(Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
It seems CandH is not alone in its assessment that David Moyes has become the manager Alex Ferguson believed him to be when recommending him as his successor at Old Trafford om his retirement.
It didn’t work out for various reasons but there is no doubt that season 21/22 could be a major retrospective embarrassment for United.
For Dave Kidd – one of the Sun‘s more interesting and less sensational writes makes some very valid points in his latest piece.
He writes: ‘This season, the 58-year-old Scot could serve up a cold dish of revenge by leading West Ham into the Champions League at the expense of his former employers.
Because, while last season’s top four looked nailed-on to be this season’s top four, the hopelessness of Solskjaer and the brilliance of Moyes are making that outcome far less certain.
Manchester United have a superior squad with an inferior manager, while West Ham possess more limited players who work their conkers off and are lethal from set-pieces and counter-attacks — the hallmarks of a group being properly coached and motivated.
So while it is more pertinent to ask why United didn’t appoint Mauricio Pochettino or Antonio Conte when they could and should have done, it’s also fascinating to wonder what might have happened had Moyes been given more time.”
Those are very good points and he also did his former club a favour which could be returned by transforming Jesse Lingard’s game when he became a near Old Trafford has been.
And it is no given that he could take the 28 year old attacking midfielder off their hands for good this winter or in the summer.
That we should also already be in third place – three places and six points ahead of United in the Premier League – is an extraordinary situation.
That we have finally inherited the manager so admired by Ferguson is tremendous – that he is now at his very best as a boss is the best news of all.
And he has done it with a fraction of the money available to Manchester United – we are living in extraordinary Hammers times.
Pretty sure Dave Kidd was writing for The Mirror at the time Moyes was sacked by Man Utd. Seem to recall him very much being part of the ‘Moyes Out Because He’s Not Fergie’ brigade. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Good piece. with regards Conte and Moyes imho they would never be accepted by the support at Man Utd because of the way in which they play, Moyes also would challenge the superstar culture as would Conte, which is what happened and the players revolted, I think the hierarchy want a manager that will play buccaneering football as Ferguson did but with a bit of steel, Poch would have been a good shout, I liked him even if he did manage the Spuds a very humble person.