Manchester United Balls: Radamel Falcao And Angel Di Maria Thought They’d Joined Manchester City

by Anorak | 3rd, September 2014

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson (second r) watches his new team for the first time as they crash to a 2-0 defeat to Oxford
Date: 08/11/1986

MANCHESTER United fan Oliver Holt wites for the Daily Mirror. He has felt United’s slip from the top of the Premier League to also-rans. It’s like the 1980s all over again at Old Trafford. But Holt knows what United need to get back to the summit. No, not a brilliant young manager marshalling a fabulous youth team. They need to spend. They need to be like Manchester City.

Holt wrote on August 19:

“To sit at Old Trafford last Saturday afternoon and watch Manchester United being outplayed by Swansea City was to feel a rising sense of bewilderment.Sure, many of us thought United might slip from the summit briefly when Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

But nobody – nobody – thought they would fall this far, this fast. They had been so good for so long, it just did not seem possible…

Everyone knew they needed to sign four or five world-class players this summer to have a chance of bridging the gap that had opened up between them and the rest. Instead, they signed two very expensive prospects, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera – then fiddled while their empire burned.

Then they spent a fortune on the talented Angel Di Maria and the great Radamel Falcao. United also bought Dutch World Cup player Daley Blind.

Was Holt happier? He writes today:

A club associated for decades with long-term planning and stability has turned with frightening speed into a short-term, panic-driven basket case, writes Oliver Holt…

But they bought world-class players.

…the pace with which England’s most famous club has changed its philosophy is frightening. United has gone from a club associated with long-term planning and stability to the ultimate short-term, panic-driven basket case. This summer, they have instituted a galactico policy in all but name. The last few months have been a triumph for style over substance. Give it another six months and they’ll be charging fans to get into Old Trafford for the presentation of the next star name.The club that once had a manager for 26 years, that prided itself on bringing kids through the youth set-up, just paid £20m to bring a 28-year-old player on loan for a year.”

So. Buying four or five world-class player was a bad idea?

When the team you support slips, unless it wins again eveything it does is wrong…