Thread by @WayneSBarton

Whenever I write something on the current issues at United someone inevitably says "well, what about X?"

Writing a tweet or a column doesn't preclude or exclude another factor. That's the first thing. There are many factors. How does it all fit in to tweets?

The wrong man hired to succeed Fergie. He brought in own men and let go respected staff. He wasn't able to handle the stage - couldn't command respect of players - talked poorly in press - couldn't attract players to sign. Gives Rooney HUGE contract. Moyes had to go when he did.

Giggs was offered interim job. Offered assistant job to LVG with promise of succession. Over 3000+ top flight games experience lost in Rio,Vida,Evra, RG etc
LVG tactics pre-season seemed to work. In PL games they didn't. Cue scattergun transfer policy in last few days of window.

PL undergoing transition period with City's spending making them de facto champions. Utd qualify for CL despite poor football because of tactical plan that uses Fellaini as CF. LVG likeable as a character but football dull. Hopefully with more signings it will improve.

It doesn't. None of new signings settle well. LVG admits players confronting him about training. Existing players not technically capable of LVG possession game = dull, dull,dull. CL group elimination. Jose sacked at Chelsea. Norwich bully Utd at home. LVG on brink.

The PL is winnable at Christmas. Perhaps with Jose and new signings? No - LVG kept as dead man walking until end of season. Curiously earns cult status when injuries force young players in to team. Doesn't qualify for CL. Wins FA Cup. Sacked within hours of win - disgracefully

Jose 'star power' + in bed with Raiola brings Zlatan,PP to OT. Despite promising start Bailly can't fix the defence. Lack of solid midfield a concern. Jose prioritises EL to qualify for CL. The gamble works - just - but complacency issue exacerbated by throwing games away.

LC and EL win - CL qualification. Jose buys Lindelof, Matic, Lukaku. Wants Perisic to supply Lukaku. Has rows with EW. Lukaku ill-fitting in system. 4-0 FC for a few weeks but never entertaining. Fans growing disillusioned because they want to enjoy watching MUFC again.

CB crisis at Utd with no-one ever establishing themselves. Jose's signings in that area poor. Linked with Alderweireld. Signs Sanchez on colossal contract when MR + AM are playing best football in the team. Sanchez a disaster. Mourinho given brand new deal in early '18.

2nd place finish impressive but fools few. Team desperate for RW and CB. Mourinho given Fred and Dalot. More rows with EW. Varane/Godin/Toby all linked. None sign.

Many cite EB/VL failure - but clear club aren't serious about challenging. DOF articles briefed aplenty.

Mourinho burns the whole thing down - now has 2 buses - one to park in games and the other to throw players under. Players played out of position, Jose showing publicly strained relationship with them. Knows the club made huge rod for back with big contract. Is inevitably sacked

Cue more DOF articles.
EW takes heed of fans wanting to enjoy football. Makes popular short-term call with Ole. Goes better than expected. Positive results last longer than good football. Ole given permanent job. Too soon? Needs to be ruthless due to big directionless squad

Many players are sold/released/allowed to go on loan. Just 3 are signed. Despite being threadbare, all 3 players impress - ammo for Ole to deserve more backing. Shows good tactical nous v big teams, not v little. Signs Bruno - helps v smaller teams.

Utd are attack heavy but lacking pace at back. Have big problems/emergencies never solved on RW, CB, LW and CDM when Matic isn't playing. Despite problems they qualify for CL. This was the target, we were told. The objective so Ole could build. But he doesn't. He can't.

That's two CL qualifying summers the manager wasn't backed properly. Club still paying price for the disastrous turnover and loss of experience in 2014, the insufficient defensive recruitment since 2018, the needlessly gargantuan contracts handed out.

There are significant and well-founded doubts over Ole's capability to oversee the change despite the positive work he has done. Ed will wait for that to become a louder noise than the dissent over him/the transfer window and then pull the trigger. And release a DOF brief.

That's a summary only of the terrible way the football operations have been run. Concurrently, the owners have drained hundreds of millions of pounds out of the club. They have no concern about the failure.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football…

It's a perpetual cycle, one doomed to continue, because even if you like or dislike the manager, the moment they appear to be on the right path is the very moment that the owners refuse to allow the club to invest its own money for its own benefit instead of theirs.

Anyway. If you made it to the end of this. I have written about this in much more detail, over every speed bump from 2013 to 2019, in my book Redprint - with no bias to or against any manager.

amazon.co.uk/Redprint-Overc…