24 games played, 12 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. 9 points off 4th placed free scoring Liverpool-Reality check- Title defense in tatters, top four finish in jeopardy!!! D truth is of d 25 EPL players we registered, RVP, ROO, Chicha, De gea, Mata, Janujaz & probably Carrick are fit to don the jersey of United-the now fourth biggest football club in d world. Im not used to criticising newly appointed coaches after a few bad results...i believe they shld be given time to prove their worth. But i cnt hlp but kick Moyes for a number of reasons being...keeping Nani, Anderson, Valencia and Young is simply unforgiveable. Theyv shown over a couple of seasons now to be wasteful in possession, lacking creativity, unfit and lacking the mental attitude of champions. Probably of that lot, Valencia deserves a stay of execution because of his ability to fill in @ right back and defensive work he puts in, but goin foward he leaves much to be desired. Signing Fellani is d biggest joke..d guy just dsnt hv a role in United. His best games @ Everton came when he operated as a number 10, who thrives not in pickin out intelligent passes or guile nor in providn assists but using his physical presence to disorganise deep lying midfielders nd unsettling the oppositions defence. He lacks the commanding presence, vision, and technical ability to play in the middle of the park- a position where Moyes promised United fans he would bring in two world class players or better players as d case may be. Part of the blame goes to our Chairman, Mr. Edwood.. He spent the whole summer chasing after unrealistic targets and the tactics of negotiation wrnt effective- if he tot always coming to the media with informatn as to which players he was after would pacify the fans or probably support his promotion to club Chairman, when in reality, he was no where close to closing the deal or even having the financial muscle to compete with other clubs...just ask Tottenham about Willian last summer. The result of last summers transfer market inactivity is evident in our seasons statistics nd the fact that our best performer besides Wayne ds season has been 18-yr old Adnan. Rio, Vidic and Evra are way past their best nd shld be replaced urgently-only one of Rio/Vidic shld hv bn allowed to stay. Kagawa is a talent no doubt..but he hasnt shown hes got the physicality to match the demands of d EPL...which is why playing him as a number ten is a problem. Injuries hvnt helpd his case either, which is why a return to Dortmund as a make-weight for any potential transfer shld be sanctioned in the summer. Then comes the curious case of Zaha...for cryin out loud..d lad shld be givn more chances. He can perform no worse than our current crop of wingers. Moyes&Edwood shldnt entirely be blamed for our woes so far. His predecessor, the all knowing Fergie and the Glazier management simply didnt do enough to ensure that a healthy squad having European quality was available for the Chosen one. Moyes alluded to this fact in one of his frank assessments of the squad back in November wen he cited an obvious lack in quality and a team needing@least five or six world class players to compete. He shld be applauded for his role in turning around the Rooney situatn, returning him to the hungry beast who wants to play. Also, plaudits must be given him as Janujaz has flourished under his watch. Few would argue that this same sqauad won the league comfortably last season. Undisputed, Fergie is been missed for wateva he did behind the scenes to have made Manchester United the best team in Premier league history. Call it the fergie fear factor, fergie time, fergie calls; for over three seasons now, this team has struggled. The intensity of play and overall 90-minutes domination of the opposition has vanished. For 3 yrs now, Manchester United hvnt been their best. Why Fergie refused to spend big on world class creative players he alone knows. Credit must be given to the man for using this squad to work wonders. Only he knows the blend and mix of ingredients that worked...it can evn be argued that neither special Mourinho nor lucky Pep would have achieved as much as he did with this same group. Moving on from the mistakes of last summer, every right thinkn fan and pundit knows that the January window is a very diffult period to attract high class players. Our rada surprising purchase of Mata from Chelsea is a fantastic achievement. We cant blame the staff nd mgt for bringing in only one player though. But Cabaye would have helped, as well as oda available players to propel us to finish in the top four. Evn with a 37.1 million pound man, our struggles havnt eased. It is argued that such outlay could have been used to finance moves for decent players in centre midfield and defence. Also, Mata is ineligible to play in the champions league ds season. But givn the conditions of things now, a top four finish is the most important thing ds season. However, the Mata buy in itself is a good thing, given that he may not hv bn available in the summer. Any team with such a calibre of player would definately be improved going foward. Following Gary Nevilles candid view on the Mata buy, Juan Mata would bring about other matters arising in the team. This definately signals a new era of football and tactics@Old trafford nxt season. But given the pedigree and style of play of the manager, doubts exists in some ends as to the ability of Moyes to lead such a revolution. Even more puzzling is the decision of Moyes to clear Fergies whole coaching staff and replace them with men who hvnt worked @ ds level before. Both manager and coaching staff are new to this kind of job as well as the expectation that comes with it. Manchester United are in a post Fergie era-tansition is happening, and so far, it hasnt been funny. Moyes last yr evn acknoledged that United fans shld brace demslvs for a few more bumps and bad results..but bringin in a coach nd staff new to managing a big team and needing to learn their trade and @ d same time to oversee a squad needing plenty of new faces and quality is a big ask for any management crew possessing a CV similar to those of Mr. David Moyes and his men. No one disputes that people shld be given opportunity and time to grow on a job, but in this industry, time is as non-existent as Stephen Downings Premier league assists. For a club as big as United, such a long wait isnt available if we hope not to be overtaken by other clubs locally and in Europe. Now,to finish in the top four,we must beat off competition from pretending Tottenham and consistent Liverpool especially. No players can come in@ds point of the season. Moyes and his backroom staff must find a way to ignite the spark in the team. The players themselves must fight and repay the belief shown dem by the manager through the summer and January. Moyes made this point known wen he tasked the players last week to either perform or be thrown out. United supporters would wonder if such chastisement is coming a little too late. Finishn below fourth is absolutely unacceptable if we are to attract world class talents to Old trafford and secure the financial future of the club. Defenders, centre&defensive midfielders, attacking midfielders/wingers and probably a striker must come in. With our performances every match day looking more like we would be needing more than five or six world class players, Moyes must be backed with deep pockets. If he is to succeed, Edwood must be the busiest man in the world come summer.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 12:37:12 +0000
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