The Manchester United store might have to sell football jerseys without the Champions League (UCL) badge on them next season. Since David Moyes became manager last summer, Man Utd has slipped down the rankings to unimaginable levels.
Next season could be the first in almost 20 years that the Manchester United home shirt will not be worn in European competition. The club is trailing in the EPL standings, 11 points behind the last qualifying spot for next seasons Champions League tournament.
Worldwide Friendly's a Poor Substitute for UCL
The club has announced that should the team fail to qualify next season, they will seek to fill the gaps in their schedule with glamour friendly matches. Manchester United has a fan base of over 650 million people across the globe. Friendly matches in Asia, the Middle East and the USA will help fill the financial void.
Playing friendly matches in this way will also help sell merchandise and soccer apparel. The more fans that see the Man Utd home shirt play in real life, the more of the home jersey the club can sell. Nike is the kit sponsor and their hierarchy will be happy with the back-up plan, should European football not be acquired.
If the club does not appear in either the Champions League or Europa League next season, they could face losing around £20 million. The only way to fill this financial gap is to increase global awareness even further through sales of football merchandise. The club will also earn large amounts of cash from playing friendly matches.
The Manchester United store will be brimming with fans after witnessing their heroes play soccer in front of them. It is not the ideal situation, but it is hoped that the club will only be outside of European qualification for one season.
New Manager, New Season Turmoil
This season is unraveling fast for David Moyes and the Manchester United fans. Sir Alex Ferguson was manager of the club for 27 years. He had control over all aspects of the club, and a season of transition was expected when a new manager came in. No one expected the team to perform this badly.
Not many football experts considered Man Utd one of the favorites for the EPL title when the season started. There were also not many who thought they would finish outside of the European qualification places. It has been a long and tough learning curve for David Moyes since he left Everton to join the biggest club in the world.
The Manchester United Stadium, Old Trafford, is known as the 'Theatre of Dreams'. This season it has become the theatre of nightmares as teams have repeatedly come to play with no fear and taken away points. It is a long way back for the team to climb the EPL standings between now and the end of the season.
Poor League and Champions League Performance
The club has lost matches to many of their rivals in the league matches and Swansea in the FA cup at home. The worst was considered behind them until last week when a new low was found. Manchester United has never lost in Greece until losing to Olympiakos 2-0 in the first match of the Champions League round of last-16.
The Greek team played their hearts out and deserved to win, but the Manchester United performance was terrible. The team only managed one shot on goal in the entire match. It is rare for any team to reverse a 0-2 result in the second leg of a European match. Man Utd could crash out of Europe in March.
Every football shop in the world stocks Man United shirts. They are a massive global brand, not just a soccer club. You won't find as much value when searching for their jersey as you will from our Manchester United store online at Soccer Box. We have all home and away kits for the English champions.
Get on down to the Soccer Box online store to buy the Man Utd home shirt while they are still champions of the EPL! We have some amazing football merchandise, accessories and soccer kits from all EPL teams and more.
David Moyes Wants the Man Utd Home Shirt to See European Action Next Season
March 10, 2014