David Moyes was destined to be fired as Manchester United manager.
The season has been a total disaster, and could be a setback for the club in years to come.
But, I feel it’s only fair to begin by saying it’s not all entirely Moyes’ fault. He didn’t choose to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s replacement. Sir Alex chose Moyes’ as his successor. At the time, it seemed like reasonable appointment. The two are very similar. Both hail from Glasgow, Scotland and have a similar soccer upbringing. Moyes also had to deal with a squad that aged quicker than many expected. Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and Patrice Evra all are shadows of their formal selves.
It seemed the transition was a far greater challenge than Moyes ever anticipated. While at Everton, Moyes had little expectations. Everton was a small club with a small wage bill, and Moyes was always able to turn the Toffees into overachievers by finishing in the top half of the table. In the Premier League era, stability is everything. With so much money on the line that comes with playing in the Premier League, clubs can’t afford to be relegated. Moyes achieved stability, but it seemed the club was stuck in the mud, and unable to make that next jump.
New Everton boss Roberto Martinez has done what Moyes couldn’t — take the next step with Everton. Everton is in the hunt for fourth place and a Champions League birth, which Moyes only secured once in his time with the Toffees.
Moyes had some humiliating losses during his brief tenure. People across the internet were quick to point out the number of “records” Moyes broke, including a first home defeat to West Brom since 1978, a first league loss to Stoke City since 1984, first home defeat to Newcastle since 1972, and the first three game losing streak since 2001.
The biggest disaster of the season was not qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 19 seasons. The Champions League is everything for the big clubs. Not only does the competition rake in millions of dollars, but it also draws in the world’s best players. Great players want to go against the best, and United simply won’t be able to do that this summer.
Much like his time at Everton, Moyes failed to beat any of the top teams in the league. An early season win over Arsenal at Old Trafford was the only win against any of the top six teams. You simply can’t be near the top of the table without beating the teams at the top. Those teams at the top are some of United’s biggest rivals. Manchester City and Liverpool both completed the league double over United, including two humiliating losses at home. It was these defeats that pushed the die-hard fans to the brink.
United is also a business. They were one of the first professional sports teams to create a global brand for themselves. It gave the club even more money through sponsorships across the globe in fields ranging from Aeroflot Russian Airlines to Mister Potato. But these sponsors will disappear if the wins continue to do the same. Companies want to be associated with winners, and Moyes wasn’t giving them a reason to stick around.
The odds-makers may say otherwise, but there’s no clear-cut replacement for Moyes. Ryan Giggs will hold down the fort for the remainder of the year, but it’s the future that counts. Borussia Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp has been mentioned a lot, but he seems dedicated to Dortmund. Dutch National team coach Louis van Gaal has stated he will resign at the end of this summer’s World Cup, leaving many clubs eager to sign him on. Van Gaal was tipped to replace Ferguson when he was rumored to retire in 2003, so it may turn out to be better late than nether for the Dutchman. Van Gaal has managed some of the biggest clubs in the world in Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Ajax. He knows what it is like to manage at top.
It is going to be a long summer for Manchester United. Half of the first team is rumored to be out the door, while dozens of names have been linked to be a part of the rebuilding project at Old Trafford. Whoever the new manager is will have a tough time rebuilding an aging squad with a youth academy with promising starts few and far between.