Life After Sir Alex Ferguson: A Manchester United fan

The Barclays Premier League title had been won with a whopping margin in his last season at Old Trafford. It was one of the most memorable Premier League wins, maybe because it was Ferguson’s farewell season which ended exactly how it was destined to be.

 Over the years, Ferguson had turned the Premier League into almost a one-horse race with his mindful and game-changing tactics. And when the great Sir Alex Ferguson did retire at the end of the 2012-13 season, Manchester United fans across the world had already began to foresee a new change in the history of the club. Not many would have actually predicted the recent happenings, not at least at this magnitude. The situation has gone from bad to worse. From being a club, which has never been at a position lower than 3^rd in the history of the Premier League, United has been reduced to a club, which has failed to qualify for any European competition, Manchester United fans have seen it all since the era of the great Sir ended. And if it was not enough, Manchester United has already been ousted from the League Cup at the hands of MK Dons, a third-tier team of England. So, can Manchester United fans ever hope to see those glorious days back again? Can the fans, including me expect United to return to the top? Or, has the legacy left behind by the great Sir Alex Ferguson ended just yet?

Of late, life after Sir Alex Ferguson has become quite a nightmare for United fans across the world. Success had become quite an addiction for fans, including me. Seeing the club lift trophies after trophies had made us believe that success is merely a habit for this club. Winning games became just a customary hobby. Fans like me believed that losing or drawing a game wasn’t associated with the club. All this changed during the 2013-14 season, when United finished at the 7^th position in the Premier League table. Barring the Community Shield at the beginning of the season, there wasn't a moment of joy or success for the club. And if this wasn’t enough, David Moyes was sacked as the manager after just 10 months as the manger. Dutchman Louis Van Gaal was appointed in his place, who has a history of successes with many clubs around the world, including Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and had even won the Champions League with Ajax. The opening matches this season hasn’t yet yielded the expected results, but the hope is still on. Lack of a world-class mid-fielder was one of the main reasons why United didn’t have that X-factor associated with them. Lack of a stable defensive line-up was another reason for the horrible season. And with no Vidic, Ferdinand or Evra, the defense is already looking shaky, which was evident in the opening games of this season, although new signing Marcos Rojo is yet to start a game. United still haven’t signed a world-class creative mid-fielder like a certain Vidal or Khedira, but the kind of impact, new signing Ander Herrera had at Atletic Bilbao last season, complains shouldn’t be raised this season. I still don’t understand why Nick Powell’s immense talent isn’t being utilized even though he had a fantastic season with Wigan Athletic on loan last time around. And with Angel Di Maria arriving from Real Madrid, most of the attacking problems United had last season should be solved with the Argentine’s sublime pace and agility. Last season showed us, that no club can be at the pinnacle every single season. The fans need to be patient, as we are already seeing that club is going through a difficult changing phase with the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. It has been a real tough time for Manchester United and the fans. And if a certain club and its fans can wait some 9 years, to see the club win a trophy, then why can’t the fans of Manchester United wait for only a few months to win a trophy and come back stronger in the foray of success? For, patience is really the virtue. And until United win a trophy, I would certainly say: “Sir Alex Ferguson, you are really being missed!!” Indeed, he was "the Godfather" of Manchester United!