Amid the inevitable hue and cry from the social media crowd over David Moyes’ position as Manchester United manager one wonders quite when the Scot’s pride comes into play. The pride to fix a team fundamentally broken; or the self-respect to walk away before more damage is done. This is, as one supporter put it, no time to talk about dignity – Moyes’ was obliterated in the red-hot Karaiskakis Stadium atmosphere in Piereus on Tuesday night.
Yet, conceit – that most caustic sin – is surely an explicit actor in the Scot’s future. Moyes’ ability to finish a job he has only barely started references inextricably against the harm that may be caused with the 50-year-old remaining in charge.
United’s performance in 2-0 defeat to Olympiakos was as miserable as any this season – and there has seemingly been one nadir followed by another new low over the past six months. United’s only saving grace was that the Greek side, which this winter sold its leading scorer to relegation-bound Fulham, struck only twice. It is the hope that kills, but hope there is indeed for the second leg in three weeks’ time.
Yet, it will take the most unlikely of United victories to save the Reds season. Out of contention in the Premier League, unlikely to qualify for next season’s Champions League, dumped out of both domestic cups, Moyes’ debut campaign now rests on European redemption. Few will bank on the Scot’s team achieving that goal at Old Trafford next month.
Familiar weaknesses were apparent once again in Athens. Possession was gained and lost with so little care and embarrassingly small impact. United’s inability to turn good positions into real creativity was both a facilitator to defeat and a symptom of the reductive style Moyes has imposed.
Once again United drove the ball long to little effect – the play quickly recycled from central to wide areas and almost inevitably towards Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie in attack with little precision. What chances the Reds created were squandered, with just one shot hitting the target all night.
In midfield Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley were as ineffective as at any time this season – a problem exacerbated by the less than sophisticated approach. Meanwhile at the back Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic sat so deep as to positively encourage Olympiakos forward. How the home side took advantage.
More frustrating still, United’s 11th defeat of the campaign was built from a base of mental negativity so apparently during Moyes’ reign. It is, after all, not the first time that the Scot’s team has sought predominantly to react to an opponent’s style rather impose one of its own. Against such limited opposition supporters might ponder quite where the Reds’ ambition has gone.
Juan Mata may be cup tied in Europe, but inexplicably Moyes overlooked both the prodigious talents of Adnan Januzaj and Shinji Kagawa, looking instead to the predictable defensive work of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young. That Januzaj was left out of the matchday squad altogether baffled many.
Moyes had little choice but to offer contrition for another shocking performance, although once again the Scot offered luck as an excuse. It wears very thin.
“It’s the worst we’ve played in Europe that’s for sure,” said Moyes in the aftermath.
“It was a really poor performance. We didn’t get going from the start. We didn’t deserve anything from tonight. We just didn’t perform well. I’m surprised. I didn’t see that level of performance coming. We came into the game in good form and a good mindset but it didn’t show tonight.”
“I have to say I don’t think we were two goals worse off in the game. They had a shot, which got deflected, but we didn’t offer enough on the night to create a goal really.”
Failure to progress on 19 March will bring the curtain down on the worse United campaign in a quarter-century. Defeat over two legs will also open up the debate about Moyes’ role in United’s slide into mediocrity with ever greater fervour. It will legitimise those already calling for the manager’s head, and add credence to the growing belief that regime change is less painful if both brutally honest and swift.
“We’ll do everything we possibly can to reverse the 2-0 defeat tonight,” added the Scot.
“We’ll put it right, we’re determined to put it right and we’ll have opportunities to do that in the coming weeks. The one good thing is there’s still a second game to come.
“I take responsibility. It’s my team and I’ll always front up. The players are hurting as well. They know how they performed. We’re a team and we stick together.”
Indeed, the momentum now gathering for change may have begun in the heated atmosphere of social media, but has spread to some supporters who are normally a barometer for reason and patience. It is hard not to be reactive when United’s results are so poor and the performances far off a level deemed acceptable.
Still, there is little chance Moyes will be fired before the season is out. It is not much more likely that the Scot will leave in the summer. The word remains that United’s owners are resolutely supportive of a manager who has also been let down by his players.
“There is a lack of confidence and there are some players who just don’t have the quality,” said former United captain Roy Keane, now a pundit on ITV.
“They need six or seven players to rebuild the club. Privately, David Moyes will be shocked at the quality he is working with.”
Those players may come in the summer; whether new talent fixes the problems associated with Moyes’ approach is another question. Little in the season has diverted the former Everton manager from his core belief in the way the game is played, whatever the evidence to the contrary.
It’s that pride thing again.
A very good article however I disagree the players have let the manager down. Some are not what you’d call world or even top class but at least they’re good players with a history of achievement who are struggling to successfully convert pre-historic tactics into gold on the pitch. Cleverley won’t have picked himself, Januzaj wouldn’t have offered to sit this one out and it’s doubtful Valencia and Young would insist that everything the team did going forward had to be via themselves.
The most disheartening thing of the whole thing is that the performance wasn’t unique from us this year; it has happened on numerous occasions. Yet after each occasion the response is the same from the manage – surprise and disbelief at the performance, a statement of intent to improve and yet the next week invariably absolutely nothing changes there’s no indication that any of his tactical failings are even being acknowledged as such. This isn’t August or September, it’s nearly March and the fact he’s still to learn this lesson is a huge concern
Couldnt agree more. Its like the saying goea.. “trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different outcones – thats insanity”
Good piece. He shown no signs of willingness to adapt.
Give our special agent a chance he has only just got going.
Not sure the players still believe in Moyes.
“David Moyes will be shocked at the quality he is working with.”
Shocked or not, the worrying thing is that he continues to place faith in the players that are under performing and are, quite frankly, problems.
The fear here isn’t that he ships out the deadwood, it’s that he keeps it whilst shipping out talent. Cleverley, Smalling, Valencia, Young. They don’t seem to be under any threat, yet each has been responsible for numerous catastrophes this season, the first three especially have been responsible for numerous goals against.
They’re not that young, they’re not likely to improve and even so, it would have to be a radical improvement even to be at the level we require.
At the start of the season he rushed to give Nani a new one, clearly so that he could either a) improve, or, more likely, b) retain more value should we come to sell. Yet there was little rush to give Carrick a new deal despite him being a star for the better half of the previous half decade and our player of the year, before finally dealing in. Then there’s Vidic, old(er) or not, you have to get him a new contract, he should have had the deal in the Summer, before the season. Did Moyes really have to asses the quality of the club captain and one of the best CB’s in EPL history? Now he’s going and we’re left with one less leader in the dressing room (at a club where we’re already woefully short.)
Obviously he’s not Sylvain Distin…
Then there are the continued talks of replacements for the likes of Rafael, our best young player last season, and one of the best talents in Europe as a wing-back. Is this not worrying? Rumours continue that he’s on the out with Coleman coming in, a player who is only just shining this season after Moyes has left, a player who is no doubt good, but with a price tag of £25m? That’s a little high for a player who, when both are fit, isn’t as good as Rafael and certainly has no love for the club like Rafael does (he’s one of the few who really seems to show what it means to don that shirt.)
He was all about giving chances at the start of the season, meanwhile giving Anderson less than a handful and offering Zaha even less.
Fabio? Gets 5 minutes, scores, gets one more game where he’s sent off, and that’s his career over, meanwhile Buttner has had numerous goes and we have Moyes sticking with Evra, a player who he’s vocally tried to replace and has failed to do so in two transfer windows.
Kagawa is clearly talented, yet we know he hasn’t shown what he’s capable of, but then he’s never been a left-winger as part of a flat, defensive 4-4-2, a role even harder when Moyes is reluctant to even allow the wing-backs to overlap. He’s played twice in his preferred number 10 role for a period of time and twice he’s been excellent, with Moyes declaring “They keep telling me how good he is.” Yes David, quite. Who is they and why don’t you listen to them? Now we have Mata and we’ve already seen him pushed into the same positions and again, not really offering anything that’s part of his game.
This season has been all about cowtowing to Rooney, getting him on that contract and bringing through Januzaj, a player with undoubted talent but who has only really had a handful of genuinely good games, yet we’re lead to believe this isn’t the case by both the club (seen to push new, young talent), some fans (keen to see someone actually taking people on – this is good!) and the media (desperate to have him sign on for England, particularly as they still need a left sided player.)
It’s become a case of wracking your brain to think of positives. Moyes was thought to be one to steady a ship, to handle transition and one who doesn’t need to spend big money – despite wasting lots on some dross at Everton for many years. Instead he’s come in to United, undermined the set up by eliminating all existing links with senior staff bar Rob Swire, has upset numerous players with different/poor training methods (lots of without the ball training), a negative approach to matches, stale talks involving bad luck/being the better team/playing well(!) and of course, splashing an absolute fortune with £27.5m on Fellaini – whom he doesn’t know how to play yet(!), £37.1m on Mata – whom he’s played as a Winger in 3 games already and £300k/£85m on a new contract of Rooney.
The end result of all of this is a consistent run of the worst United performances in the Premier League era.
For people to claim there are no alternate managers out there who could do a better job is a misnomer. There are many. The push for consistency with British/Glaswegian managers from a working class background has backfired. The time is now for a change.
Football is, above all, an entertainment product. Having watched all the United games this season I can say, hand on heart, that I’ve barely been entertained once, and that was a good showing against Leverkusen, a team who were playing above themselves at the time and certainly aren’t the yardstick for quality.
Watching United will always be a part of me and my life, I love that club, but watching us should not feel like a job.
Couldn’t say it better myself!
Completely agree Karl. I suspect Keane’s comments were a not so thinly veiled dig at Fergie, but in fairness, not far from the truth.
Moyes has got many things wrong and to my mind doesn’t have the tactical flexibility or attacking mindset for Utd. His persistence with the safety first Cleverley, Young and Valencia over Januzaj, Kagawa and Zaha are testament to this. It’s so apparent how the pace and movement has disappeared from our play.
I’ve come to the conclusion after being relatively patient (& I’ve supported Utd through thick and thin over 40 years) that Moyes is not the man for the job. I’m not talking about results only, I’m talking about selections, tactics (no variety) and lack of hunger in the team that have led to absolutely abject performances.
I’ve heard that Moyes is admired for his very thorough and sophisticated approach to planning acquisitions, yet the evidence to date of Fellaini and Mata smack of desperation & unplanned opportunism respectively more than anything else. 70M spent and we haven’t scratched the surface of our biggest problems with the team. I’d call that a poor use of funds.
At the end of the day, Fergie is culpable. Despite the unprecedented joy and success he brought us over the years, he left an aging team, riddled with holes and trumped it all by bringing us with a manger ill-equipped for the challenge he’d been presented. Nothing personal against Moyes who appears a decent man, but there should have been a much more structured objective process in place for the selection of Fergie’s successor.
Unless Moyes is willing/able to change his stripes and provide us some more entertaining displays in the tradition of this great club over the next few weeks, his days are numbered.
This is not a discussion about United’s current form (forget 4th place, Liverpool would need to lose HALF their remaining games) but the longer-term issues.
1. No one is talking about the real reason Moyes was chosen. There is now a super league of teams with unlimited resources and United are no longer able to compete financially. Moyes was chosen because he was considered the best at building with limited funds. But, this is completely the wrong strategy for the next issue…
2. MUFC is an image, a worldwide brand, with star quality. Moyes is the John Sculley of MUFC. No publicly traded company can survive such a downturn for long and the shareholders will not allow the situation to deteriorate to the point where servicing the debt becomes a problem. Contrary to the party line of the MUMs (Manchester United Mafia), he does not have time. If he does not make 4th, he WILL be sacked in the summer.
3. What is the role of a manager? Primarily, they pick the team and motivate. This is the same squad of players who won the league six months ago, PLUS Mata, Fellaini and Januzai. Is there any managerial criteria where Moyes is doing an even passable job?
4. Given all the recent leaks, it is obvious that Moyes is not in control and may even have lost the dressing room. Perhaps he is too honest but if he goes on record saying he does know what else to do, how can he expect his players to respect him? This is usually the beginning of the end.
5. The summer will not offer any respite as what world class player, or manager for that matter, will want to join a team who isn’t even in the Europa Cup?
SAF once said something along the lines of he could tell instantly if a player would make it at United. Some walked in like they belonged there and others were intimidated by the place. Does anyone even slightly believe Moyes is one of the former?
I agree completely and parts 3 and 5 are very important here.
Firstly, no, Moyes is not doing a passable job in any area. From press conferences, through training, tactics through to results he’s been sub par. He keeps saying the wrong things and not changing his ways.
The media are even mocking these conferences with the ‘Moyes Bingo’ phrases. ‘Try’. ‘Make it difficult’, etc. It’s embarrassing.
Then there is 5. People keep overlooking this and it’s the point most commonly associated with “Give him time to build his side.” We’re not going to be in the Champions League. Maybe the Europa League, but on top of that this is a World Cup Summer, player prices go through the roof.
No European Football
World Cup Summer
Numerous mega-rich clubs
David Moyes isn’t a draw
Those are four massive things going against us, or, if not massive, combined they are certainly sizable. Why do people think that this summer, of all summers and in the situation we’re in, David Moyes can turn it around?
Time is not the friend of managers. Managers have never, in the history of the modern Premier League era, turned it around in time. This isn’t opinion, so claiming he will is based on nothing more than blind faith. Time is the enemy of modern managers, even the legendary Arsene Wenger’s legacy has been tainted over time.
To pretend these aren’t worrying times is nothing more than sticking your head in the proverbial sand. It’s definitely concerning.
Agree with every single word mate. Well put.
The niggle refuses to go away for me.
When Keane said “Privately, David Moyes will be shocked at the quality he is working with.”
He’s working with the Premier League Champions. The squad surely hasn’t deteriorated to such an extent in less than a year?
With the signing of Fellaini, the emergence of Januzaj and Rooney back after his worst ever season, it could even be argued that Moyes has a stronger hand to play with than Fergie did.
I think Moyes’ negativity in games and in press conferences (he rarely says anything positive) has left the players’ confidence shot to pieces.
I think we’ve always known that the likes of Young, Cleverley and Valencia are good players but not great players.
However, Fergie was able to make these good players believe in themselves to the point where they punched above their weight.
Moyes has taken these good players and by whittling away at their confidence, has turned them into decidedly average players.
Moyes doesn’t look like a winner, he doesn’t talk like a winner and he doesn’t give off the aura of being a winner.
The fact that he’s never won anything is surely not mere coincidence?
I’d argue that Cleverley, Young and Valencia were also underperforming for Fergie in the last 2 seasons – this isn’t new to Moyes. It’s everyone else that has now dropped a couple of levels and Moyes’s adherence to 442 – a system that amplifies the deficiencies in our CM and wide players (ie the above named) – that makes all the previously papered over cracks reveal themselves for what they really are.
Moyes has actually managed to get Young from “shit” to “does a job”.
It’s possibly the only thing he’s improved.
Would that be a “BIG JOB” in the words of Billy Connelly !!
Young at best was a one trick pony when he came from Villa,and has decended into being consistently utter shite
I’m afraid last night was the performance which killed my hope. The only remaining emotions are anger and disappointment.
+1
Worst football I’ve seen from since, ever. I don’t even know what else to say.
It was hard to find any positives in the Moyes appointment when it was made. The man is not a winner, his appointment was the equivalent of appointing a manager of a small town Mcdonalds as the CEO of the whole Mcdonalds group. My point has always been that no other club in Europe at least not the ones we are suppose to compete with would ever appoint Moyes as a manager.
What would Moyes’ career trajectory be if he was not appointed United manager? Maybe a few more years as Everton manager then a stint at Aston Villa and perhaps the Newcastle manager after that, before retiring without having won anything.
The state of affairs at the club is sad and depressing to say the least. Perhaps it’s pride or stupidity that is keeping Moyes in the job right now, the sooner they realize their mistake the better for United.
What exactly do they practice in training? United play the most timid football of any top 10 team in the premier league. Even a few teams lower at least have some sort of style..good or bad. United have literally no identity. The most painful pill to swallow is in their high horse of ‘we stand by our managers’ will be the undoing of this once great club. Moyes is here to stay. So are performances like last night.
I totally agree with your “no identity” point…but it predates Moyes’ regime…After the departure of Ronaldo…you can clearly see our football style slowing down…there’s no outlet on the counter-attack, for which we’re well-known. Carrick, albeit tremendous last season, has returned to his lethargic play, not being able to connect between defense and offense. Our wingers can’t take on a player, let alone providing any sort of decent crosses or options for strikers…I have seen this trend building up for the last 2-3 years now…SAF is really unfair in guiding this team to glory in the last few years, giving most of us false hope in the quality of this team…and Under Moyes, who’s an amateur of a tactician, our team crumbles to no end…not surprising but definitely frustrating…
red devil – keano was spot on imo.
yes fellaini has come in, but up until palace away last weekend he has been awful at best and needs time to settle.
januzaj granted has been a plus point, the only one in my eyes, but although rooney has been ok, im not having hes been good, no way, just the best of a bad bunch.
the main reason this squad is in worse shape than last year is the back 4 are almost dead and fergie got the last bit of life left in them last season. i think we all know which 3 im on about when i say 3 parts of the backline need replacing!
that is massive, to have a back 4, or not to have one in our case is a massive loss. then we come to RVP who i have no doubt was the major reason along with fergie as to why we won the league last season…..he has been unfit and or injured for most of the season and was bound to have an effect. so for me, anyone who says this is the same squad that won the league is deluded. can we keep them in that case and use them again next season? of course we cant, we need to move on and replace the ageing and not good enoughs!
so, having those difficulties at the back and up top it is no surprise to me in the slightest that our average at best midfield has been exposed for what it is…..”average at best” if you guys cant see this through all the rubbish written about moyes in the press then unlucky, keep having a dig and do your part towards piling even more pressure on him and the team, great support that!
the way i see it this season will do us the world of good, just as long as we/the club stand behind and back moyes 100%. any players that dont…..goodbye, and many players are just not good enough, simple as that really!
I have to agree with your thoughts on Carrick. For too long I’ve heard what a rolls Royce of a player he is and he’s a players player (?). Even on Monday Jamie redknapp was comparing his display against palace to Toni kroos against arsenal. Do me a favour he is slow and timid and when pressed simply sits deeper and deeper. He doesn’t score, he doesn’t assist all I see is he passes sideways a lot. Big deal I want a Robson, Keane or ince type midfielder to drive us forward.
Michael Carrick provided more forward passes than any other midfield player in Europe last season.
Carrick is going on 33 and has no competition in the squad. Without a dynamic partner he is exposed for what he is – merely the best of a bad bunch. He is not the man to take us forward in either a footballing or temporal sense. The fact that his wife feels the need to go on twitter to defend a professional footballer at Manchester United says it all.
When you look at the options teams like Bayern (and even a number of PL teams) have in this position it really makes you realize how bereft of talent we have become over the last few seasons.
Complacent management asleep at the wheel is a phrase that best describes how we landed ourselves in this predicament.
But if forward is no more than five yards from just in front of the back four, allopposing teams would settle for that. Genuine midfielders are effective all over the pitch, pass and move !!go past players, appear in the box to score vital goals !!
If Carrick moved any slower , you could throw a dust sheet over him !!
Ha ha brilliant.
This isn’t a witch hunt against Carrick, more of a point that you can’t play him in a two man midfield with our current list of options. Surely it’s not difficult to see that we need strength in numbers in this area. 4-3-3 would help us a lot but this would mean Moyes has to drop Rvp or piss of Rooney and play him wide, neither or which he is willing to do.
4-3-3 anybody?
I’d go with
Rvp
Mata. Rooney
Feillaini
Carrick. Fletch
I have to agree with you on Carrick to some extent (taking Karl Moon’s stats into consideration). Carrick was tremendous last season, much more creative than he is now. This season he’s only a shadow of himself. I have seen him tried all sort of forward passes this season and I applaud him for the efforts but for the most part, his movement has slowed down to lethargic point…For God’s sake he’s the tempo setter of the team but he can’t bring the ball forward with enough pace and precision as he used to…It’s not all his fault though when we have wingers like Young and Valencia who are poor in positioning and even when they have possession, can’t keep the ball or challenge a player…up front we have the rather sluggish Rooney (has very poor touches too often for a player of his caliber and salary) and RVP (rusty due to injuries)…Any team can sit back and play defense and catch us on a break like a script…because the midfield is too slow to close down and the front is clueless and lacking creativity as always.
Sums up well my feelings on the matter. Doesn’t suit Utd in character, personality, or tactics – ‘a rabbit in the headlights’. Important games coming up against Liverpool, City and return leg v Olympiakos. Bad results in these three and the faithfull may not be so. Lose the players, lose the supporters – no way back in my view.
he won’t change. Preston was the same. Phelan & the gang back until the end of the season. Can’t get worse.
I might have been ok with the team selection, if there was any idea how to effectively deploy each player. But the team were stuck within this near Victorian rigid 4-4-2. Young and Valencia hugged the touchline all night (why?!!! – how does this help?!). The movement was shockingly slow, unvaried and at almost every moment pretty easily dealt with. We should have scored at least one last night, and they fluked one, and yet 2-0 was actually fair on balance of play. I had hoped that with Rooney and RVP back we’d see a lot more going forward, with movement and interplay improved in the final third. As it was, i think that may just be the worst i’ve seen so far this season.
Kagawa, whilst working with shit, i thought did well to try and link up play and drive forward. We did better there. RVP looks utterly pissed off as he’s so often out of the game. It’s just shell of a side at moment, low on confidence, but i think low on belief that what they are being asked to do makes any kind of sense on the pitch. This not telling the players until a few hours prior who is and isn’t playing makes no sense to me either.
It’s the same squad that won the PL by 11 points last season plus 75 million pounds worth of new players! Only other change is the manager and his coaching staff! We will have to endure this for another year mac. Hold tight and bring on Klopp.
Max!
Wigan Ath
Very well written article indeed.
My thoughts exactly…
Its very difficult to “keep faith” and “back your manager” when we there is no reasons to at all?
Had Moyes been an attacking manager who plays attractive football (Laudrap or Rodgers) we would know why we are playing this way more willing to wait 18 months. With moyes 18 months from now is there going to be any change our style of play even with the players he has wants. He’s already spent £60 million plus to a championship winning team (albeit a below par one still champions). Its understandable that players used to playing 4-4-2 successfully for years adapting to a 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 or any change for that matter! Not the case with us. We are playing the same formation – this means that the poor displays come down to instruction from management.
Last night showed how Moyes is tactically well below par. We never looked we was going to score at any point last night. Surely if we can see that then so can he? No tactical changes just bring on the same players he should have started with but don’t change anything?
We paid £27 million for a midfielder who had solid performance on sat best so far for us. Not a £27 million performance at all but was definitely better than what cleverly offered.
I was skeptical at best before the game but once i saw the 11 i never expected anything less did you?
World Exclusive….
David Moyes has promised Man Utd fans we’ll be competing in a European Competition next season…
Even if he has to write the song himself… ….
Not heard that before
Pathetic!!
I PUT TACTICALLY INEPT IN TO GOOGLE AND THIS CAME UP
http://toffeeweb.com/season/12-13/comment/fan/24030.html
Tactically inept | ToffeeWeb | Fan Articles
toffeeweb.com
I genuinely think this was their approach before they saw our team selection, the selection of Neville just shone a massive spotlight on our inadequacies. Wigan knew that to counter this we had to be able to…
Awesome. Sums it up.
Just read the Utd Rant – still points to the players – wouldn’t matter who was in charge
his apparent lack of sense detracts from his sensibility RITE?
This man should not be allowed anywhere near our summer transfer kitty. However much it is. #MoyesOut
Iv had it with the line the players aren’t up to scratch!! Nobody expected United to seriously challenge for the title again this year.. But they are last years Champions who absolutely romped it in, who now can not string a few simple passes together.
The only thing that has changed is the appointment of Moyes and his totally inept coaching.
For crying out loud.. He’s turned a bunch of thorough champions into a mid table squad. And all the while the team he’s come from.. who were anchored mid table under his stewardship are now beating us, and playing much more attractive football. Coincidence? Theres a case to say he was holding Everton back now, surely? So why on earth give him the chance to ruin our beloved club further??
He doesn’t look like a champion, he doesn’t act like a champion and he definatly doesn’t talk like a champion.. You wanna know why? Because he’s never won a friggin thing!
He has to go now. Please.
EXACTLY!
We won by 11 points last season because other teams were poor.
So shouldn’t that mean that we should be on similar points to our rivals this year?
We certainly shouldn’t be 15 points off the top, with a slightly better squad than last season.
26 points lower, with pretty much the same players.
Either Fergie was actually the genius motivator that the press claim he was, or Moyes is just shit.
The most annoying thing is there are still people claiming to be United supporters here, defending a chancer (who will clearly ruin for the forseeable the club if he stays longer than this year) when all the evidence in front of them clearly points to the contrary.
But as it is said “you cannot defeat an ignorant man by argument” it also seems you can’t defeat the inherent delusion that Moyes will be a great coach because he came from Scotland. Where is a Gabrillo apron cop when you née one?
Wouldn’t, surprise me to see a right half, left half,inside right and inside left for the next game. I have a funny feeling that the DM now stands for Dead Man. This weeks players comments along will previous players comments confirms 100 percent he has lost the dressing room
// We came into the game in good form //
No Mr Moyes, we came into the game after a run of form that would be “acceptable” when you were Everton manager. It was POOR form by Utds standards.
What on earth is with the mangled title? It’s painful to read
Excellent write up as usual. Check out the insightful comment from the Everton fan, Moyes 12 months ago…
It’s not the results I have an issue with. I’d be happy to accept poor results if there were signs that the team is struggling to adapt to a new formation and set of tactics that once settled will provide a test for any opposition. We’ve seen it before, look at some of City’s performances when they were adapting from Mancini to Pelligrini but you could see what he was trying to do.
Our poor performances are a direct results of Moyes trying to take the club back to tactics that wouldn’t look out of place on ITV4’s football classics.
Moyes is tactically naive, he is inflexible and is determined to shoehorn his players into his failing tactics. Gary Neville said early in the season that Moyes would have to adapt his style to Manchester United, but he hasn’t and worse still is showing no sign of doing so. For that reason he has to go, and go soon.
The Glazers need to park Ed Woodward on a plane to Dortmund with the instruction to not come back until you have a signed agreement from Klopp, and do whatever you have to.
I said on twitter earlier in the season that Moyes is a communist era Yugo in the time of Ferrari.
When, quite a few years ago now, talk first turned to who could be Fergie’s successor, numerous names cropped up. Mourinho, Hitzfeld, Guardiola etc. Also on some peoples lists were the likes of Bruce, Hughes, Keane and yes, Moyes. At that time, Martin Edwards made it very clear that Fergie’s eventual successor would have to have “a proven track record of success at the highest level”. That seemed eminently sensible even though it automatically excluded the aforementioned old boys and, of course, David Moyes. So what changed? Why was Moyes given the job when he was clearly under qualified given Edwards’ guideline ? Of course ask Fergie’s opinion but why was it then left entirely to him to make the choice? I daresay we’ll have to wait for the truth which will no doubt come out some day.
What changed is quite clear. After The Glazer takeover Fergie became even more powerful to the point where he was given a free reign to choose who he wanted. Also the Glazer business plan is not built on winning trophies. Qualifying for the CL and the occassional run to the QF/SF in that is good enough to secure the income to enable them to keep leeching money from the club and service the debt.
Whatever maybe said about what happened till date ,the main questions to be asked are 1. do united have a playing philosophy to be at the top ..answer is no .
2. Do united players seem motivated and on top of their game …ans no
3. will new top players be wanting to play for united ..
ans no
Now the manager in this situation has to be responsible 80% ./20% maybe players.
As the answer to all three questions is a universal no .
philosophy/motivation /is a must for any manager . In this situation its not happening for moyes and the risk of it getting worse is too big a risk to take.
If we need new players we need a manger who can attract them. Moyes surely ranks less than mourinho/wenger/pellegrini/ and maybe martinez and rogers as well now.
of course if you give him 5 years he will come up with some results. however is the risk worth taking that he does not?