Skip to main content
Sign in
Subscribe for £5
Opinion

WAYNE BARTON ON MONDAY: Manchester United’s vicious cycle continues

Members

Before a ball was kicked this season, Michael Carrick boasted the best record of any Premier League manager this year. WAYNE BARTON looks at how we've quickly descended into the same old story at Manchester United.

12.10.26 6 Min Read Wayne Barton

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick shouts on the touchline during the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage, London, UK on 20 September 2026.

Latest

GOAL. Dominic Solanke (19) of Tottenham Hotspur scores to make it 1-1 during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK on 10 October 2026.
Members
United 1 Spurs 1: Groundhog day as United fail to impress

When, in injury time, with his Manchester United team-mates in desperate need of divine intervention from their captain, Bruno Fernandes received possession of the ball and proceeded to blast it aimlessly into the air instead of looking for the killer pass he executed more often than any Premier League player last season.

11.10.26News
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick at the end of the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage, London, UK on 20 September 2026.
Members
Red October: Why the next three weeks could define Michael Carrick’s Manchester United future

If there was one Premier League manager more grateful than most at the timing of Manchester City’s guilty verdict it was Michael Carrick. ALEX CROOK looks at how October could be a key month for the United boss.

09.10.26News
United badge on the corner flag ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on 7 December 2024.
Members
Whelan to be honoured by Former Players’ Association

Manchester United’s legendary former coach, Tony Whelan, is to be honoured in a special dinner being held by the Association of Former Manchester United Players next month. WAYNE BARTON looks at why it's so richly deserved.

08.10.26News

Become a member

From only £5

For quality and insightful exclusive reporting about Manchester United.

Old Trafford

Opinion

Manchester United’s ticketing crisis: how INEOS risked a revolt among supporters

30.08.269 Min ReadWayne Barton

From season ticket suspensions to supporter resignations, tensions at Manchester United continue to rise. WAYNE BARTON explores why this summer has become a defining test of the club’s relationship with its fans.

Latest

Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha (10) during the Champions League match between Manchester United and Sabah at Old Trafford, Manchester, UK on 10 September 2026.
Members
WAYNE BARTON ON MONDAY: A case for the attack for Carrick

For years Manchester United lacked attackers of conviction, and then, since they signed some, the issue has been trying to get them all to blend into a coherent system. WAYNE BARTON looks at how finding the right attack could be key for Michael Carrick.

05.10.26Opinion
Old Trafford Stadium during the EFL Cup match between Manchester United and Burton Albion at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on 19 September 2017. Photo by John Potts.
Members
When the Manchester United chairman put the game above his club

The idea of a chairman of a major club acting for the good of the game, even if it hurt his own team, feels topical and almost alien at present. Yet that’s precisely what Martin Edwards did in 1995, when Eric Cantona was sent off at Selhurst Park and subsequently kung-fu kicked a Crystal Palace fan who had raced down the terrace to berate him.

02.10.26Features
Roy Keane during the FA Cup 3rd round match between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal at the City Ground, Nottingham, England on 9 January 2022.
Members
When Fergie foreshadowed Roy Keane’s stunning exit

There are few moments in Old Trafford history which stunned the public quite as much as Roy Keane’s shock departure from the club in November 2005. WAYNE BARTON unveils Sir Alex Ferguson's foreshadowing of that seismic shock in an extract from Fergie: The Lost Tapes.

01.10.26Features
Ex England football captain & Newcastle United player Alan Shearer during the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am Day at the Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, United Kingdom on 25 May 2016. Photo by Simon Davies.

History

How Jack Walker blocked Alan Shearer’s agreed move to Manchester United

25.08.265 Min ReadWayne Barton

Alan Shearer was on the verge of becoming a Manchester United player in 1996. WAYNE BARTON explores Martin Edwards' revelatory account of how contract terms were agreed, until Blackburn chairman Jack Walker stepped in to redirect England's star striker to Newcastle United instead.

Get started with our free newsletter

Sign up to receive your free newsletter with articles and analysis from our team

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from The 1878.