minimum target. During that promising period in March, when United beat Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in convincing fashion, expectations shifted to a potential second placed finish. What was to follow was the familiar pattern for Van Gaal’s United though, that whenever they look as though they might be ready to reclaim their position on their perch, things crumble away dramatically.
United lost three games on the trot after their 4-2 win over City, and won just one of the remaining six games of the season. After United went top of the table in November this season, after a last minute win over Watford, they went eight games without a win in any competition, losing four.
Over the weekend, United were victims to another spectacular fall from grace. Having played their best football of the season so far in the past three games, United deservedly lost 2-1 against relegation contenders Sunderland. Any hopes of finishing in the top four are surely now over.
While much has been made of the huge sums of money Van Gaal has spent, it’s worth remembering that he’s had to build a completely new squad with that money.
Just seven players from Sir Alex Ferguson’s title-winning squad remain in the current squad. They are David de Gea, Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia, Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young.
After finishing fourth last season, United have shaved over £13 million off their wage bill this season, which certainly wouldn’t support the notion that a fourth placed finish was unacceptable for those running the club, the Glazers. Their net spend over the past year is £28 million.
When you consider that over the past decade the Glazer family have taken £1 billion from the club, it’s strange that more attention is being paid to the performance of Van Gaal and, to a lesser extent, the players. While both the manager and team need to take responsibility for what is taking place on the pitch, it’s puzzling that the owners aren’t facing more criticism.
In March 2010, when United beat AC Milan 4-0 to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, the green and gold protests were reaching a crescendo. United were two points clear at the top of the table, although Chelsea had a game in hand. Still, the supporters were unsatisfied with the lack of investment in the team.
A few months earlier, I attended a meeting at O’Briens in the Stretford Arndale, organised by MUST and IMUSA with about 300 other United fans. There were several suggestions for what could be done.
One idea was to draft a letter asking Sir Alex Ferguson for his resignation and encourage as many people as possible to send it. Another was to stop going to games, stop renewing season tickets, and for those in the ground, not buying anything from the kiosks. Someone else suggested forming a picket line outside Old Trafford on matchdays.
The anti-Glazer chanting grew in volume every week, as did the number of fans wearing green and gold scarves, reverting to the colours of the club during its Newton Heath days. The amount of column inches filled with discussion about the Glazer ownership increased, and when David Beckham picked up one of the scarves and wore it around his neck as he walked off the pitch following the win over Milan, it became a global news story.
What is happening now though? How are the fans trying to bring about change at the club they love?
If going on social media, and arguing for Van Gaal to be sacked, or for Rooney to be dropped, was a way of forcing the Glazers out, or to improve the situation of the club, United would be flying high.
During a week where reports claim United are set to earn £500 million in a single year, United fans are spending their Saturday afternoon disappointed that Norwich couldn’t hold on to their 2-0 lead over West Ham, to help their team have a bit more breathing room in fifth place.
United’s commercial revenue has increased by 44% since last year, and broadcasting revenues up by 31%, and boast a second-quarter revenue total of £133.8m. Van Gaal has plenty of questions to answer when it comes to United’s performances and results, but it’s remarkable that the Glazer family are evading the spotlight of interrogation and blame.
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