Moyes for United: Keep the faith

David Moyes

The winds of change are upon Old Trafford. An unparalleled era of domination, established under the Scottish mastery of Sir Alex Ferguson, is now under greater threat than ever before. To face this storm, standing upon the shoulders of some of United’s greatest sons, is a relative newbie to the big league – David Moyes.

Starting at a disadvantage, having been picked over the hugely popular Jose Mourinho, Moyes has a tough task at hand to win over the relatively affable United fans. It has been a gritty showing thus far from the former Everton boss, in spite of a couple of results gone awry, with admirable handling of the Rooney saga as well as the forced inactivity in the transfer market.

However, United fans will hope that it is not a sign of things to come, given how a call from Sir Alex would in all likelihood have been sufficient to catch the attention of everyone from Fabregas to Ibrahimovic. There is slight relief in the fact that United’s secondary targets both hailed from Everton, one of whom did arrive, but with the spending power of football clubs increasing at a maddening pace, Moyes will beware that he cannot get by at United based on mere relationships.

Things aren’t likely to be quite the same for United on the pitch, not even in their own backyard; the fiery temper of one Scotsman replaced with the calm, charismatic presence of another. Moyes takes over the reins from a man who was as much United himself as is the club, and unless the passion for the club seeps into his veins, he will find it hard to inspire those late late-comebacks that are trademark United.

Fergie time is over. One pauses for a moment to recollect all the goals that have been scored in those final few seconds by United, even those against Bayern in ’99, and it sinks in. Fergie. Time. Is. Over. There will no longer be one manager ruling the roost at Old Trafford, not in the near future. Mourinho will come, Wenger will come, and so will a dozen others just as in the past; only this time, their voices will actually be heard.

Tactics, quite surprisingly, is one area where United fans can breathe easy; not because Moyes is quite yet in the league of Ferguson, but because if anyone is likely to get there with the squad now at United’s disposal, it’s him. Having worked with a financially strapped club for around a decade, in spite of not having won a major trophy, Moyes has developed some fantastic players and brought the best out of those less fancied names under him.

With an arguably better squad at his disposal now, it is but logical to be optimistic. What will be interesting to see, however, is if he breaks free of that ‘defensive’ tag attached to him. A lack of creativity has plagued the Old Trafford outfit in their recent couple of outings, and with smatterings of fans’ discontent beginning to creep in, Moyes may need to rethink a line or two on his drawing board.

The arrival of Fellaini is almost certain to add an element of threat to United’s attack, but unless United’s best eleven are consistently on the pitch, one worries for the European prospects of this workman-like squad. Add to that Moyes’ inexperience playing in Europe’s elite footballing competition, and a grim picture surfaces.

For many, a generation almost, who have grown up as United fans under the wing of Sir Alex, the season ahead is a scary prospect indeed. But unless they believe, they shall not conquer. And believe in Moyes they must. For Sir Alex. For United.