Now that I am back and raring to go, I feel my first article should ask the question all Manchester United fans have on their minds. Where do we go from here?
27 years of Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm has given all of us quite the ride and what seemed like a perpetual high. 38 trophies later and we all have to ask, where did all the years go? And will it now come to a screeching halt? Is David Moyes the answer and will the club continue to be the most popular and successful brand in world football?
In the past my negativity would get the better of me and I would start on about David Moyes not being the right man and that the Glazer’s did this and did not do that etc etc. Fact is I think we all need to take a breath and understand that right now, we as a football community are treading in unfamiliar waters and we need to stay close to shore for fear of drowning in doubt and insecurity.
Let me go on the record by saying that I did not want David Moyes as our new manager but now that he is the new gaffer, I am damned determined to support him 100% until he proves to me that his unworthy of that support.
I have no doubt that Moyes is a quality manager and a fine man to boot. What he did at Everton with a yearly transfer kitty of three shillings was nothing short of a miracle. He is an outstanding motivator and as good a man manager as there is in the game. Tactically however, I feel he is limited. I am not really sure about his ability to adapt and implement more continental strategies and tactics. One has to remember that even Fergie took over ten years of heartache in Europe to adapt and incorporate European systems to his squad’s play for them to finally be successful in the Champions League.
Moyes has never won a thing and although expectations for a club like Everton were small, I am surprised that he was not able to win at least one FA or League Cup during his eleven-year tenure there. Christ even Wigan and Swansea have managed to do that with far less talent than he has had to work with at Goodison Park. His tactics at times seem too pedestrian and old school and although it brought out the best in his team, I doubt that it is good enough for a club as worldly as United. United is a higher pedigree and the shoes he is attempting to fill cannot honestly be adequately filled by anyone really. After all, he is replacing the greatest manager in not just football history, but sports history. The only coaches in sport to even come close to his accomplishments are Scotty Bowman in hockey, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Tom Landry in American football, Red Aurbach and Phil Jackson in basketball and Casey Stengel in Baseball. All highly accomplished coaches/managers but all pale in comparison to Fergie when one looks in their respective trophy cases.
Lets also ask the question many of us have on our minds. How will he handle the ego’s and requirements of star players. Moyes has never had to deal with the likes of Ronaldo, Rio, Cantona, Keane, van Nistelrooy, Beckham and Rooney before. With all respect to the likes of Fellaini, Baines and Jagielka, they are not exactly elite players with world-class pedigrees and egos. Well, at least not yet. Can Moyes handle high maintenance players like that and bring the best out of them? Perhaps, but I have my doubts. It is important to note that the same could have been asked of Fergie when he left Aberdeen to come to Old Trafford. The difference however is greater as the game, the league and footballers in general have changed greatly over the past quarter century. Also, the allure of European glory, brand licensing and money has really soured the game and changed the way teams do business with players and one another.
Moyes does not have mature, committed and professional performers like Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce and Dennis Irwin to manage. Today he has petulant immature, emotionally erratic and selfish mercenaries to deal with. For every mature and respectful professional like Valencia, RVP, Carrick and Chicharito on board, he has a crew of cry-babies and selfish players like Rooney, Nani etc who will make the voyage of the good ship United a little more perilous. Stars have different requirements and different buttons to push. Moyes has never had to deal with a player whose salary is greater than that of all of Everton football club’s players combined. I mean seriously people, on the million to one chance Ronaldo returns home to Old Trafford, can we honestly believe David Moyes will be able to control this egomaniacs wishes and demands?
Another major concern I have with the hiring of David Moyes is that until he proves himself with the acquisition of prized silverware, I fully expect the Manchester brand worldwide to suffer. Many fans of the club around the world expect a marquee name to be the manager of the marquee brand in world football. For the purpose of licensing, and most importantly, the acquisition of world-class foreign talent, I feel that David Moyes may be way over his head. Again, I do not want any of you to feel I disrespect the man because I don’t, but when you are talking about a club like Manchester United, you are talking about pedigree. Sir Alex Ferguson earned that respect and had that pedigree because of what he accomplished over his illustrious career. Trophies gain you respect and pedigree and trophies are not just equated with a club, but with the man in charge. I honestly cannot see elite world-class talent wanting to play for David Moyes over the likes of Mourinho, Pellegrini, Wenger, Guardiola, Ancelotti, Heynckes or Klopp. That list is the “A” list of world club managers and lets face it, they have the allure and pedigree to seduce and convince the majority of elite players to sign with their respective clubs.
Up to now, Moyes has been successful securing the signature of relative unknowns and and not even “B” list players. His ability as a manager has elevated previously unknown players like Pienaar, Fellaini, Jagielka and Baines into solid “B” list players. These kinds of players Moyes can attract without a problem. Problem is that United requires and demands better than that.
At present United are being connected to names in the transfer rumour mill like Ronaldo, Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Hummels, Strootman, Garay and other “A” list talent. I hope and pray that we are able to sign just a few of these players. In all honesty though, I’m just not sure many of these players would want to play for the former manager of Everton FC. Initial success with trophies will go a long way to dispelling the preconceived notions I and other like-minded individuals have about Moyes not having the allure and recognition to garner the signing of elite talent. At present we are close to signing both Thiago and Garay and these signings will go a long way to debunking my theory. Ronaldo returning would dismiss it altogether.
I also worry that Moyes was hired because he was never a problem for the thrifty owner of Everton and unlike Mourinho or Guardiola, his demands for high transfer kitty’s would be more on the lines of what the Glazer family requires as they continue to rape and pillage the profits this club garners for them on a day to day basis. Was he hired to be a “Yes Man”? I hope not. My biggest gripe with Fergie over the past few years was his willingness to tolerate the Glazer’s penny-pinching ways. This has caused our club to fall in comparison to the two super clubs in Spain and Bayern Munich while allowing City and Chelsea to challenge us as top dog in England. Bottom line is you need to spend more than 20-30 million pounds a year on transfers if you are to compete with these clubs domestically, and especially in Europe.
Can any of us honestly say that at present our squad compares with either Barcelona’s, Real Madrid’s or Bayern Munich’s? Hell, I believe if we played PSG or Dortmund we would probably come out on the short end. We succeed in England because while our decline is ever so slow, the other big clubs in the EPL also suffer from their own internal problems. Fact is that over the past four years, the EPL has diminished at the top and strengthened at the bottom and middle. Why? Simply put, money is not the only factor that is keeping top talent from signing with EPL clubs. Spain, Germany have more allure and many players choose to go there while the EPL keep losing top talent from top teams due to the trappings the rich clubs from those countries offer. Now France with PSG and Monaco want to get in the act and the EPL have already lost talented players destined for English shores to clubs offering them the romance and attractiveness of playing in France over the rain of England. Look at how Italy is suffering. All the top clubs there seem to be having major trouble buying elite talent and seem to be more content buying aging stars and “B list” players.
Only grand ambition and money will make the difference and the Glazer’s will need to show us the money for top players to want to risk playing for a Fergi-less Manchester United. Question is, will the Glazer’s play ball financially? They say they will support Moyes in the transfer market but honestly I have my doubts. I trust them about as much as the hair on Malcolm Glazer’s head. Nevertheless, I do wish David Moyes well and beg and pray that he fulfills my one wish for the near future. Please please please bring Ronaldo back home to Old Trafford. I may not believe it, but we all have fantasies.
Cheers…..
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