Speculation is rife that Manchester United’s custodians have seen enough of the David Moyes era and that the ‘chosen one’ is about to be sacked.

In my own honest opinion it’s the right time for a parting of the ways.

I was very much in favour of the decision to hire Moyes in the first place. He was British, had a decent Premier League pedigree and deserved his chance.

But even on the day of his announcement, United made a huge mistake. They gave the fifty year old, a six year contract. It was meant to be seen as a sign of support and for United to say ‘look we are a club of dignity and a morally better than the rest’. They would have been better giving Moyes a years rolling contract or at most a three year deal. Let him prove himself or you can easily get rid of him. Now inside a year, the club are finding out that the man that they thought could continue Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy isn’t up to the task and will now have to fork out a hefty some to get rid of him. Beyond the financial hit that they’ll take, United’s biggest sore point is the embarrassment they now find themselves in by sacking a man under a year into his six year deal.

They made their own bed and now have to lie in it.

David Moyes has seriously helped contribute to his own downfall. When he came in last summer the Scotsman had to get the backing of his current squad and also rebuild that side from day one. Unfortunately he he didn’t manage to do either of those things.

He has said a few times this season that the club are in transition and that things will be changed in the summer. But most of us that know anything about football could see that those changes needed to be implemented when he first arrived. Now they are a season behind in terms of planning for the future. They have let the other teams catch them up and overtake them.

In terms of transfers Moyes hasn’t done well. But the boss was let down by those around him like the Chief Executive and the United scouts. But the transfer of Marouane Fellaini was totally down to Moyes. It was a panic buy at best and he wasn’t required. Yes they needed a central midfielder but the Belgian proved at Everton (under Moyes) that he was most effective in a direct side playing off the frontman and abusing defenders. That role was never going to be available at Old Trafford. Fellaini can’t tackle and his passing is mediocre at best. His signing proved that Moyes lacked the imagination needed to manage at the highest level.

The results have been terrible for Manchester United this term. Going from champions to seventh place in a season isn’t what the United fans had expected. They could have put up with a fourth spot as long as they could see potential in what Moyes was doing. But they have seen some shameful football from their heroes, losing six times at home is a woeful statistic. Losing to sides like Newcastle, Everton, WBA and Swansea was never part of the plan. Being humiliated by rivals like Manchester City and Liverpool was a strange and dire experience for the teams supporters.

Of course the fans at Old Trafford have been spoiled over the past two decades. But that doesn’t mean they won’t moan or complain when things finally do end up going wrong. For an institution like Manchester United who are on many stock exchanges they need to listen carefully to those fans plus shareholders and investors. At the moment all they will be hearing is discontented voices.

That’s why for the Man Utd moneymen it makes sense getting rid of Moyes now. They need to get the fans back on-side as soon as possible. If they are seen as turning a corner and getting in a manager like Jurgen Klopp, then they will see a boost in merchandise sales and the like. Should someone like Ryan Giggs take over until the summer then they will see full houses at Old Trafford for the remaining three home games.

Of course I feel very sorry for Davie Moyes. The man is still a good manager, he doesn’t become a bad one overnight.  Yes he was slow to react both tactically and on the training ground, plus he was useless in his recruitment drive! But unfortunately for him he wasn’t up to the job of leading Manchester United. It was his dream job but that dream soon became a nightmare. It also happened in the full glare of the public eye, with many opposing supporter finding merriment in his failure.

But there is no room for sentiment in football these days.

Has it all been bad for United in the Moyes era? Not totally. The next coach won’t be under that pressure of replacing Sir Alex, that coach should come in and be able to implement his own ideas straight from the off. Plus let’s face it, he can’t be any worse than the last guy!

But for Manchester United they need to start looking for that new man now and have him in place before the World Cup. One who will catch the faithful’s imagination, one who will come in on his first day and start the rebuilding job, a manager that will get the most from his squad and get rid of the deadwood. (All things Moyes should have done last summer)

Is that man available and can United get him? That remains to be seen.

Posted on April 21st, 2014 by scott
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