During one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 20 defeats at Old Trafford, the opposition dug-out were puzzled when he stayed in his seat as Manchester United fell behind, and amused when one of his staff entered the technical area instead to bellow 'Wakey wakey'.
Though that unscientific message was aimed at the underperforming United players, it would also reflect how fans feel about the club as a whole.
Cristiano Ronaldo would probably agree as he compares how the club were when he left them as Champions League finalists in 2009 to how they are now, trophy-less in four years and nine points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea after only 11 games.