Not too TLDR...but still TLDR...so TFLDFR...
http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/manchesterun...id/4338?cc=4716In 2003-04, United finished a hefty 15 points behind the unbeaten champions Arsenal. Whilst that Arsene Wenger vintage was certainly one of the greatest teams this country has seen, United’s challenge was unimpressive and certainly below par for the team who had topped the table in the previous season.
The big change at United the summer before had been the departure of David Beckham to Real Madrid. However, it was not only the England captain who departed to the Spanish capital: Ferguson's second-in-command, Carlos Queiroz, was tempted away as manager. The lure of coaching Ronaldo, Figo and Zinedine Zidane was an unmissable opportunity for the man who had been tasked with reshaping United’s tactical approach in Europe.
In 2004-05, Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea with Roman Abramovich’s cheque book in hand and set about breaking records in the English top flight. Carlos Queiroz also returned to Manchester and set about rebuilding the team with Ferguson.
Progress was not immediate: United finished third for the second season in succession. It was the club's worst spell for more than a decade and the fans were bemoaning the tactics in the stands. Sound familiar at all?
As the 2005-06 season came to a close, United had shown signs of improvement. They finished as runners-up, only eight points behind an imperious Chelsea, and Queiroz’s work with Cristiano Ronaldo was beginning to bear fruit.
United won the next three titles and capped it all by winning the Champions League again in 2008. By taking the time to rebuild, and having the humility to bring back an old coach, Ferguson found the winning formula again.
I remember that stretch of years. In the EPL we were struggling against Arsenal and their invincibles, then Mourinho joined Chelsea and gave us another serious rival.
In Europe we had a bad time too, 3 years in a row of struggling to make a mark. If memory serves at one point we even went out in the group stages in a group we had expected to qualify from easily. Keane left United on bad terms too.
Very frustrating 3 seasons, it was hard to be optimistic... when Chelsea won the league and added Ballack and Shevchenko (who would have expected him to flop so badly?) to their squad, on paper they looked very intimidating.