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It was a slow decline, but a decline from a team that between 06-09 has a strong argument to be seen as our best side ever. It was a level that the club has been at for probably no more than 5-7 years ever.
It was inevitable that we would drop from that peak. The transfer dealing during that post period also need to be looked at with the understanding that it was a different financial challenge, this is before the debt was restructured, the opportunity to spend £50 million+ was not there. £350 million available to spend on incoming players in the 3 years since Fergie retired, it has been used very poorly, a wonderful opportunity to revitalize and reinforce the squad wasted. |
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Midfield in that period was a frustrating point, waiting for Anderson and Hargreaves to overcome their injuries set the evolution of that squad back, Fletcher collapsing to his issues at the peak of his career did not help either. We do need to move on from using Ferguson and Moyes's decisions as an excuse for current and future managers. |
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Oh. |
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As you say, add some genuine top quality that can grow with these young players and we're getting somewhere. Though we badly need some form of consistency around the place. That's hurt us a lot since Fergie left. You can't just have a team full of players who have all joined in the last few years and expect it all to cement together nice and easily. Not only does the next manager, for me, need to embrace the idea of a young squad with the pathway from the academy clear and trusted, ideally he'd not want to rip it apart too much in the meantime, both in terms of personnel and preparation. Quality additions are essential, but some stability wouldn't go amiss. A core idea running through the club should, again, be the ambition. |
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united went for continuity to attempt to continue the natural evolution of a winning formula that had served ferguson so well. we were coming off the back of a near record-breaking title winning season but it didn't work and it took less than a season for that ship to effectively sail, as the psychology of the squad fractured. united quickly changed tack and the current process began. |
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Great post, btw |
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the next season berbatov and fletcher stepped up and drove us to the title and the CL final. 2011 summer De Gea and Jones were signed but that season fabio and rafael began to go backwards. evans and welbeck struggled with fitness, too. people still tend to ignore the fact that the start united had to that season also saw nani step up as we played some of the best football of ferguson's entire time at the club. and in season 4 post ronaldo we romped the league and were mugged in the CL. |
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In short, we leaned on players like Vidic, Rio, Evra, Scholes, Giggs etc - veteran champions- longer than we should have had to, and didn't replace them properly. In a way we are still doing it with the likes of Rooney and Carrick. That group were good enough; the following group, who mostly functioned as their support cast and are now, or were, the main men simply aren't. It's too one dimensional to make the assumption that because players like Valencia won trophies as part of that group that they are, by definition, good enough. |
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The two biggest influences that season were Van Persie and Ferguson. Of course the squad plays a huge role, and having those perrenial champions as part of it, even though they were coming to the end, was vital if for nothing other than esprit de corps. The question being discussed here however is what's left of that, and are they good enough to reach the same heights? The answer I think is clearly not. |
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scholes came back for half a season and was outstanding, so again, why would anyone see that as the wrong call as far as the veteran defenders go, ferguson had been nurturing and entire new back 4 made up from the twins as full-backs, jones the top young english prospect and evans the classy composed hansen type. he had smalling as a reserve, and he had a few lads coming through. only time would tell whether they could step up but the signs had been good enough to give them that chance. the summer of 2013 should have seen a rugged vidic type brought in, some cover at left back (a possibly RB as well), and then over the next two seasons the veterans would have been phased out in a near seamless transition. this would have allowed the new manager time to see which of evans, jones and smalling he fancied and bring in someone else if he thought it was needed. in other words the evolution of the squad would have continued. what actually happened is that woodward completely £#%&!ed up the transfer window and no defenders were brought in. then the manager was sacked and the next one came in with a completely different style of football. hence 2013 is a clear line in the sand. which is why 2013 and not what came after is the measure of the squad ferguson finished with. incidentally, here's a decent commentary on the current state of play in the PL. united's situation should be judged in the context of the wider picture as i said yesterday, and this piece from today highlights why: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35918431 |
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