It is 34 years to the day Manchester United sacked Ron Atkinson as manager after a poor start to the season.
The decision made in 1986 is better remembered for putting the wheels in motion for Sir Alex Ferguson’s appointment.
Ferguson went onto become the greatest manager in modern history and arguably of all-time.
Atkinson’s sacking came on November 6, 1986. It was the earliest sacking of a Manchester United manager since World War Two, the MEN reported.
Atkinson’s spell at United was not all bad. Riding high after an 1985 FA Cup win, things seemed to be looking up.
In the 1985/86 season, United won the opening 10 games in a row, but tailed off and finished fourth.
The poor form continued into the 1986/87 season and Atkinson did not see it out.
He was fired 34 years ago to this day. United were a lowly 19th in the table after 11 games.
Atkinson was quoted by The Guardian: “Obviously I’m a bit disappointed.
“Things have gone against us so I suppose it was inevitable this would eventually happen.”
Is history repeating itself?
Atkinson’s United had suffered a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal along the way, and a 3-1 defeat to Everton. The final straw was a 4-1 loss to Southampton.
Ominously, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United lost to Arsenal last week, face Everton this weekend, and then have a fixture with Southampton at the end of the month.
The delayed start to this season means a like for like points comparison is not in sync.
At this stage when Atkinson was sacked, his United side had played 11 league matches. Solskjaer’s United have played six.
Like Atkinson’s United in 1985, Solskjaer’s side have gone through winning patches of form where everything has gone our way, but in both cases it was not sustainable.
Solskjaer’s job is under real pressure this weekend after back to back defeats. United have lost four of 11 games in all competitions this season.
If the United board do make a decision to fire Solskjaer, we can only hope history repeats itself in the unpredecented numbers of trophies’ won by Atkinson’s successor.
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