United Corner- Why Louis Van Gaal should NOT be compared with David Moyes (January 14th)

United Corner- Why Louis Van Gaal should NOT be compared with David Moyes (January 2015)





You can just imagine the writer sitting in a darkened office as he put together the statistics and results that would need to occur in the coming weeks before he could present the statement to Louis Van Gaal in a press conference.

'Manchester United have the same number of points after the same number of games as David Moyes did twelve months ago AND with one fewer goal to boot'.

One of the least surprising moments of the season saw Louis Van Gaal give the statement short shrift and I have to agree with the Dutchman on this occasion.

So why do I think it's a wind up attempt to compare this season to last?


For starters I am pretty sure the journalist who presented that statement to Van Gaal failed to mention that Manchester United had already been knocked out of the FA Cup thanks to a surprising 1-2 home defeat against Swansea in the Third Round, while they were days away from exiting the League Cup in the Semi Final stage on a penalty shoot-out against Sunderland.

Or the fact that Manchester United had moved up to 7th in the Premier League table and were 4 points behind the top four with things to get worse in the coming weeks.

United were going to go on and win 1 of their next 5 League games and lose 2 of the next 3 games at Chelsea and Stoke City while also failing to beat Fulham, who would later be relegated, at Old Trafford in that most frustrating of 2-2 draws. That run of games would leave Manchester United 11 points behind Liverpool in 4th place and I would be surprised if Louis Van Gaal sees his side pick up just 5 points from their next five games against Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City, West Ham United, Burnley and Swansea.

Yes, some will point out that Manchester United were still in the Champions League, but that is hardly going to be something Louis Van Gaal can be blamed for as that was the fate left to him by his predecessor.


A lot of journalists have also been making a note of the money that Louis Van Gaal has spent in turning around the fortunes of Manchester United without it reflecting on the points differential from twelve months ago. One of the main 'spokesmen' for this kind of thinking is Richard Keys, someone who happens to be close to David Moyes, who has 'tweeted' out the lack of funds that the previous manager had been afforded compared with Van Gaal.

That seems to ignore the almost £80 million that Moyes spent on Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata only to play the diminutive Spaniard on the right or left wing in a 4-4-2 formation that clearly wasn't the right position for him which was quickly identified by Van Gaal when he walked through the doors at Old Trafford.

David Moyes was also seemingly not confident enough to make the necessary changes to shape the squad to his liking- it has been stated in the last few days that Moyes wanted to try and employ Wayne Rooney in midfield, but was worried about what people would think and write, while he didn't want to make the changes to squad he felt was needed in case he was accused of breaking up a title winning squad.

That lack of belief was never going to cut it at Manchester United and Louis Van Gaal is clearly unconcerned about what people think of him- some of the older, experienced figures left in the summer, while I don't know too many fans that would have been that disappointed with the likes of Tom Cleverley, Nani, Alexander Buttner and Bebe being moved on. I liked Danny Welbeck but can understand why he was allowed to leave, although perhaps not to a rival like Arsenal, while I wasn't joining the twitterati who seemed to love Shinji Kagawa as I just didn't think he was good enough.

Unlike Moyes, Louis Van Gaal couldn't care less what people think in the media and what they are going to write about him because his 'philosophy' overrules everything. And upsetting players with huge egos is just part of the issue when it comes to shaping the team into performing to the level he expects.


Philosophy is the word that has been dominant in the press conferences throughout the season and is another marked difference from what David Moyes was doing in his last year. No longer are Manchester United 'going to make it difficult' for visitors like Newcastle United and Everton but now this is a team that goes out expecting to win those games at Old Trafford.

The 2-2 draw against Fulham that I already mentioned was mind boggling with the amount of crosses United threw in that game with almost no other idea as to how to break down that team. It was clearly not a tactic that was working, but Moyes persisted with it to the point of complete frustration for the fans and the players and there didn't seem to be a clear plan in place for Manchester United to win games.

You can't say that about Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United with the manager not afraid to change the system when things were not going right, most recently in the game at Yeovil Town in the FA Cup Third Round. Van Gaal expects his teams to play in a certain manner, but he is unafraid to ruffle a few feathers if it means getting the rest of the troops on board with his way of thinking and the change in formation and style of play shows a manager willing to get the best out of what he has and implement his changes during training sessions through the season.


The willingness to change when things are not happening in the manner expected and the overall style of football is also of complete contrast to last season. Visiting Old Trafford was something of a crap shoot for fans under David Moyes in terms of results, but it was also the frustrating football that showed little sign of what the manager intended to do to improve things going forward which saw him lose much of the support of the fans.

Those in the ground generally stuck by Moyes as far as possible, but there won't have been too many that would have been disappointed to see him go.

On the other hand, games at Old Trafford in particular have been very positive for the fans for the most part- there is clearly signs that Manchester United are once again making the ground something of a fortress and the performances have generally been impressive at this stadium bar the losses to Swansea and Southampton.

Some have pointed to the poor defensive displays, but that was to be expected after the changes that Van Gaal has implemented and is an obvious point of investment over the coming calendar year. There have been two defeats at home this season, but United lost four times at Old Trafford by this point last season and that includes those defeats to Everton and Newcastle United when Moyes had put that element of doubt into his own players minds before those games kicked off.


It can't be denied that the general feeling for Manchester United fans is much more positive than it was under David Moyes and there aren't the glaring split between supporters that weren't convinced the former Everton manager was good enough for the top job at Old Trafford. Louis Van Gaal's reputation is affording him more time, but I can't be unhappy about that because this is a transitional point of this club's history as the Dutchman shapes the squad to his liking.

Finishing in the top four was the main goal for this season and Van Gaal is still very much in line to achieve that and most of the media won't mention the fact that most supporters would have been happy with that from David Moyes last season.

The difference was of course the gap between United and the top four at this point and after the next five games in the 2013/14 season while the other major factor was that the side did not once finish a round of Premier League games inside the top four after the second League game under Moyes.

That made his tenure in charge that much harder to support and helped split the fans into two camps even if a lot of credit has to be given to match going Reds for sticking with Moyes to the bitter end.

At least under Louis Van Gaal, Manchester United have been playing well enough that some were even hoping for a title challenge over the next five months. That means they are in a much better position to finish in the Champions League spots which remains the minimum aim with the squad at Van Gaal's disposal.


So while I do think the question put to Louis Van Gaal was ridiculous and the subsequent 'experts' following on from that to give it more legs is nothing more than filling gaps in a quiet week, I also think fans have the right to question some of Van Gaal's decisions.

The loss to Southampton was as much to do with poor tactical decisions as it was to do with Southampton's solid defensive shape- I won't understand playing someone like Angel Di Maria up front with his back to goal where he is probably at his least dangerous, and the substitutions didn't help United pick up any kind of tempo.

Radamel Falcao's omission was a real surprise considering I have felt he was rounding into form and deserved his place ahead of Robin Van Persie who is becoming more and more a player that can produce a good finish from time to time but offering little else as the main target man.

I am not buying the media stories about Falcao being that unhappy, especially as he could be in line to have a run in the team in the absence of Van Persie who suffered an ankle injury against Southampton. I'm sure I wasn't the only one surprised by James Wilson being in the squad ahead of Falcao, but I was happy to hear that the obvious failings in the squad, namely a lack of speed, have been seen by Van Gaal and that inspires confidence that he will get the team going in the right direction.

That 'plan' is far better than what we had seen from Moyes, although I have to admit I was looking forward to his attempts to bring in Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos. The difference again has come from the manner in which each manager carried themselves and the Van Gaal 'arrogance' is sometimes needed at a club of this size and I am not sure Moyes was ever going to understand that.

The next five games in the Premier League are going to make things a lot clearer as to what Manchester United can achieve this season, but I am utterly convinced United will have more than the 42 points they had in February 2014 under Moyes.

It will be good to see if the journalist bringing in the statement about Moyes which annoyed Van Gaal as much as it did will have the statistics to hand following the trip to the Liberty Stadium next month.

United Corner- It Just Wasn't Meant to be for David Moyes (April 25th 2014)

United Corner- It Just Wasn't Meant to be for David Moyes (April 25th 2014)








The David Moyes era at Old Trafford was officially brought to a close just ten months after he first walked through the door as Manchester United manager and it seems the over-riding feeling is of joy from the majority of the fans.

That is an understandable reaction considering the fall from grace made by United during the course of the season as they failed to really make a concerted effort to retain the Premier League title they won by eleven points last season.

Even with that in mind, I wasn't one of these 'experts' that had tipped Manchester United to challenge for the League title simply because of the margin they won the League by the year before- it was clear to most match-going Reds that the squad did need some big improvements, but that was the first failure made by the club under Moyes last summer.

While I expected United to slip off the top of the table, the belief at the start of the season was that there would be enough to see the side finish in the top four, so being a position where even that aim is unachievable with four games left to play was never going to be acceptable. However, I still believed that the manager needed to be given a chance and I was always prepared, no matter what happened this season, to give him two full seasons before I made a judgement on him.


There have been mistakes made by Moyes and he almost admitted to some of those with his statement offering the line that he 'is always learning' from the experiences. That was never going to cut it at Manchester United where the manager needed to have more faith in his own ability to do the job and it does make me wonder if Moyes ever really got to grip with what was required.

He wasn't helped last summer with a bumbling approach to the transfer market that would have been better overseen by Alan Partridge- the fact that Ed Woodward has shifted the focus on his own mistakes by using Moyes as a fall guy is embarrassing, particularly with the leak of the sacking on Easter Monday likely to have come from the new Chief Executive in all but name.

Signing Marouane Fellaini was under-whelming considering some of the names that Manchester United were linked with, while the fee was a disaster considering the Belgian midfielder could have been purchased earlier in the window for four million less than eventually agreed with Everton.


David Moyes also made the mistake of being a touch critical of a squad that had won the League the moment he walked into the club with some of the statements made about the standard bound to rub players up the wrong way. That was exasperated by the training methods that hadn't sit well with the squad and it was clear he had lost the support of key players as soon as Rio Ferdinand took to Twitter with 'veiled' digs at the manager.


His backing of Wayne Rooney, which some fans would have agreed with, seems to have been far too over the top where the striker was dictating potential transfer targets and having an increasing influence on Moyes. That was a stark contrast to how Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed Rooney's suggestions to buy Mesut Ozil in 2010 and lost Moyes the command of the dressing room, a big no no when dealing with the egos of a title winning squad that United possess.


The worst aspect of the manager reign was the post-match, pre-match interviews of a manager that seemingly forgot he was managing one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Repeated talk of 'playing well' and being 'unlucky' grated on some fans when it was clear we were not watching the same game, but using words like 'hope' before a home game against Newcastle United had everyone scratching their heads and wondering if Mike Ashley had signed the Bayern Munich starting eleven in the days leading up to the game without anyone noticing.

And any suggestion of Manchester United being an 'underdog' when Liverpool were visiting Old Trafford didn't exactly set the fire burning in a terrible performance on the pitch. Another home loss where Moyes pointed to Manchester City, not United, being the benchmark of the standard required in the Premier League was just bothersome in the meek way United surrendered on the pitch.


The fatal error from Moyes, even accounting for all those above, was the lack of a cohesive playing style that the fans could relate to- I am convinced that he would have been given time if United had been playing a swash-buckling style where they didn't simply run out of ideas the second they fell behind in a match. David Moyes was at his most comfortable when the fans accepted the tactics employed against Bayern Munich to try and contain the reigning European Champions, but those defensive schemes in games against West Brom, Fulham and Stoke City were never going to be good enough.

Buying Juan Mata looked a very good move, but playing him out of position was a travesty and the lack of a clear tactical plan may have been the downfall for the manager. Moyes has been accused of being too cautious and perhaps being in charge of a team like Everton, where finishing in the top seven every season was a success, is more in line with how he wants to approach games.

Manchester United expect to beat the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City... David Moyes just didn't want to lose those matches.


All of this may seem that I am being critical of a manager that I said I would give a chance to for at least a couple of seasons before I made my opinion on him- I still would have given the man another transfer window and evaluated the success in six months time.

This isn't out of blind-faith or because I want to show off 'Top Red' status, but simply because I believe the job at Manchester United was not going to be one that could be settled into immediately.

Moyes had been identifying the weaknesses in the squad and was being linked with the right players to start making the changes he wished to see. The midfield was quickly seen as the area he wanted to improve, although I do wish he hadn't panicked and bought Fellaini without really considering what he wanted to do with him.

Luke Shaw seems to have been persuaded to join United over his favourite club Chelsea and Moyes apparently had a scouting system in place that had impressed some of the big-wigs at the club.

Manchester United had been getting linked to some of the talent required in the areas they are needed which suggests that Moyes had an idea of what had to be done to change our fortunes on the field, but all the sub-standard performances and losing support in the board room and the dressing room ended any chance of extending his time in charge.


At the end of the day, United have to be comfortable with the manager they are willing to back heavily in the transfer market as I simply don't believe the owners are going to be investing in too many big windows into the club judging by past performance. That means the investment has to be right and the club have to be sure which manager gets the chance to do that.

I respect that, but I don't respect the way the owners and Ed Woodward in particular decided to go about their dispensing of Moyes- for all the mistakes that the manager had made, and for all those who don't believe that he was the right man for the top job, Moyes seems to be a nice enough guy that deserved to be treated with dignity and respect.

Those two elements were the last things afforded to him with the rumours about his demise spreading through Easter Monday and United's denials that they were in the process of removing him at that point is an outright lie. Fanzines like Red Issue and Red News have both been making it clear for weeks that there was a big change in feeling towards Moyes and suggestions that he was going to be leaving definitely came from within the club to the journalists after the loss at Everton.


As despicable and slimy as the likes of Woodward and the Glazers are, the players also should not be afforded the luxury of hiding behind the Moyes dismissal. Despite what they thought of the manager, their lacklustre displays in defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool is just as unforgivable as anything Moyes did and many of them should not be wearing the shirt for United again.

Moyes is certainly not going to be forgiving those players if his statement thanking everyone but noticeably ignoring the players is anything to go by and I don't blame him. For all the tactics and complaints about the way Moyes prepared for games, I have utter disdain for the way some of the players conducted themselves on and off the field.


So where do United go from here? I am not at all convinced with the idea of the 'Class of 92' taking over in a committee role, but that doesn't look a long-term plan with the job being linked to some of the bigger names in football.

Louis Van Gaal looks the obvious choice and while I have never been his biggest fan, the idea of someone with the discipline to come in and shape that squad and a man with the strength of character he has is very appealing. He has plenty of trophies behind his name, but the majority of those have come in the last century and that is the main reason I am not bouncing off the walls in anticipation of his arrival.

Personally I would look to Carlo Ancelotti, although trying to get him out of the Spanish capital might be nigh on impossible if he leads Real Madrid to the Champions League success they have craved for over a decade.

Even if it is Van Gaal, a manager I don't have a lot of time for, he needs to be given the chance to build the squad to his satisfaction and that means not being in this same position in twelve months time. If Manchester United are out of the top four again, the pressure will be on the owners who haven't accounted for the club being out of the European elite for too many years, but Van Gaal, or whoever is allowed to spend the money being spoken about, should be allowed to make the necessary changes that may not produce results for a couple of seasons.

Patience might have to be the key for the supporters, but I have faith they will have that with the match-going Reds who were behind Moyes until the very end. That should make it easier for the new manager, especially if they employ an attacking style that shows signs of the improvement that fans were looking for from the Moyes team selections as each week passed by.


Ten months is not enough time to really have a positive impact on a club and that is sadly going to be David Moyes' legacy at Old Trafford when we look back on his time at the club. There just won't be anything that people will look back on and remember was set in place by Moyes and I do feel sorry for him that he wasn't given a full chance.

He can also take some of the blame for that as he lost the dressing room and the performances highlighted that- it also showed a team that might not be willing to learn under Moyes and that was always going to shorten his time at Old Trafford.

For years it has been said that the Manchester United job would be a great one for the manager following the manager that replaced Sir Alex Ferguson.

The first part of that statement has come true with David Moyes being the victim, but it remains to be seen if the new manager, whoever that is, can really get the team back on track as soon as the fans would like it to be.

United Corner- Community Shield 2013 (August 11th)

 United Corner- Community Shield 2013 (August 11th)

There are still times when I have woken up at times this summer and sat down to see what Sir Alex Ferguson has said about upcoming matches/transfer targets/injury reports and then remembered the greatest manager this country has ever produced is no longer in charge of the club.

I have been up and down many times since the announcement was made last May that Sir Alex was stepping down- at times I just can't quite process seeing United play at Old Trafford without the man who transformed the club in 26 years being in the dugout; But I then think this is also an exciting new time in the history of the club.

Many others out there will be just as excited and intrigued about the new season and we all knew that Sir Alex would have to step down sooner rather than later, especially with the rumours in the fanzines about his chances of being in charge in the next couple of years being clear for all to read.

The first big decision was appointing David Moyes as manager and I know there are plenty of fans and critics getting ready to pile down on him but all the fans would do well to remember what was advised by Ferguson in his farewell speech to the crowd at Old Trafford- 'your job now is to stand by our new manager'.

The fixture list has given Moyes a real test to open the season with games at Swansea, Liverpool and Manchester City and a home game against Chelsea in the first five fixtures and I think that would have been a tough period for even the great manager we had to negotiate. I really hope the fans realise that Moyes will need time to stamp his authority on the team and how he wants them to play and there will be some teething problems. It will be up to the senior players to try and maintain some sort of easy transition, but I am expecting tough times this season- you have to remember, United had a number of comeback wins last season and those games can easily go the other way, while I expect both Chelsea and Manchester City to put in a full Championship challenge under new managers.

Obviously I think both Ed Woodward and David Moyes would have hoped to have had a couple of new signings enter the club since the latter officially took over as manager on July 1st, but two high profile players we have been linked with have not been forthcoming.

I think it is a lesson to a new Chief Executive and a new manager that a public chase of a player can lead to egg in the face if it doesn't pan out- the last thing United need is to look like a club that can't attract the talent they are after, which is an angle the media will surely be running if they haven't already. Woodward and Moyes may be better served following the David Gill-Sir Alex Ferguson approach of conducting business behind closed doors, unless of course that has been the whole plan all along and the Fabregas chase was a mere diversion.

Personally, I always thought Maruoane Fellaini would be coming along with Moyes so I wouldn't be disappointed if the Belgian is indeed one of the summer signings, although I will also understand those who may feel underwhelmed after United were linked with both Thiago and Cesc Fabregas of Barcelona. I am of the belief that Fellaini can at least give us a presence in midfield when it comes to battling the midfield that City can put on the field, although my biggest concern would be playing the Belgian behind Robin Van Persie in a similar manner Everton employed him last season.

That position could be open if the sale of Wayne Rooney does take place in this transfer window, although the story has been rumbling on ever since Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he didn't use him in the squad for the game against Swansea because he had asked for a transfer.

I don't think keeping an unhappy player, who has requested a move twice in the last three years, is worth it, especially not one whose contract is running out in two years from now. However, selling him to Chelsea just looks like a move that would end up biting United in the backside and I can see Rooney having a big season there, even if he has already hit his peak as a footballer. Many thought last season that the signing of Van Persie would determine which of the Manchester clubs would win the League and I have a nagging feeling that something similar would happen if Chelsea do get their man, as I expect they will come September 2.

Regardless of what the squad looks like once the transfer window closes, there will be some pressure on David Moyes to try and get the best out a team that won the League comfortably last season. I just hope we will stick by him and all those that attend Old Trafford give the team the full support that they will likely need at times. The season kicks off on Sunday with the traditional curtain raiser and it is a good chance for Moyes to at least help United pick up some silverware before the big kick off next Saturday.

Manchester United v Wigan Athletic Pick: I think most people would have expected Manchester City to be playing Manchester United in the Community Shield, but the former failed to beat Wigan Athletic in the Final of the FA Cup and it is the latter that will play at Wembley for the second time in three months.

It is a season of firsts for Wigan as they will play in their first Community Shield after winning their first FA Cup, while the fans will also enjoy their first foray into European football, but at the end of the day they are a team that are in the Championship after not being good enough in the Premier League.

The Latics have lost Roberto Martinez as manager for this season too and there are a number of players that are still at the DW Stadium that will certainly be tempted to move on before the end of the transfer window. However, the side have made some good purchases likes James McClean and Grant Holt, but there is still a class difference between themselves and Manchester United.

I expect a full squad, bar Wayne Rooney, to travel to London for United this weekend and I expect a team that will be very similar to the one that starts against Swansea next weekend in the Premier League opening game. David Moyes will be aware that this gives him a great chance to show that it is business as usual at Old Trafford and that means winning another trophy- it would also ease any talk of him not having won anything in his career as a manager, something that will be brought up again if United fail to win this game.

United have dominated Wigan in their meetings, winning 16 of 17 including a couple of 4-0 wins last season. Owen Coyle also oversaw a 5-0 and 3-0 loss against Manchester United when he last managed against them as Bolton Wanderers manager. It has to be kept in mind that teams do still see this as a last pre-season game, although Wigan have begun their Championship campaign with a 0-4 win at Barnsley, but I expect United to make a statement about their chances for the season and I like United to win by a couple of goals at least.

MY PICKS: Manchester United - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.05 Pinnacle (2 Units)