Growing up in a household where both my father and older brother watched football, it was only natural that I too got caught up by their enthusiasm and excitement for the game. When I started watching the English Premier League, four factors motivated me to support the club I did: my brother’s love for this club, their thirst for winning, Sir Alex Ferguson, and David Beckham. I was fourteen when I fell in love with Manchester United or Man Utd.
Many years later only one remains – my brother’s love and loyalty for the club. Safe to say that wasn’t enough to keep me tethered to Man Utd. When Beckham left in 2003, my support remained for the club, my feelings only properly waned when SAF retired at the end of the 2012–13 Premier League season. Though clubless, my love for the game remained.
I then committed treason by supporting Utd’s bitter rivals – that ONE club that tried so hard but were luckless in their quest and the Cup remained elusive to them, until 2020 – Liverpool. This is a club that had persevered and fought season after season to clinch the English League Champion’s title and finally did it after 30 years.
Man Utd At Its Heyday
Don’t ask me why I didn’t remain with Manchester United. I have no real reason to walk away but if I look back, I think I was more attracted to the managerial skills of SAF. Under his regime, Man Utd were the undisputed champions – they could come back from the brink of defeat. SAF had a way of making players and fans alike believe that a win was possible no matter how impossible the situation looked.
Think back to the 1999 Champions League Final between Man Utd and Bayern Munich where United scored two injury-time goals to seal a historic treble, where the current manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer himself had scored the winner in the 93rd minute, poking home from a corner to break Bayern hearts and complete one of the most stunning turnarounds in Champions League history.
This doesn’t mean I hop when a win looks impossible, it just means love had run out for me when coveted players and managers left or retired. Namely SAF, Beckham, Giggs, Cole, Yorke, and the Neville brothers.
So, I was excited when, four managers later, Solsjaer took the helm on 19 December 2018, but that excitement fizzled out gradually. This season has been pretty cringe-worthy. Having only won 5 matches, I think many including Solksjaer already knew his days at Old Trafford were numbered.
And after a string of losses suffered at the hands of Liverpool, Manchester City, and Watford, safe to say the news of his dismissal was greeted with relief more than regret. At least for me. Though it wasn’t a team I supported anymore, I couldn’t watch them being hammered at almost every match.
Man Utd’s Recent Losses
Given their rivalry, their loss to Liverpool must sting the most, for both players and fans. On 24 October 2021, Liverpool netted 5 goals past De Gea at United’s home ground. The next day, the memes and trouncing by both local and international Liverpool fans flowed freely on social media platforms. There was no stopping them as they considered it their payback.
But Liverpool fans haven’t only been celebrating their win against United. Every loss suffered by United was an opportunity for Liverpool fans to celebrate therefore the loss to Watford – which was the fifth loss in seven games – wasn’t any different. Watford beat Utd 4-1 at Vicarage Road late night on Saturday (local time).
When the match kicked off, it looked like Man Utd, fresh from international break, were in favour to win the match. However, the Red Devil’s defense fell to the onslaught of Watford and Joshua King, after a great run by Sarr, scored the first goal. Minutes later, Saar made it 2-0 before the end of the first half.
In the second half, the Red Devils had to double their effort, but nothing of that sort transpired and eventually they lost the match 4-1. Even the Cristiano Ronaldo assisted Van de Beek goal couldn’t rally the players to a rousing comeback. It got bleaker for them after the captain, Harry Maguire was sent off in the 68th minute for a second booking. To rub salt in the wound, Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis scored a stoppage-time goal each to spell the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Less than 24 hours after the loss, news of Solksjaer’s dismissal started making its round on social media. However, there are pockets of fans that thinks it is a harsh decision and he should have carried on until the end of the season. For now, Michael Carrick has been named the interim manager while the club sets out to find Solskjaer’s replacement with prominent names such as Zinedine Zidane and Brendan Rodgers bandied about.
Since Sir Alex retired, Man Utd have had as many as four different managers and one interim manager, from David Moyes to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, till yesterday. But none of them have been able to replicate the success, respect, and a modicum of fear Sir Alex Ferguson had been able to command from his players, the fans, the owners, and even the Board.
Will the new manager be able to do anything differently at Man Utd?
Feature Image source : theunited.malaysia Instagram account
Inset Image 2 source : Writer’s WhatsApp
Inset Image 3 source : Irish Examiner
