In the last 24 hours, Manchester United told their manager to sod off. David Moyes, the man who was chosen to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, the man himself, just got handed his walking papers. And I, for one, am absolutely livid at this decision.
As a point of reference, a few year ago when I was writing for a Man United blog called 7Cantonas, I had posited that David Moyes was the best-suited candidate to replace Sir Alex Ferguson. This was ahead of the veritable spectrum of personalities whom the media, and supporters, had wished to install as Fergie's heir-apparent. I felt that without the limitations imposed upon him by Everton's board, that Moyes would be able to show that he's as capable a manager as any. However wonderful that hope may have been. It was quickly dashed in the insanity that has defined this season.
As of current, Manchester United are sitting 7th in the Premier League. Fucking 7th! Not 18th! Not 19th! Not even close to fucking 20th! They are sitting in 7th. On the cusp of making the Europa League, which I believe they will get that spot if Arsenal wins the FA Cup. They aren't in a relegation battle. They aren't even really having that bad a season. 57 points out of 34 matches isn't exactly setting the world alight, however it sure as hell isn't atrocious. Plus, if they may be able to swing winning their last 4 matches, with a little luck, they could overtake Spurs for 6th. This season is not the total loss that every Chicken Little in a red shirt will tell you it has been. It's a transition period. Leeway should have been granted, and given, by any and all supporters of the club. As well as the board. As well as the luxury boxes.
The decision by the club to sack Moyes is a shameful one to me. Despicable, in fact. Manchester United is a club that prides itself on being different from any other club. This is a club that will tell you, and its supporters will spew this like rhetoric, that they didn't give up on Alex Ferguson, for the years when he couldn't get over the hump. They will regale you with tales of Man United triumphing over adversity, time and again. But, what they won't tell you is that the deeply ingrained sense of titles in ascendency, has left a good portion of the supporters absolutely clueless about how to deal with mediocrity. And how to deal with disappointment.
I saw a myriad of examples, from the Guardian's comment sections, to Facebook, to Twitter; all impatient fans who want their club to win. Not a thought was given to the fact that David Moyes is not Alex Ferguson. Well, it was, only insofar as to be considered pejorative. Not a thought was given, after Christmas, to letting Moyes clean out the old geezers and dead weight, and build up the team in his own style. Too much emphasis was put on how Moyes lacked the power and ability to motivate his players. Or how he lacked the ability to plan and execute successful tactics, on pitch. Or how the teams he would field would look lazy, sloppy, and lacking that creative spark that, supposedly, sets Man United apart from every other football club in the world. Yet, these are the same folks who will tell you that the club will support its manage to the very end, and they will too. They merely, discreetly, omit their caveat to justify their mutiny.
Those excuses are just bullshit. The supporters have been pissed off that the club isn't playing to their expectations, so they were looking for a scapegoat. Unfortunately, given his position within the confines of the club, David Moyes' head had a very abrupt rendezvous with that particular metaphorical guillotine. As one who has defended Moyes' signing, and keeping him as manager, I had to face at least one fellow supporter giving me shit about how Moyes is a failure and how he needed to go. The little bit of the club that I have gotten to see, due to my schedule, showed me a team that looked scared against City. A team that looked lost, because their leader had left them. And a team didn't seem interested in playing any style of football other than their own. This team deserves to be exposed as mediocre. Without the blanket of Fergie to insulate them from the media or any other scrutiny, the flaws fell into light. A lot of the supporter comments that I saw, especially online, didn't seem to know how to deal with this eventuality. Well, outside of vitriol and mutiny.
Do I think that Ferguson set Moyes up to fail? In some ways, definitely. He coddled the club into a laurel-rested-on slumber. He didn't give Moyes the best possible hand to play. The squad is aging. And little was done to address the problem. Both last season and this. Players like Rooney can still hold the club hostage for mammoth wages. Ryan Giggs is still a part of squad, despite losing a lot of his efficacy years ago. In a lot of ways, I am seeing what happened at Liverpool, especially during the waning years of the Rafalution, up to Rodgers being appointed, repeat itself here. All completely unnecessarily, too. It is the responsibility of the players to execute any plans. The manager's role stops as soon as the opening kickoff is taken. He can only plan contingencies in the interim. He cannot play out their effectuality in real time. He can only react, once his plan goes to shit. Some may say that Moyes lacked the strength in offering proper responses to what was happening to his teams. However, that fails to acknowledge the argument that the teams he fielded should never have found themselves in those positions in the first place. And that's one place where I feel Fergie failed the club.
As the last couple of seasons progressed, more and more the squads he would put out, wouldn't truly show any dominance. They never set England or Europe on fire. They just did a lot of scraping results by in the dying moments. They never showed themselves capable of putting a match away early. They'd just get a lead and coast. That mentality, and its inherent complacency, played a very large role in the club finding itself where it is now. Comparatively abject mediocrity. They haven't played like true champions in a few years. They just happened to be the least bad, out of horrible competition. The same could be said for City or Chelsea's wins. There was no decimation of the competition. No running away with the title by 15 points or more. Just spending a lot of time riding luck, and depending entirely on having their fate being written by the inability of the other top clubs, in sealing their results. Outlasting your opposition is the mark of a champion. However, blasting your opposition out of sight, making it impossible for them to catch you, is an even bigger mark. The club did not play like champions. Just like an old boxer who was hoping he'd win the title in the decision. That's the squad that David Moyes inherited.
And now, Ryan Giggs inherits this squad. Godspeed Giggsy, you may want to return to shagging whoever you want.
