EPL WATCH: FERGUSON’S PRIDE GOES BEFORE MOYES’ FALL Manchester United and Liverpool are England’s two most successful clubs. Both are rich in pedigree,not only in England but on the international scene also and are synonymous with success, United over the last twenty years and Liverpool in the decades preceding the restructuring of English top flight football. Their history together is made more special going back to the appointment of Sir Alex Ferguson in the mid-eighties; hired from his position as the coach of Scottish side Aberdeen, he came to Manchester and England with one objective in mind and that was to (in his own words)”knock Liverpool off their perch” as the dominant side in English football. For him there was a personal agenda;In 1980, he had faced the Reds in a European cup tie (now UEFA Champions League) and his side had been totally outplayed losing 5-0 over the two legs. So as we like to say here in Naija, beef dey for the matter. It took him a while to build a team capable of challenging for honors and so spent his first few seasons without actually winning anything. It would be his signing of Eric “The Red” Cantona from Leeds United that would act as the catalyst for a title charge and the foundation stone for a United side that would go on to dominate English top flight football (at least until the arrival of Arsene Wenger in 1996) Fast forward two decades and Manchester United have a new coach, also a Scotsman and also needing to build a team capable of challenging for silverware both domestically and in Europe. However, that is truly where the similarities end. Everything else has changed and crucially so have the times we live in. Football is no longer just about twenty-two men on a field playing a game. Today, it’s about share prices and stock offerings, shareholders meetings and a global audience hungry only for success around the world. Speaking as a Nigerian, I suspect that as passionate as the English are, they would still be surprised at the intensity and emotions here that escalate with every passing season of the Premier League. Today, teams travel to Asia for their pre-seasons and while we acknowledge that there is a great financial and branding incentive to these trips from the club’s point of view, one simply needs to take in the stadiums packed to the rafters in Japan, South Korea and Vietnam to confirm that the status of football today cannot be compared with what it was twenty/thirty years ago. The point of my argument is that in today’s footballing world, David Moyes likely does not have the amount of time Ferguson had to turn things around. Unless they are ready to give him all of next season as well and accept that even then he still might not make a top four finish. This season is already over for them as far as that objective goes and it’s going to cost them some 40 million pounds in revenue (missing out on next season’s Champions League) A diehard optimist might say that with 8 games left in the league, United can win all their games while a Liverpool or even Arsenal could drop theirs. But United don’t look like picking up points anytime soon. They still face City, Everton and teams struggling for survival, while the teams presently in the top four look like they intend to last the distance in the race for the title (talk less of a top four finish.) So come summer United will realistically be looking to rebuild and revamp their squad. 200 million pounds is the reported war chest that Moyes will be given to rearrange the personnel. Having already spent close to 65 million pounds on Fellaini and Juan Mata, the questions for both the United hierarchy and their fans are numerous; Can Moyes be trusted to spend that money wisely? (Fellaini, case in point) Can he attract world class talent without Champions League football, amid the growing perception that the club is declining? And should those players arrive, has Moyes displayed the tactical intelligence needed to go against his counterparts at clubs like Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea, PSG and Juventus in Europe today? (Make no mistake, prior to and under Sir Alex, Manchester United have been on the same level as all these clubs listed and are actually bigger than Chelsea, PSG and even Juventus)Also In Moyes’ 30 games in charge these past months, which of his players have improved under his tutelage? Which games have portrayed him as being ready for the top flight? Yesterday, Liverpool fans raised a banner with his picture that proclaimed him to be a “football genius” and while the aim was to mock David Moyes poor run this season, I suspect that they are not alone in the assertion of him being in over his head. To put Uniteds situation in context, had Steven Gerrard scored his third penalty,then he would have become the first Liverpool player to score a hat trick at Old Trafford in 77 years. Moyes has been out of his depth for a while now. Ferguson and Bobby Charlton have likely kept him safe in the boardroom, but even Sir Alex could not keep his expression of gloom and (anger?) hidden from the cameras yesterday. The season has changed from one of a transition, to damage control and even that is looking difficult right now. The biggest question is, are they are ready to gamble with next season as well? Presently United lie in seventh place. The same position Everton under Moyes were usually hailed for achieving with their limited resources. The problem is Manchester United are not Everton. North London remains red and white. Cheers.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 18:35:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015