Sir Alex Ferguson's golden years at Manchester United have become curse for club living in the past

Fergie time used to describe the minutes enveloping Manchester United matches, but suddenly encompasses years.

Unlike the shrill sound of a referee’s final whistle which traditionally used to bring an end to Fergie time – a phrase somewhat humorously coined by opposing fans to illustrate moments apparently added to a match when Ferguson’s star-spangled team would unearth a theatrical equaliser or winner – there does not appear to be any end in sight to Ferguson’s time as the leading man at Old Trafford. Some will say it was always going to be this way. The some have not been disappointed.

When Ferguson stepped down as United manager on May 12, 2013 with 2-1 win over Swansea City after 26 years gilded years seemingly binging on Premier League and European baubles, the clock on Fergie time never ended. It continues to tick on and on at the outset of 2016. Apparently destined to continue for as long as Fergie wanders the corridors of Old Trafford. When he is gone, his ghost will probably haunt the old ground and whichever coach occupies the old job like a bad tribute act to the Frank Sinatra fan who devilishly sprinkled gold dust over the Red Devils.

United snared their last trophy when they lifted the Premier League under Ferguson three years ago. It is difficult to believe there has been such famine after the feast. Despite spending £340m in transfer fees under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, outlandish figures Fergie never despatched in four decades, they are no closer to rectifying such a weird anomaly in what is perceived as English football’s natural order.

Fergie did not relinquish his influence at Old Trafford when he left the technical area. He merely stepped away from the manager’s job, but one suspects his role is much more than merely contenting himself with a vantage point from the main stand on match days. He is too large a character to sit idly by while United develop a losing habit. He was apparently allowed his say on selecting David ‘The Chosen One’ Moyes as his successor before his fellow Scotsman was dismissed after only 10 doomed months.

While Ferguson has shied away as Van Gaal has tried to develop what appears to be a failing and costly legacy at United, his very presence at the ground, as right as it is for a man with a stand and street named after him in the vicinity, continues to remind United fans of what they lost.

Ferguson has already been touted as United’s answer to Red Adair if the Van Gaal project goes up in flames before the end of the campaign.

It seems not even a win over Liverpool and Wayne Rooney's goal can stop some United fans hankering after the past. In a poll of 1,000 fans, one tabloid newspaper revealed that almost 80 per cent of United’s supporter base want Ferguson, 74 and happily retired from football's front line, to return if Van Gaal walks.

It is little wonder when news conveniently broke on the morning of Sunday's trip to Anfield that suggested Ferguson would be willing to return as a mentor to Ryan Giggs if United and Van Gaal divorced early. Fergie has already spoken with Van Gaal in recent months to assure him he was not interfering from afar.

Living in the past is never healthy, but being left with the sense that retracing old ground is a positive move for United surely cannot be wise in attempting to build a fresh future.

Will it get better for United in the long run?

Fergie’s fellow Glasgwegian Billy Connolly, a comedian this week rewarded with a lifetime achievement award at the national TV awards, once defined optimism as “someone who gets chased up a tree by a lion but still enjoys the scenery”.

It could also be used to describe someone who believes United are too big and good to fail because of recent history and their lofty perch as the world's third richest football club, according to the latest Deloitte rich list. Amid Fergie's golden years, he did not have to contend with the financial muscles City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and the rest will soon be able to flex via billions from live TV.

Van Gaal said before the sojourn to Merseyside that United were in a period of transition, but could not conceive a future comparable to the past of Liverpool, whose last national title was lifted in 1990.

Like Liverpool fans sampled from the early 90s onwards, the wilderness years quickly follow such a state of shock.

Despite lying fifth in the Premier League seven points off the summit, it would be a delirious optimist who could envisage United rising to first place before the season is out with such a sterile brand of football.

Some United fans continue to be confused in trying to accept the reality that what Ferguson achieved with his 38 trophies was not the norm.

And as this living and breathing monument looks on from the main stand at every home game before a stand that bears his name, Ferguson's heroic status is also an ongoing and hurtful reminder of how it once was. And how it may never be again.

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