Within the spring of 2014, after the sacking of David Moyes, Manchester United set about establishing precisely what their future managers ought to appear like and ship. It's to their enduring frustration and disappointment that, virtually eight years on, they're nonetheless attempting to suit somebody to the template.
Again in 2014, there was an acceptance following the Moyes failure that issues needed to change. United had tried and failed to suit Moyes in to the easy old school construction of all-encompassing managerial energy left behind by Sir Alex Ferguson and it had not labored. To this present day, United really feel as if they failed Moyes, that they let him down. The Scot lasted eight months.
After canvassing opinion from folks like Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton and Bryan Robson, United's new chief govt of the time, Ed Woodward, and the membership's board established 4 elementary standards they might demand from future managers.
In brief United wished a supervisor to play attacking soccer with X-factor gamers, who wouldn't be afraid to attract from the membership's well-known academy, who could be humble off the pitch however produce a staff that was conceited on it. Lastly, in fact, the brand new man should be capable to win.
As Woodward prepares to depart Outdated Trafford on the finish of this month, he is aware of that he has did not ship. United, he firmly believes, are in a greater place than the day Ferguson walked away within the early summer time of 2013 and successfully took nearly all of the membership's know-how with him.
Again then United had antiquated recruitment and scouting processes, for instance. They don't now. That they had just about no participant care set-up. They do now. The coaching floor is best. The stadium is (marginally) higher. However United's staff continues to flounder and that, as at all times, is what issues.
There was no Premier League title within the Woodward period. Not a sniff of 1. He has employed and sacked 4 managers. And as he leaves - in all chance to a different job in soccer - the 50-year-old is aware of that finally a lot of that's on him.
Woodward's reign started badly. Promoted from inside to succeed David Gill in 2013, Woodward sat down for lunch with Ferguson on the London restaurant Scott's quickly afterwards.
Two hours in to what was speculated to be a celebratory meal with a brand new future at its core, Ferguson informed his new boss there wasn't to be one. He was planning to retire on the finish of the season.
Nicely-placed United sources say Woodward was so horrified he started to doubt whether or not he nonetheless wished the job. Ferguson, on the way in which to successful United their thirteenth Premier League title, was a genius from whom Woodward had supposed to study. Now he was on his personal.
Moyes, appointed on Ferguson's say-so, got here and went shortly. He was, with hindsight, the fall-guy. United had survived and thrived on the again of Ferguson's brilliance for twenty years. With out him, there was nothing left.
As Woodward started the lengthy and costly job of fixing what was damaged - of dragging United in to a brand new world already threatening to be dominated by super-smart and super-rich Manchester Metropolis - he appointed Louis Van Gaal.
Everybody that United's fast-expanding soccer operation spoke to - together with former Van Gaal gamers - informed them of his love of attacking play. At 62, the Dutchman was additionally thought of to have the expertise to handle a gaggle of senior gamers who had merely not taken to Moyes. The way in which they like to explain that appointment inside Outdated Trafford is to say 'we were trying to replace the engine while flying'.
Once more, it didn't work. Van Gaal - as soon as of Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich - introduced a model of micro administration to the United's coaching pitches that merely suffocated the membership's gamers. On his first pre-season tour to America in July 2014, Van Gaal tried to instruct Wayne Rooney the right way to take a penalty in Washington. Rooney was England captain on the time.
'Van Gaal was viewed as a man who played attacking football but when he came to us he evolved in to an even greater possession based coach than he had been before,' recalled a United supply.
'He didn't have the highest expertise he wanted to try this and mainly he didn't ship attacking soccer in any respect.
'So that broke one of our four core pillars right from the start. It wasn't Man United. We'd fairly win 4-3 than 1-0.'
Van Gaal's United completed fourth after which fifth within the Premier League. In Woodward's eyes the staff was heading south and by the point Van Gaal's facet gained the 2016 FA Cup Last, the coach was a useless man strolling and Woodward was ready to take what has at all times seemed like one of many largest gambles of his time in workplace. He appointed Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho and United by no means felt like a terrific match. The Portuguese - as soon as such an innovator at Porto and Chelsea - had developed a behavior of blowing golf equipment up from inside. His spell at Actual Madrid had been notably poisonous.
Did this appointment actually match with United's fashionable ethos? Attacking soccer? Humility? In brief it didn't and United knew it. However by now - already three years on from their most up-to-date title - they had been getting slightly determined.
Those that know Woodward describe his appointment of Mourinho as a 'compromise' designed merely to win the Premier League. Woodward learn eight books about his incoming supervisor and spoke to dozens of individuals inside soccer. He knew he was successfully inviting a stick of dynamite in his soccer membership.
One other United supply informed Sportsmail this week: 'The idea with Jose was we would swallow the pill, not get everything we wanted, put up with the chaos but at the same time get this monkey off our back and win the league.
'We knew that tightened, paranoid environment Jose creates at clubs can only last for a while. It cannot survive. We knew what we were getting. But we thought he would win us the league first before it exploded.
'But it didn't work. Once more.'
To this present day Woodward is thought to not be dismissive of the job Mourinho did at Outdated Trafford.
The 2 males fell out when Woodard was suggested by his new recruitment division to not comply with the acquisition of two new defenders the supervisor wished in the summertime of 2018. Mourinho had modified his thoughts on agreed targets on the final minute.
Nonetheless, Mourinho gained the League Cup and Europa League in his first season and completed second within the Premier League with 81 factors a 12 months later.
Mourinho has described that as one in all his finest achievements in soccer, which sounds odd given United nonetheless completed 19 factors behind champions Metropolis. However Woodward truly agrees. He believes this era was one in all United's "up cycles". One other got here simply final 12 months when United completed second to Metropolis once more, beneath Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Woodward's view is that Metropolis have raised the bar to beforehand unexplored ranges and to some extent he has some extent. Ferguson's best staff, for instance, gained the league of their 1999 treble season with simply 79 factors.
Underpinning lots of the issues at United within the early post-Ferguson period was dangerous recruitment. Within the three years following his exit, United saddled themselves with dreadful knee jerk signings corresponding to Radamel Falcao, Angel di Maria, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Anthony Martial. Even in January 2018, they had been nonetheless doing it. That was once they purchased Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.
Woodward believes to succeed on the high stage, seven out of ten signings need to work. It's one of many causes he feels Chelsea have gained titles whereas continuously altering managers. They've a squad ok and deep sufficient to soak up the adjustments.
Again in his early days, Woodward believes his membership's personal hit ratio was a fairly dismal 3/10 and that this impeded future progress like 'an anchor'. He additionally believes that is now a lot improved. He believes the membership to be 'robust' now in each division.
United lately sacked Solskjaer after a three-year stint and had been criticised for taking so lengthy to do it. They even gave the Norwegian a brand new contract final summer time.
The membership's clarification for that's easy and two-fold. United's soccer set-up are sturdy believers in loyalty and consider it needs to be a key a part of the membership's ethos. Additionally, they believed Solskjaer was transferring the staff forwards.
The contract, in the meantime, was awarded purely to quieten media chat about Solskjaer's future. The compensation clause remained the identical so, to Woodward and his staff, the size of the deal didn't actually matter.
From the skin, England's largest soccer membership can generally look slightly comfortable, slightly sluggish to behave. By no means extra so than relating to managers.
On Woodward's watch at United, nearly all of Europe's elite coaches - Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte - have sooner or later been accessible.
But United have employed none of them. Some executives at Outdated Trafford really feel they've been 'unlucky' to exist within the Premier League period of Guardiola and Klopp at Metropolis and Liverpool. Critics would say they merely ought to have employed an excellent coach of their very own.
Insiders at United check with this matter as 'sliding doors moments'. For them, they are saying, the doorways to appointing a stellar title have merely opened on the unsuitable time. It's identified to be one in all Woodward's nice regrets.
He did fly to Germany to attempt to rent Klopp as Moyes' substitute in 2014. He denies telling Klopp that Outdated Trafford was like 'an adult version of Disneyland' however was nonetheless identified to be 'absolutely gutted' when the German pitched up at Anfield.
It's understood United have additionally had conversations with Pochettino who stays one of many favourites to succeed interim supervisor Ralf Rangnick this summer time. Conte, in the meantime, joined Tottenham earlier this season after Woodward and United determined in opposition to a transfer for him.
United seemed exhausting on the Italian as Solskjaer started to noticeably wrestle. Woodward thinks he's an 'exceptional' coach and will effectively succeed at Spurs.
However the United view is that Conte's type of micro administration of gamers and ways wouldn't have been suited to nearly all of the membership's present squad. Whether or not that claims extra about United's gamers than it does about Conte will likely grow to be a subject of debate amongst United's supporters as will one other nugget of data, particularly a perception among the many present membership hierarchy that their squad lacks leaders.
The beginning beneath one other German, Rangnick, has been sluggish. Monday's defeat at house to Wolves was as dangerous as something seen beneath Solskjaer, with the potential exception of the 5-0 house drubbing by Liverpool.
As Woodward prepares to be succeeded by colleague Richard Arnold, he believes that, regardless of disappointments corresponding to Monday's, the membership he leaves behind is in significantly better form. He's identified to be optimistic about United's future on the sector, even when it could take the departures of Guardiola and Klopp for issues to considerably change on the high of the Premier League.
Rangnick is known to not be a present sturdy candidate for the long-term publish however will take up his two-year consultancy position at Outdated Trafford even when his personal spell main the staff seems to be underwhelming.
Woodward resigned from his publish the week the plans for a European Tremendous League fell aside final April. Many consider he fell on his sword in disgrace after United and Europe's different high golf equipment needed to shelve the concept following a backlash from supporters.
Woodward's story is completely different. He claims he determined to resign on the earlier Sunday after studying the plan was going forward by phone the night time earlier than.
Pouring himself a glass of wine at house, his first phrases to his spouse Isabelle had been: 'Holy sh*t it's occurring'.
Woodward - who sits on the board of the European Golf equipment Affiliation - had already informed United he couldn't be concerned in any determination to assist the scheme and had eliminated himself from their discussions. He successfully resigned in a video name to United proprietor Joel Glazer on the Monday morning. The plans collapsed the subsequent day.
He leaves United figuring out his model of occasions is not going to essentially be believed however can be assured he has messages on his telephone and e mail that substantiate his model.
Woodward has been the pantomime villain for lengthy sufficient at United to know the way it works. His home has been attacked by United followers. Isabelle has obtained rape and loss of life threats on-line, his daughter bundled over when she was solely 4.
When issues don't go effectively in soccer, somebody has to get the blame and for the very best a part of a decade that man has been Woodward.
He perhaps doesn't deserve each single piece of the criticism. For instance, he has not raised season ticket costs as soon as. His declare is that he has not been the person signing the gamers.
However, regardless of this, he does deserve his share and he is aware of it.
Again in 2014 when Moyes' staff had been shedding a Champions League tie at Olympiakos, Woodward was pictured taking a photograph of the scoreboard on his 'telephone. That photograph nonetheless sits on his desk at Outdated Trafford.
It was speculated to function a reminder of a low level, one thing to maintain folks grounded when the great occasions inevitably returned.
As Woodward packs up his belongings this month, that wait goes on.