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“three years of excuses and it’s still crap…” Chelsea-style?

I was reading last night that Manchester United haven’t won in their last 3 games at Old Trafford and have only won 2 in their last 6 at home. They’re struggling in Europe, they lost to Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup and they’re trailing City in the league.  What I haven’t read though are any headlines calling for their manager’s head.  Can’t say I’ve seen any polls on whether he should keep his job either.

Ok, I’m being flippant. We all know Fergie doesn’t need to prove his worth in the game, he’s more than shown his nous when it comes to uncovering talent and to say he’s won shitloads with United is a massive understatement. But it didn’t always look like it’d turn out that way…

Appointed to the job in November 1986, he started with a 2-0 defeat to Oxford United followed by a draw at Norwich. It took until the 1989-90 season for Fergie to bring in any silverware and even then he had to go through what he described as “the darkest period (he had) ever suffered in the game” to get it.

In the September of that season, following a run of six defeats and two draws in eight games, along with a 5-1 defeat to City, the press and United supporters alike were baying for his blood. By Christmas, they sat just outside the relegation zone but it was a third round FA Cup game against Forest that eventually turned things around for him.  They were expected to lose but didn’t and actually went on to get their first trophy with Fergie in charge. Their first title of many under Sir Alex Ferguson came in May 1993.

Looking at Andre Villas-Boas then, since he’s come in we’ve lost to United and Arsenal. We also lost to QPR although we all know what happened in that game. Oh and we’ve just lost 2 games against Liverpool that we can’t have too many complaints about and one Champions League game in the group. If you say all that quickly, it doesn’t sound so bad.

Seriously though, are these results really the end of the world? Of course we don’t want to lose, especially to the likes of United, Arsenal and Liverpool but shouldn’t we have expected it to an extent? Or are we so spoilt now we still expect seasons like 2004/05 with half of the same players?

It’s been clear for a few seasons now that big changes would be needed but that it was unrealistic for those changes to happen overnight. The title winning players we still have aren’t title winning players anymore and in all honesty, whilst some minor changes have taken place, there’s a lot of restructuring to do.

AVB is already making his mark in terms of our style of play but in all honesty, he’s being expected to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear as far as the squad he has is concerned – and we all know you can’t do that.  Is it any wonder his first XI isn’t clear when there probably isn’t a sustainable first XI within the current squad anyway?

In short, the bloke knows what he’s doing, or at least what he wants to do but he just doesn’t have the resources to do it yet.  He’s already brought in good players and if he can bring in one or two more in January, he will turn things around.

No, we won’t be winning any titles or trophies under him just yet but even United had to go through some tough times whilst their manager established himself – and them – as a force to be reckoned with.

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