To say that Manchester United are not a well-run football club would be extremely polite, but where did it all go wrong?
The churn of managers, players, directors, and even a change in ownership has failed to get Manchester United out of their stupor.
Michael Carrick and Jason Wilcox are the latest personnel on the chopping block, but there is a feeling among Man Utd fans that even their removal won’t bring much change.
Phil Neville, who has overseen quite a few eras at the club, pinpointed the exact moment when everything went wrong at Old Trafford.
Phil Neville on Man Utd’s “circus”
The ex-players have all given a lot of takes on where it has gone wrong for Man Utd, and the fans are largely tired of it.
However, Phil Neville, unlike his brother, doesn’t speak a lot, and often talks sense when he does, so his opinion still offers some fresh insight.
Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, Neville was asked about the backing for Carrick after the Bournemouth game, and he dissected the affairs at the club with a deep dive.
He said that he was surprised when he walked through the doors at Carrington as David Moyes’ coaching staff, and the change began at the top.
He said: “This is not a quick fix. I was part of the coaching staff under David Moyes. What I witnessed going back after glory years, it was a different type of club.
“I couldn’t believe what I was saying. The signings were based on how famous they were, how many followers they had. I hated it. I was shocked. It’s no different than what managers who followed Moyes ended up facing, including Michael Carrick.
“The club needs sorting from top to bottom. They had a manager in Sir Alex Ferguson, and a CEO in David Gill who was disciplined. They run the club. Supporters have never been happy with the Glazers.
“The year after, new CEO, new manager, and it just became a circus where the manager lost control. Best run clubs have an alignment from top to bottom. I don’t think that happens at Man Utd.”
Neville clearly believes that the alignment of the club became all wonky when the two power centres departed at the same time, sinking it into disarray.
The club is still reeling from that blow, struggling to find a working structure to align all the levels, and a scattergun executive isn’t helping.
At this point, it can’t even be said with certainty that sacking Wilcox along with Carrick will bring change.