Ally McCoist insists he would not be surprised if Manchester United had to go 30 years without a title, as rivals Liverpool did between 1990 and 2020.
'What are you doing now with Man Utd? Are you getting rid of Erik ten Hag? Ten Hag, Jose Mourinho – all these good managers, excellent managers with good backgrounds and it just didn't work, so it's more than that. It runs systematically throughout the club,” McCoist said.
'I know there will be changes at the top (with Sir Jim Ratcliffe), but Liverpool have been without a title for 30 years. I'm not saying that will happen, but you wouldn't be surprised if it did. “It's a bizarre situation and it's a long way from solving United at the moment and that's not what the supporters will want to hear,” the former Rangers and Scotland legend added.
United take on Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in a must-win match and McCoist, 61, admitted he was stunned by their run. Ten Hag's side have lost 11 games in all competitions, including seven defeats in 16 league games this season, with the manager admitting his side are not good enough to be consistent after Saturday's defeat to Bournemouth.
'I couldn't believe Newcastle's level of performance (when they lost 1-0). That was really worrying and then they were much better at Old Trafford for the Chelsea game, but if you look at the weekend against Bournemouth it's impossible to put your finger on it,” McCoist said.
Manchester United have suffered seven defeats in sixteen Premier League games this season
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'Look at United and Chelsea, two huge clubs who not so long ago would have been defiant about them, but there is a softness in them. Dare I say it, the biggest criticism I can level at United and Chelsea is that even Luton have found out about them. Luton may have been relegated but the way they played the game and ran and worked for each other was a breath of fresh air,” he added.
In his role as pundit and co-commentator for TNT Sports, McCoist admitted he is concerned for the players as the new Champions League structure comes into effect from next season. Each team will play eight group stage matches, which means two extra matchdays and the group stage now ends in January, instead of December.
'From a player's perspective it's not good. You can imagine that (Jurgen) Klopp and (Pep) Guardiola and co will be dead against it. It's financial, it's money and with the utmost respect, the rich will get richer and the poor will struggle. The sad thing about the Champions League these days is that there are only four teams that can win it due to finances. Celtic won in 1967 with – it pains me to say – a team who were all born and bred 25 to 30 miles away. Forget that happening again. That will never happen again. it's more about money than anything now,” McCoist said.
And he highlighted his concerns about the new format creating more dead rubber, citing Newcastle as an example. Eddie Howe has started the same ten outfield players in five games in fifteen days as Newcastle struggled with an injury crisis. They take on Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday and need to win to have any chance of progressing in the Champions League.
“Well, they don't have a chance (with the new format),” McCoist said. 'It undermines the purpose of competition. I know it's about the money and I understand that, but dead rubber is not good for people or animals. We certainly don't have that this week at either United or Newcastle. It devalues the competition. Overall, it's as competitive as you can get right now. The last thing you want in a match is dead rubber.'
Although teams such as Brighton, West Ham and Aston Villa will qualify for the knockout rounds of the Europa League and Europa Conference League, McCoist is confident that West Ham's success in the Europa Conference League last season – their first major trophy since 1980 – shows how important are the other competitions.
Erik ten Hag faces another test week with matches against Bayern Munich and Liverpool
Former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist admits he is baffled by United's dismal form
'West Ham did everyone a favor by winning that cup. I can't remember seeing a European final where everyone wanted them to win. It was brilliant. I saw a grandfather with his son and grandson at the airport and that's what it's all about because West Ham are, with the utmost respect, just like the majority of us all now. They have no chance of winning the Champions League, so that makes these cups more important for the fans.
'Brighton is another one. The fans have a great opportunity. I went to Brighton about ten years ago when they played home games at Withdean Stadium with a running track around it and now the fans all go all over Europe. It is awesome.
“So one of the best things to happen in football in recent years was West Ham winning the cup because unfortunately there's just no level playing field anymore.”
Ally McCoist spoke to Mail Sport, courtesy of TNT Sports. TNT Sports is the exclusive home of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League. TNT Sports is available on streaming Destination Discovery+ and on all major TV platforms. This isn't just sports, this is everything. For more information visit: tntsports.co.uk/football