‘Twenty times’ – but now Man Utd must exit ‘Ice Age’

Manchester United’s traveling support resounds a familiar refrain after an hour of their draw at Bournemouth.

“Man United 20 times, twenty times. I say 20 times, twenty twenty. Twenty Twenty Twenty, playing football like Matt Busby’s did Man United.

Since United won the most recent of those championships, the song has provided both pride and solace for Sir Alex Ferguson, who was then eased into retirement in 2013.

It was particularly moving on Sunday.

Those supporters did not anticipate that Liverpool would win the title of champion at the time of their song. But they were anticipating it. That their fierce rivals would soon join them for the total that had previously made them the most successful team in English football.

There is no hiding the reality of the situation, despite Rasmus Hojlund’s injury-time equalizer, which prevented them from drawing 1-1 at the Vitality Stadium to suffer yet another defeat in this difficult domestic campaign.

A long-time United fan who first followed the team in 1973-1974 just as they were about to be relegated, Adam Bell said, “Oh yes, it matters.”

“Getting to 20 was really important for us,” he said. You have to say that they have a better chance of reaching 21 and 22 than we do now that they are joining us.

Andrew Harris, his friend, agreed.

However, he continued, “This kind of thing happens in cycles at Manchester United.”

The 1968 team included the Busby Babes, then the 1970s and 1980s, and then Fergie arrived. The upcoming Ice Age is upon us.

It is Ruben Amorim’s turn to try to rescue United from the deep freeze following the unsuccessful attempts of Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, and Erik Ten Hag.

Since taking over from Ten Hag in November, he has had inconsistent results.

United now has two points from their previous five games thanks to the draw at Bournemouth. They moved up to 14th place, but they are still on the verge of reaching their worst place since the relegation season more than 50 years ago. Since then, Liverpool have lost 13th place in the 18th-place standings since 1989-1990.

Amorim’s goal is to learn about the past at Old Trafford.

He also refuses to dodge a question, which is to his credit.

He claimed that his concern for Liverpool and their accomplishments was unrelated. He has a different opinion about Manchester United.

He said, “The first thing is to concentrate on ourselves and not on the other teams.” Next, be truly honest.

“We are currently in different levels]to Liverpool.” However, I do recall that Premier League was the opposite when I first saw it. Therefore, anything can change.

Amorim remarked that United should not attempt to anticipate too closely.

He said, “We have the ultimate goal of winning the Premier League.” “I’m not crazy, but I am aware that it won’t be the case next year.” However, we are attempting to create something, and it is crucial to note the little things we did this year.

Even if the fanbase doesn’t believe the salvation that would result from a Europa League victory this year is feasible, Amorim has support in the fanbase.

A two-legged semi-final with Athletic Bilbao, which is fourth in La Liga, would be regarded as challenging in an ordinary season. When Andoni Iraola, now Bournemouth manager, played for them in a 2011-12 Europa League last-16 match, Ferguson’s team was unable to defeat them.

Many fans will prefer to anticipate this season.

The victory in the Bilbao final is United’s only way back into Europe, stop, because it, of course, gives them even more incentive to win.

Bell remarked, “I hope the project to rebuild works, but it will take a few years. Even so, it’s unlikely to win the Europa League.

“I enjoy Amorim. We need patience, even though I have faith in him. Building a team and maintaining their success takes time. Sir Alex Ferguson needed a lot of time.

Before Ferguson delivered the trophy that changed the course of United’s history, Ferguson was three and a half years into his tenure. Given the different league positions, the parallels to that and this are unavoidable.

The club’s dysfunctional results were unreachable until there was no social media at the time, no 24-hour rolling news cycle, and never-ending discussion on endless platforms.

Bell’s assessment of Amorim’s need for time was “two to three years.”

His friend is unsure, too.

Using the same Glacial calendar, he said in reference to his Ice Age statement.