The Red Devils-The end of an era?

As this Premiership season meanders to an end, this question seems to be troubling the minds of most Manchester United fans. The richest club in the world and the one with the biggest fanbase throughout the world, Manchester United was a dominant force in English football in the 90's. The treble winning season of 1999 ( FA cup, English Premier league, European cup) announced their arrival on the world stage.
However, a third place finish in 2004 and another likely 3rd place finish this season is a bit hard to swallow. For a club which has never finished below second spot save for once in 199, two consecutive third place finishes is difficult to fathom. Our defence is solid, we have midfielders and strikers that any team in the world can only dream of having, and yet the end result is not quite there as expected.
In my personal opinion, the things that pulled us down this season in the same order are:
1. Shoddy goalkeeping for most part of the season.
2. The poorest start ever made to a season.( 6 pts after 5 games)
3. Absence of bench strength as well as a lack of creativity in the midfield.

Whether or not our 2nd or 3rd place finish this season can be attributed to Abrahamovi's millions is another debate. But one thing all fans have to accept is that we played below par this season at times when it mattered the most. As a loyal MUFC fan, I have nothing to do except hope for a few quality signings and a improved show next season.
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