Wayne Rooney’s desire to leave Old Trafford may have shaken things up for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, but Smat believes reports of Manchester United’s demise are premature…
It’s all over. The spell is broken, the aura of invincibility pierced, the bubble burst. It’s surely all downhill from here. Yes, that’s right, our five-a-side team lost a game last night. Some horrendous decision-making contributed to the defeat, chiefly my own; a terrible mix-up on a National Rail platform led to my travelling in the wrong direction for ten minutes, and by the time I realised my error, it was too late. My arrival delayed, the team kicked off with just four players and raced into a 3-1 deficit, a situation which proved irretrievable. The unbeaten start ruined, our opponents will no longer fear us as a well-oiled winning machine, but human, just like the rest. We aren’t alone in fearing the future, though.
Manchester United fans may feel like they too have been dealt a crushing defeat in the last couple of days. Wayne Rooney’s declaration that he is to leave in search of
"Who's the whore now, Wayne" - United fans sit on the fence
trophies has fooled no-one, but with his position at the club now surely untenable, predictions of an Old Trafford apocalypse are rife. Without their talisman, the player who almost – almost – single-handedly powered them to the title last season, with Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Edwin Van Der Sar nearing the end of their careers, and, crucially, laden with debts totalling almost £800m, the feeling is that United are just about clinging onto a place at the top table.
But before we write off Sir Alex Ferguson’s dynasty, we would do well to remember that we have been here before. During José Mourinho’s first season in charge of Chelsea, United finished third, an eye-watering seventeen points behind the champions. Ferguson’s real nadir (well, post-1993 nadir anyway) arrived the following season, when he came under huge pressure after his side finished bottom of their Champions League group. United eventually recovered to end the league campaign as runners-up, and Mourinho’s side were knocked off their perch the following season, United winning the next three titles, combining one of those with a third European Cup success.
Of course, since then, United have declined in some respects. That Champions League win, in 2008, was achieved with the electric triumvirate of Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevéz. Two have since departed, and now Rooney is agitating for a move away. Nani, Javier Hernández and Dimitar Berbatov do not sound so formidable a team, and certainly not one you would bet on to rub shoulders with the likes of Chelsea, Barcelona, or perhaps more horrifyingly, Manchester City.
And yet, even with Wayne Rooney operating at around 15% capacity, United are the only unbeaten side left in the Premier League. With defensive errors rather than misfiring forwards to blame for dropped points, they remain in touch at the top of the table and clearly have improvement to come. The debt looms over the club just as it has for years, but United have always won trophies in that time. Now, with Ferguson unable to bring in another £27m Rooney, he will look to the likes of Hernández, Nani, Chris Smalling and Bébé to form the spine of a winning side. Do not be swayed by those predicting doom. Ferguson’s record remains the most convincing argument – his sides have always competed, and this one will be no different. With or without Rooney, they will remain a force.
