It’s 28 years since Fergie was appointed to the United hotseat and we’ve compiled a list of the glaring differences in the year and a half since he’s left the helm.
1. Late winners have gone missing
One thing that you could bet your taxi money on was a late United rally. Fergie Time became so infamous that it spawned its own Wikipedia page and it was a genuine phenomenon. According to OPTA stats, between 2004 and 2013, Manchester United scored 296 out of their 764 goals after the 63rd minute. That means that 38% of their goals came in what could be considered the dying minutes. Fergie Time reached it’s pinnacle in 2009 when 39 of United’s 86 goals in the Premier League (45 per cent) came after 63 minutes. That handy knack of nicking a late draw or victory has all but abandoned United since the Scot left. In fact, the only goals that have come after the 63rd minute this season have been their last two (Blind v West Brom and Van Persie v Chelsea).
2. What do Old Trafford and Joe Rogan’s diary have in common? Fear factor isn’t there anymore
A matter of 24 months ago, the Theatre of Dreams was a fortress. Now it’s about as intimidating as a threatening text from Robbie Savage. Fergie damn near choked on his red wine when West Brom, Newcastle and Sunderland all won at Old Trafford last season.
3. That whole David Moyes thing
Pick up a hurley, walk into your kitchen, close your eyes and swing like you’re being attacked by a rabid dog. You’ve just become a walking metaphor for David Moyes’ spell at Man United. Alex was always going to be a difficult act to follow and Moyes was never going to manage it, quite literally. Ferguson retired with the league title and 89 points on the board. Moyes managed to bring 57 points to Old Trafford, granted he was sacked five games before the end of the season.
4. Chewing gum sales in Manchester have plummeted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SHgVCoRx5k
5. Completely different back line
Who would you rather fight? Nemanja Vidic or Paddy McNair? Thought so. This season has seen a huge difference in United’s defensive personnel with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra all abandoning ship. Lists of the best defenders to grace the Premier League will all include those three names. Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo were never going to walk in and instantly have the same impact.
6. David de Gea is one of very few improvements
While everything was crumbling in front of him, young David de Gea has actually gone from strength to strength in the last 18 months. When the young Spaniard signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011 he used to come for crosses like a child learning to swim. Fergie did see some improvement from Edwin van der Sar’s successor in 2012-13 but it was last season when De Gea found his best form, being voted United’s Players’ Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year.
7. Eur not singing
Manchester United were a permanent fixture in the Champions League, with qualification almost taken for granted. Then came May 2014. The Red Devils had finished in seventh with even the Europa League out of reach. Many United fans rummaged for a silver lining, claiming that the break from European competition would allow the club to focus on the Premier League this time around. Having said that, the reported cost of missing out on the Champions League will end up being more than £50million.
8. Balloons are no longer banned from the stadium
9. Backroom team
When David Moyes arrived for work on July 1, 2013, he made a big decision. He decided to dispense with the pre-existing, well-oiled, winning backroom team. Assistant manager Mike Phelan, first-team coach Rene Meulensteen and goalkeeping coach Eric Steele were all given the ol’ heave-ho. In their place came assistant Steve Round, first-team coach Jimmy Lumsden and goalkeeping coach Chris Woods. Phil Neville also joined the party but the new Scot was highly criticised for the call. Van Gaal has since brought in Ryan Giggs, Albert Stuivenberg, Marcel Bout and Franks Hoek.
10. Recruitment not as well thought out as it once was
Alex Ferguson was the master of the transfer market. Whether it was selling off troublesome players, making a profit or using the loan system to give young players experience – Fergie knew what he was doing. And in terms of buying, nobody was better. He was the man who bought Ronaldo for £12m, Cantona for £1.25m, Wayne Rooney for £25.5m, Bebe for £7.4m (OK, they’re weren’t all home runs). The point is that the system was in place to take advantage of decent value. Sure, Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao will prove to be fantastic signings but are the fees, £59.7m and £43.5m respectively, worth it?
11. Control of the dressing-room
If there was one element of football management that Alex mastered in his 143 years at United, it was the way that he kept his players in check. Fergie was not one to let big personalities undermine his authority as he proved on many an occasion. Roy Keane, Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham all became examples of Ferguson’s willingness to move disruptive players along despite their talents. Nowadays it seems that players are much quicker to vocalise any doubts they might have in their manager. Moyes fell victim to this new brazenness that wouldn’t have been dreamed of with the pink-nosed one at the helm.
12. Draws have become a decent result
Back in the olden days, in 2012, victory was the least that Manchester United would strive for. Ferguson is proud of this trait and he has been quoted as saying ‘I’ve never played for a draw in my life’, during an interview about management styles. This wonderfully admirable trait no longer exists. Robin van Persie recently sealed a late equaliser against Chelsea and the players reacted as though they had just won the league. Not to be too much of a curmudgeon, because it was certainly an important goal, but Ferguson’s mindset was different and it’s clear for all to see.
13. Much less animosity for United manager
Alex Ferguson was a man who could antagonise managers, players and fans from any club, in any league. Whether this stemmed from envy of his success or true hatred depends on how honest the person in question is. But that passionate anger towards the men who have succeeded him seems to be virtually non-existent. David Moyes became a meme-maker’s dream and was despised by nobody, except parts of his own fanbase, while Louis van Gaal is almost universally liked. It must be very strange for the United players to have a manager who doesn’t annoy people to the point of having throwing pizza at him.
14. Not a hairdryer in sight
I don’t think I like anything as much as Fergie liked shouting. Give the ball away, he’ll scream at you. Concede, he’ll roar at you. Call him Alex, you’re already dead.
15. Style of play
Ferguson’s United sides all played in something of a similar manner. They would rely heavily on pacy wing play to provide either breaks at speed on the counter-attack or, as seen by the late winners segment above, offer continuous waves of pressure late on in the game to force their opponents into deeper positions. Moyes, on the other hand, brought in certain players that would suggest he believed it was the centre of the park where the game would be won. The introduction of Fellaini and Mata to play with Rooney and Van Persie hinted at a narrow formation which is what Moyes’ teams became. Since Van Gaal arrived he has attempted to remedy this with the signings of Shaw and Di Maria.
16. Work ethic has changed
Alex is known to have been a workaholic, you don’t get a face like that from watching the odd game with a pint. He was legendary for being first out for the 7am training sessions and his hard-work philosophy filtered down to his players. In one interview, the former United boss said: ‘I tell players that hard work is a talent, too. They need to work harder than anyone else.’ You never got that feeling from Moyes, fair enough he did age about 30 years in 10 months but one warning sign came early on when he first left Everton on May 12. Rather than get stuck in to what was going to be a monumental task, silly Dave went for a family holiday and didn’t show up at United until July 1, giving him less than two weeks to prepare for his new team’s first pre-season game in Thailand on July 13. You wouldn’t get that dossing from Fergie.
17. Saying all the right things
Alex Ferguson rarely tripped over his words during his record-destroying reign at Old Trafford. He maintained composure on media days and, without fail, hammered home the point that his faith in his side was unwavering. David Moyes did not have Alex’s eloquence and he made a few gaffes when the microphone was in front of him. Fergie’s replacement even told an interviewer that he believed the former manager would struggle to motivate United’s ‘aging’ team, not acknowledging the fact that his predecessor guided that same team to league glory just months beforehand. Silly sausage.
18. Journalists, exhale
Meeting the media is not quite the term for what Ferguson did. For years, he made his own narratives by punishing journalists for asking questions that he didn’t want to answer. Louis van Gaal does enjoy calling the odd reporter ‘stupid’ but I can’t see him going to these lengths to punish a journo.
19. Ferguson could have a laugh… really
Despite Ferguson’s hard-ass Glaswegian image, he was never averse to putting his arm around a player who needed something of a father figure. He’s often portrayed as a humourless sourpuss, but he’s been known to have a bit of banter with his players. The rebuilding process since his departure made it kind of difficult for Moyes and Van Gaal to have a giggle.Old Trafford now seems about as fun as a Michael Owen pyjama party.
20. Rooney should get himself a pair of goalkeeping gloves
Fergie had experimented with Wayne Rooney in a deeper role when times got tough with injuries, but the legendary Scot was fully aware that Rooney played at his best when he was used as a striker. The future of Van Gaal’s captain up front has pretty much been dismissed by the Dutchman. ‘We have played well, but can improve, and I was not so satisfied with Rooney as a striker and Mata as midfielder’ Van Gaal said. ‘That is why I changed. Rooney can play in more positions, he’s a multifunctional player and I have tried him in a striker’s position. He has played well, but not spectacular. Falcao is a striker and I think he can do it better.’ Don’t be surprised if, in three years’ time, you see him pulling a scrum cap, over that newly-purchased hair of his, and jumping between the sticks.
21. Moments of video gold like this are no more
22. The United-Arsenal rivalry is a thing of the past
For almost a decade, the date of the United v Arsenal game was the fixture for the neutral to check. Whether it was the battles between Keane and Vieira, Keown and Van Nistelrooy or Pizzagate, you could always bank on a late tackle in this game. The last time the sides met, in February, they played out a scoreless draw and racked up your bog standard three bookings. The fire from the fixture has been extinguished and it’s a shame that the rivalry between the managers will only be fought out in the book charts from here on out.
23. Alex Ferguson is making the wine market his b***h
While David Moyes was busy losing his eyebrows, Alex Ferguson only went and sold a part of his wine collection at a Hong Kong auction for almost €3million. Fair enough, Moyesy earned himself a decent severance package, and will end up receiving about €9m for his efforts at Old Trafford but is that really worth the wrinkles? Actually, yes. Fair play Dave.
24. Players simply don’t want to move there
One massive advantage that Manchester United had when looking to sign a player was the allure of playing under the greatest manager of all time. You’d have to imagine that would be a massive selling point for any player who is making his mind up on a destination. Since Ferguson left, United have failed to sign Mats Hummels, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Vermaelen and Arturo Vidal. While it’s not known if the lack of Fergie was the deciding factor in this, you’d have to believe it played a part.
25. Every cloud… the pressure is off
Manchester United fans have been forced to re-calibrate their expectations in the Premier League. Since Ferguson steadied the United ship around 1991, they were perpetual title challengers, with third their worst finish. That’s best case scenario this season as the club come to terms with their 7th place finish last season. This time around United chiefs have budgeted for third, which was pretty unheard of in Fergie’s prime.
26. Owner’s backing, not so much
Alex Ferguson getting the sack at Old Trafford was about as likely as Roy Keane’s favourite song being ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from Les Miserables. Fergie was the figurehead of the club for 27 years and, for the vast majority of them, his position was quite literally the only safe managerial job in world football. The Glazers gave David Moyes about enough time for a cup of tea and a gone-off biscuit before he got the boot. It’s expected Van Gaal will be given longer, but his job security will never be near that of everyone’s favourite cranky Scotsman.
27. Kevin Keegan has chilled out
28. Fan loyalty
Oh, what a difference a crest makes. What Liverpool fans despised, United fans adored. Fergie had endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful and couldn’t put a foot wrong in their eyes. Then David Moyes trounced in like an saucy stepdad and tried to take his place. ‘You’ll never be my real dad’, came the cry from the terraces. Seriously though, when you have planes flying over the stadium calling for your head, then you’re not winning any popularity contests. Van Gaal’s eccentricities are going some way to keep the fans happy but the glory days are long gone.
