’s just non-stop drama and outright chaos.

 

4) Toxic atmosphere
This goes hand in hand with the fractured fanbase, the misery over the last decade and the off-field issues, which just leave Old Trafford with more grey clouds swirling around than the usual Manchester weather.

It has become a place for managers’ and players’ careers to die when it used to be the other way around.

The club is broken from the inside and the negativity, frustration and anger among so many connected with the club is just not a suitable environment for anyone, let alone young players trying to make a name for themselves. You could only sympathise with Hojlund right now.

 

3) Takeover saga
There is no doubt that the never-ending and non-communicative takeover saga has affected every aspect of the club.

As mentioned, it has split the fanbase and created so much uncertainty for every worker from groundsmen and tea ladies to managers and board members.

It looks like Sir Jim Ratcliffe will enter as a minority shareholder in the coming weeks with a view to full ownership. As Gary Neville said, the club might need Daniel Radcliffe instead. The Order of the Phoenix would be preferable, with United needing to rise from the ashes.

The sooner there is clarity on the entire situation the better. Until then, United will live in limbo.

 

2) The board
If Ratcliffe gets sporting control, it is almost certain that there will be mass change at board level, and it is about time.

United have been a football club run by bankers for the last decade, with Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold showing themselves to be so out of their depth, particularly when compared to those at rival teams. That “no d*ckheads” policy didn’t apply to Greenwood no, Richard? No morals, no respect and no place at a club involving women, children and anyone with a conscience.

Why does Ten Hag make all the decisions on signing players? What other big club doesn’t have a true sporting director? Why do United shop around like someone drunk in the Lidl middle aisle so regularly?

Can anyone think of a single good thing any of these guys have done?

 

1) The Glazers
Well, duh? While rival fans might play down the impact of the Glazers and claim “you spend”, every single problem and issue on this list and elsewhere goes back to them. Why else would Liverpool fans wear Glazer masks to Old Trafford?

They are the only constant in United’s fall from grace, and but for Fergie and David Gill, the club would have been in the mud since their now-illegal leveraged buyout in that 2005 summer.

A fish rots from its head and no business is any different. There is no leadership, care or ambition from those who ‘provide’ the funds and make every single big call, including hiring those board members to run the club while they sun it up in Florida.

Those funds too? Not a penny spent by United in the last 18 years has come from their pockets.

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That does show that United do not need blood money and will be able to rebound in time, but it should be all so much more. United have gone from the standard in football to a distant second in their own city.

Dividends taken out, record levels of debt, interest repayments, zero league titles, zero title challenges and barely a thing done in Europe in the last decade.

Their dad was the brains behind their success. This lot are just a sorry Succession spin-off parody and the sooner their names are removed from anything to do with the world’s most famous club, the better.

They can’t even agree on how to sell it. A decade of destruction and 18 years of thievery will be their legacy.

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