There's a large number of Manchester United fans who, either through wilful ignorance, or sheer lack of intelligence, simply don't get the current situation at both Manchester City and at their own club.
They seem to believe that the only reason Guardiola isn't going to be United manager next season is because United didn't want him to be their manager next season, that all they needed to do was show him a little leg and he'd jump at the chance to manage them. They can't conceive of a scenario where by both United and City were interested in Guardiola as manager but, based on the relative merits of the two clubs, he chose to become City manager over United.
That's a blinkered, naïve view. It's a view that ignores the fact that the last 8 years have actually happened. It's a viewpoint driven by the mentality of a fan, as opposed to the mentality of a professional sportsman. Name recognition, historical significance, past trophy haul, all of these things carry a degree of weight when it comes to attracting both players and managers, and there's no doubting that United are in the upper echelon when it comes to these factors. However, especially when it comes to the elite players and managers, these factors take second place to ambition.
A manager like Pep Guardiola wants to manage a football club that meets his ambitions, that is willing and able to achieve success on all fronts, and that fits with his philosophy on how football should be played. He wants to win domestic trophies, league titles, and he also wants to win the Champion's League. At City he's found a board, and an owner, that shares those desires. He's found a structure that has been put in place specifically to achieve those aims. City are a club that are willing to spend, to invest in the playing staff, the coaching staff, the youth setup, and the football club infrastructure in order to achieve their goals. ADUG aren't blind to the need for financial stability, however maximising the financial return from the football club isn't the primary concern. Manchester City is a vehicle by which Abu Dhabi aim to promote themselves on the world stage, a big part of that is the positive attention success brings with it. The financial outlay required to win major trophies is something ADUG views as an acceptable cost in order to achieve their aims. A top manager like Guardiola, as well as top players, want to see that their football club is willing to do what is necessary to bring glory.
Manchester United's business model, it's owners aims, are very different. The Glazers are not football fans, they have no grand desire to bask in the reflective glory of United being league champions. They don't really view Manchester United as a sporting entity at all, they view it as a business, and as such their major aim is to maximise the businesses profitability. Yes, in football, success correlates with profit fair well, but only up to a certain point. A club like United needs to spend money in order to achieve success, however "success" in footballing terms and "success" in business terms are not necessarily the same thing. Success for ADUG is winning the Premier League, success for the Glazers is finishing high enough up in the league so as to make the most money for themselves. The financial outlay to finish in 1st position, when compared to that outlay for a 3rd or 4th place finish, is certainly much higher. The financial reward for a 1st place finish, as opposed to 3rd or 4th, simply doesn't match up. Simply put an owner like the Glazers can make a greater profit by spending enough to finish in 4th than they can by spending what is required to finish 1st. The additional spend required simply isn't supported by the additional financial returns so, in a world where the prestige of a 1st place finish isn't really valued, it doesn't make sense to spend the extra cash.
Now, of those two scenarios, which would you view as most attractive if you were a top manager or player?
Club A has a glorious history but less chance of future success.
Club B has a less successful past but is unmatched in their ambition of drive for future glory.
Viewed in such simple terms it really shouldn't come as much of a shock that someone like Pep Guardiola saw the opportunity available to him at Manchester City as being hugely appealing, far more so than whatever opportunity Manchester United felt they could offer him. It's the same reason why I believe Jose Mourinho, despite what people say, will need to think long and hard about joining United. Will they really back him to the degree he was backed at Chelsea and Real Madrid? Will he really have a "fair crack" at winning trophies or will the Glazer's priorities have him hamstrung from the off?
