Even back then, it was an indication of how the mighty had fallen.
It was December 9, 2013 and Newcastle United had two days earlier claimed their first league victory at Old Trafford since 1972. Yohan Cabaye’s second-half goal split the teams.
For David Moyes and Manchester United, it was their fifth league loss of the season and their second in the space of four days after his former club Everton had also won 1-0.
United, the reigning Premier League champions, languished in the unfamiliar depths of ninth place in the table.
They sat 12 points adrift of leaders Arsenal and were in genuine danger of their title defence being finished by Christmas.
It is 10 years since Manchester United’s official Twitter account put out this post
The post came two days after United had lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle United
Manager David Moyes gave an honest assessment of where his United side were misfiring
At his next press conference, as Moyes bemoaned his team’s shortcomings, the official United Twitter account summarised it as: ‘David Moyes says #mufc must improve in a number of areas, including passing, creating chances and defending.’
It’s really hard to imagine any official club channel putting out something as damning nowadays.
‘Basically playing football then,’ was one of the pithy replies.
Periodically, as the years have gone by and United have switched from one manager to another without getting remotely close to rediscovering the glory days, the post has been returned to.
There are replies from 2014, when Moyes was sacked after just 10 months as United’s ‘Chosen One’ post-Alex Ferguson, from 2017 when Jose Mourinho was in charge, 2020 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and even 2022 as Erik ten Hag struggled at first.
The tweet has become a kind of virtual shrine to a decade of mediocrity and decline at England’s biggest club.
On the 10th anniversary, it is fair to ask whether Ten Hag’s United are any further along the road.
Manager-wise, they’ve been through Louis van Gaal, Mourinho and Solskjaer between Moyes then and Ten Hag now. Let’s not forget the odd interregnum of Ralf Rangnick too.
A decade on and United remain in the doldrums as they struggle to recapture past glories
Erik ten Hag is desperately trying to move United forward but progress has been limited
The decade has seen them win the EFL Cup twice, one FA Cup and the Europa League. They’ve also reached another two FA Cup finals and lost the Europa League final in 2021.
Most clubs in England would be pretty satisfied with that return but United were coming down from such a high bar under Ferguson.
In the decade prior, they were Premier League champions five times, won one FA Cup, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
The seventh-placed league finish under Moyes has been the low-point since but United have finished sixth on three occasions.
When they have been runners-up, it’s been as a mere speck on Man City’s rear-view mirror. 19 points behind in 2017-18 and 12 adrift in 2020-21. Genuine title aspirations have been quickly dashed.
When Moyes’s side lost to Newcastle in 2013, it was a once-in-a-generation event. For Newcastle, it was their first Old Trafford win in 41 years, for Everton the previous game a first in 21.
But such wins have since become normal for many teams as United’s Ferguson-era fear factor disintegrated into being merely just another opponent.
In 2013-14, that was United’s fifth defeat of the season in all competitions and we were well into December. They were still in the League Cup and had bossed their Champions League group.
But these things can no longer be taken for granted. Ten Hag’s team bombed out of the Carabao Cup, losing 3-0 at home to Newcastle, and have made a right horlicks of Europe.
Having won just one and lost three of their Champions League group games, they find themselves in the unenviable position of needing to beat Bayern Munich next week and hoping Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw to sneak into the last-16.
Given their vulnerabilities, frankly it would be better if they dropped into the Europa League, where they might stand a chance of winning.
Overall this season, they’ve lost 10 matches – double the tally at this stage a decade ago – and are struggling in both penalty boxes.
Nemanja Vidic (left) and Robin van Persie (right) look dejected during the 2013 Newcastle loss
Yohan Cabaye runs away in celebration after scoring the decisive goal at Old Trafford
The current crop have scored 33 goals and conceded 35 in 22 matches. In their first 22 games in 2013-14 – which takes us to the same date if the Community Shield is excluded – they’d scored 38 and conceded 22.
So if Moyes feared for United’s defending then, the picture is a lot worse now.
He could still call upon the fearsome combination of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, as well as Patrice Evra, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Antonio Valencia, Rafael Da Silva and Chris Smalling.
There is a certain irony that Evans, now 35, has boomeranged back to Old Trafford and would probably be starting games if he wasn’t currently injured.
After that Newcastle defeat, Moyes complained about having to keep Robin van Persie on for the whole 90 when he was struggling with a knock.
Ten Hag would no doubt love to have someone as ruthlessly clinical as his compatriot now as Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and others struggle for rhythm.
Let’s not forget United’s leading goalscorer this season is midfielder Scott McTominay – with six.
In terms of chance creation, there’s no doubt United looked much more dangerous in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Chelsea than they have for most of the season.
Sir Alex Ferguson signed off with another Premier League title in 2013 but the decade since has been a rocky road for Manchester United and their managers
Moyes really was on a hiding to nothing when he succeeded Ferguson in 2013
Overall, they’ve created 26 ‘big’ chances in 15 league games this season, or 1.73 per 90. Back in 2013-14, this figure across the whole campaign was just 1.39.
But really it should be better – back then, their highest midfield appearance makers included Valencia, Juan Mata (after January), Shinji Kagawa, Tom Cleverley, Adnan Januzaj, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini. Hardly vintage by United’s standards.
The main point to be made is that in 10 years, United have splashed out an incredible £1.2billion on new signings and don’t appear to have moved on.
The likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Fred, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay – signed for eye-watering sums – have all been and gone having made little impact.
It’s possible that losses could soon be cut on Jadon Sancho, Donny van de Beek, Raphael Varane and Casemiro – yet more outrageous wastage.
Jose Mourinho followed on but was unable to bring back to glory days to Old Trafford
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer found his legendary status at United quickly corroded as their manager
United fans have grown increasingly frustrated over the stasis at the club under the Glazers
As the Glazer family drag their heels over Sir Jim Ratcliffe buying a mere quarter of the club, and taking charge of an out-of-kilter recruitment strategy, fan frustration is growing.
The best insurance for Ten Hag if results don’t improve is that the chop and change policy of the past decade clearly hasn’t worked.
Moyes lost too many games, Van Gaal’s stultifying football and overbearing methods made him unpopular, while Mourinho’s was always likely to combust eventually despite initial success.
Solskjaer found his club legend status at United rapidly corroded away, his tenure a story of so near and yet so far.
Ten Hag doesn’t suffer fools and his first season was, by any measure, a positive one. But despite more spending, there has been an unexpected regression this season.
Even when they win, United usually look unconvincing and Ten Hag’s team, still devoid of any discernible style, seem to exist in the hope the corner is about to be turned.
Maybe the win over Chelsea does herald a new dawn and, after all, they are just three points behind City in the table – somehow.
But in 10 years since that tweet went out, it’s difficult to see how United have moved forward much at all.
