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Recently, I happened to come across an article on Telegraph’s website titled ’31 reasons why David Moyes should leave Manchester United’. I have been a staunch supporter of David Moyes during his tumultuous first season at Old Trafford. I found the author’s points reasonable, but in the end it was an opinionated article substantiated with facts and number crunching. And as always, there are two sides to a coin.
A below-par season will not afford me the luxury of using solid facts and figures to substantiate my reasoning, but there are enough credible reasons nonetheless to advocate why David Moyes should stay at Manchester United.
THE MANCHESTER UNITED LEGACY
1) We are Manchester United, we give our new managers time to settle down
No United manager since Sir Matt Busby has been sacked with just one season of performance to show for. Even Wilf McGuiness and Frank Farrell (both of whom lasted in the hot seat for one and a half season) were given time to prove their worth after abysmal first seasons. Since 1945, the average period for which a manager has been in-charge at Old Trafford is seven and a half years.
2) Sir Alex too had a torrid start to his United career
Sir Alex with Martin Edwards, the man who saved his job.
Sir Alex’s first four seasons at Old Trafford:League position: 11th, 2nd, 11th, 13thFirst trophy- FA Cup 1989-90 (Fourth season)
And the reverberating chants of ‘3 YEARS OF EXCUSES AND IT’S STILL C**P – TA RA FERGIE’. We wonder what might have been if the board had heeded to the fans’ opinion. Thank God for Martin Edwards.
3) Success and failure are part and parcel of United’s history
From losing our entire squad in 1958 to winning the European Cup 10 years later, from getting relegated to the second division in ’74 to winning the FA Cup 3 years later, from one league title in 25 years (1967-1992) to 13 in the next 20, Manchester United has seen it all.
The relentless inflow of trophies and honors under Sir Alex’s stewardship has kept fans in persistent dreamland. Thus, this transitional period, a wholesale management change after 26 long years, has come as a rude shock to many. What fans need to understand is that United’s illustrious history is full of such instances and this club wouldn’t be standing where it is today if it hadn’t overcome those challenges.
4) Being the manager of Manchester United is a job like no other and Moyes must have realised that by now. With a fanbase estimated to be equal to the population of Europe and with a valuation which matches the GDP of Sierra Leone, Manchester United is arguably the biggest football club in the world. Managing a club of this stature has its own standards of public scrutiny.
And when you get to fill the boots left by Sir Alex Ferguson, the task gets all the more herculean. For David Moyes, coming from the humble surroundings of Goodison Park, it must have come as a rude culture shock. The fans have vociferously voiced their criticism and agony throughout the season which certainly hasn’t made his job any easier.
5) United finished 8 seasons without any silverware under Sir Alex Ferguson. Fergie didn’t get a taste of European football until his fifth season at Old Trafford.
THE POSITIVES
6) Best away form in the league
United’s misadventures at home have been well documented this season, but little praise has been showered on Moyes for transforming the way the club has traditionally performed on the road. Considering the way the season has panned out, it’s quite an achievement to be ahead of table-toppers Liverpool, City and Chelsea in the away table. The four losses have come at Anfield, Etihad, Stamford Bridge and the Britannia Stadium, all tough away fixtures.
7) United romped home to their biggest ever Champions League away win when they hammered 5 goals past a high-flying Leverkusen side in November. It was a game for the purists as Leverkusen struggled with the irrepressible duo of Rooney and Kagawa. The result was hailed as one of the most historic nights for United in European football and more importantly it showed David Moyes’ penchant for entertaining and attacking football as opposed to his conservational reputation.
8) Wayne Rooney
The £300,000-a-week figure might be a little too extravagant, but Moyes certainly didn’t mind paying a little extra to a player who has probably been the only saving grace of a disastrous season thus far. In Rooney, who seemed destined to leave United last summer, Moyes now has a talisman to build his squad around with greater flexibility and fluidity.
Moyes shrugged off his ego to appease a player with whom he was earlier involved in a defamation lawsuit. This not only speaks volumes about Moyes’ level-headedness but also reflects his ‘club over everything’ attitude that is so integral to the ethos of Manchester United.
9) Adnan Januzaj
This season has given all United fans a gift for the future in the form of Adnan Januzaj. The 18-year-old Belgian (or Albanian or Kosovar) has been the brightest silver lining in an otherwise dismal season. Moyes has unearthed an absolute superstar in-the-making. The way he has handled the youngster in terms of game-time and his long-term contract has also been commendable.
10) The late surrenders against Fulham, Everton and Tottenham at Old Trafford not only lost United crucial points at home, but they also bore testament to the sudden evaporation of the ‘comeback kings’ spirit that Sir Alex Ferguson so tenderly cultivated over the years.
However, the spirited comebacks against Sunderland, Hull, Stoke and Spurs rekindled memories of those stirring late come-from-behind victories of the seasons gone by. Overturning the first-leg deficit against Olympiacos at Old Trafford and the ensuing celebrations and pandemonium showed that the fighting spirit is still strong and intact.
11) #FreeShinji is finally free
Shinji Kagawa has started four of United’s last six games (3 wins, 1 loss); he has made appearances as a substitute in the other two. Fans and pundits who have watched the games against Aston Villa and Newcastle have seen a magical relationship brewing between Mata and Kagawa.
He has been United’s link-man in the midfield, floating all around the pitch and making his team tick, the sort of Kagawa the world was used to seeing in the colors of Dortmund. Moyes’ growing affection for the Japanese will pacify millions of Shinji fans and more importantly give United some much needed creativity and flair in the midfield.
12) Champions League performances
Moyes was considered to be a European rookie, with hardly any prior experience of managing a club at the continental level. Although a relatively easier group greeted Moyes’ first foray in the UCL, questions were still being asked of the Scot. Looking back at United’s UCL performance this season, Moyes and his players have enough reasons to be pleased.
United sailed through the group stage as one of only three unbeaten sides, the spirited reverse against Olympiakos and two very committed and tactically astute displays against defending champions Bayern Munich have given enough evidence of Moyes’ potential to manage at the highest level of club football.
SQUAD OVERHAUL
13) Moyes has started getting rid of the deadwood
100% potential. 0% return.
One of the characteristics of Fergie’s squads over the years was the extended and mostly unwanted list of players who mostly warmed the benches in the name of squad rotation. Actually, they were either too inconsistent or just weren’t good enough to be regular starters at this level. The most recent list included Anderson, Fabio, Nani, Bebe, Mats Deahli and others.
After getting a good look at all his squad players, Moyes quickly got down to the clean-up job. Anderson was shipped to Florence while Fabio moved to Cardiff. Nani would have departed too if not for his untimely injury lay-off.
14) Letting the old workhorses find their way
It’s time for them to pass on the baton
Ferguson left an ageing squad at Moyes’ disposal, no two ways about that. Ferdinand (35) and Giggs (40) are in the twilight of their careers while Vidic (32) and Evra (32) showed steep levels of deterioration last season. All these players have been extremely loyal to the club and the fans adore them, which makes their departure trickier for the manager to handle.
Moyes has managed it quite well. Vidic has signed a deal with Inter, Giggs is being transitioned into a coaching role, Ferdinand has been eased out and with Moyes in pursuit of Leighton Baines or Luke Shaw, the writing is on the wall for Patrice Evra.
15) Moyes has a good sense of scouting
Will they play together next season?
His first targets in the United hot-seat included Cesc Fabregas, Ander Herrera, and Fabio Coentrao, all three of whom he pursued persistently but eventually to no avail.
He then shifted focus to local talent in the form of Fellaini, who unfortunately hasn’t been able to replicate the form he displayed last season. In January, however, Moyes pulled off a coup by signing the world-class Juan Mata, who has recently started showing glimpses of his natural ability.
Toni Kroos has been heavily linked to United for a summer switch. Even at Everton, Moyes was known for his shrewd sense of the transfer market (Tim Cahill, Baines, Jagielka, Arteta to name a few).
16) He is the right man to spend the summer kitty
With an estimated 100 million cash purse available in the summer, Moyes will have his work cut out. He needs to bring in world-class talent to make sure the failures of this season are not repeated and the Scot seems to be the right man for the job. He has made the right moves in the transfer market, although the end results haven’t been as he’d have expected. After almost a season in charge, he has a clear plan of how he wants to reinforce a rusty squad, and sacking him will undo all that effort and planning.
17) Moyes is working towards solving the midfield conundrum
The problem lies with the front row
Sir Alex was never able to replace his midfield marshals, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes. Owen Hargreaves ended up being a very expensive (medical bills and free wages) potential solution. After Fergie’s departure, the acute problems in the midfield have been gruesomely highlighted and exploited this season.
Neither did Sir Alex ever explicitly accept this problem nor did he show any urgency to do something about it. Moyes, on the contrary, has been at it from day one. A combination of factors prevented him from making any desired signing last summer and he would be itching to strengthen his midfield before the start of next season.
MOYES THE MANAGER
18) Moyes needs time
Moyes, as a football tactician, possesses his own principles, distinct from Sir Alex’s football philosophy. And to make his methods effective at United, he might need a few specialists (the kind of roles played by Tim Cahill, Fellaini in his Everton days). He also needs time to adapt to the rigours of managing close to 50 games in a season. Moyes would’ve learnt a thing or two about the art of squad-rotation with a team that plays multiple games every other week.
19) If upcoming results go in United’s favour, Moyes might be able to steer United into the Europa League next season. United are currently in seventh position, 3 points adrift of Spurs, who have played one game more. Even a sixth place finish will guarantee European football, courtesy Man City’s League Cup victory.
Playing in the Europa League might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Moyes and his team. He might be able to attract good quality players who otherwise would turn him down in lieu of European football. Playing in the UEL is a much easier proposition than in the daunting UCL, which would give Moyes some breathing space both in terms of fans’ expectations and squad management.
If he can bolster his squad in the summer, United might just start as contenders for the trophy next season.
20) Experience comes from practice
Experts argue that Moyes has no experience of managing a team in Europe. Roberto Di Matteo didn’t have any experience before he delivered Chelsea’s greatest ever triumph. Pep Guardiola was only a managerial rookie before he turned Barcelona into indomitable European champions. The same can be said of Ottmar Hitzfeld, Frank Rijkaard and Vicente del Bosque.
Moyes is not being likened with these greats in any respect, but this is just to provide a perspective. Football management is a learning experience and you only learn from what you do. Moyes has never had the platform (with Preston) or the resources (with Everton) to garner experience in Europe’s elite football competition.
21) Manchester United historians would know that the team’s two most productive periods in terms of success and fame came under two different managers, both of which stayed at the club for a very long time. Not only United, many other football clubs have enjoyed long periods of success when there has been an aura of stability at the club.
Take Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley at Liverpool and del Bosque at Real Madrid. Moyes belongs to the same mould. Four years at Preston and then eleven at Everton, Moyes has always been loyal to his employers. After Fergie’s long reign, that is the sort of continuity that the United board was looking for and in Moyes, they have recruited the perfect candidate.
FINALLY
22) Players also need to shoulder the blame
If one was to prepare a list of players who have underperformed this season, one would almost end up writing down the entire squad. With the exception of Rooney, Januzaj and Phil Jones, every player deserves a share of the blame for United’s current predicament. It’s easy to put the entire blame on the manager, but in the end it’s the players who go out on the pitch and play the game, not the manager.
23) Respect Sir Alex’s choice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbtyQug8AHI
Let’s just stick to our job, shall we? Consider it as a parting gift for Sir Alex, if not anything more.
24) The future looks promising
A royal transfer budget is being readied for the summer. Some world class players are destined to join our ranks. Januzaj is getting better every day. The World Cup will drive away the ghosts of this season. Moyes will have one year’s solid experience under his belt. The perennial under-performers will give way for fresh young talent. The players’ hunger for success will be more than ever. There are so many good things that the new season will herald. It’ll be silly for the board to not let this promising new era unravel itself.
Reserve your judgement of Mr. David Moyes for the end of next season, if not later. Give him a fair chance to get things right. Give him sufficient time to do things his way. After all, a couple of seasons without silverware won’t really hurt us.
