Ally McCoist insists that it would not surprise him if Manchester United end up going 30 years without the title, like their rivals Liverpool did between 1990 and 2020.
‘With Man Utd, what do you do now? Do you get rid of Erik ten Hag? Ten Hag, Jose Mourinho – all these good managers, excellent managers with a good pedigree and it’s just not worked so it’s more than that. It’s systematically all the way through the club,’ said McCoist.
‘I know there’s going to be changes at the top (with Sir Jim Ratcliffe) but Liverpool went 30 years without a title. I’m not saying that’s going to happen but you would not be surprised if they did. It’s a bizarre situation and a long away to fix United at this moment in time, which is not what the supporters will want to hear,’ the former Rangers and Scotland legend added.
United take on Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in a must-win clash and McCoist, 61, admitted that he is baffled by their run. Ten Hag’s side have lost 11 games in all competitions, including seven defeats in 16 league games this season, with the manager admitting that his squad is not good enough to be consistent after defeat on Saturday against Bournemouth.
‘I could not believe the level of performance they put in at Newcastle (when they lost 1-0). That was really concerning and then at Old Trafford, they were miles better for the Chelsea game but you look at the weekend against Bournemouth and it’s impossible to put your finger on it,’ said McCoist.
Manchester United have suffered seven defeats in 16 Premier League games this season
‘You look at United and Chelsea – two massive clubs who not so long ago, you’d be talking about them challenging but there’s a softness about them. Dare I say it, the biggest criticism I could level at United and Chelsea is that even Luton have got a bit about them. Luton might get relegated but the way they play the game and run and work for each other, they’ve been a breath of fresh air,’ he added.
Speaking in his role as a pundit and co-commentator for TNT Sports, McCoist admitted that with the new structure of the Champions League coming in from next season, he worries about the players. Each team will play eight group stage games, meaning two extra matchdays and the group stage will now finish in January, instead of December.
‘It’s not good from a player’s point of view. You can imagine (Jurgen) Klopp and (Pep) Guardiola and co will be dead against it. It’s financial, it’s money and with the greatest respect, the rich will be getting richer and the poor will struggle. The sad thing about the Champions League nowadays is that there are only four teams capable of winning it, because of finances. Celtic winning in 1967 with – it hurts me to say – a squad all born and raised 25 to 30 miles away. Forget that happening again. That will never, ever happen again. it’s about more money more than anything now,’ said McCoist.
And he stressed his concerns about the new format producing more dead rubbers, citing Newcastle as an example. Eddie Howe has started the same ten outfield players in five games in 15 days with Newcastle struggling with an injury crisis. They take on Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday needing to win to stand any chance of progressing in the Champions League.
‘Well they’ve no chance (with new format),’ said McCoist. ‘It defeats the objective of the competition. I know it’s about the money and I get that but a dead rubber is no good to man or beast. At least we don’t have that with both United and Newcastle this week. It devalues the competition. Generally speaking, it’s as competitive as you can get it right now. The last thing you want in any competition is dead rubbers.’
Though with teams like Brighton and West Ham and Aston Villa qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Europa League and Europa Conference League, McCoist is adamant that West Ham’s success in the Europa Conference League last season – their first major trophy since 1980 – shows just how important the other competitions are.
Erik ten Hag faces another testing week with fixtures against Bayern Munich and Liverpool
Former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist admits he is baffled by United’s woeful form
‘West Ham did everyone a favour by winning that cup. I can’t remember watching an European Final where everybody wanted them to win. It was brilliant. I saw a grandad with his son and grandson at the airport and that’s what it’s all about because West Ham, with the greatest respect, are like the majority of us all now. They’ve no chance of winning the Champions League so it makes these cups more important for fans.
‘Brighton’s another one. The fans have an amazing opportunity. I went to see Brighton ten or so years ago when they would play home games in the Withdean Stadium with a running track around it and now the fans all going all around Europe. It’s great.
‘So one of the best things that happened in football in the last few years was West Ham winning that cup because sadly it’s just not a level playing field anymore.’
Ally McCoist was speaking to Mail Sport, courtesy of TNT Sports. TNT Sports is the exclusive home of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League. TNT Sports is available through its streaming destination discovery+ and across all major TV platforms. This isn’t Just Sport, This is Everything. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/football