Manchester United Stakeholders: Fans, Shareholders, Sponsors, and Players Should Be Worried
Manchester United beat Stoke City FC 3-0 last week in what many of its fans referred to as the best piece of football they have seen the club play this season. For some, the display was akin to the Manchester United of old, during Sir Alex Ferguson’s time. Manchester United finished the match with 47 percent possession compared to Stoke City’s 53 percent, in one of the rare occasions that the “Red Devils” have ceded possession to the opposing team.
This win came barely three days after Manchester United cruised to a 3-1 win over Derby County in the FA Cup, thereby provoking perceptions that the team was, indeed, on its way back up. However, today, Manchester United failed to keep the torch burning, letting its 1-0 lead away to Chelsea FC slip away at the very end. Unsurprisingly, this has been the story of Manchester United this season. Just when Manchester United fans are beginning to believe that a turnaround could be on the corner, the team tends to take a step back.
Guus Hiddink says Chelsea more than deserved their draw with Manchester United.
Watch: https://t.co/SuBz1C9qLc https://t.co/SDH3YHEWPn— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 7, 2016
This leaves the fans wondering whether or not the recovery campaign, which has been “on and off” multiple times this season, could be becoming a mirage. While Manchester United have improved their goal scoring department over the last few matches, it is generally far from impressive when compared to rivals. Manchester United have scored 32 goals in the Barclays Premier League this season, which is the joint second lowest tally among the top ten teams in the table.
Manchester United currently have 36 points to play for, which means they can only get to a maximum of 77 points at the end of the season. However, based on their current run-rate of 1.64 points per match, Manchester United could be on course to achieve their lowest point tally in their Premier League history, of about 62 points.
Louis van Gaal frustrated by Manchester United’s late lapse @domfifield https://t.co/bwYfL8A1XS (Reuters) pic.twitter.com/EULr2LAG72
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) February 7, 2016
The inconsistencies in performances have not helped the team confidence, either, and this is turning what appeared to be a blip following the retirement of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson into a more serious concern. Manchester United cannot afford to get comfortable in the current circumstances, especially given the illustrative declines of Liverpool, who have now gone more than 25 years without winning the league, and Arsenal, who are currently in their 12th season without lifting the coveted trophy.
Therefore, Manchester United stakeholders should be worried by the fact that the club currently appears to be the likely candidate to follow in the footsteps of Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC. This could be very tricky for Manchester United, especially given the fact that it is one of the top 3 largest sports clubs in the world. One of its major sponsors, Adidas, has a clause included in the GBP 750 million deal that could see Manchester United’s kit sponsorship revenue drop significantly should they fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
In addition, Manchester United fans are not impressed with the current manager Louis van Gaal’s style of play, and this could easily see the company’s brand fall in value. Unattractive football will also lead to lower matchday revenues, as well as merchandise sales, and this could eventually hurt Manchester United stock price.
On the other hand, Manchester United is one of the best football clubs in terms of player wages. However, poor performances like what we witnessed in December could easily lead to docking of wages, as well as the sale of players. It would be difficult to find another club willing to match Manchester United’s wages.
Right now, there is little to suggest that Manchester United could be turning the corner in the next few matches. If anything, Manchester United looks certain to finish outside the top 4, and, therefore, miss out a place in Europe’s elite competition the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester United play Sunderland in their next Premier League match before travelling to Shrewsberry Town for the FA cup last 16 tie, and then, to Denmark to play FC Midtjiland in the Europa League, in the Round of 32. Manchester United must obtain good results from these matches, or it could spark the end of LvG’s era at the club.
[Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images]
