Uncanny how alike new Scot is to the old

A proud and passionate Scotsman who learned his football the hard way on the streets of Glasgow; a man feared andrespected for his forthright approach and unwillingness to suffer fools gladly; a supporter of the Labour Party with a love for horse racing, but an obsession for football; an instinctive man-manager who lives and breathes the beautiful game and who strives every day for victory.

Is anything really changing at Manchester

United?

There are so many similarities between David Moyes and the man he replaces at Old Trafford that it almost seems as though the current incumbent was able to hand-pick his successor at birth.

Make no mistake, Moyes, who at 50 is 21 years Fergie’s junior, is not being seen as a stop-gap manager — there is nothing ‘interim’ about his appointment; this is the man United expect to lead a new dynasty.

The fact he has a strong personal relationship with Ferguson, who will remain as a director, should help and although the pair hail from different sides of the River Clyde — Moyes from Partick, Fergie from Govan — there is enough shared history between the pair to suggest United have chosen to replace their manager like for like.

“You had to look after yourself in Glasgow,” Moyes once said. “You had to be sharp with your tongue, or a good runner to get away from people, you had to handle yourself. In Glasgow you call it being gallus.”

That kind of upbringing has made both Moyes and Ferguson formidable characters, but the appointment is not without its risks.

Moyes’ only silverware, after all, is the 2000 Division Two title with Preston — and statistics show he has never beaten one of the ‘big four’ of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea in 45 attempts at Everton. Neither has he managed in the Champions League group stage; but in 11 consistent years at Goodison he has been named LMA Manager of the Year on three occasions — a figure only matched by Ferguson — and that underlines his true potential.

As a player he was equally solid, and perhaps a little unspectacular, starting his career at Celtic before moving south to Cambridge United, Bristol City and Shrewsbury. There were late spells at Dunfermline, Hamilton and finally Preston.

Ferguson says he first became aware of the young Moyes when he was leading Scottish FA coaching courses around that time — some of which were also attended by a certain Jose Mourinho; and that only goes to show how important networking can be in football.

Moyes recalled: “The staff coaches were Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, Jim McLean, Craig Brown and Archie Knox. These guys gave up two weeks of their summer to help develop people for the future. I was mad for it. I wanted to hear from them. Part of it was going to the pub in the evenings with them. I would do anything to get close to their company.”

In fact Moyes could have joined Ferguson at Old Trafford in 1999 when he was narrowly beaten to the role of assistant manager by Steve McClaren; but now they are finally together it is of course inevitable they will be described as kindred spirits.

Certainly both have been accused of having a short fuse, although Moyes has appeared the calmer of the two and certainly has a more relaxed relationship with the media.

Perhaps the issue that will concern supporters, however, is a perception that Moyes’ teams at Everton — perhaps restrained by a lack of money — have consistently played a brand of safety-first football that bears little resemblance to the exciting style United pride themselves on.

Given his passion for coaching — Moyes is hands-on when it comes to the training ground — you would hope working with players such as Robin van Persie, Shinji Kagawa and, who knows, maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo in future, would be enough to persuade a dour Scot to change his spots and play more than one man up front; but until the evidence is in front of them, United fans will worry.

Whether he can embrace a more expansive game plan remains to be seen. But what will be safe is the Ferguson tradition of believing in youth; Moyes, after all, is the manager who gave Wayne Rooney his debut aged just 16 — so it’s a fair assumption that Fergie’s Fledglings will soon become Moyes’ Minors.

The more you look, the more uncanny the similarities. So perhaps Moyes’ biggest challenge will not be how to make sure Fergie’s crown fits — but how to wear it a little differently.