A Season of Compromise

When arguably the most successful manager in the history of team sports makes a decision to step down after managing your team for over a generation, you expect to make a few compromises as his replacement adjusts to fit the enormous boots.

As Mr. Moyes stumbled through the first couple of months at Old Trafford, I had been conditioned to trust the old master’s judgment. After all, critics had questioned Sir Alex Ferguson’s judgment with Ronaldo when he seemed to be a one trick pony and De Gea when he seemed to consistently flap at crosses into the box, but both have since risen to modestly speaking, “world class status”.

I was unflustered by the relentless negative headlines about the crumbling records at Old Trafford because I trusted that a meticulous Mr. Moyes would continue to learn from the flaws of the first period of the season to deliver a sudden charge into the top 4. I was confident that he would then build on this for a sustained challenge next season with may be a cup win and then finally deliver the title in the season that would follow.

While many chose to focus on the demise of what was a team sports brand benchmark, I celebrated the little progress we seemed to be making. The best away record in the league, clean sheets, more coordinated attacking play and a disciplined performance against the European champions. I celebrated the class displayed by United fans sticking with their team when all other fans would have been baying for the manager’s head.

As the season draws to a close, it is unfortunate that someone leaked to the press about Mr. Moyes’ impending sack before he was officially notified, diminishing the class that has made this great club the bench mark of team sports brands. With the possibility of a 4^th place finish all but extinguished by the time of his sacking, I was caught at a cross roads about how Europa league football would potentially impact our rebuilding next season. While a part of me had been reduced to cheering for Europa qualification, I am not mourning our shortfall because I see the positive of avoiding the stress it traditionally brings on league form.

Embarrassing as it is, this season has reduced me to cheering the shortfalls of some of our major rivals. For all the disdain I have about Mourinho’s style, I continue to hold hope that he will win the title against the odds, because I consider Chelsea the lesser evil of the three title challengers. More realistically though, as I have come to accept that the title will be won by one of the two teams I would most hate to succeed, I have painfully found myself cheering for our noisy neighbors.

While the press and Liverpool try to convince themselves that they are the neutrals’ pick for the title, I have come to hideously accept that I am not one of the neutrals. As some consolation to me, I have learned that fans of many other teams are quietly hoping that Liverpool fall short for different reasons.

Of course there is Everton because of their Mersey side rivalry; Chelsea and Arsenal would be better placed to explain their shortfalls by Man City’s unfair financial outlay on player purchases; and Tottenham’s own lack of progress on the pitch will be less exposed if Liverpool, a recent traditional Europa league qualifying peer did not suddenly surge to the title. In my case, it is probably a matter of pride and bragging rights that I would like to celebrate superior league success history with 20 titles versus 18 titles for Liverpool.

The compromise I have learned to make this season has fortunately given me a few of my own team’s positives to celebrate as the season draws to an end. Stacked in tradition, not only do we have several legends serving as club ambassadors, it gives me so much pride to see the famed “Class of 92” on the bench helping groom the next generation of super stars. Despite some of our more promising emerging stars playing out on loan, it is also very pleasing to see our U-21 team make it to the finals with a real possibility of bringing in some silver ware. Yes, such is the level of my compromise that for the first time ever, I would enthusiastically celebrate winning the U-21 trophy!