Saturday, 11 January 2014

Schmeichel, Giggs back Man United boss Moyes

16:16

By: TBMU Admin On: 16:16   In:   No comments

Schmeichel, Giggs back Man United boss Moyes

Schmeichel, Giggs back Man United boss Moyes

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 08:38 AM PST

The Old Trafford outfit are currently on a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions, their first such sequence since May 2001. But Schmeichel, who spent eight years as a goalkeeper at the club, believes Moyes needs time to adapt the squad and make it his own following the retirement of the long-serving Alex Ferguson. "He's basically taking over a full squad of Sir Alex's players, hasn't really got any single players in there that he has signed or that he can look in the eyes and say 'you owe your loyalty to me and the club, not to the previous manager'," he said. "I think any manager coming into a big club needs to have an opportunity to form a team the way that he wants to perform. "I don't think that David Moyes has had that opportunity yet, but he'll get it and I don't think we're doing too bad to be completely honest. "I think there's a few players in the dressing room that are not taking the responsibility of being a Manchester United player as serious as I would like. I find that a big shame. "There's a few players there that haven't been performing this year, year before, and I think at some point the manager needs to make a decision whether to keep them or not keep them and then maybe bring some younger players in instead to make some kind of statement. "I'm convinced, and I've said it many times, I'm convinced that David's the right man." And Giggs, who is the only playing survivor from Schmeichel's time at the club and forms part of the United coaching staff under Moyes, feels the club's more experienced players need to step up to the plate and guide the younger squad members through the difficult period. "It is a test of character, but I am fully confident we will come through it and we will be okay," he is quoted as saying byFIFA.com. "I have said many times over the years, the defeats and losses generate a bigger feeling than winning things. It sticks with you a lot longer. "You have to react and you have to try and do something about it. It hurts. "There are players at this club who only know winning. It is important for the older players, who have been through these sticky patches before, to help the younger ones. "There are good players in the dressing room who probably haven't been playing to the best of our ability, both individually and as a team. "If we do that, we win more matches than we lose." "We need to start winning and winning fast." United host Swansea City on Saturday and will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the performance that saw them lose 2-1 to the same opponents in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

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Moyes charged for Sunderland comments

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 07:07 AM PST

Moyes was left infuriated by the decisions of referee Andre Marriner in United's 2-1 loss at the Stadium of Light in the League Cup semi-final first leg. Marriner drew the ire as he awarded Sunderland a penalty in the second half following Tom Cleverley's challenge on Adam Johnson, which allowed Fabio Borini to ensure victory for Sunderland. That decision provoked Moyes to controversially suggest that United "had other people to play" besides the opposition. And the Scot appears set to be punished for his outburst after the FA formally charged him with misconduct. A statement on the FA website read: "Manchester United manager David Moyes has been charged for misconduct by The FA in relation to post-match media comments he made following his side's game against Sunderland on Tuesday 7 January 2014. "It is alleged the comments called into question the integrity of the match officials appointed to that fixture and/or appointed to Manchester United fixtures generally, and/or implied that such match officials are motivated by bias; and/or brought the game into disrepute, in contravention of Rule E3(1). "Moyes has until 6pm on 15 January 2014 to respond to the charge."

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Rooney to miss Swansea clash due to groin injury

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 06:35 AM PST

Rooney has been sidelined for United's last two games - an FA Cup defeat to Swansea and a League Cup semi-final first-leg loss to Sunderland - because of the problem and has not recovered in time to face the Welsh side. Instead the England international is to undergo some hot-weather training with the team's fitness coach as he attempts to remedy the injury, but the 28-year-old could still miss the trip to Chelsea on January 19. "His groin hasn't quite recovered," United manager David Moyes said. "He's away with his family and the coach. Hopefully we can get him fit to face Chelsea." Rooney's strike partner Robin van Persie is also unavailable as he continues his recovery from a thigh problem. "Robin's going to be a little while," Moyes added. "We'll do everything we can to get him back." Despite United's injury troubles, Moyes remained coy on the prospect of adding players to his squad in the January transfer window. "I've not said we won't be doing it," he explained. "But I've said since day one it's difficult." Defending champions United sit seventh in the Premier League in Moyes' first season in charge - 11 points behind leaders Arsenal - but can move into the top six with a win over Michael Laudrup's men.

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Moyes wins Manager of the Month award for December

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 05:41 AM PST

Embattled boss David Moyes has been boosted by the news that he is Manchester United Manager of the Month for December. Moyes took on the unenviable task of succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson and has found it tough to step out of Fergie's metaphorical shadow, and also his literal shadow cast from the directors box, which ensures United's bench is in a constant state of eerie darkness and is plagued by bats. While January has been miserable for Moyes, with defeats against Sunderland, Swansea and Tottenham and a painful bite from a soprano pipistrelle, an award for his efforts in December has lifted his spirits. Moyes was officially announced as Manchester United's Manager of the Month for December 2013 in a post on the club's website this afternoon. "Manchester United are proud to announce that David Moyes has been named Manchester United Manager of the Month," the statement reads. "The award is deserved recognition for David who we felt did the most management of anyone at the club during December. "If anyone manages Manchester United at the moment it is David Moyes." While the news is a timely boost for Moyes, he still has a long way to go if he is to emulate Sir Alex Ferguson's 322 consecutive Manchester United Manager of the Month awards, up to August 2013. "It's nice to be off the mark," Moyes admitted to FourFourTwo. "I felt I make a strong case in September but in fairness Stevie [Round] really deserved it and in October personally I was delighted to see it go to Gavin [McManus – who manages the car park at Old Trafford]." American rock band MGMT won the award for November, and many felt 2008 Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy Managementwould triumph in December, after vice-chairman Ed Woodward rented it through LoveFilm, but Moyes prevailed. "I'll certainly cherish this award, but the real satisfaction comes in knowing this star-studded squad with a recent history of complete domination was able to beat Aston Villa, West Ham, Hull and Norwich. "That's the kind of thing you tell your grandchildren [Ferguson's grandchildren]," Moyes concluded. Moyes may struggle to replicate his success next month, with United on poor form and a certain light-hearted tale of a travelling art saleswoman (Aniston) fending off the affections of a flaky motel owner (Steve Zahn) sitting on Woodward's coffee table.

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How Moyes made Man United one-dimensional

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 02:10 AM PST

David Moyes arrived at Old Trafford as the man who was supposed to provide continuity following the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson. A Caledonian compatriot cut from the same cloth, so the narrative went: a safe pair of hands to maintain what Ferguson had built, rather than a radical looking to change a successful club. Yet just six months since Moyes officially arrived, Manchester United look a shadow of their former selves. Pedestrian in attack, porous in defence and often vacant in spirit, they have been described as the worst reigning champions in Premier League history. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be too much different in the team's set-up. Although Ferguson may protest that he rarely played a true 4-4-2, a variant on this oft-maligned system was, and still is, the default formation. Similarly, United still tend to attack down the wings, as they did under Fergie from Ralph Milne onwards – and as at Everton, Moyes has continued to encourage his full-backs to join in on the overlap, sometimes at risk to their defensive duties. Never mind the quality, feed the width There's been plenty of criticism rained down upon United's wingers this season but Antonio Valencia, Nani and Ashley Young rarely looked like world-beaters on the way to securing the club's 20th league title. The problem is that Moyes' style of football has made wing play not just an option, but United's dominant method of attack. Last season United averaged 45% of their time in the central zone of the pitch (as opposed to the wings), coming out ninth in the league for the proportion of their play that went through the middle. So far this season they've spent only 25% of their time in central areas – the second-lowest percentage in the Premier League, higher only than Hull. The team who were bottom of the pile in 2012/13: Moyes's Everton. Nobody would expect United to attack constantly down the middle. Besides their historic love of wing play, they have a notable lack of world-class players in central midfield, either a regular goal threat through the middle or a dynamic, box-to-box presence able to punch through the melee and make things happen. Tom Cleverley is no Bryan Robson, Roy Keane or even a Darren Fletcher. He also isn't Paul Scholes. Of course, goals have been scored and chances created from the middle this season, usually by the occasional excellence of individuals, but as a team Moyes's men seem single-mindedly one-dimensional in their plans: a pass to the flanks, a panicked cross into the box. This lack of a genuine world-class central midfielder is a longstanding problem, but managers are supposed to maximise the resources available and Ferguson managed to find a way round it – almost literally. His United at least flirted with the pretence that something dangerous could come by attacking within the width of the penalty area. Attempted short-passing interplay in and around an opponent's box and through the channels, or some patient time on the ball – especially at Michael Carrick's feet – may not always have penetrated, but it certainly drew markers in. Just as a team sitting deep can coax the other side forward, creating space behind them to attack, United's willingness to be patient in possession or attempt to spring through the middle with a clever bit of play, however incompetent, offered just enough wiggle room out wide. Predictable is defendable As well as facing a fear factor that now seems to have gone, opponents of Ferguson's teams had to defend much more diligently across the full width of the pitch. After all, though his individual midfielders may not have been the continent's finest, they still had enough quality to score and create when given room, and so had to be closed down. Consider the last two visits of West Brom. In last season's 2-0 win, the hosts' highest passing combinations came from Nemanja Vidic to Chris Smalling at the back, Valencia to Danny Welbeck up front and some back-and-forth between midfielders Carrick and Cleverley and full-backs Patrice Evra and Rafael. By the same fixture this season, there had been a clear shift in intent. The dominant combinations became Jonny Evans to Carrick followed by Carrick to Nani, with two of the other top five also including Carrick as a recipient. While the England midfielder has long been the club's main passing hub, as United lost 2-1 to the Baggies at home this season, his role had been boiled down to being a conveyor belt for wide balls. Without much of an alternative, however flawed, opponents are able to dig in, hold their shape and brace from the next predictable wave of speculative crosses, rushed in due to the lack of space and time and lost element of surprise. It may be a stylistic tweak, but the main problem is that it's not working. True, United's average number of crosses has gone up from 25 per match to 27 – but that's an unimpressive uptake considering the amount of time they're spending in wide areas. Predictable teams are easier to defend against. It's not enough to simply write off Ferguson's successes with a similar group of players as the effect of a true great squeezing every last drop of performance from his personnel. There are lessons to be learned in just how he went about mining even the most deficient part of his squad for that extra edge of percentage. While Moyes undoubtedly needs time, not to mention major investment to remove the weaknesses in United's squad, he must also look closer at how ideas similar to his own were made to work with raw materials available to him. At present it appears that he has overlooked one of the subtlest yet surprisingly important facets of Ferguson's glorious reign.

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Ferdinand wanted Ronaldo return in close-season

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 12:26 AM PST

The Portuguese had been a reported target for United, for whom he enjoyed a six-year spell between 2003 and 2009, collecting three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in a trophy-laden stint. But the 28-year-old ended speculation on his long-term future at the Bernabeu by signing a new five-year contract in September and has gone on to score 20 La Liga goals in just 17 appearances so far this term. Ferdinand believes the opportunity to bring the Portugal international back to the club has now been missed, but believes United would have been his destination of choice had he decided to leave Real. When asked byThe Sunif he had contacted Ronaldo, he said: "What do you think? He was one of the most dialled people on my phone at the time. "But I think the opportunity has gone now. If we could have done it, I think it would have been last summer. He's signed a new deal at Real now. "As footballers you don't really let on too much to each other. It's like a chess game. And in those situations you have got your one and two first-choice moves or scenarios that you want to happen. "So to let people know is sort of letting the cat out of the bag. You play your cards close to your chest. "But if he was going to leave Real Madrid, I think Manchester United would have been the place he would have come to. That's my personal view, but no-one will ever know now."

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The FourFourTwo Preview: Man United vs Swansea

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 12:07 AM PST

Billed as Plucky David Moyes seeks win to help push his underdogs closer to the top six. Hmm, where have we heard that before…? The lowdown It was all going swimmingly for Manchester United. Six straight wins had lifted them back to within an official club sponsored potato chip's breadth of breaking back into a top four spot they have taken as almost a birthright over the last 20 years, until three straight defeats in 2014 sent the Red Devils' season plunging back into crisis territory again. In truth, those six wins may have shown encouraging consistency but they also papered over several cracks in Moyes' team - cracks which have since widened to become fairly conspicuous potholes. And with AVB no longer around to divvy up the negative headlines, media spotlight is now firmly on The Chosen One at Old Trafford. Swansea, winners at Old Trafford in the FA Cup not one week ago, return to the scene of the crime looking to see what else they can grab. Wilfried Bony's late strike handed Michael Laudrup's possession kings a 2-1 win that sent United out in the third round for the first time since 2010 - the only time the Red Devils failed to make the fourth round under Sir Alex Ferguson in 26 years. The twin perils of a busy Europa League schedule and a squad not quite brawny enough to battle on four fronts has hindered Swansea, but victory at Old Trafford last weekend should give Laudrup's side renewed swagger heading into the second half of the season. Bony is starting to look the part, and though a difficult December yielded only six points from seven games, the Swans have enough quality to be looking higher than their current position of 13th. Team news A busy festive period has taken its toll on both teams and there will therefore be several absentees here. Michel Vorm, Garry Monk, Nathan Dyer, Michu, Pablo Hernandez and Roland Lamah miss out for Swansea, while Fabio (suspended), Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini, Nani and Robin van Persie are set to play no part. Rio Ferdinand (knee), Wayne Rooney (groin) and Phil Jones will be assessed in the coming days and have a slight chance of returning, even if not fully fit. Player to watch: Antonio Valencia (Man United) Unfortunately for the new gaffer, United have become almost entirely predictable of late - particularly at home. Emphasis on functional wing-play and crossing isn't so much a tactic at Old Trafford as a raison d'être. In attack the same laboured approach seems to be used time after time, repeated like some strange Moysey mantra: "Get the ball, give it to Valencia. Get the ball, give it to Valencia." And no matter how ineffective the Ecuadorian is (as against Sunderland in midweek) his place in the starting XI seems almost guaranteed, while wingers like Wilfried Zaha remain overlooked. In the 2-1 defeat at home to Spurs on New Year's Day it was like Groundhog Day for Moyes' team. The focus on crossing continued despite Tim Sherwood's 4-4-2 leaving the visitors outnumbered in central midfield areas, something the United boss seemingly failed to pick up on. A remarkable 50 crosses were caned into the box with practically no success, while Valencia completed only 1 of his 13 crosses. Despite this sheer and utter predictability, it seems Moyes will persist with the tactic as he did in United's following two games (both defeats). As such a fundamental component of United's home game, their wing wizard must therefore improve significantly if the champions are to get back to winning ways. The managers Swansea's win at Old Trafford last weekend was their first ever, but given some of Laudrup's post-match comments you sense he can envisage history repeating itself this weekend. "I don't think we needed that much luck because I don't think Manchester United created as many chances as I expected them to," he said post-match. "[You need to] forget that they are wearing Manchester United shirts and just say 'we can do it', not because four other teams won here." His comments suggest the Dane has every confidence in pulling a number on his opposite man once again on Saturday. That said, Moyes has the upper hand on Laudrup in head-to-head league meetings and remains unbeaten in three games, with two wins and a draw. Facts and figures Man United have struggled massively at home this season with a record of W4 D2 L4. United have won 15 of their last 20 home matches against middle-third opposition, recording W/W double results in 6 of their previous 10 against such opposition. Despite Swansea's victory at Old Trafford last weekend, they have not won in the league in their last 6 with only the Hammers picking up fewer points in that period (3). Swansea have had L/L results in 6 of their last 8 against top-half sides. Best bet: Man United HT/FT @ 2.05 More FFT Stats Zone facts• Find the best odds with Bet Butler FourFourTwo prediction United's struggles at home continue as the pressure ramps up on Moyes. Swansea win 2-1. Man United vs Swansea LIVE ANALYSIS with Stats Zone

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