NOT since fans trudged wearily back up the Manchester Road from a packed out Burnden Park after a 6-0 drubbing against United in 1996 has a result hit home quite so hard.

Back then, Colin Todd's adventurous Premier League newcomers were still wet behind the ears and struggling desperately to keep their place among the elite.

Much, much more is expected of Owen Coyle's current vintage, who have been competing at this level for the last decade. But that statistic was certainly hard to believe on the evidence produced at the Reebok.

Back then, it was Eric Cantona, Andy Cole and Paul Scholes doing the damage. But on Saturday evening it was another fearsome strike force of Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez who rode roughshod over a defence hardly worthy of the name.

Yes, Wanderers had opportunities, but United barely had to break sweat to put the result beyond doubt by half time. Had they been more ruthless in the latter stages, their goal tally could have been just as emphatic as it was against Arsenal a fortnight ago.

Almost from top to bottom, Wanderers were sub-standard. And were the manager to make 11 changes against Norwich City next weekend, only Martin Petrov, Nigel Reo-Coker and Ivan Klasnic would have just cause for complaint.

One of the men to take the field that Sunday afternoon in February 15 years ago, albeit as a late substitute, was John McGinlay – and the Wanderers legend delivered an honest verdict in this very paper last week claiming that no-one in the team at present should be considered “untouchable”.

After 90 minutes of torture, his words seem even more poignant.

Coyle has brought in eight players over the summer and while injuries have deprived him of two of his top performers in Chung-Yong Lee and Stuart Holden, his options right now are as strong as they ever have been.

Since the impressive 4-0 victory over QPR on the opening day of the season, the Whites boss has not tinkered much with his starting Premier League line-up, but one wonders how long that can continue.

With Darren Pratley, David Ngog, Tuncay and Gael Kakuta waiting in the wings, and Holden also nearing a return, change now seems inevitable.

And the alterations will hopefully be more successful than those made on Saturday, which both failed to hit the mark.

On-loan defender Dedryck Boyata was brought in for his debut against United but looked ill at odds with his right-back role after a couple of early errors. Mark Davies was also preferred to Fabrice Muamba in midfield but in his first league start since February, again failed to take his chance.

Much of the pre-match attention had been focused on Kevin Davies and what effect his physical style would have on United's young back line.

Sadly, the skipper got it badly wrong from the start. After one clumsy challenge on Tom Cleverley, which forced the midfielder off with a damaged foot, he then steamed into a tackle with Patrice Evra a few minutes later. Referee Andre Marriner produced a yellow card, his 100th in the top flight, but it could have been worse.

In the time it took Cleverley to limp off the pitch, United had opened their account for the day.

Nani drifted past Paul Robinson with ease and Hernandez got across Zat Knight to poke home at the near post.

Though the result makes it totally irrelevant, Wanderers actually created a handful of excellent opportunities. Had one of a couple of early Ivan Klasnic snap shots sailed past David de Gea, or Rooney not been back on the line to block Chris Eagles' goalbound shot, then who knows?

As it happened, United snapped up their second goal with their second attack as the outstanding Phil Jones was given acres of space to cross from the right, and Rooney nipped in ahead of Boyata and Gary Cahill to score.

Four minutes later and a rampant Jones was at it again, walking the ball into Wanderers' territory and round a naïve challenge from Knight before squaring for Rooney to sweep home.

Hernandez had a goal chalked out for offside and Nani hit the side-netting before the break as the Reds threatened a cricket score.

But at the other end, Petrov's endeavour on the left was continuing to carve out chances. Kevin Davies's day was summed up as hit swung at fresh air when unmarked six yards out after the Bulgaria international had picked him out with a fine cross.

Coyle won't have minced his words at the break but puzzlingly he resisted the urge to make changes until United had made it four.

Wanderers had shown a few brief glimpses of life, with Petrov and Klasnic both flashing shots towards De Gea's goal in the opening five minutes of the second half, but United soon wrestled control back and Jussi Jaaskelainen was forced into an athletic stop to palm away Anderson's dipping free kick.

The big Finn nearly added to his side's misery a few moments later with a badly judged clearance that landed at Hernandez's feet on the edge of the box. But with the goal gaping, the Mexican's effort was blocked on the line by Nigel Reo-Coker.

Hernandez got his second after sweeping home Michael Carrick's effort on the hour, and while Reo-Coker rattled the bar for Wanderers soon after, Rooney then completed the rout with a well judged effort into the bottom corner.

United toyed with the Whites from there on in, with Rooney on a one-man mission to get his strike partner an equal share of the match ball. He never managed it, despite a few close calls.

To the home fans' immense credit, they could still be heard getting behind their side even at five down. And that suggests a bigger picture is being viewed in the stands.

At such an early stage of the season there is definitely no need to panic, and a sense of perspective should be kept. This could be, arguably, the best team to have ever come and claimed a result at the Reebok, and one who look destined to take the title, in my view.

But the last few weeks have posed some big questions of a new look squad and its manager, and fans are now looking for answers.

After all, we know what happened to Todd's well-meaning but ultimately ill-equipped side in 1996 and a repeat would be unthinkable.