Eamon Dunphy column: Manchester United are on the same slide as Liverpool after their rivals' glory days
Manchester United fans should be very worried
There is something that Manchester United supporters love to throw at Liverpool fans. Again and again, they point out that they've won just one Premier League title, that they went 30 years without being champions of England.
But United fans should be very worried - their beloved club could be going down the same road. When Liverpool became champions in 1990, it was their 10th title in just 14 seasons. Back then, it was unthinkable that there would even be a five year gap to their next title.
But five became 10, and then 15, and then 20...the number kept rising, and different managers couldn't find a way to end their drought. It's now 11 years since United won their last title under Alex Ferguson.
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Look at the strength of Manchester City and Arsenal, and the promise of Liverpool. City will definitely win titles in the years to come, and Arsenal and Liverpool look well placed to do so.
But would you even be confident of United consistently finishing in the top four, let alone contending for the title?
From Alfred Albut in 1892 to Erik ten Hag, Manchester United have had 23 different managers. Bearing in mind the fact that United have been champions of England more times than any other club, how many different managers won the title?
I think even the most knowledgeable United fans might get this one wrong. Remarkably, only three United managers have ever landed the biggest prize in English football - Ernest Mangnall, Matt Busby and Ferguson.
Mangnall stepped down in 1912. In the 112 years since then, only Busby and Ferguson have taken them to the summit. Famously, the latter was on the brink of the sack before being saved by a Mark Robins' goal in an FA Cup tie. Ferguson didn't win a trophy until his fourth season and he was at the club for seven years.
Busby's trajectory was very similar. A first trophy after three years, and a first title after seven. So, even with their two greatest managers, United had to give them time and patience.
If you take the long view, it's clear that most United managers fail. Failure, of course, is relative. They might win FA Cups or get them into the Champions League or, like Jose Mourinho, win a Europa League.
But when you're a club of United's stature, only two competitions really count - the Premier League and the Champions League. That is why ten Hag should shut up about his 'success' as United manager.
After the 3-0 humiliation by Liverpool at Old Trafford, the Dutchman was asked by a reporter in the press conference about why United make the same mistakes in game after game.
Ten Hag reacted badly, and finished his answer by pointing out that ''after City, we have won the most trophies in English football''.
Let's dissect that response for a moment. Liverpool have won far more trophies than City so we must presume that ten Hag was talking just about his time in charge of United.
It's true that City and United are the only clubs to have won more than one trophy during ten Hag's two seasons in England. But City's haul in that time is two Premier Leagues, the Champions League and the FA Cup. United have won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
The latter is a nothing competition - a third tier exercise that doesn't actually exist in other major European countries. The FA Cup used to mean something, but that was a long time ago. During Ferguson's time at United, they didn't even bother entering it one year.
United started last season with the most expensive squad in world football, they finished it with a minus goal difference after 38 games in the Premier League.
Really, the only reason they beat City in the Cup final was due to Pep Guardiola's men slacking off - with some over celebrating - following their Premier League win. For a United manager to be talking up Z list achievements is embarrassing.
On Wednesday, United's accounts were released, and they made for grim reading. United posted a £113.2m net loss - a fifth consecutive year in which the club made an annual loss.
Jim Radcliffe bought a 25 per cent stake in United at the end of 2023 and he has introduced savage measures to try and cut costs. That included making 250 people redundant during the summer.
The Glazers have taken huge amounts of money out of the club since they bought it. They are doing just fine. Workers on very average salaries, though, have been pushed out the exit door.
Radcliffe has brought in a bewildering number of so-called experts, and one name that really jumps out is Dave Brailsford. He is known for his work in cycling, and that work has raised plenty of eyebrows.
The best advice is to go on to Google and read up about Brailsford. It is strange that United have put their trust in this man, I can't see what he has to offer.
On a day to day basis, what does Brailsford do? In game after game, the TV cameras show him sitting in the stand. A man who has no background in football and has had a few questions about his work over the years.
United have shown an incredible consistency in making bad decisions. No matter who the manager is, they seem to make bad calls. Ten Hag splashed out £80m on Anthony from Ajax just two years ago. Now the club want to offload him, even on loan if they can't get a buyer.
They paid big money on the transfer fee and salary of Casemiro, a player whose legs are clearly gone. It seems as if the Glazers have given Radcliffe his head, and that he can make big financial decisions. There's talk of a revamped Old Trafford - boasts about it being the 'Wembley of the north'.
But the leaking roof in the current stadium sums up United. And I don't see things improving any time soon
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