Apologies for the second part of The Ode to David Moyes being so late - your correspondent was not keeping well of late (to read Part 1, click here). But,here I am, to critically analyze Mr. Moyes, and where exactly did he lose the plot.
“When some performances are bad, you may blame the individual children. But when the whole class starts performing badly, you ought to have a look at the teacher.”, goes an old saying. The same applies to Manchester United. How did the champions of England have such a steep fall from grace, that they won’t even qualify for the Champions League right now? What has happened since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, that United have lost a record 12 times this season?
Here, I try to answer it in five simple reasons.
1. Failure of Marouane Fellaini:
Now, when United signed this afroboy back on the summer transfer deadline day, a lot of people were aghast. Fellaini, that’s it? Where was Baines? They needed him more than the Belgian. And I’ll have to admit; I’ve seen some unreasonable transfers over the years, but not something quite like this one. Blunder.
“When some performances are bad, you may blame the individual children. But when the whole class starts performing badly, you ought to have a look at the teacher.”, goes an old saying. The same applies to Manchester United. How did the champions of England have such a steep fall from grace, that they won’t even qualify for the Champions League right now? What has happened since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, that United have lost a record 12 times this season?
Here, I try to answer it in five simple reasons.
1. Failure of Marouane Fellaini:
Now, when United signed this afroboy back on the summer transfer deadline day, a lot of people were aghast. Fellaini, that’s it? Where was Baines? They needed him more than the Belgian. And I’ll have to admit; I’ve seen some unreasonable transfers over the years, but not something quite like this one. Blunder.
2. Failure to get the fans backing:
For any player to fit into the team, one factor is massive: to get hold of the fans at the club. Now think about the same of a manager, and the same factor multiplies massively. A manager is someone who not only makes transfers and coaches the team, but also represents the team. He is the bridge between the media and the team, between the owners and the players. He is supposed to get this crucial backing of the people in the stands to get his job done.
And then you have United supporters.
For any player to fit into the team, one factor is massive: to get hold of the fans at the club. Now think about the same of a manager, and the same factor multiplies massively. A manager is someone who not only makes transfers and coaches the team, but also represents the team. He is the bridge between the media and the team, between the owners and the players. He is supposed to get this crucial backing of the people in the stands to get his job done.
And then you have United supporters.
Being a City fan before we got the money, I’ve been asked plenty of times where was I when we were in relegation battles, or struggling to hold onto future “talents” like Joseph Barton. Hey, at least I wasn’t funding a plane to fly a banner over the stadium to sack my manager! However disastrous Mark Hughes has been, I still laud him for trying with the money he had. Agreed, he revamped our team and got in egotistical maggots. But hey, it was the start of something. We at least persisted with him. Shocking to know that even Steve Kean lasted longer with Blackburn Rovers more than Moyes did with United.
3. Failure to make Old Trafford a fortress:
Now, even I’ll admit, this is a particularly enterprising task. Making your home ground a tough place to visit is no easy task. But a team with the caliber and history that United have, it shouldn’t have been that much of a problem. But as the season has unfolded, we’ve seen nobody fears travelling to Old Trafford now, as summed up brilliantly by Alan Pardew in his post-match conference back in December, obviously hitting back at SAF’s comments last season, when he called Newcastle “a wee club in the North East”. Revenge is sweet, huh?
4. Lack of intent:
I’m not even sure this is a reason. Having observed United the whole season, there doesn’t seem to be a zeal to win - something which you would notice in Everton this year. United don’t seem to give it their all this season, apart from Rooney. The failure of players like Young and Kagawa to make the most of their available opportunities is apparent. In my opinion, only Rooney, De Gea and to some extent, Mata, have played their part. Moyes has not provided them with the fire to perform and excel this season.
5. Failure of van Persie to shake off is injury concerns:
I hold one player responsible for United’s win last season - a certain Dutch player christened Robin van Persie. He powered the Red Devils to their 20th league title the last time around. This season, he has had a lot of injuries to deal with, notably with his notorious hamstring. Moyes couldn’t have possibly prevented this from coming. His clinical talisman seems to have disappeared when he needed him the most.
3. Failure to make Old Trafford a fortress:
Now, even I’ll admit, this is a particularly enterprising task. Making your home ground a tough place to visit is no easy task. But a team with the caliber and history that United have, it shouldn’t have been that much of a problem. But as the season has unfolded, we’ve seen nobody fears travelling to Old Trafford now, as summed up brilliantly by Alan Pardew in his post-match conference back in December, obviously hitting back at SAF’s comments last season, when he called Newcastle “a wee club in the North East”. Revenge is sweet, huh?
4. Lack of intent:
I’m not even sure this is a reason. Having observed United the whole season, there doesn’t seem to be a zeal to win - something which you would notice in Everton this year. United don’t seem to give it their all this season, apart from Rooney. The failure of players like Young and Kagawa to make the most of their available opportunities is apparent. In my opinion, only Rooney, De Gea and to some extent, Mata, have played their part. Moyes has not provided them with the fire to perform and excel this season.
5. Failure of van Persie to shake off is injury concerns:
I hold one player responsible for United’s win last season - a certain Dutch player christened Robin van Persie. He powered the Red Devils to their 20th league title the last time around. This season, he has had a lot of injuries to deal with, notably with his notorious hamstring. Moyes couldn’t have possibly prevented this from coming. His clinical talisman seems to have disappeared when he needed him the most.
Was van Persie a one-season wonder? Probably. Did Wenger do good business, selling a 30-year old, with a past full of injuries, for 22.5 million pounds? Yes, and most rightly so.
(I can picture Arsene Wenger and Neil Nagwekar snidely laughing at this point.)
Right, so I’ve jostled down some reasons as to where Moyes could’ve gone wrong. Truth be told, everyone would have given Moyes another chance. Everyone except the Glazers. They had had enough. But sacking him just two weeks before the season ends sends out a strong message to Moyes that, enough was enough. Ryan Giggs has been appointed the interim manager, has publicly expressed his desire to manage United permanently, but Saturday’s loss against Sunderland clearly shows that the team needs experience. A lot of it.
And thus, my man for the job would be Louis van Gaal. Although the rumours have been denied by both parties, it could end up like City last season, with Manuel Pellegrini. Till then, here’s hoping the best in the road ahead for David Moyes. Sincerely.
-Mister GoogleHead (Follow on Twitter @Mr_GoogleHead)
(I can picture Arsene Wenger and Neil Nagwekar snidely laughing at this point.)
Right, so I’ve jostled down some reasons as to where Moyes could’ve gone wrong. Truth be told, everyone would have given Moyes another chance. Everyone except the Glazers. They had had enough. But sacking him just two weeks before the season ends sends out a strong message to Moyes that, enough was enough. Ryan Giggs has been appointed the interim manager, has publicly expressed his desire to manage United permanently, but Saturday’s loss against Sunderland clearly shows that the team needs experience. A lot of it.
And thus, my man for the job would be Louis van Gaal. Although the rumours have been denied by both parties, it could end up like City last season, with Manuel Pellegrini. Till then, here’s hoping the best in the road ahead for David Moyes. Sincerely.
-Mister GoogleHead (Follow on Twitter @Mr_GoogleHead)