Nemanja Vidic reveals the truth about the David Moyes era at Manchester United

Nemanja Vidic says his final goodbye to Manchester United supporters in his final game for the club

Departing Manchester United centre back Nemanja Vidic has revealed the truth regarding speculation about arguments in the David Moyes era.

“We argued amongst ourselves,” Vidic said. “This year more than any other, because when you have bad times, people show they care. We are still friends, but we were arguing to get better. We wanted to improve.

“We could say those things to each other because we have been together for so long, but it hurt. If you didn’t argue, it would not be right. We had some hard moments in the dressing room between ourselves.”

“There was a transition,” Vidic said. “You get someone who sees football in a different way and he will want to put his stamp on the team and the way he wants to play. Ryan [Giggs] shares the same ideas as Sir Alex Ferguson and his was a more similar approach to the one we had with Sir Alex. The players are more used to it and felt more comfortable with it.

“I am not saying that the David Moyes way was bad, but these players feel more comfortable playing a certain way of football. You have to respect where you are and what you represent, though, and there is no point speaking about someone who was here, who everyone knows lost his job because he did not succeed in doing what he wanted to achieve.

“The best answer I can say is that he [Moyes] tried really hard, he was professional. He was really committed to the job and desperately wanted to do well. But unfortunately, it didn’t happen and we are all sad.

“Sometimes you have bad times and you question yourself, of course, but we never did anything to question the manager at all. We questioned ourselves more.”

Nemanja Vidic also believed that the players had the faith and belief that they can challenge for trophies and titles at the early stage of the season but all hopes were shattered with early exits from competitions.

“It has been hard,” Vidic said. “We thought it might be difficult to win the title this year, but we still thought we would challenge for the trophies. We ended up losing the chance to win the title very early, though, and then we lost the chance to win the cups as well.

“We are used to fighting until the last day of the season for the title. That has happened for the last seven years and this year was the first year we have not done that, so it is hard to cope.

“Why did it happen? It is hard to say now. You cannot point the finger at something and say this is why, or at someone and say it was their fault. All of us have to take responsibility, but we have to accept that it did not work for us. We did not manage to keep the same standards of playing that we had under Sir Alex.

“I don’t want to point at any one thing and say he should have stayed or that person might have come, or what if it had been someone else. If, if, if. That has passed. Everyone has their own ideas and their own vision. It is hard to judge on why they didn’t do this or that. You should always judge on what they actually did do.”

Vidic adding on also says that there were disputes over team tactics, players not playing in their natural positions and inappropriate team selections.

“Sometimes you have players playing on the wing and if it is a midfield player, he might not be able to perform,” Vidic said. “You need time to adapt to a certain style and we didn’t adapt quickly enough. After the results started to be a bit bad, everyone started to get more nervous, then we lost confidence. That is why it was going wrong, and it rolls up and you can’t stop it.

“After six games, we were already six or seven points behind the other teams. Maybe if we had easier games to play we would have got the confidence.

“When I thought we had lost our chance to win the title, we were also out of the cups. Then you say, ‘Wow, this is not working well’. I believe if we had finished fourth and got a Champions League place, it would have been more acceptable for everyone. But it just went worse and worse.”

When asked about whether he would have stayed at the club if he knew David Moyes would be sacked his reply,

“It is not an easy question to answer,” Vidic says.

“It is not a yes,” Vidic replied. “I am trying to answer it properly. Sometimes you don’t make a decision instantly, especially one like this. You have to think about it. Is it the right thing to do? Sometimes there are many reasons.

“If I am going to do something, I ask myself why. If there are more than two reasons to do it, I think it is time to change. Sometimes these decisions you make are because of certain circumstances. You don’t make a decision like that all of a sudden. I know you would like me to say the exact thing but I cannot. The best way for me to say it is that sometimes you make decisions because of circumstances.

“I have to say, it is not easy to say certain things. You have a responsibility for what you are and who you represent. I have been with this club for so many years and I have been the captain for the last few. Even in a family, if you have issues and conversations, sometimes they have to stay within the family.

“At the end of the day, if you have an issue with someone, especially when you care and you have had so many great times, you do it in a way that is suitable to the club. It has happened that way.”

Finally concluding Vidic spoke about Manchester United’s future, “I think now it is a happier place because change is coming again and everything is going to be new. The club has to believe that. You feel that atmosphere. You start from there and try to be strong again. You want to see the lights for the next season. You are looking for new ideas and a new mentality because this has gone. It is like resetting a computer and starting again.”

Vidic: “I am not saying that the David Moyes way was bad, but these players feel more comfortable playing a certain way of football.” #MUFC

— Kevin Palmer (@kpsundayworld) May 13, 2014