Ten months in charge of a football club may not sound like a long time to most people, but in the case of David Moyes and Manchester United, it felt like an eternity.
Upon learning of Moyes’ sacking today, one quote immediately sprung to mind. It came some months ago from Gary Neville.
At the beginning of the season, the former United captain and Jamie Carragher were discussing David Moyes’ appointment as Manchester United manager. Neville was asked by his Scouse co-analyst whether Moyes would change the club he was arriving at or whether the reigning champions of England would change David Moyes.
‘United will change him’ Neville replied with an assertive nod and smile that portrayed ultimate confidence. The former right back then went on to talk extensively and passionately about United’s philosophy of attacking football. The implication was that Moyes would have to augment the style of play that he practised in his previous job at Everton in order to fit in with the philosophy of his new club and succeed.
Unfortunately for Neville and United supporters the world over, their club did not change David Moyes. David Moyes changed their club.
Over the course of this disastrous 2013/14 season, David Moyes remained David Moyes while Manchester United lost their identity. Over the coming days, much will be said of managers being denied sufficient time to implement their ideas and form their own squads in the wake of Moyes’ sacking. There is some merit to these claims. Too many managers are cast aside in haste these days. Such is modern football.
David Moyes is not one of these unfortunate souls, however.
Make no mistake, the Manchester United of 2013/14 were definitively Moyes’ creation; Rigid, cautious, lacking invention and found wanting against the better sides in the Premier League, United closely resembled the Everton teams that the Scot spent a decade assembling on Merseyside. His Everton sides were functional and consistently finished in the top half of the table. That was never going to be enough to satisfy a club of United’s standing. More was required of Moyes for him to succeed at Old Trafford; He had to adapt and evolve. He failed to do either.
Any manager at a European powerhouse such as Manchester United cannot rely on patience and time being afforded to them, especially when the owners of such an institution are venture capitalists whose chief concern is the share price of their ‘franchise’. Success (in terms of trophies) isn't a prerequisite at Old Trafford these days. Champions League participation and the monetary rewards that come along with it, is. The financial implications of United being out of Europe’s elite competition for a sustained period would be catastrophic for the Glazer family.
Despite being crowned champions of England last season, United were not universally expected to win the title this term. A season of transition was how 2013/14 was billed and securing a top four finish would have been an acceptable, if slightly underwhelming, achievement for Moyes. A title challenge wasn't out of the realms of possibility by any means, but top four was the minimum requirement for success.
The notion of Manchester United finishing in 7th place in the Premier League was outlandish back in August. For all the talk of United’s squad being weaker than previously perceived, no one saw a failure of that magnitude occurring. That Moyes has left United in just such a position with only four games remaining in their season is as shocking as it is abysmal. First season or not, such a fall from grace was never likely to be tolerated at a club like United. Nor should it have been.
Not all successful managers start off brilliantly in new jobs, of course. This season’s outstanding boss, Brendan Rodgers, finished seventh in his first term with Liverpool. The difference is that managers like Rodgers earned time for themselves despite inauspicious beginnings. Even when results weren't necessarily great at Anfield last season, Rodgers’ vision was apparent. There were encouraging performances sprinkled amongst the string of poor early results and progress slowly but surely began to emerge in the final half of the league campaign. Rodgers bought himself another year at Anfield by showing the masses that his team was improving and that he was seeking to play an attractive, crowd-pleasing brand of football. Future success wasn't a guarantee, but progress was tangible and therefore, hope and belief in Rodgers’ abilities remained and he kept his job.
Contrast that with David Moyes season at Old Trafford and it is easy to see why similar levels of patience weren't forthcoming. United’s football hasn't been adventurous or entertaining. It has been laborious and uninspiring. The results have been even worse. 3-0 home hammerings at the hands of rivals Manchester City and Liverpool were bad enough, but Everton’s league double over United was the straw that ultimately broke the camel’s back and sealed Moyes’ fate.
Firstly, after just ten months in charge of his new club, Roberto Martinez had changed Everton beyond all recognition. Secondly, David Moyes had done exactly the same to Manchester United.
And so I come back to those words:
‘Manchester United will change him’
That Gary Neville’s assertion was so wrong is exactly why ten months was more than enough time for David Moyes at Manchester United.
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