David Moyes: Misfit or masterstroke by Manchester United?

David Moyes

Much has been written about David Moyes since his move to Manchester United earlier this year. His arrival was greeted with a lot of skepticism among the United faithful and had it not been for the famous words – “Stand by your new manager”, many would have turned their backs on him. Critics have long thrown the notion of Moyes being a mid-table manager who lacks adventure when it matters. His abysmal record against the perceived top 4, reluctance to give youth a chance and generally play it safe are points that the naysayers bring up now and then.

However, what these self proclaimed pundits forget is that he was a manager of a club where mid-table stability was desired. If they needed to park the bus against the top 4 to gain an invaluable point, so be it. His transfer kitty at Everton was meagre and with the lure of cross town rivals in the mix, getting quality players was always going to be an uphill task.

Even then, for a team to have had Arteta, Cahill, Baines, Heitinga and Phil Neville among others is no mean feat. With a shrewd Chairman in Bill Kenwright and a tactician in David Moyes, Everton achieved what they set out to every season – finishing in the top half. If Moyes is being blamed for steering a stuttering ship safely through choppy waters, then I am afraid such fans fail to see how a club is also a business venture.

Cut to 2013, and there is a stark difference in his attitude as a Manchester United manager. Of course, the start has been anything but steady, but for a club that has had a heart transplant, it deserves some time to recuperate. His handling of the Wayne Rooney saga has been spot on till now and hopefully we shall see the Number 10 sign on the dotted line soon enough. With the exception of the transfer fiasco, which co-incidentally is not the responsibility of Moyes, his conduct has been perfect.

As United come to terms with the new gaffer and vice versa, one can see why he was such an obvious choice. While the romantics would have liked a certain Portuguese to take over the mantle of Sir Alex, the sensible would politely disagree. With one read of the autobiography of Sir Alex, one can sense that the underlying tone of his management era was control over the club followed by stability. The Portuguese fails miserably in this regard. His frequent fallouts with star players are well known and the fact that he has not hung around to build a team per se works against him. His appointment would have been like a double edged sword, something which United did well to avoid.

Moyes may not be a master tactician as Jose is, but football isn’t always about formations. To take everyone together to a certain goal, one needs foresight, patience and perseverance. The fact that Januzaj has featured prominently this season, ahead of the likes of Nani, Young and Kagawa shows he is not afraid to take risks – a departure from his earlier stance at Everton.

A 6-year contract in the modern day game for a manager who is yet to win a trophy of repute is a huge gamble, but the dividends can be equally rewarding. After all, Manchester United have never been a part of the manager merry-go-round. And with Moyes at the helm, things look set to stay that way. A minor hiccup in the start of the season should not deter the support for him – he is a masterstroke signing who is going to achieve things at United.