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It's easy to see why the fans of rival teams sometimes find it difficult to stomach Manchester United. After all, when you see a rival club achieving everything your club can't, with a team based upon a core of home grown talent, playing in a style of football that is sickeningly easy on the eye, it is impossible not to be jealous. Add the fact that Manchester United has become a genuine global brand with a huge financial income that enables them to continually refresh the team every year with some of the best players in the world, and you can see why the supporters of other teams pray for the demise of this sporting giant.

Last season (2005/2006) you could be forgiven for thinking that the bubble had burst. Chelsea, with their team of extravagantly salaried superstars had romped easily to their second consecutive title. United had lost a talisman in Roy Keane, injuries hit the team hard, and new players such as Vidic and Evre had not really shown any kind of form. Only success in the Carling Cup glossed over a shockingly poor European campaign, and it seemed as if United for the first time were loosing ground on their competitors both at home and on the continent. Was this the start of their demise? Had Manchester United had their day?

Domestically, at least, it seems not. Manchester United this season (2006/2007) have shown that they can still compete with moneybags Chelsea, currently enjoying a good advantage in the league standings. In the FA Cup too, United are doing well, although the resulting fixture congestion may well be to the detriment of their league campaign. In fact, it is difficult to see Manchester United being anything other than competitive in their domestic competitions. With the attendance at Old Trafford now at a staggering average of 76,000 per game, they still have the financial resources to attract great players to the club, and Ferguson's policy of investing in the best young British talent will ensure that they will remain one of the top two or three clubs every season.

In Europe, however, it's a slightly different story. Apart from one exception in 1999, Manchester United's domestic dominance over the last decade has not been reflected by success in Europe. Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that United have under achieved in the UEFA Champions League and the question should not be whether Manchester United had their day, but whether they will ever have their day again? United's under achievement in Europe can be traced to when they first won the English Premiership. At that time English clubs were emerging from a European ban, their players were inexperienced in Europe, and there was still a three foreigner' rule that restricted the team United could pick. Additionally, European referees did not take kindly to the English physical style of play and a myriad of bookings and suspensions resulted in Manchester United virtually fielding reserve teams for many important European matches. Over the years United developed a different style of play in Europe to deal with these issues, less frenetic and gung ho, and more dependent on getting men behind the ball than making rash challenges in midfield (not that Paul Scholes was ever able to grasp this concept). The result has meant that the team have reached the latter stages of the competition on a more consistent basis, but ultimately they have found it difficult to compete with Europe's elite. Until the team finds the confidence to play with the freedom and style in Europe, as they do in the Premiership, this may continue to be the case.

In summary, the projection for Manchester United is continued competitiveness and success on the domestic front, but further European success may be just out of reach.

Learn more about this author, Robert Stephenson.
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