And here we are again, at that point in the year when the nights draw in and Manchester United prepare to sack a manager. Autumn: the season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and a crisis at Old Trafford. Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, following last week’s 4-1 loss to Como, made clear what many had feared from the moment Michael Carrick was given the job permanently: that he isn’t up to it.
But then, who could be? When you’ve gone through a long list of managers in 13 years, it’s worth asking whether the manager is really the problem. Could some of the blame go to the director of football, Jason Wilcox, or the chief executive, Omar Berrada—the people making the appointments? Or perhaps to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the cost-cutting tax exile and minority shareholder responsible for sporting operations? Or to the Glazer family, who plunged the club into debt with a leveraged buyout in 2005 and have since made one disastrous decision after another, reducing the most successful club in English league history to a mid-table laughing stock with a symbolically leaking roof?
It’s worth remembering where all this began. The United story has taken on the shape of a classical tragedy and, like all good tragedies, it starts with a small, seemingly unrelated moment—amplified by pride—that ends up bringing the whole edifice crashing down.
In 1999, Mull of Kintyre, a horse owned by the Irish millionaire John Magnier, won the Gimcrack Stakes at York. Traditionally, the winning owner would give a speech at the Gimcrack Dinner, but Magnier was a shy man who hated public speaking, so he asked his friend, the United manager Alex Ferguson, to give the speech on his behalf. The racing establishment, however, refused: it had to be the owner. To spite them, Magnier named Ferguson as the owner of another horse, Juniper. The following year, Juniper was narrowly beaten in the Gimcrack Stakes. Magnier, though, was determined. So the year after that, he made Ferguson the owner of Rock of Gibraltar, which had won its first three races. Rock of Gibraltar won the Gimcrack easily and Magnier, metaphorically sticking two fingers up at the racing authorities, watched Ferguson give the speech.
Magnier was largely making mischief, but he was also happy to do a favor for a friend, to give Ferguson a better experience of racing, and he benefited from the horse’s association with such a famous name. In addition, Ferguson did not get on well with the United chairman, Martin Edwards, and had a sense that football clubs were becoming good investments. Accordingly, Magnier and his associate JP McManus bought shares in United. (The full story is explored by the journalist David Walsh here.)
It turned out, though, that Rock of Gibraltar was a much better horse than anybody had realized, winning seven Group One races in a row. The stud fees would be worth tens of millions of pounds. Ferguson believed the verbal deal was that he could choose 50% of the prize money won by Rock of Gibraltar (about £800,000) or 50% of the stud fees, which ended up being worth tens of millions. He went for the latter. Magnier’s recollection was rather different: 5% of the prize money or one stud nomination a year.
Ferguson sued and, with his name on the ownership documents, probably would have won had it gone to trial. But then rumors started to spread about some of Ferguson’s financial dealings at United. Paid actors at United’s annual general meeting raised awkward points, then Magnier and McManus sent a list of 99 questions to the United board, which mysteriously found their way into the Daily Mail. United were highly embarrassed. Fans began to demonstrate against Magnier and McManus at race meetings. A settlement was reached, with Ferguson paid £2.5m to drop the action. But the damage was done.
Magnier and McManus had decided to sell their shares in United, and another shareholder was ready and waiting: Malcolm Glazer. Ferguson backed Glazer, who launched his leveraged buyout. Magnier and MManus sold up in 2005 for £260m, a profit of just under £100m. Had they waited for Ratcliffe, who bought a similar stake in 2024, they would have received roughly £1bn more. For Ferguson, a threat had been dealt with. The problem was that Glazer and his family would prove to be some of the worst club owners in English history. For 20 years, United have been crippled by debt and have made consistently terrible footballing decisions. Ferguson’s team was good enough, and his personality big enough, that United won five league titles and a Champions League after the takeover, but once his genius had gone, there was nothing left.
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A mismatched squad built up over seven flawed managerial appointments and a multitude of conflicting approaches will not be easily fixed. Carrick is the latest victim of a crisis 21 years in the making. For the want of a horse a club was lost.
This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are FAQs based on Jonathan Wilsons article about the horse that marked the start of Manchester Uniteds decline
1 What is this article about
Its about how a racehorse named Rock of Gibraltarowned by Alex Ferguson and Irish businessman John Magniersparked a bitter feud that some see as the beginning of Uniteds troubles
2 Who is Jonathan Wilson
Hes a wellknown football writer and author who writes about the history and tactics of the game
3 What was the horse
Rock of Gibraltar a champion racehorse Ferguson was given a share of the horses breeding rights as a gift from Magnier
4 Why did a horse cause a problem
Ferguson believed he was owed a share of the horses valuable stud fees Magnier disagreed and the dispute became a legal fight
5 Who is John Magnier
An Irish billionaire and major racehorse owner who along with JP McManus held a large stake in Manchester United at the time
6 How did this affect Manchester United
The feud soured Fergusons relationship with the clubs major shareholders created boardroom turmoil and is seen by some as a turning point that unsettled the club
7 Did the dispute really cause Uniteds decline
Thats the articles argument but its debated Many factors contributedtakeover by the Glazers poor transfers and rising rivals The horse row is one piece of the story not the whole cause
8 What happened to Rock of Gibraltar
He became a successful breeding stallion The dispute over his fees was eventually settled out of court
9 Did Ferguson leave because of this
No he stayed until 2013 and won more trophies But the feud damaged trust between him and key shareholders
10 What is a stud fee
Money paid to breed a mare with a stallion Top racehorses can earn millions this way
11 Why does this story matter to football fans
It shows how money ownership and personal conflicts behind the scenes can shape a clubs fortunes as much as what happens on the pitch
12 Whats the practical lesson for clubs
Clear written agreements and healthy relationships between managers and owners prevent small disputes from becoming damaging feuds
