In Moyes Who Trusts - The Glazers' hour of reckoning has arrived

Manchester United manager David Moyes is under pressure

With another soul-vanquishing defeat in Greece arriving as the latest addition to his kitty; David William Moyes might well wonder whether Goodison Park was his actual ‘Theatre of Dreams’. The Scot’s travails in arguably the biggest club in the world (nowadays more so because of the commercial aspect) have been supported by few and ridiculed by the majority of the footballing masses.

Moyes was ‘The Chosen One’ by the Old Trafford hierarchy and the approval of the club was stamped by none other than club legends Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson. The last 8 months however, have threatened to wipe off the good work of the last 20 odd years at Old Trafford at a pace that might even make Sir Matt Busby shift uneasily in his grave. So consistently abject have been last years’ runaway Champions this year that blame has been apportioned on the manager, the players, the coaching staff, the medical staff and now only the security guards at Old Trafford are left in the pecking order to receive their share of the brickbats.

The Glazers have till now been sitting in the background and have maintained their ‘behind the scenes’ backing for Moyes. However, Manchester United is more than a football club (not like the FC Barcelona ethos) in the sense that United are the forerunners in commercializing football to an extent inconceivable before. With approx. £200 million wiped off the club’s valuation in the last 2 months (which ironically is the same amount being promised to Moyes to re-build the squad over the summer); the ‘commercially driven’ Glazers are being tested like never before. Manchester United, in essence are at the crossroads – between the publicly proclaimed unconditional backing to Moyes and the club’s worst fears on its future getting closer to reality with the culmination of every 90 minutes on the football pitch.

Sir Alex Ferguson in hindsight, had a relatively easy ride in Manchester United and it was a full three years into his reign when he was first seriously questioned. He benefitted from the fact that he inherited a squad of non-performing, booze laden footballers who were not expected to compete on all fronts – let alone lift a trophy or two. With expectations at an all-time low, Ferguson was able to implement his style and bed in, and slowly transform the club’s fortunes to the behemoth Manchester United is today. David Moyes, on the other hand inherited Ferguson’s serial winners who pranced to the 20th League title of the club’s history last year. And it is on account of this inheritance that Moyes’ tumultuous reign thus far has received an ever increasing dose of criticism at each stumbling block.

To Moyes’ credit, he has maintained a brave stance and has summoned all his resources to turn things around after each new setback. Moyes however, suffers from his own shadow – a shadow of managing Everton and Preston North End. As admirable a job he did with both, managing Manchester United came with a set of variables he had never experienced before; the biggest being a squad of players with egos and trophy cabinets bigger than any of Moyes’ previous charges.

For all the hopes of seeing Moyes turnaround United’s fortunes in a stellar comeback, it is hard to conceive Moyes commanding the trust and commitment of his players. From the players’ perspective one has to take into account that the average top-level span of a footballer’s career is 8-10 years at max. So for players it is even more important to ensure they earn the glory and the riches in this short a time frame. And it is in this micro time frame when the best players (very rightfully and logically too, from their perspective) want to ply their trade in the best clubs and under the best managers who can transform them into world beaters and enrich their trophy cabinets to last them a lifetime.

Is David Moyes still considered ‘The Chosen One’?

Moyes unfortunately, doesn’t give the players the confidence that they will be better with him –it would have needed the arrival of only the first bad result to multiply the doubts for Manchester United’s squad of serial winners. By the same logic Moyes would struggle (and has struggled till now) to attract the big names to join United who can spot a sinking ship from distance much clearly than the passengers on the ill-fated ship.

The other big reason for the finger-pointing sessions at Moyes’ expense is the fact that his arrival has seemingly coincided with United’s sudden loss of character. While Ferguson’s era was marked by last minute comebacks and an undying will to win; Moyes has been unable to conjure up the same magic. More importantly, the reaction to a loss was the hallmark of Moyes’ famed predecessor; Moyes, meanwhile is unable to dig his players out of the rut despite his honest attempts. It all leads one to believe that the same set of players who before this season were pocketing the all-important 3 points with many a last minute salvos have suddenly lost their mojo, their drive, their hunger.

It is this sudden decline in the team’s and players’ character that would have alarmed the Manchester United decision makers the most. A bad season can be tolerated and built upon; but without a hint of character and a silver lining, it would be foolhardy to believe that a summer shopping extravaganza would get rid of the issues.

The ball is in the Glazers’ box for the final shootout. Just how long they can go on taking a hit on their ‘commercial venture’ is anybody’s guess. Entrusting Moyes to rebuild the squad with a mammoth transfer kitty is in line with the Manchester United tradition of backing their managers to the hilt. But a non-reversal of fortunes in the upcoming fixtures might well force the United decision makers to sound out Jurgen Klopp, Louis Van Gaal or Fabio Capello to name a few.