A defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford has deepened the sense of crisis at Manchester United – exactly as the same result did in 1989 as fans called for Ferguson to be axed
The last time Manchester United made such a poor start to a season, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, Milli Vanilli were No.1 and the Berlin Wall had yet to fall.
Back in 1989, after a humiliating 5-1 thrashing at local rivals Manchester City, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side found themselves down in 14th place in the table, with just seven points from as many games.
By December 9 that season, things had barely improved, with a banner unfurled at Old Trafford proclaiming ‘Three Years of Excuses And It’s Still Crap â Tara Fergie’ as United slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace
Fast forward 34 years and Erik ten Hag finds himself in similar territory, having presided over United’s worst start in the league since then, with nine points from seven games, to leave them down in 10th place in the Premier League.