United should be brave and gamble on Neville as boss
But the way David Moyes was sacked this week was so unsavoury it rankled with me. It was not the Manchester United way. It was the Glazer way to conduct business.
Whoever took over from the legendary Alex Ferguson was always going to find it tough. Although I was in favour of Moyes’ appointment, as it seemed a sensible, albeit slightly cautious, approach, he found it apparently difficult managing a club and players of such magnitude. He undoubtedly earned his stripes with his ‘apprenticeships’, at both Preston and the 11 years at Everton, so I genuinely feel for him.
There’s absolutely no doubting he gave it everything in terms of hard work but wanting to change things a little too quickly away from Alex’s successful ways to suit his management style irked the players. It was a bit of a Catch 22 situation as Moyes had success doing it his way, but the United players have had a lot more success doing it the Ferguson way.
It’s hard to know exactly what went on behind closed doors but, judging by the reports being leaked throughout the season of Van Persie, Giggs and Ferdinand being unhappy with training and tactics, the writing was on the wall for Moyes.
The summer transfer window was nothing short of a shambles as numerous players were linked with United but subsequently turned down moves. I’m sure this was a frustrating period for Moyes as he looked to make some marquee signings to signal his intent. It culminated with the signing of Marouane Fellaini on deadline day for £27 million. The deal raised a lot of eyebrows, especially when you consider neighbours Man City got Fernandinho for a similar fee and snared Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo for less than United paid for Juan Mata.
The one thing that has severely been lacking at United this season has been pace. Traditionally, United have had wide players with pace and trickery that hurt the opposition and supply their front men. This season, however, has seen them play a one-dimensional style that has more often than not been easy for the opposition to contain. Last weekend’s performance against Everton at Goodison Park was symptomatic of United’s season. They had plenty of the ball in the middle of the pitch, with Mata, Kagawa and Rooney all content to come short into areas to overload the opposition as opposed to stretching them by running in behind.
These three players are all outstanding but I very much doubt they can all play in the same starting 11 to great affect as they need players with genuine pace and energy around them.
Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich this week with only 28% possession and the United game against Everton was similar, with them only having 36%. It just shows that it’s how efficient you are with that possession that really counts.
It’s hugely important now that United identify the right man to get the club back on track with a minimum top four finish next season to ensure Champions League football. Ironically, they probably had a better selection of managers to choose from 12 months ago as Guardiola, Ancelotti and Mourinho were available.
I’m unsure about Louis van Gaal being the clear favourite to take over. There’s no doubting he has been a very successful manager at both international and club level but there’s just something about him that I can’t quite put my finger on. If reports of him locking himself in a monastery for a month to learn German when he was appointed at Bayern Munich are true then that is the exact type of dedication needed and loved by both fans and hierarchy at football clubs.
United need to find a manager who will help them regain their identity as a team that plays with a high tempo, with creativity, imagination and pace. I like Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund and the way his team plays would suit United and be a popular choice with the Old Trafford fans.
But one name that hasn’t been mentioned has been Gary Neville. I know his main job these days is as a television pundit and it’s a lot easier dissecting games from the comfort of the studio than a dugout, but I genuinely think he is wasted there. His analysis and views on football are both refreshing and straight to the point as he has a nice balance between old school morals and modern day beliefs. It would be a brave decision and a gamble but I think, out of all their former players, he is the one with the most potential.
It’s going to be intriguing to see who they opt for as it’s clearly a pivotal appointment in the history of the club and they cannot make another mistake. The new manager will be entrusted with a hefty transfer budget to overhaul the squad in the summer as I’m sure there will be plenty of departures so it is vital the money is spent wisely. We only need to look at the money Spurs received from the Gareth Bale transfer to see how easily a significant transfer kitty can be squandered.
