HELLO my good football people, I trust all is good with you… it’s been a great season, but as it stands with nine games to go, all we are completely unsure about is who will claim the Champions League spots.

It’s a bit of an anti-climax, therefore a bit weird before the Manchester United v Arsenal game on Sunday, watching montages on the telly of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson and the goals and battles of that era...

Wow, we’ve come a long way from then and from an entertainment perspective, nowhere near what used to get served up. There was a lot of attention all over the media preceding this one for some reason.

I guess more about the plight of the respective managers more than anything. The huge choke on the hands of Mikel Arteta and the (seemingly) sinking ship that is United under the guidance of Ruben Amorim.

Even ex-Gunner Paul Merson was grabbing the headlines! I know a lot of people can’t stand him and judge him on his substance-abuse riddled past, but I’ve always liked “Mers”.

He was a very decent footballer and essentially involved in some of the Gunners best years. Following his retirement from the game, eventually getting into punditry, he has created a slightly controversial persona, often making off the mark comments about players, teams, matches or anything to do with the game.

The clickbait headline on the weekend from the former midfielder stated: “Man Utd sent major long-term ‘problem’ warning as Merson makes ‘best point of season.’”

So there I was, eager to learn, and so it read… United “won’t be anywhere near the biggest club in the world in 15 to 20 years if they continue to struggle on the pitch”. FFS. Talk about a candidate for the least profound statement of the year!

I mean, there’ll be some of you who’ll probably argue the point and say it doesn’t matter where they are in the league, the successes of the past will retain their status.

Okay, we can debate that, but let me ask you this. In five, 10 or 15 years, if United are consistently sitting mid/low-table or relegated to the Championship, do you think kids will want to be associated?

It’s not how it works… I mean, why do you think we see youngsters in Manchester City shirts over the last few years? Saying that, k*******s like Sir Jim Ratcliffe (and the Glazers) recognise the power and value of the global brand and by hook or by crook, will probably turn it around. But that’s by no means

guaranteed. There is no entitlement on the pitch, especially when four, five or six rivals are pitching for the same outcome.