<img style="float: left;" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Ashwin-Ferro-op_1792801448_s.jpg" alt="Ashwin Ferro" width="150" height="81" />It&rsquo;s not the best of times to be a<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/english-premier-league-hungry-for-more-manchester-city-boss-enzo-maresca-ahead-of-aston-villa-tie-23656684" rel="nofollow"> Manchester </a>football fan. And it doesn&rsquo;t matter whether it&rsquo;s red or blue, because both Premier League giants &mdash; Manchester United and Manchester City &mdash; are enduring turbulent times.
While one club is struggling with on-field failures, the other is grappling with off-field issues.&nbsp;
Man United, popularly known as the Red Devils, are experiencing their worst top-flight start in 40 years, with just seven points from their first seven Premier League games (one win, four draws and two defeats). Also, their poor performances have raised serious questions about recruitment and squad balance. Defender Lisandro Martinez recently voiced concerns about the quality of players signed during the summer, directing criticism at the club&rsquo;s sporting director, Jason Wilcox. More recently, skipper Bruno Fernandes also took a swipe at manager Michael Carrick&rsquo;s conservative tactics after United suffered one of their worst defeats in Europe, a 1-4 hammering by Italian club Como in the UEFA Champions League.
Moving across town, Man City&rsquo;s Sky Blues are facing an altogether different battle. An independent commission has found the club guilty of 100-plus<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/english-premier-league-team-is-in-fantastic-spirits-but-we-need-results-manchester-united-head-coach-michael-carrick-23655655" rel="nofollow"> Premier League (PL) charges </a>relating to alleged financial rule breaches and non-cooperation between 2009-10 and 2017-18. The findings claim City used sham commercial contracts to inflate revenue, misstated financial records and breached spending rules. City have denied any wrongdoing and appealed against the commission&rsquo;s decision. The potential consequences could include huge fines, points deductions or even relegation.
Consequently, the supporters of both clubs are faced with anxiety and uncomfortable questions.
Sunil Thakur, president of Mumbai&rsquo;s Manchester United Supporters Club, is furious with the club&rsquo;s owners. &ldquo;The Glazer family have sucked everything out of this club. Imagine a club like United not being profitable. Our debt has spiralled over a billion. Also, we&rsquo;re stuck in this unending cycle of sacking our managers. Every few years, our team is designed as per a new manager&rsquo;s wishes. And God knows how every manager becomes so inept after showing glimpses of hope. Carrick now can&rsquo;t win a single game after a promising start. I don&rsquo;t see him turning this around,&rdquo; says Thakur.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Sanghvi, secretary of Mumbai&rsquo;s Manchester City Supporters Club, insists they are clean. &ldquo;The Premier League spent years building this case, got an independent commission to rubber-stamp their narrative, and are acting like they&rsquo;ve caught us red-handed. We&rsquo;ve always said the evidence doesn&rsquo;t stack up &mdash; bank statements, government records, and witness testimony from Abu Dhabi sources that the commission waved away. Our owners invested heavily to build world-class infrastructure and a top squad, and somehow that&rsquo;s a crime. The truth is City have gone from a mid-table club to a dominant force in England and Europe through ambition and investment. But this verdict feels like punishment for their success more than any genuine breach,&rdquo; says Sanghvi.
The future scope is unsettling.
&ldquo;The new management seemed like they cared and tried their best, but they should come out and communicate why they couldn&rsquo;t strengthen the team more. An explanation from Omar Berrada [Man United&rsquo;s chief executive] might appease fans. I have not seen United fans lose their patience during a game so quickly in over a decade, and I don&rsquo;t blame them,&rdquo; says Thakur.
Ashu Maxwell, another die-hard <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/we-were-lucky-admits-paris-saint-germain-boss-luis-enrique-after-4-2-win-over-manchester-city-23655306" rel="nofollow">Man City fan</a>, admits he&rsquo;s worried. &ldquo;Of course, there&rsquo;s fear about the future because nobody knows the long-term consequences. On the pitch, City have won seven out of seven opening PL matches, so, as fans, we support them and enjoy the football, but it&rsquo;s difficult to ignore the uncertainty surrounding the club,&rdquo; says Maxwell.
The rival fans are on a rare common ground of gloom, united in strife, but won&rsquo;t admit it.
&ldquo;I see no commonality between United and City fans. City just don&rsquo;t accept their mistakes. They believe they can still get away with this. United fans have no sympathy for them. I hope the Premier League sends them back to the bottom, making them start again,&rdquo; says Thakur.
Sanghvi also agrees to disagree. &ldquo;City fans are fine. They [United fans] are in a mess. It&rsquo;s like night and day between being a United fan and a City fan right now. In the last 15 years, we&rsquo;ve lived some great moments &mdash; the treble, a 100-point season, four titles in a row, those final-day title wins and records smashed,&rdquo; he says.
The rivalry continues.
mid-day&rsquo;s Sports Editor Ashwin Ferro loves to play ball, fair and square, and everywhere. He tweets @ashwinferro. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual&rsquo;s and don&rsquo;t represent those of the paper.

Man Utd’s poor on-field performances and Man City’s financial breach allegations have left both rival fanbases on an extremely rare common ground of gloom and a

Manchesters united in strife!

Maharashtra: Revenue official arrested for allegedly accepting Rs 5,000 bribe

Man Utd’s poor on-field performances and Man City’s financial breach allegations have left both rival fanbases on an extremely rare common ground of gloom and anxiety over uncertainty

Manchesters united in strife!

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Manchesters united in strife!

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