And so it begins. We knew that Manchester United were vulnerable. We knew that the first run of poor form under the new manager would signal a panic. The only thing we didn’t know was how quickly it would happen. United were handed a tricky start by the fixture computer, though not as tricky as Aston Villa who have two more points, but you can’t blame this start on fixtures. With respect to West Bromwich Albion, they should not be winning at Old Trafford and they certainly should not be able to dance through the United defence with that ease. Was he the right man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson? Is he out of his depth? Should he be sacked before he can do any more damage? United have supporters all over the world and on Saturday night, tens of thousands of them were united in their fury over the social networks.. Let’s be clear: United’s start under the former Everton boss has been wretched. For this club to have lost three games before the start of October is unprecedented in the Premier League era. That’s more than half the number of games that they usually lose all season. On the pitch, United have been underwhelming in the final third, over-reliant on set-pieces and worryingly poor at the back. Off the pitch, a crucial transfer window has been wasted. It’s not good enough. Nevertheless, as this storm intensifies it is imperative that supporters, and indeed journalists, tighten their grip on reality. We knew that Moyes was walking into a power vacuum more vast than any that has been experienced in this game in living memory, and that has been confirmed. He isn’t replacing a man, he’s replacing a legend. Moyes’ task is even more difficult when you consider how many generations of United supporters simply have no comprehension of what it is to struggle. Not since 1990 has there been any serious reason to suspect that the manager really doesn’t know what he’s doing. Even when Ferguson himself was being booed by a significant section of support No other club in the Premier League era has ever been so insulated from the reality that football is a chaotic, unpredictable beast that can turn on you at any time. It is only natural, and it is entirely justified, to moan about a start like this. Moaning is the birthright of all football supporters. But if anyone truly believes that Moyes should be sacked, they need to think again. Never mind the cost of axing a man with five years and eight months remaining on a lucrative contract, what kind of message would it send to his successor? What kind of signal would it send to the media? You only have to glance over at Stamford Bridge to see the result of endemic instability. Millions of pounds spent on one overhaul after another and only a single Premier League title in the last seven seasons. It’s all too easy to find yourself trapped in a loop of hiring and firing one potential messiah after another. It’s far harder to hold your nerve and allow situation to stabilise, but it’s far more rewarding. If the fans are looking for a scapegoat for the slow decline of the team, they would do better to look further up. They’d do better to ask themselves why, when their club accrues so much money every season, they so rarely compete with the big teams in Europe for the genuinely world class players. Barcelona signed Neymar. Real Madrid signed Gareth Bale. PSG signed Edinson Cavani. Monaco signed Radamel Falcao. Bayern Munich signed Mario Goetze. United, with all of their allure, with all of that season ticket money, with that incredible global ‘brand’, signed...erm...Marouane Fellani. You can’t blame all that on Moyes. With the exception of the signing of Robin van Persie, seen by many as a gamble at the time, when was the last time United completed a transfer that made Europe sit up and take notice? Moyes hasn’t started his career at Old Trafford well, there’s no way of hiding that. But he is hardly the only man to blame for the club’s decline and this is hardly the time to panic. It’s time for everyone to take a very deep breath. Thanks Iain Macintosh
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 18:25:43 +0000
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