Manchester United's misery continues. 

At this point, 13 years after Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day, it's fair to say a lot of the fun has been sucked from watching the Red Devils. They're not a fun club to support, and they're not really a fun club to hate on as much as they used to be, such is the consistency of the failure.

But who is to blame? This article can only feature so many names, so let's take a run through the big hitters before the inevitable axing of another manager (Michael Carrick, but possibly someone else by the time you read this).

Before we begin, some deep cuts who deserve blame, just for starters: Richard Arnold, Matt Judge, John Murtough, Old Trafford's leaky roof.

6. Sir Alex Ferguson

Stay with me on this. Sir Alex Ferguson is Manchester United. He's the reason the Red Devils turned into a global powerhouse. He's also the reason why they could fall as far as they have. 

Fergie won 38 major trophies in 26 years at Old Trafford. If someone achieved even half of that these days there would be calls of the GOAT. The iconic manager's shadow is a genuine problem for the club. When we hear pundits rabbiting on about 'playing the Manchester United way', or 'United DNA', this is what they mean. Everything is compared to Fergie.

The cynic in me would suggest Sir Alex's support of the Glazers doesn't help things. He also recommended David Moyes as his successor. 

But let's be frank - the post-Ferguson era literally doesn't exist without the Scotsman's historic tenure. The failures after him only reconfirm what titanic expectations the club are now held to in his absence.

5. David Moyes

There are a lot of Man United memes out there. The one of David Moyes sitting at his desk is a perfect summary of his time in Manchester. He just doesn't look right for the job. 

Behind that clueless smile is a man who has never built teams that play free-flowing attacking football. Those eyes are the eyes of a professional who needs workhorses and an underdog footing. 

Moyes won 27 of his 51 games in charge - stats today's fans would probably die for - but a number of poor results and longstanding records began to fall. 'United's first loss to Team X since…' became commonplace. There was also the Match of 81 Crosses, in which bottom-placed Fulham came off the pitch referencing tactics from the Conference. 

Perhaps most damaging for all, Moyes' decision to sign Marouane Fellaini was constantly used to beat him and United over the head with. Fellaini's physical style was made for Moyes' Everton. It suggested a lack of ideas in his new role, and a way of playing that didn't exactly scream 'modern football'.

While Moyes has proven once again he's an excellent manager in the right situation since leaving in April 2014, he set the tone for an era of struggle defined by coaches who were never going to work at Old Trafford.

4. Jason Wilcox

It's never a good sign for a Director of Football when an important player publicly criticises the club's upper management. It's even worse when so many of the club's supporters agree with it. 

Lisandro Martinez's recent comments should act as a warning shot to Wilcox. There is more spotlight than ever on the club's hierarchy, rather than the clearly under-supported manager in charge. Michael Carrick isn't blameless, but without his excellent run as interim manager last season, United wouldn't be in the Champions League right now.

That achievement should have been a springboard for Wilcox to get to work. However, United now appear to have a transfer strategy that is so rigid there's no way it can be sustainable. Last year they prioritised attackers, this year it was midfielders. Next year, you'd assume defenders are on the shopping list.

Not only does that put pressure on each new signing working immediately and for a sustained period, it leaves huge gaps throughout the squad. United's midfield rebuild is unbalanced because so many new names have arrived at the same time. Is that now the midfield for the next three years?

The need for a striker and at least one new full-back was also ignored this summer. The squad is painfully thin and crammed with players who rarely play their proper positions. Wilcox had a chance to capitalise on United's unexpected success and he let the ball drop.

3. Jim Ratcliffe

The Glazer family's decision to have a 'strategic review' of United's future ultimately led to them finding a scapegoat for the issues they created, while maintaining those lovely dividends each year. 

However, even they may be surprised by how quickly Jim Ratcliffe has evolved from so-called Man of the People into a legit villain. 

Ratcliffe's INEOS have owned a 27.7% stake in the club since 2024, with the Glazers also placing him in charge of sporting operations, meaning he is now the public face of the club's failure.

Pretty much nothing has worked under Ratcliffe. First, he backed Erik ten Hag on the back of an FA Cup win, before getting rid of him quickly when things went wrong. Then, he ran a round of extremely harsh redundancies through the club, robotically booting individuals who have made up the very fabric of United's success over many decades. 

While cutting costs was necessary, upping the ticket prices for match goers was a kick in the teeth. Then there's his questionable political views, which forced a response from supporter groups, and his fascination with delivering a new stadium while ignoring the dumpster fire that is everything else at the club. The list goes on and on.

The positivity around Ratcliffe's arrival has quickly subsided, with many supporters now wanting him gone. That's at least two layers of ownership few people want at the club.

2. Ed Woodward

David Gill's departure shortly after Sir Alex's retirement placed a lot of pressure on Ed Woodward. His tenure as vice chairman was devastating for the club, led by enormous spending on players who would have gone for lesser fees to any other team.

Think Angel Di Maria, Alexis Sanchez - and that £80 million on Harry Maguire that still looms over the squad. 

Granted, United's commercial deals rose under Woodward's tutelage, but a quote from 2018 summed up the feeling that raising cash was more important to him than success for the team: "Playing performance doesn't really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business."

Woodward's time at United was rooted in disaster from day one. He played a role in helping the Glazers gain control, then rose to prominence, and ended up as a non-football brain in one of the sport's toughest footballing positions. A man who would try to take United to the so-called European Super League, rather than deal with matters like an ageing squad made up of scattergun signings on astronomical wages.

The symbolism of him sharing a name with the lead character of The Wicker Man has always struck me; a story about a man who goes to a cut-off island, makes a bunch of poor decisions and is then set on fire for his efforts.

1. The Glazer Family

It's sometimes easy to forget exactly how messed up United's situation is. 

In June 2005, the Glazer family, of Tampa Bay Buccaneer fame, completed a leveraged buyout of the club. They essentially grabbed the biggest sporting opportunity possible and crippled it with debt to the tune of £604 million - a deal the Premier League wouldn't allow to happen these days.

Since then, the family have allowed the club to rot, wracking up insane debt interest that has cost United roughly £1.2 billion. The team's quality has plummeted, Old Trafford has been left to die, training facilities are well behind the elite, and much of the time, the Glazers have stayed hidden. 

It's even more painful to think the club had only ever borrowed £50 million before their arrival. The specifics of where United's money has gone should rile up football fans, whether they are United supporters or not. Around £125 million as compensation to directors? Many of which are Glazer family members?

Stories have popped up over the years suggesting the family might sell, but it never truly looks like that will happen. Ratcliffe has also proven the reality of the Glazers loosening control a little; United's issues are now historically bound to the club's veins. 

Only a full restart or massive re-investment from a desperate new owner would stop that. These days, you have to wonder how many fans would pick either one of those routes, such is the luck, or indeed greed, of rich business people running football into the ground.