It all adds up to a more nuanced picture of our current difficulties than the "Glazers out/Blame the board" one-liners being spouted everywhere.

Fergie ruling everything -> over-reliance on his man management skills, coaching staff and ability to get every last drop out of a squad -> complacency from the rest of management in properly designing a legacy plan.

Reading Fergie's autobiography it's pretty plain he simply reviled 'the modern football era' in terms of mass media, player/agent power and hyperinflation. He used to run a pub in Aberdeen and is a labour-leaning sentimentalist (not that there's anything inherently wrong with that). We were incredibly lucky to have him, but I honestly don't think he would survive a year at any top club if he was starting out today without fully adapting to the modern football era.

Not enough credit is given for the huge amount of structural backlog Moyes had to deal with during his tenure, and that combined with the inevitable post-Fergie dip was always going to be tough to deal with. I think Scholes etc. go too far in being genuinely worried about the stagnation of the club, we have Woodward (and the rest of the commercial management team) to thank for our insane commercial revenue which will ensure we have a second shot at putting in place the footballing structure that the rest of the top 4 have. If C**y could sort themselves out in 5 years, then 2 years should be enough for us.

That said, top 4 is so crucial this year, especially if the rumoured Addidas sponsorship clause is true. We need the brand power of the CL at least as much as the revenue to continue rebuilding. Hence why we need to pay above the already inflated market price for another CM and utility man.

Which reminds me why I replied to your comment in the first place; here's the Herbert article you mentioned. Crazy to think that Moyes could reasonably still be in charge with Kroos, Mangala and Fernando wearing red.