Manchester United have officially joined the modern day era of club football.
For 27 years, the Mighty Reds reveled in the glory of trophy-filled season after trophy-filled season. In total, 38 titles filled the United cabinet from 1986 - 2013. Now, just nine months after naming David Moyes as the heir apparent, Manchester United have parted ways with the "Chosen One."
In an official statement from the club, Moyes was thanked for the "hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role."
In just one nine-month tenure, United managed to achieve feats once deemed unimaginable. For the first time since 1995, they will fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City had never beaten United home and away since the Premier League's inception...until now. Lest we forget Manchester are guaranteed to finish the season with their lowest point total in Premier League history.
If David Moyes does in fact get sacked, he'll certainly have left his mark at Manchester United (via @redditsoccer). pic.twitter.com/W6occQyfFA
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) April 21, 2014
Parting ways with Moyes was justifiable, but what of the replacement?
Is managing Manchester United in 2014 as desirable as it was once perceived to be?
A short list of replacements include Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp and Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone. Klopp himself vehemently denied to ESPN any possibility of succeeding Moyes, saying, "Manchester United is a great club and I feel very familiar with their wonderful fans, but my commitment to Borussia Dortmund and the people is not breakable." Simeone wasn't as forceful in his denial (h/t to SB Nation). "With all due respect, I understand the situation but it's a very important match for us tomorrow," he said. "I am not focused on anything that is not my own players or Chelsea."
Both managers have enjoyed a modicum of success in their respective leagues. Klopp has seen Die Borussen lift four trophies in his current five-year tenure. Simeone is on the cusp of leading Atletico Madrid to their first league title since 1996. Regulars in the Champions League, both clubs have consistently shown the propensity to compete at the highest level under their current regimes.
Why risk leaving it all behind to manage an aging club in desperate need of an overhaul just to return to respectability?
£150mil for a back four, 2 CMs and probably a striker? Good luck with that one #MUFC — Rowanne Westhenry (@agirlintheshed) April 22, 2014
One by one, players like Cesc Fabregas turned down the opportunity to transfer to Manchester in the summer transfer window. The Spaniard was devastatingly quoted as saying on radio, "I would not leave [Barcelona] even if they [United] offered double my salary." Now, managers equal in stature aren't so inclined to rush to the ethos of the Mighty Reds.
At some point, relying on past history and prestige leads to irrelevancy. There's no room for romanticism in modern football. Glory won't return to Manchester anytime soon just because "it's Manchester United."
Just ask Liverpool.
Another bad hire will lead United down a path their biggest rival are just now recovering from. Forget the big name. Just make sure the next name that's introduced is the right one.
Will Manchester United be able to lure big-name managers to Old Trafford? Should they? Tell us @SportsWN
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