A strange Phelan?

Sir Alex’s assistants during the preceeding years of success have all at least on the surface appeared charismatic and knowledgable. They conducted themselves in a professional manner in the most part that didn’t suggest they were someones awkward Step-Uncle who has been dropped off at a party that he hadn’t really been properly invited to.

There is little doubting Mike Phelan is imbued with the more honourable traits that we seldom bear witness to in the business of football – loyalty and humility (*sob* No, I’ll carry on, just got something in my eye) and yes, he for all intents and purposes appears a harmless enough chap.

However, in a season where United have, more often than we are accustomed to, looked ill prepared for the oppostion, could there be a case for laying at least a portion of the blame at the feet of our current number two?