Red Rants |
- United won’t panic buy in January
- Moyes not to blame for United’s problems
- United will struggle to land big signings
| United won’t panic buy in January Posted: 21 Jan 2014 12:05 AM PST
While, theoretically, that would be an smart move and a route United and the Glazers should have embarked on many years ago, United’s current predicament is such that news ruling out any January signings could have a devastating effect on the fans and the players alike, with the former category in particular desperate for a lift.
Having bottled the summer transfer window in spectacularly catastrophic fashion, United have spent the first 20 days of the January transfer window being linked with just about any player that could remotely improve their fortunes (an increasingly large category, if we’re honest), while Moyes and his staff have flown across Europe to scout dozens of players. However, with just 10 days left before the first transfer window of 2014 shuts its door for another five months, United are as close to make a signing as Ed Woodward is to understand something, anything really, about football. Jamie Jackson, Manchester football correspondent for the Guardian, yesterday reported that “United’s transfer policy will remain focused on a long-term approach, with only the very best being targeted. That means no rash moves for ordinary Premier League players and an attempt to sign Newcastle United’s Yohan Cabaye has already been ruled out by David Moyes.” Furthermore, writes Jackson, “the prospect of not being able to attract high-class talent by being out of Europe’s elite club competition is of no concern to United” as the Glazers remain confident that even without a Champions League spot, the cash cow that is the club’s brand will continue to generate enough revenue to keep them satisfied in their Florida mansion. If true, and there’s very little that suggests otherwise, given the Glazers’ policy and Moyes’ approach to the transfer window, sounds like a damning statement of what United can expect over the next couple of months and, possibly, over the next seasons, for there are no guarantees at all that the summer window will be a successful one. Moyes insisted that the club have plans for the feature and that they’re determined to see them through. “The club know exactly what we want to do and the direction we want to go and the type of players we want to bring to the club and a lot aren’t available in this window. If we could get any of them we would do, we are trying but more than likely most people know it is difficult. “I think the club have always said it is long-term, we know there is a job to be done and we have an idea of players we would like to bring in and we would like them now, but more than likely won’t be.” The fun just never stops, does it? |
| Moyes not to blame for United’s problems Posted: 20 Jan 2014 12:27 PM PST
Some of the criticism is justified; in the summer, the Scot inexplicably turned down the chance to enter negotiations with Mesut Özil (also true of Sir Alex Ferguson, in 2010), with a doomed pursuit of Cesc Fabregas followed by the desperate £27.5million purchase of Marouane Fellaini. During Moyes’ first few months at Old Trafford, the Champions have been consistently pedestrian and open, with very few signs that the Ex-Everton boss knows the tactical adjustments he must make. However, it isn’t all the new manager’s fault; injuries have punctuated Moyes’ debut campaign and lackluster individual contributions haven’t helped his cause either. However, a lot of Moyes’ problems can be traced back to his predecessor, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Firstly, some myth-busting is required. It has been widely claimed that Ferguson’s presence at nearly every one of United’s matches this season has affected Moyes, but this is nonsense. Ferguson has been portrayed as an intimidating presence, as if scrutinising his successor’s every move, but the reality is very different. Moyes has used Ferguson as a vitally important sounding board, to help him adjust to the demands of his new role. Furthermore, the fact that he was recommended to the Glazers by Ferguson has spared Moyes’ credentials even greater scrutiny. However, the squad Ferguson has left Moyes possesses some major issues. The recently retired Glaswegian’s motivational genius allowed the Reds to paper over an incredible number of cracks; most notably in central midfield. Michael Carrick is United’s best central midfielder, but, despite his nomination for PFA Player of the Year in 2013, doubts persist over the ex-West Ham man’s ability to dictate the toughest of matches. Meanwhile, the supporting cast that Ferguson assembled for Carrick all possess flaws. Ryan Giggs shouldn’t merit a place in the engine room at the age of 40, Tom Cleverley has endured turgid first half of the season, Phil
Two players who have been prominent in the frenzy of the January transfer window serve highlight mistakes Ferguson has made, that have certainly not helped Moyes’ cause. In 2008, the Scot paid £35m for Nani and Anderson, who looks set to complete a half-season loan move to Fiorentina; his career having stagnated majorly under both Ferguson and Moyes’ guidance. In his recent autobiography, Sir Alex lamented the difficulty of replacing Paul Scholes, but such an outlay surely represents a major attempt to do just that. It is this writer’s view that the Brazilian international possesses the required ability to fill such a breach, but it is much more widely held that major fluctuations in both his weight and form meant he was never going to do so. Either way, Ferguson’s big-money attempts to rejuvenate the central midfield area (which also included Owen Hargreaves) were unsuccessful, just as Moyes’ purchase of Marouane Fellaini has so far proved to be. Both men have failed to rectify United’s biggest problem with big money moves, but it is Moyes who has been much more fiercely criticised. However, this isn’t even Ferguson’s biggest error in the transfer market. It is incredulous that Moyes has reportedly travelled to Turin to scout Paul Pogba, given that his predecessor let the Frenchman leave the club, for free, in July 2012. The Frenchman consequently nailed down a regular place in Juventus’ Serie A winning side and his performances have been so impressive that he recently fought off competition from Mario Gotze, Isco and Raphael Varane, amongst others, to be crowned UEFA Golden Boy 2013, awarded to the best young player in Europe.
Manchester United have underperformed in many areas this season; their attack has been largely laboured and impotent while opposition sides, especially visitors to Old Trafford, have generally found themselves with time and space in which to play. The response from most quarters has been that these issues have solely manifested themselves during Moyes' first few months in charge, but the reality is that these cracks have been showing for a while.
Ferguson's final United side lacked an attacking identity, instead muddling through seasons due to the strength of character and experience in the side. Last season, they won 15 of 30 victorious games by a single goal, but even these games varied in style. In encounters such as the 3-2 win at Southampton and 4-3 home defeat of Newcastle, the Reds conceded early goals, creating an urgent need to attack. However, United often showed caution and a lack of quality, beating all three promoted teams, West Ham United, Reading and Southampton by just a single goal in their respective encounters at Old Trafford. United's consistency was astounding, all the more so because their attacking flaws were so latent. It is hardly surprising that Moyes' side looks similarly uninspired, and the Scot needs time to construct his favoured attacking identity.
Following the presentation of his 13th Premier League title, in response to a question linked to the quality of his current side, Sir Alex Ferguson said "nostalgia plays tricks on people’s minds". This quote is especially pertinent with regards the perception of his final years in charge of Manchester United, in contrast to the current reign of David Moyes. Amongst the undoubtedly deserved |
| United will struggle to land big signings Posted: 20 Jan 2014 06:18 AM PST
With only 10 days left in the January transfer window, United, as it’s now become tradition with them, have been linked with about a dozen different players, while David Moyes and the rest of the coaching staff have traveled across Europe to scout players but, as things stand, the arrival list at Old Trafford remains empty.
“I would never get too despondent because that’s not the way I look at it, but you would never say as a Manchester United person at the club that we need to sign players,” said Neville. “It’s the last thing you say because you have respect for your team-mates, you have respect for the players who are in your club, you always rely on the quality of the development teams to come through, but there are a group of players out there who need help. “They’re a good bunch of lads out there who have won the Champions League and many trophies for United, but they need inspiration and they need lifting. You saw the effect of Ozil at Arsenal, those players, that manager they need fresh blood and they know that,” continued Neville. “They’re not scouring all over Europe and travelling all over Europe and being spotted at Juventus and Madrid because they don’t want to sign players, they need to sign players. “I don’t think it needs a rebuild, I honestly don’t. I think two, three, four players – but the problem is everyone knows they want top players and to get them will be so difficult because nobody wants to sell them,” said the former United right-back. Neville, however, believes that even if United had the financial capability to secure world class players, their previous failures in the transfer window and the inability to compete with the likes of PSG, Manchester City and other big spenders could mean United might struggle to recruit new faces. “I think it’s a squad that needs an impetus and when you sign players at a squad it brings a new lease of life to everybody and that’s what it needs to me, not a rebuild. There’s a lot of good young talent there. “I think if they could go and sign four top players for huge money in the next week I think they would go and do it straight away. I think the problem is getting them,” G Nev told Sky Sports. “They didn’t get the targets they wanted and that is going to be a problem going forward for them because they want the same players. “They will remain calm, Manchester United don’t panic. The manager will get time to build his team, he’ll get time to develop his squad. At the moment the players are playing for their future at Manchester United because they’ve got to impress that manager and the more games they lose the more he’ll be thinking are you the right person for me to take forward. “There are a lot of good players in that squad but he’s got decisions to make in the next six months. There’s no doubt he (Moyes) needs players, the players need players, they need help and support.” |
Manchester United have underperformed this season and, as with all under-performing teams these days, much of the blame has been laid at the door of the new manager, David Moyes.
Aswell as being Ferguson’s swansong, the 5-5 draw at the Hawthorns in May also marked Paul Scholes’ retirement. It is important to note that the Ginger Prince’s first attempt at hanging up his boots was curtailed due Ferguson’s inability to use the transfer market to improve the weakest area of the side.
His rise has been so meteoric that United would almost certainly have to break their transfer record to felicitate an unlikely return to Old Trafford. At the time of his departure, it was perceived that Pogba was demanding too much, both in terms of match-time and salary, and Ferguson ruthlessness was heralded. However, it appears reasonable that a player capable of walking straight into Juventus’ title-winning side should demand at least an opportunity in a side with a glaring weakness in the centre of the pitch. It is also astounding that Ferguson did not see, or was so prepared to surrender, a talent that must have been obvious, working with Pogba on a daily basis. The cases of Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Beckham and Roy Keane, amongst others, show that Ferguson usually shows players the Old Trafford exit door at the right time, but he handled
It has been said by some that the influence of the cautious Moyes, unable to shake off his "small-club mentality" has turned Ferguson's previously swashbuckling side into a shadow of their former selves. However, United's success since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 has been built more on willpower and stealth, as opposed to marauding attacking play. That United produced some of their best football of the season during the first half of their 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa, after which they were presented with the Premier League trophy and Ferguson suggested this side might be his best ever, went some way to skewing the way in which they have been viewed in recent years. Since 2009, most pre-season previews stopped predicting the Reds to win the league, with the popular view being that this United team was far inferior to those of days gone by, not to mention those of some domestic competitors.
Similarly, it has been touted that the attacking freedom afforded to Old Trafford's visiting sides this season is a recent development. However, during the 2011-12 season, FC Basle and Athletic Bilbao outplayed United on their visits to Manchester, both scoring three goals in the process. Neither side can be deemed a European superpower, yet United were unable to provide an answer to their technical quality, allied with supreme confidence, as they endured a disastrous campaign on the more
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