Why we are where we are

Ed has come on for a bit of a bashing from what of seen on here and I thi k it's a little harsh as I believe their are many factors to blame for where we are.

SAF and Gill left us in the shiite. They left us with an average squad and an RVP who felt cheated by SAF leaving. I know SAF left to be with his missus and dont blame him for that, but this certainly played a huge part.

Lack of proven top managers. Their is a real shortage of top managerial talent. Pep needs the perfect environment to be succesful, Klopp was forced to spend massively to eventually win with Liverpool, Poch is very well thought of but is yet to turn that into a trophy. Zidane has done brilliantly but had Cristiano Ronaldo up front. Beyond them, their are very few stand out candidates for the United role, hence us appointing Ole.

Wealth in the game - Our inevitable dip post SAF has unfortunately coincided with unprecedented wealth within football, with many other clubs now in a position to challenge United for the signings of players. Liverpool spending £75m on VVD and Mane choosing them over us, City filling their squad with £50m players, Everton spending £50m on Sigurdsson and Richarlison, means that we are no longer at the head of the queue when players are deciding on moves to / in England. Fees and wages being demanded and in some cases granted also unrealistically increase fans expectations of players and teams. A players ability isnt dictated by how much you have to pay for him.

Real, City, Liverpool peaking. The achievements of these 3 clubs in recent years has only served to magnify the ongoing problems at United, and made it even more difficult for us to acquire the quality players necessary to bounce back.

A lack of identity in our football. Undeniably, being on our 4th permanent manager since SAF left has meant we are left with a lack of footballing identity and an unbalanced, low quality, unmotivated squad of expensive flops and over hyped potential. Some of the blame should sit with the execs BUT I'd rather be where we are now than sticking with Moyes for a lack of courage. Pep was already City bound and Klopp wanted a different project by all accounts. Options were therefore limited.

In summary, yes Ed and his gang have played a part in where we currently find ourselves, but their are many other factors that have played a part, some of which are outside of Eds / the clubs control, meaning it is unfair to place all the blame on him

Anyway, let's cheer up. We have had far more good times than many other clubs ever will and we will get back to the top again soon enough.