History will not judge the Moyes era well

The manner in which David Moyes was sacked is another glaring example of how far Manchester United has fallen.

For a club that has been so used to being in control and setting the pace on and off the field, it was another poor defensive leak.
History will not judge David Moyes favourably.

No-one will remember the fact that he is one of only five permanent United mangers to hold a greater than 50per cent winning record. They’ll remember the other painful records that have fallen, the poor performances and the apathy that has set in at Old Trafford.

When Alex Ferguson announced his retirement last year, I observed to friends of mine that the next United manager would not last more than 18 months. As I wrote in January, the next manager would be replacing someone who could not be replaced. I doubt there would have been many managers who would have had the required confidence and ability to seamlessly replace Fergie.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Moyes was handed a tough challenge. He was asked to take on a team who’s DNA and ethos was irrevocably linked with the past in a way that is all too common in English football – ask Charlton, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bolton fans.

The task was also made tougher as a new CEO, in Ed Woodward, meant it was the blind leading the blind at the top. Die hard Man United fans would also concede that the squad left by Sir Alex Ferguson was hardly vintage Manchester United. Their 2012/2013 title win was the last act of a successful era.

Yet Moyes could not use any of this as job security capital because of his own mistakes. He bungled his first transfer window in failing to close a deal for Cesc Fabregas, yet spent £27.5 million on Marouane Fellaini. Then he followed it up with another outrageous spend on Juan Mata.

His tactics were too cautious and predictable for a championship side as he failed to grasp the realities of his new job.

A perfect example came from the Man United versus Fulham game in February. United had 75per cent of the possession and made over 80 crosses, yet could only muster a 2-2 draw from nine scoring attempts. Fulham just sat back and allowed United to cross before counter-attacking on two occasions to earn a point.

Moyes’ fatal error however, was to allow the back room staff in Mike Phelan and Rene Meulensteen to depart in the summer so he could bring over Steve Round, Phil Neville and Chris Woods from Everton.

While he probably thought he needed to make a statement to show he was the new boss, it backfired spectacularly as he lost the experience and nous of the long time staff. He could have used Phelan as a valuable guide through the United machine, but he chose to do it his way and he lost the faith of the playing group.

It’s hard to find a real positive from the David Moyes era. Though his refusal to sell striker Wayne Rooney may partially rehabilitate his reputation if the England striker returns to top form.

At the end of the day, this whole episode reflects badly on everyone at Manchester United and those people who contributed should not escape punishment. Football is a results-based business and the results show that David Moyes was not the right man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson.

I hope Moyes gets another chance at management as he has a good football brain. But for that to happen, he must reflect on his failure at Manchester United and change his approach.