Terrace Talk: Another failure likely and the main culprits are still in Tampa

Manchester United majority owner Avram Glazer. Photo: Ian Hodgson/PA Wire.

Trying to figure out what has gone wrong at Manchester United since 2013, is equivalent to trying to unlock the three secrets of Fatima, armed only with copy of the 1976 secondary school Atlas, a protractor, and a two-foot long piece of string. 

It’s a question that has puzzled some of the greatest philosophical minds for many years, and they’ve struggled with the European religious mystery too.

The story of the three secrets of Fatima revolves around a supposed Portuguese miracle, when back in 1917 some children claimed to have spotted the Virgin Mary while herding sheep. It has never been proven and the mystery is still debated today.

Some United fans - not all - but some, expected a version of their own Portuguese miracles, firstly when the highly-rated Bruno Fernandes was signed back in January 2020, and then with the return of Fergie’s prodigal son Ronaldo in the summer of 2021. Much like the small Iberian shepherds, that miracle has yet to materialise. Fernandes proved himself in the Portuguese league, and Ronaldo proved himself over his previous stints at United and subsequently at Real Madrid and Juventus, but neither have solved the great puzzle of Manchester M16 ORA.

As a United fan, there have been several false dawns since Sir Alex decided to concentrate on horse-racing and the post-match entertaining of various celeb’s in his private office at Old Trafford. All of those dawns have disappeared as quickly as the quality red wine on offer in Fergie’s bar. But the hangover from those false dawns clings on longer than the one resulting from coiffing bottles of decent plonk.

Another potential false dawn rose this week with the news that the absent Tampa family who currently own the club, might be willing to sell a piece of their stake. So, is it a piece or are they getting rid of the asset entirely? That is the question that has been much debated this week. Well, let’s look at the evidence.

It’s been well documented about the amount of money that the Glazer’s have taken from the club, right from the moment they turned one of the most profitable sports franchises on the planet, into one that now saddles a debt that currently stands at around €580 million. On a school report, that’s an F, at best. 

Then there’s the investment, if any, in the infrastructure; namely the stadium and the training facilities. Back in the day when Fergie was trying to woo a potential signing, he would simply just have to bring them to Carrington and show them what was on offer, and more often than not, impressed by what they and their agents had seen, they signed, and that was before they even saw Old Trafford. Now, the training ground, much like the club and the team, have fallen behind their competitors, with former pundits saying the ground and training facilities are not fit for purpose, that ‘purpose’ being home to one of the biggest football clubs in the world. So again, that’s an F. 

Now we move on to the recruitment structure at the club, the supposed ‘football’ people that they have brought in to steer the playing staff in the right direction. Like me, you’re probably thinking another F, right? Probably, but that’s only because we base this mark on what we’ve seen; disastrous signings, a revolving door manager system, no sporting director appointed etc etc. But, who really pulls the recruitment strings at United? That is the real question we should be asking. To see protests outside the homes of Murtough & Co, is not right. Protest yes, but in the right way, and direct those protests at those that are really to blame. It seems to me, and a lot of United fans, that the recruitment team's hands are tied. By whom? Not sure, but I’d look towards Tampa.

So, onto tonight’s fixture. Last season Liverpool toyed with United and battered them 9-0 over the two fixtures. It’s hard to see anything but another comfortable win for the away team tomorrow night, because nothing has changed, the same players make up the bulk of the team, and they seem to have the same attitude that they did last season. That is a recipe for disaster. It will be hard to watch, but yes I’ll be watching, from behind the sofa, with a tin helmet on, and the notifications alert on my phone turned off.

All United fans want to see if fight, pride, passion and commitment. And not just from those on the pitch. We always have hope, but maybe we do need a true miracle.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, over to you.