‘The fall of the House of Ferguson had been coming, but when the collapse arrived it still had the power to shock. In successive years Manchester United have gone from semi to quarter-finalists to being twice eliminated in the first knockout round of the Champions League to finishing last in a very straightforward qualifying group.
‘In any other industry this would signify a product in steep, if not terminal, decline. Even when they had failed to win an away game for two years, it seemed unimaginable United would not rise to the occasion the Stadium of Light presented. Their task in the second half was only to score one goal.
‘In the blackness of defeat Ferguson refused to answer any questions about his future. "If I walked backwards down a side-street, I would always have a profile. My job is to get on with rebuilding this club. We now have a very big challenge, and I'm confident this team will rise to it." It is hard to know what that challenge is - finishing second to Chelsea in the Premiership or winning the FA or the Carling Cup? Last week Ferguson indicated he expected to have about three more years at
‘Old Trafford, though those horizons appear to be shrinking rapidly. From 1996 to 2003 Manchester United, buoyed by the peerless midfield of Beckham, Scholes, Keane, Butt and Giggs, were unlucky to have won the European Cup only once. Since the break-up of that side Ferguson's dreams of regaining the trophy appear increasingly unlikely to be fulfilled. As he had throughout this campaign, Ferguson lamented the lack of experience in his squad, confessing that it had been a gamble to throw in Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, not properly match-fit.
‘But even those men in a match overshadowed by the spirit of George Best were bereft of inspiration. In 1966 Best returned to Manchester Airport with the nickname 'El Beatle'. In Europe, Manchester United collectively have been playing like El Barron Knights, and this was their payback.’