It has been seven months and only fourteen games since Sir Alex Ferguson stood on the Old Trafford turf and told the listening fans to give the new man time. Applause rang out among the masses and yet this morning I see quite a few posts on social media saying Moyes out. One person even stating that Moyes wasn’t in his top 15 Manager shortlist because ‘He never won a trophy or qualified them for any European tournament’.
This is just completely untrue. He qualified them for the 2005/06 Champions League qualification place after finishing fourth but were eliminated in the second qualifying round against Villarreal. He also got them to the Europa League knockout stages in 2007/08, think they were knocked out right before the Quarter Finals and was then knocked out in the first round in the 2008/09 season. He did also make the 2009 FA Cup Final, beating United in the Semi Final before being defeated by Chelsea after a Lampard strike in the last fifteen minutes, and so far he has won every trophy available to United, the Charity Shield. United fans need to remember that Sir Alex Ferguson was apparently the guy who hand picked David Moyes and in the last 25 years how many bad decisions has he made at Old Trafford?
Fourteen league games in is no time to start judging a manager who has taken on such a big job and stepped into big shoes, Ferguson was not just a Manager, he WAS United. What do I mean by that? Well before Ferguson took charge in 1986 United had won the title only seven times, the last being in 1967. Six FA Cups had been won but no League cups whatsoever were in that trophy cabinet before the arrival of Ferguson. A single European Cup, also back in 1968 so other than three FA Cups (which is sill not shabby) United hadn’t won anything for almost twenty years. All trophies counted up, pre Ferguson was twenty three, including nine Charity Shields. That was in just under an already 110 year history. Twenty five years and one Manager later that number now stands at 62.
Don’t forget Manchester United also had another Manager who wasn’t to shabby either in Matt Busby. From 1945-1969 he lead Manchester United but was a good six years into his tenure before winning the League, although he did lift the FA Cup in his first two seasons. Thirteen trophies in his almost twenty five years of course could have been a lot more had the Munich Air disaster not happened but the fact is that from the end of the war until current day two Managers of Manchester United have won all but four of the fifty seven trophies lifted in post war United history.
When Fergie took over in 1986 he didn’t have a bad squad either, Clayton Blackmore and Paul McGrath in defense, Robson and Strachan in midfield and Norman Whiteside and Frank Stapleton in attack. The next season he had added Brian McClair in attack, Lee Martin, Viv Anderson and Steve Bruce and would finish second in the League.
It is said that some players take time to step up to this kind of level and Fellaini from Everton to United is a step up with regards expectations and the same with Moyes. I do not think Moyes was ever going to win the League in his first season at Old Trafford and remember SAF’s first fourteen games in charge of United only got you one more point than Moyes has now, would you have wanted him out? I do think that Moyes is a good manager but I think he has got to be given time.
If this time next season United are in a similar position then I think talk of him leaving could have more justification. Yes they are twelve points away from Arsenal in top spot, but only six from third place and have already set their names in the pot for the next round of the Champions League.
Unfortunately I think that Ferguson was at United so long and was so successful that anyone in their early thirties and younger do not remember a time when United were not dominant. It is a shock to the system for them to be ninth right now but I am sure the real supporters will stay the course and understand that nothing is won if you keep changing head coach. However I do expect the glory supporters to migrate away from United the longer this transition period continues. That is a good thing for United though who have been punching above their weight for a while now.
