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Aron Wright - June 13, 2023
There used to be a time when the Red Devils were the undisputed team on English soil. But long gone are those days, and now it is just a battle for survival for the 13-time Premier League champions.
But is their story really over? Haven’t we seen them defying odds time and time again? Were we not witnesses for the team scripting comebacks even from the clutches of fate? Newbies to football might not know this – but, never, ever, count the Devils out.
The one achievement every United fan held passionately to their chests was the treble they delivered in the 1998-99 season. But no longer do they have bragging rights for being the sole English team to have done that.
Derby rivals City came from obscurity, and took English football by force. They just won their fifth PL title in the last six years, and won the continental treble as well. These past few years have not been good for any United fan.
Pep Guardiola seems to be building a dynasty, and long-time passionate fans are having a hard time adjusting to that.
But all is not lost yet. Things are looking towards the positive direction. In Erik ten Hag, United finally have a solid manager, and the former Dutch player has shown capability in his first season itself. He put an end to the mini trophy-drought for the Red Devils, after winning the Carabao Cup this season.
And more importantly, for the first time in many years, United players are showing passion and a will to win on the pitch.
For a long time now, the ownership of the club is under serious trial by fans. Wide-held belief is that the Glazers family is purely treating the team as a business venture, and as an opportunity to fill their coffers.
Fans are fed up with the inactivity of the Glazers, and protests against the ownership is now becoming a trend online, as well during games. Some of these are surely blown out of proportion. Passionate fans always need to point fingers at something.
But all can agree that one of the best football clubs of all time should be managed by someone who genuinely has love for the crest.
For long now fans have been trying to smoke out the Glazers, and it seems this particular wish of the supporters might come to fruition soon. Two prominent players are at a tug of war for the biggest brand in football, and if rumours are true, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani might just run away with it, beating British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
And fans are on their knees for it to happen as well. Despite incessant trolling that runs along the lines ‘oil money vs history’, United will have to at least partially let go of orthodox principles, if they are to compete with the likes of Manchester City.
The derby rivals are firmly backed by Sheikh Mansour, Vice President, and deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Add to that the rise of Newcastle, bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Going forward, Manchester United need to take a pragmatic approach, and try to compete with these financial giants.
The top-four is no longer guaranteed for the heavyweights in English Football. Manchester City seem to be raising a dynasty, Arsenal are back to their best, Newcastle are new contenders trying to take over, Liverpool will be back as always, Chelsea are beasts that are wounded currently, and the Spurs are a constant thorn.
The Red Devils will have to carve out a place for themselves battling with all these titans, and days of struggle are ahead for them. But one thing we know is, they just never give up.
They are the team that won the Champions League Final in 1999, with two goals in injury time. Scratch that – this is the team that grinded their way back to grandeur, after they lost the famed ‘Busby Babes’ to the fateful Munich disaster in 1958.
So, a word of advice to newbies – do not count out the Devils. The chants of ‘Glory, Glory’ will fill the air in the Theatre of Dreams one more time.
