Cut Ole Gunnar Some Slack Please

Apart from the fact that it is a tall order for a club to be consistent with their good form through different seasons, all factors considered, it is also a herculean task for a club to consistently get AAA players. Talk of diversity, coming from the youngsters who need to be given play time. It is a no brainer to connote that good players make a great team. A bad coach can also distort a great team. In Manchester United's case, it is the calibre of players they have.

There were days when Old Trafford was a dreaded slaughter House. They had a great team, complemented by a great coach, they were the big bad. And they took it all for the most of their games. The atmosphere was always electric, the fans all ecstatic, the aura? All positive. Kings they were, with various silverwares all lined up in the aisle leading to their throne. Alex Ferguson won it all for the highly spirited team, a record 13 premier league titles is not easy-peesy.

Looking at them now, they are a sharp contrast from the formidable force they once were. It has been one problem to another. Worst of all, the status-quo does t hint an end in sight. The 'best' that can happen to them is a sack of their coach and if that occurs, we're back to square one; wash, rinse repeat.

After Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2012, they have been a promiscuous club, shuffling between coaches like they were pack of cards. It was David Moyes who took up the mantle. Unfortunately, it is was the beginning of their episodic mysteries with only few moments of reprieve. He was sacked in less than a year into his contract. He could only win the community shield for them. They had crashed out of the champions league and the FA Cup. David Moyes could have kept his job for a little bit longer but for their woeful and unacceptable position in the Premier league table. A 7th place saw them miss out on the first and second-tier European Football for the first time in a long while.

Louis Van Gaal was next in line. His time at Manchester United was fraught with inconsistencies. Well, maybe he was consistently on and off. He could go from winning streaks to back to back defeats. He took Manchester United back to European football but they were eliminated in the group stages the following year. Although he eventually won his first trophy - the FA Cup - in 2016, it did not stop the powers that be from cutting ties with him. He really could have been given more time but Manchester United were still intoxicated by Alex Ferguson's magic and they weren't going to settle for less, not even mediocre..

^{Jose Mourinho at Manchester United}
Jose Mourinho was next in line. A highly decorated technician. He won the Europa league and the EFL for Manchester United but they were not enough to keep his job. While some criticized his overly rigid style of gameplay that was subbed "boring football" others were concerned about how highly sentimental he was. Jose has always been that blunt manager that doesn't care whose ox is gored and when this side was unveiled, he was shown the doors. Maybe they played too defensively for the most of their games maybe that was the reason for their 'woes' but then...

The atmosphere changed when Ole Gunnar came in, he quickly switched back to an attacking and aggressive style of gameplay. He was an interim coach but he gave the fans exactly what they needed, a break from the restrictive style of gameplay that was equally producing results. Hey! It didn't take long before he was officially given an appointment as a head coach. But reality soon set in, and Manchester United inherent underlying problems pop up again and disrupt their well-carved fantasy. A joyride cut short and they are back at it, same memo.

Misfired aggressions is all I can currently see. Changing coaches like it were some kind of underwear is not going to fix anything. Looking at it in depth, the players jointly don't have that drive and that will to win. When the motivation is not there, how do you expect results? Hunger is a huge factor. This season, has seen a weaker Manchester United. I don't know how they were able to pull a 4-0 win over rivals Chelsea, it was just a moment of sheer luck that hoodwinked the fans into believing that they actually got something going.

Fred is the new Matic. Gets dispossessed and out muscled easily like like he were some rookie. He has a penchant for back passes and when he's feeling a little inspired, sideways - Never forward. Juan Mata doesn't have anything up his sleeves anymore. Against Newcastle, he was like a ghost, disappearing into oblivion with no influence whatsoever in the game. It was just as if he had been cloaked. When United get on the pitch, NOBODY knows what's going on. NOBODY knows what they're doing. They just run around like headless chickens and hope a miracle happens. If there's no Pogba to throw the long pass to Rashford, everybody is lost. No one has a clue what to do.

A team overhaul is what they currently need not a coach sack. A restructuring will be well in line to fix these lingering problems. Only when this is done will they get back to the dreaded giants they were known to be. Only then would they be able to get back to the days and the electric moments when the fans can proudly sing -

"Glory Glory Man United!"

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