Its known that the top managers have written into their contracts that they qualify for Europe - and in our case the Champions League. When David O'Leary didn't, he was fired. Its a fact that the loss of Champions League football is so great that when you lose it, like Chelsea, then your income goes sharply down - reducing spending power. United are admittedly more protected from this than other clubs, as I do not believe that foreign fans will desert the team - they didn't during the 70's - though some seem to wish that they would even though that would reduce us to a club as small as city, and thats really small, and its them that were better than us yesterday.
But its no longer a football club, its a Plc. like Leeds. They're answerable to shareholders. And when the share price goes down due to the loss of Champions League football then they will pressurise the Board to protect their investment. Its debateable as to whether they would think a change of manager would be good for the team - but it takes little experience of football to see that managers are chopped frequently, even someone like Peter Reid. I think they would be forced to move him upstairs.
So the question is will Alex be able finish 4th or higher this season, and more importantly, next. I think the possibility of winning the league this years depends on our results against Arsenal and Liverpool. We're playing them in December, right after each other, with a side that will be lacking Keane, and by the looks of it, Butt. Phil would be be in midfield, maybe with Scholes, like yesterday when they lose to city, or maybe Phil and Veron, which have done really well against Aston Villa and Macabbi Haifa. This against Viera and Silva, who by the way were awesome last night - boy did they miss him like we miss Keano - and Hamann and Gerrard. After having lost 5 times in a row to Liverpool I cannot see our midfield winning that battle, nor the game. And Arsenal with Henry and Wiltord will probably get revenge for our 6-1 drubbing of the arseholes.
If he isn't sacked after that then he'll the January transfer window to try and turn things round. He's talking tough, but we've not seen him tough enough recently - certainly not in the Summer. Who needs to go? Take your pick. There were a number of all too familiar candidates yesterday. When Keano said it might be the end of this team, he was right. His book made frequent reference, and indead was a story, the decline of our club. It depicts a team that has completely lost its desire, happy with their mansions and rolexes. And he's right. Never have I seen us give up like that before, and that in the last Maine Road derby!
What's going to turn that round? Either some have to go, or Alex has to go and then a new Manager will use the axe and adjust the team. However I find it unlikely we'll sell any players in January, the only one's being linked with are Barthez and Veron, but Alex has backed them both to the hilt, and in an interview yesterday did so again. I know none of us expected Stam to be sold, or Ince, Hughes and Kanchelskis but I can't see this happening in January, maybe next Summer.
Who might he buy? Depends on how much money he's got, we won't probably get the Stam money by then, and we spent a fortune during the Summer on Rio and Ricardo. You would think his priority would be another striker. We've been linked with just about every striker now! Turned most down during the summer. It was most strongly thought we were after Ronaldinho, after he admitted that he was after one but it didn't come off. Would he come now, and for how much? He didn't during the summer, he declared he wished to spend 4 years there and that he was very happy - but we are Manchester United, a team in decline but a great club none the less. He would cost £25m, but it may well be as its United buying - I don't think that has changed, because we broke the record with Rio and the only other big buy was Ronaldo, who Ronaldinho is almost as highly regarded as - in fact he's probably the best available striker. Ideal for us - but we're not linked with him recently - and it seems our strongest targets are actually Makelele and Jardel. They would certainly improve us right now! Replace Phil with Makelele, and when Keano comes back he would partner him with Keane - and replace him when he's injured. I think it would put Butt back on the bench, although rotated. Scholes would still play up front though. Jardel's not creative, he's a striker like Ruud. And besides, Alex is utterly convinced that Scholes is the man for 4-5-1.
Almost everyone on this forum agrees that 4-5-1 is a big fecking problem and a major cause of our poor recent form ever since we started using it. Maybe it works in Europe though I still think Real Madrid would have beaten us, again, and at Hampden Park, if we couldn't even beat Bayer Leverkusen, and we may well have beaten them this season, but its gutted by the loss of its star players, particularly Ballack who was phenomenal last season. Murt, I know you disagree, and I know what your statistics are, but no one believes that they reflect the changes of formation during the game. Its reduced the number of goals we score, although it can score more from midfield, but not much more. But worse, the players don't perform well in it, and in the premiership its ineffective. Worse, every team is using the same tactic against us, and its frequently working, we're unable to break down a packed defence, and are very exposed on the break. Which is why we'll lose to Arsenal and Liverpool.
So even after January I don't think we'll win the title, but we may be able to hold for 3rd or 4th. This would get him to the Summer. Or if we stay in our current league position, he'll be sacked. That Summer the Board will be faced with a tough choice of too either back him with big money again, or replace him with Sven or McClaren.
Sven would probably keep Veron, he's signed him twice before, and I do wonder if he had some sway over our signing of him since he was hours away from becoming it. What would Sven have done to our side? Thats hard to say, something better than England I hope! We don't have to base our style of play around a one trick pony. I find it hard to believe he would encourage long ball football, I don't believe he did at Lazio, though Veron does like the long ball. Personally, I can't see Veron ever being effective in the Premiership, I think he's a big part of the problem, a complete passenger. So if Sven would keep him, I wouldn't want Sven.
McClaren though was highly regarded by Alex and his chosen heir, to be promoted from within. But Kenyon and the Board weren't happy with this - presumably because he hadn't managed a side before. At the moment it looks like he was the manager! Since he left the assistant managers and coaching seems to have sharply deteriorated, most of us think we miss him. Why not get him back, and make Alex general manager? Its basically letting McClaren have the final and decisive say on who to sign, as well as to coach and set tactics - which it looks like he was doing anyway. The only thing he couldn't do was the transfers, and they've not been very good, bar Ruud. I'd love to have him as our manager, and I think he should have been when Alex had intended to retire.
I don't think Alex will win another trophy in the remaining years of his contract, of which there aren't many, and it looks more likely the team will decline or at least go through a major transition. Why not let the new manager do this, and have some money left for him to spend? No one knows what formation he would employ, I think he used 4-3-1-2 in their victory over Liverpool. I would guess that would be Giggs Keane Beckham; Scholes; Ruud, Ole. No one knows who he'd sell, or who he'd buy. We know he believes in bringing through the youth. Richardson used more frequently as a replacement for Giggs. Mads Timm rotated with Scholes. It would be a gamble, just as keeping Alex, is a gamble, but looks a better bet than Alex right now, and he's going to come anyway - if the Board see sense and its not Sven!
