It was a Sunday afternoon to forget for Manchester United fans and one that would be etched in the memories of Liverpool fans for years to come. At half time, the scoreboard read United nil and the away side 4. That was a Premier League feat that had never happened at Old Trafford.
At halftime, several fans trudged out of Old Trafford. The scales dropped from their eyes as the truth stared them unblinkingly in the face. It took a drubbing of this proportion to exorcise them of the demons of baseless support for a manager whose claim to the job was a toe-poke in 1999, a Norwegian title and relegation for Cardiff.
As the fans trudged home, reeling under the pain they had just gone through in a theatre that had turned from dreams to a nightmare, everything became clear. As Pogba said ‘something has to change’, but the question remains - what needs to change?
Solskjaer admits failure in United’s darkest day
It was akin to a Nazi onslaught on the royal army on a Sunday afternoon with little to no resistance. An evening stroll would have been more laborious for the Anfield side.
After the Sunday debacle, Solskjaer admitted as per the club’s website that it was the darkest day of his coaching career. For a career not littered with many bright lights, it is indeed low.
However, United’s Norwegian boss believes his side can bounce back. He agrees that the team was at rock bottom and needed uplifting, but he thinks the team has come too far as a group to give up.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are streets ahead of United, only highlighting how far United have fallen.
They need immediate resuscitation, but the question remains - is Solskjaer the man to achieve this?
Ole is not to blame
The defeat is a stark reminder that the Norwegian is out of his depth. The United gaffer simply does not have what it takes to take United to the level of title contenders, and the earlier the Glazers understand this, the better for all.
Ole is not to blame for the disaster served on Sunday afternoon. The blame squarely lies at the foot of the board who continue to back him. The honourable thing to do would be to sever the connection that ties the two together. Buying the best players and hoping that it would be enough to carry the team is utter madness.
Too many apologies
Once again, the manager and his captain chose to offer apologies to the fans. Apoplexy within the fans is a function of the failure that has become a recurring decimal under Ole.
Perhaps, another hammering at the hands of cross-city rivals Manchester City and Chelsea will complete the exorcism. The truth is Ole has stretched his tether beyond its elastic limit.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
