As a Southampton fan I am more concerned by the fortunes of my own team but it is fascinating to witness the continued fall of Man Utd and not draw comparisons with the teams of the ate 70s and early 80's where the likes of Docherty , Sexton and Atkinson all seemed glamourous appointments yet the teams never seemed to rise to the levels both the media and the fans expected. That period was one dominated by Liverpool but also a time when provincial teams had a good chance at making an impression too. Sir Alex Ferguson always boasted that his greatest achievement was breaking the dominance of Liverpool. Having no axe to grind with both clubs, I feel that what he achieved far surpassed the combined accomplishments of Shankly, Paisley and Dalglish. No English team has quite matched the quality of Ferguson;s sides and if a host of modern managers can probably boast of greater prowess than was the case before the 1990's, I don't think any will quite be able to hold a light to Sir Alex.
With this in mind, it is amazing at the way Mourinho seems to have collected a squad of superstars who don't seem to play as a team. The teams assembled by both Moyes and LVG quickly lost the "fear factor" for teams like Southampton who have always been a bogey team for you. I would have thought that Mourinho would have restored your fortunes but the style of football you are playing is negative and nowhere as near as good as teams like Arsenal, Spurs, City and even Liverpool. As an outsider, you seem to be in the same predicament as Liverpool in the 1990s. Do you think that Man Uts would be better off ditching the superstars and playing a team who came from the vicinity of Manchester and for whom their would at least be some pride attached with playing for the club. I believe that Chelsea under Mourinho had the record for the number of domestic players out on loan with other clubs. This seems a marked contrast to Man Utd's team of the early 1990s who were nearly all home-grown. Conversely, in the "modern game", I am not sure that this system would be a total success in 2016 . Once Ferguson has retired, the genie was out of the bottle. I can't see a short term solution to fixing the problem but, if I was a Man Utd fan, it would be worrying and I would be concerned that the club could replicate the fate of Liverpool and maybe even mindful of how the great squad of the 1960s imploded to get relegated in to Division 2. I would have to say that I can never see Man Uts ever getting relegated but I can see you slipping out of Uefa cup contention if the rot is not addressed.
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