With miserable results, a league table position that reads 7th behind the likes of Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur who seemed certain to finish below Manchester United before the season started and a sense of negativity surrounding Old Trafford after another two points dropped this past weekend, all fingers are being pointed at David Moyes. Some fans are even giving him the black flag and want him gone by the end of this season.
But is the sacking really necessary? Is the seemingly imminent axing of Moyes really needed? Are the few pampered Red Devils actually justified in their outrage? Arguably yes, but here’s a look at some reasons as to why the answer is a big fat NO!
1. The over-achievements of his predecessor –
It’s not easy taking over a club as big as Manchester United. It gets even worse even you’re having to follow the achievements of a certain Sir Alex Ferguson. What Sir Alex could do with the side, is arguably intangibly impossible for anyone else to do. The United side that won the title last season wasn’t the best in the world. Arguably, it wasn’t even the best in England in terms of pure talent. But it was Sir Alex who rallied his men to the title. United to some extent over-achieved with the quality they had at their disposal. The people who say “This same squad won the title last year and now they’re struggling” are clearly missing the Sir Alex Ferguson factor which was massive. This very factor is hurting David Moyes in his conquest in all honesty.
2. Injuries –
Injuries hurt every team and that’s no rocket science. For David Moyes to succeed this season he’d have wished to have a largely fit squad at his disposal to instill some ‘Moyesness’, if you may, into the side. But times have been cruel on Moyes with Michael Carrick sidelined for a long time, accompanied by Rafael then followed by Vidic and Ferdinand. He’s had to try more than a dozen combinations in his defensive back-line already this season. The most important hits were the absence of Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney. It’s almost been close to never that Moyes had a chance to play his best-11 together. It’s no excuse to hide any incompetence regarding the lack of strength on the United bench or the below-par performance of some of the players on the field but given the quality Moyes missed, it’s not fair to unjustly lay it all on the Scotsman.
3. Longevity reaps fruit –
Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, David Moyes at Everton and the latest example of Brendon Rodgers at Liverpool are enough to support the claim of Longevity in the managerial box resulting in long-term benefits for the clubs. None of the above mentioned managers had immediate shot to fame or success. It was the board and the club’s faith in them that resulted in the success they achieved. The media today is much worse in terms of finger-pointing or laying the blame on the manager than a few years ago. But the success mantra more-or-less still remains the same.
Hasty changes never helped anyone and this is why the fans, the board members and the players will have to be patient with their new manager who is just over half-a-year into his 6-year contract. Sir Alex Ferguson will respect the importance of backing the manager more than anyone. He chose his successor, asked the fans to get behind their new manager which makes a lot of sense when thought with a clear mind. In an era based on instant success re-building an empire as fantastic as that built by Sir Alex will take a lot of patience, a lot of determination and tons of support from everyone connected to the club and if it pans out as its planned, Manchester United would be set for yet another decade worth of smooth sailing owing to their financial stability already laying the foundation for it.
All in all, David Moyes won’t and shouldn’t be sacked this early into his reign. As they say, if the fans were as smart as they think they are they’d be the one’s managing the club. Faith in your manager can take you a long-way and that’s exactly what every football club should focus on rather than giving into the media pressure and finding short-term solutions.
