02 Feb 2014 20:51:29
It's been 8 months, and it has been a disaster.

Moyes took over the champions of England. He has added Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj to that squad. Rooney is playing better this season and De Gea has become a world class goalkeeper. All in all, our squad is better than last year.

Yet we're 7th, 15 points behind 1st place, 7 behind 4th. Out of the FA Cup at the 3rd round, and beaten by Sunderland in a semi final. Since the new year, we have lost 6 out of 8 games. SIX. That is relegation form. We are struggling to score goals, struggling to keep clean sheets and are playing the worst football I have seen us play in my lifetime.

Andre Villas Boas got sacked whilst doing much better.

So why do we continue with this man? Pride. Pride in the fact that we claim to be "different" to the rest. Yet the fact we are trying to be different to the rest, could be our downfall. Chelsea have had god knows how many managers over the last 10 years. And they've won more than us. Bringing on Welbeck yesterday for his height at corners, instead of Fletcher? A Manchester United manager thinking defensively whilst 1-0 down! Have you ever seen such a thing? Absolutely disgraceful.

The players quite clearly have absolutely ZERO faith in him. It's blatantly obvious. We may have an ageing side, but you don't deteriorate at this rate in such a short space of time, unless something is badly wrong.

I spoke to a United fan who was at Stoke yesterday. He told me that singing David Moyes' name during the match is not to show support, it's pride. Those same match going fans have the same doubts, the same lack of belief, frequent the same forums as us. They sing his name because they feel they have to. Not my words, his.

It's time to go.

1.) 02 Feb 2014
Squad is better in attack on paper assuming that all players are available. They often haven't been. Midfield is worse after losing scholes and so is defence due to age/suspensions/injuries. Mata has only been available for two games, so not really fair to include him when comparing squad strength to last year?

AVB was given 18 months and the time/funds to build his own squad before being sacked.

2.) 02 Feb 2014
I couldn't agree more I hate to see any manager loose his job so soon and I would have loved to have seen him be successful but I think at this stage DM is clearly not up to the job.

3.) 02 Feb 2014
Totally agree. we have become a team of ridicule and devoid of any ideas and leadership. moyes was a long standing manager at everton and they have an ageing squad yet play good football under their new manager whilst in transition. we on the other hand have gone so far backwards its frightening and if we do nothing will continue to fall. get rid now before the rot is well and truly set. no half decent player will want to join us with moyes at the helm. we got lucky with mata as he was desperate for first team football and no one else matched his valuation. we will end up mid table unless we act now. he has lost the players and his medieval methods are an embarrassment to our great club

4.) 02 Feb 2014
Popester, so you're saying that the midfield is worse this year because Scholes retired?

So Moyes spent £27.5m on a player that is worse, on paper, than a 38 year old Paul Scholes?

GAGUS, completely agree. The supporters have to make the distinction between supporting the club and supporting Moyes. We should only be supporting the manager if we think that his continued presence is a benefit to the club. He has had more than half a season and he has yet to demonstrate even the slightest ability to turn things around or get the best out of his players.

AVB at Chelsea is a better example, the club made a mistake hiring him, realised that he was the wrong man for the club, and they got rid of him. I've said that Moyes should have been on probation for his first season and if he didn't step up to the mark, we should go back to the drawing board and spend the rest of the season seeking out a proven winner.

Even the staunchest Moyesett can't provide a single shred of evidence that his style of play is working or that he is capable of adapting his tactics to get the most out of the squad. But until supporters start to realise that they can reject Moyes without being disloyal to the club, they will keep singing his name due to the fear of being branded a plastic fan or glory hunter. I am a real fan and I want what's best for the club. David Moyes has conclusively proven this season that he is not what's best for the club. He is the wrong one!

5.) 03 Feb 2014
AVB at Chelsea is actually the perfect comparison. Poor tactics, poor football, lack of motivation. Above all, lack of results. They sacked him after they got hammered by Napoli and went on to win the CL and FA Cup.

Not saying we would do the same obviously, but there seems to be a mentality on here that every manager deserves time, regardless of results or performances. To sack a manager nowadays is almost seen as 'typical modern football', no matter how poor the manager is doing.

If Fergie had not said 'Stand by your manager', this forum would probably be a lot more anti Moyes.

6.) 03 Feb 2014
Danny, a whole half a season? Wow. You're too generous, mate. You really are.

Man Utd will not collapse and die, just because we give a manager a chance to prove himself. And I mean properly prove himself, not just given a whole half a season.

You and the rest of the Chicken Licken brigade try to scare everyone by trying to make out that a long-term decline, like Liverpool, is inevitable if this season is a write-off.

Utter crap. The CL money lost, is a drop in the ocean, top players will still come to Utd, just like they did to Liverpool and Spurs, because good money, and playing in front of 70000 people every other week, is still attractive to most players.

Utd are going nowhere.

Would it really kill some of you to say, alright, we didn't like Moyes before, we still don't like him now, because we really wanted a sexy, foreign manager with a nice tan, but let's just give him a chance til next summer and see what sort of team he puts together, then judge? No? Too much to ask?

Some of you just seem to like complaining.

We are lucky enough to support a very successful club, but even during the years of success, right up until last season, some of you had to find things to moan about.

7.) 03 Feb 2014
Danny - Yes I am absolutely saying that our midfield is worse without Paul Scholes. Fellaini isn't a Scholes replacement and hasn't had a chance to have a run in the team yet.

G.A.G.U.S - Sorry disagree. AVB had one good season at Porto and Chelsea took a chance on him. Not PL proven and no idea why Spurs pounced on him when he was kicked out of Chelsea.

If you want to compare manager transitions, why not BR at LFC? Or even SAF when he first took charge?

As a fan I want long term stability at the club not a manager revolving door. If after 18-24 months things show no sign of improving then fair enough, but half a season?

For those saying that the players have zero belief in DM, why have Adnan and Roo signed new contracts? Its not money before anyone says it. They would have received the same (or more) elsewhere.

8.) 03 Feb 2014
Stevie, why do you find it so difficult to respond to the substantive content of the posts you regularly reply to?

You basically have two stock responses:

1. Make a derisory (humours?) comment about people who criticise Moyes.

And

2. Ignore the argument and, instead, make a passionate speech about Manchester United still being a force in world football.

This is a prime example: I replied to GAGUS by stating that supporters should only support Moyes if his continued presence benefits the club, and that there hasn't been a single shred of evidence, since the season started, that he is the right man for the job, that his tactics work, or that he is capable of implementing new ideas.

Now in the world of rational debate, some would look at the points being made and either be convinced by them or offer counter evidence to disprove the points. However, in the land of Stevie logic, the response is to brush off the points being made by intimating that you can't judge Moyes because he has only been there for half a season. The next step is to go off on a series of increasingly unrelated tangents that give the impression that you're rebutting the argument, when, in truth, you're just spouting meaningless nonsense.

Take a look back over your posts and tell me why you even bother replying to people when you have no intention of engaging with the points they're making.