Manchester United Drop Into Relegation Zone for First Time in 40 Years

There are dates no Manchester United fan wanted to see on the calendar again. This week brought one that hadn't shown up in 40 years: the club ended the round sitting in the Premier League's relegation zone, something that hadn't happened at this stage of a season since November 1986.

The indirect culprit has a name: Nottingham Forest, who thrashed Manchester City 3-1 and in the process twisted the knife in United's table position. City's defeat, their third straight in the league, dropped Michael Carrick's side into the relegation places after at least nine matches played, a situation not seen since that distant November of 1986, when United sat 21st after 15 games.

And things could get even uglier before next weekend. If Sunderland beats Chelsea on Sunday and Crystal Palace avoids defeat against Liverpool at Selhurst Park, United would wake up dead last in the Premier League just before hosting Unai Emery's Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

A Drought That's Starting to Bite

The number that sums up the moment best is this: United haven't won a league match since beating newly promoted Ipswich Town 5-2 on August 30. Nothing since. Carrick and his squad have already put together the worst start to a season in the club's Premier League history, and broadly speaking, it's United's worst start in four decades.

The last time things were this bad, United ended up sacking Ron Atkinson in November 1986. The man who arrived afterward to take charge at Old Trafford was none other than Sir Alex Ferguson. The historical comparison carries weight, if only for the symbolism of the date.

Carrick's position has been under a cloud for weeks, and nobody at the club is hiding the fact that another loss to Villa could be the final blow for the 45 year old manager. What did buy him some breathing room was Tuesday's comeback in the Champions League, a 3-2 win over AS Roma that eased, at least for a moment, the pressure on the former midfielder.

Carrick himself leaned on that European result to ask for trust from his group ahead of the Villa match. "Obviously it's a positive reaction," he said Friday about the mood in the dressing room since the Roma game. "Again, it's not that we're suddenly getting carried away."

I've seen enough from the players. I know what we're capable of. I've said it enough times. I know exactly what we're capable of, and we all know it. You've seen it from a different perspective. You know what we're capable of as a team. We've shown it over time.Michael Carrick

Carrick went further, trying to dispel any doubts about his players' commitment in training. "It's just that we haven't shown it enough, but we know we have the potential. The lads have trained really well. I'm not just saying that. If it wasn't the case, I'd say so."

Now it's a waiting game. United go into the Aston Villa match with their backs against the wall and the relegation zone breathing down their neck. What happens at Old Trafford could decide not just three points, but Carrick's immediate future in the dugout.