Published: 10 December, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

WHEN I clicked on the headline “Sacking Mourinho would be foolish” I fully expected to be greeted by quotes from Jose telling the world how he’s the only man capable of leading the bumbling Blues out of their relegation battle. 

Imagine my surprise when it was, in fact, the views of former Moan United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Remember him? The clock-watching fiend from an era when United were actually good? An era when you didn’t even bother checking the results because you knew United had somehow found that 98th-minute winner that they so desperately needed. Now look what we’re stuck with. Butthead van Gaal and a team that scores less goals than Donald Trump gets friends requests on FaceBook. 

I never thought I’d write this but I actually miss old red-nose Taggart and his team of merry men. I miss that little giddy jump he’d do in front of the dugout when his team scored. That dad-at-a-wedding dancing he’d do when United were on the brink of winning something.

I especially miss that gum-chewing, about to explode, red face that would pop up on Match of the Day when someone stole three points off him. Like him or loathe him on the sidelines, you knew that more often than not a Ferguson team was going to give you a battle until the very last kick of the season. If your team toppled one of his United sides to win the Premier League title then you knew they really deserved to be crowned champions. 

Of course, even under Ferguson Moan United couldn’t always compete. 

Like the last time Arsenal won the Premier League back in 2004. The mighty “Invincibles” who finished the league season unbeaten despite actually giving squad numbers to Sunday footballers Pascal Cygan and Igors Stepanovs. 

What those doe-eyed Gooners won’t tell you, however, is that the title race that season was boring. I mean real Kieron Dyer in the Jungle boring. Arsenal finished 11 points clear of Chelsea and 15 points clear of Moan United, who between them somehow managed to lose 16 league games. 

Had Arsenal not been going for that unbeaten record it might well have been one of the most boring seasons ever. 

Regardless of who you support, or whether your team will ever be crowned champions or not, is there anything better than a title race that goes down to the wire? I don’t think so. 

And for tight title races the very least you need is a manager who will kick a boot at you when you lose, not a manager like van Gaal who say United are improving when they’ve just been knocked out of the Champions League!