Depressing Time As A Manchester United Fan

It's unprecedented and I don't remember a time like this as a Manchester United fan. It's a new experience albeit a negative one. United have now lost 4 matches in a row and gone 7 games without a win across all competitions. It's a depressing time to be an United fan.

As expected the pressure on Louis Van Gaal's future as United manager has intensified beyond an imaginable level after this defeat. In my preview of the match, I had suggested that a defeat against Stoke City could be the final straw. I might be wrong and he might live to see a couple more days as the manager of Manchester United until another beleaguered big team in the form of Chelsea visits Old Trafford. The man that is Van Gaal has pointed to his team's fear of playing in the first half as part of the reason for their defeat and he has indicated that he might resign before the board fires him. It's intriguing to see what would happen next between today and tomorrow as the story unfolds.

On the match itself, I had never imagined it to be a walk in the park for United. Even in the best of form, Britannia Stadium is a tough place to visit for any team and United joined the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City last night as teams to have been beaten there this season. With the blustery wind conditions, it felt like the match was played on the beach with a plastic beach ball. In all the previous matches played there by United, matches have been hard fought and I don't remember United producing vintage football to get their wins. Victories at the Britannia Stadium have been obtained through hard work and grit.

United started solidly keeping their defensive shape and trying to cope with the movement of the ball in the air and on the ground. Everything was fine until an inexplicable mistake by Memphis Depay allowed Glenn Johnson to set up Bojan Krkic for the opener and soon after Marko Arnautovic unleashed a screamer after latching on to the rebound from a free kick. It was a strike that no goalkeeper in the world could do anything about. Memphis made a mistake typical of a young attacking player in a defensive situation. How is Van Gaal to be blamed for that and the screamer from Arnautovic? When United had chances and attempts at goal, Stoke's goalkeeper, Jack Butland made some good saves although I feel Marouane Fellaini should have done better with the chance he had. How is Van Gaal to be blamed for Butland's excellence in goal? When things are not going well for you, everything and anything will go against you. That's life and football is part of life.

Van Gaal has stated that the players played in fear. The blame of that should go to the manager. He should have done more or better to relax the team and lift their confidence. Perhaps he did try but it's not registering with the players. United's poor recent form has also been due to profligate finishing. He should have done more in training to fix that. If Van Gaal can't lift confidence, and it looks obvious that he is failing in that aspect, then it's right he goes. The situation now looks bleak. i struggle to see any light at the end of the tunnel. I am not sure how big a difference another manager will make to this squad and group of players available at his disposal and this adds to a bleak situation which has seen United sky falling from top to 6th now. There is a lot of uncertainty around the club whereas once upon a time there was exemplified stability.

United had struggled to properly replace Peter Schmeichel when he left after winning the Treble. Arguably, United are struggling to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and have not found the rightful heir to the legendary number 7 jersey. I say arguably because it's too soon to judge and conclude Memphis' time at United. He hasn't set the world alight with his displays but remember Ronaldo frustrated many in his first few seasons wearing the famous number 7 jersey. He has still got time to prove himself and still remains one of the most promising youngsters in world football. Similarly, United have struggled to find a replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson. In modern football, it is far fetched to expect to find another Sir Alex that would remain at the club for years and build a legacy even if a legend takes over the management reins. The expectations at a club like Manchester United are very high and success is expected instantaneously even if it does seem unfair. Success buys time to build a legacy and in theory, Van Gaal bought himself some time with a strong finish and qualification to the Champions League. However, he was unable to keep the squad stable and rebuilt the squad over the summer. There was no scope for stability to build on the squad of last season. Anyone who takes over now will have their work cut out getting the most of the present squad, implement their own ideas and strategies on the team and at the same time be expected to deliver results. It would be tough on Ryan Giggs to do the same. Unlike Pep Guardiola, he has no experience managing a team except for a brief period of 4 matches as the Manchester United player/manager at the end of 2013-14 season. Guardiola was managing the Barcelona youth teams before he took over as Barcelona manager and not every ex-club legend would turn out to be a great manager.

There is still half a season to go, United are still in the running for the FA Cup, Europa League, are 3 points away from the last Champions League spot and 9 points away from the top. There are still objectives to achieve and all is not lost yet. Whether it is with Van Gaal in charge, Giggs or someone else, I feel every fan just wants United to do better starting from Chelsea on Monday. Those that want United to lose or get trashed so that the manager gets fired is disrespectful to the club and the existing manager as a man. I hope whatever decision the club makes in the near future with regards to the management position, turns out to be right and stability is restored to the club. Only with stability will the club win trophies again.