As always, Manchester United will rise again!

It was the summer of 2006 at Old Trafford, Manchester, when Sir Alex Ferguson along with his players took a long walk around the Theatre of Dreams, giving a lap of honor to the ever present support of the home fans even during bad times which saw them conceding the title to Chelsea FC for the second season running and bringing an end to the forgettable 05-06 campaign. Manchester United were left without the premier league trophy for the third straight year, worse ever in Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign. With the long coat hanging down his shoulders and that dejected look on his face, Sir Alex Ferguson looked like an old tired man.

“It’s the end of an era for SAF and Manchester United and start of a new blue era for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea FC”, “The Russian billionaire’s empire has proved that money is still the power to be reckoned with in football“, shouted the headlines of local newspapers in UK putting the curtains to Manchester United’s domestic supremacy and calling for the rise of a new blue moon!

Sir Alex Ferguson had spent an astonishing 19 years at the helm at that time, winning everything that the club football has to offer and taking Manchester United to the pinnacle of English football in the process. Hence no one could have doubted his legendary status as a football manager if he would have called it a day after the 05-06 campaign. After all, it’s not easy to better, or even maintain the standards that Manchester United had set during those 19 years. Ask Pep Guardiola for instance, who recently quit a similar grueling job at FC Barcelona after just 4 years, which makes SAF’s 19 yrs at Manchester United look nothing short of a miracle really!

However, questions started to rise against Sir Alex. People pointed towards him as the weak link. Talks like ‘The times have moved on, maybe he’s lost that touch‘. ‘The young, vibrant and dynamic Mourinho has taken over England‘, started to come out of the crowds.

But, quitting and accepting defeat is just not in the dictionary of SAF and hence, this club. As expected from the man himself, fast forward 6 years – 25 years into the service, the once old and tired looking Sir Alex Ferguson during that evening in 2006 at Old Trafford just seems like a mirror image of the man right now. 4 Premier League titles, 3 European Cup final appearances, 2 Carling cups and a Club World Cup makes us wonder if he has really become younger and hungrier rather than older during these 6 years. He has the same belief in United’s philosophy of instilling youth into the team rather than the money and always overcoming the challenge thrown at him by looking ahead at the future.

The challenge from the rising blue moon of Chelsea FC, Jose Mourinho and the Roman empire has been successfully and emphatically seen off!

Pick yourself up, dust yourself down, move on, accept the challenge and achieve new heights is what this club has always done throughout it’s history. Right from the early 1900′s, when the club was almost on the brink of bankruptcy, to winning the championship few years later. From 1950′s, when they lost almost the entire team in a tragic air crash, to winning the coveted European Cup few years later. Even the 1990′s, when SAF was almost sacked from his position after a poor run of seasons to taking Manchester United to the summit of English football. The club has done it again and again. It’s the mentality and belief instilled by leaders like Sir Matt Busby and then Sir Alex Ferguson into the DNA of every player who walks down that famous red tunnel at Old Trafford, which make them only learn and never lose!

Therefore, it’s all about new challenges and hurdles for Manchester United and there is certainly a new one at the Old Trafford’s horizon from the ‘noisy neighbors’ just a few miles away. They have just leapfrogged United for their first English title in 44 years and there’s a sense of deja vu all across Old Trafford with the newspapers again. They’re shouting for the end of United’s era and rise of the ‘blue moon’ under the similar looking money empire of an Arab billionaire, to take over the bragging rights for the seasons to come.

But, if there’s one man and one team who can again prove these critics and haters wrong, it’s definitely Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. They just need the same never ending and always available love and support of the loyal red army to stand by them, as they have always done, to put down all the fingers that have been raised against them. ‘Humiliation is the greatest motivation‘ and no one knows that better than SAF himself. A European cup exit from the group stages coupled with the double loss at the hands of Manchester City, both home and away, is just the kind of new challenge and motivation that he was looking for. Not that he is less motivated, but just to keep that adrenaline pumping, he needed that and he will respond like he always does!

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson looks dejected after the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Manchester United at the Stadium of Light on May 13, 2012 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Ok, United have lost the title in the most extraordinary manner, but City deserved to win it this year, maybe just on the head-to-head basis and the desire to win(taking a leaf out of United’s book only). Otherwise, the quality of football played by both teams has almost been the same and United supporters must also take heart from the challenge their team still managed to post to City. After all the difficulties they faced this season with injuries, which even saw their inspirational captain going out for the season in early December, but they kept at it. Not many teams could have coped with that kind of a blow.

So relax for now, take a break from biting your finger nails every weekend. Enjoy the month’s break in the summer and then come back again in August with the same burning desire, passion and belief in the players and the manager. Because for sure we know, Manchester United will rise again!