Former Manchester United manager David Moyes has claimed that the club no longer stick to the values instilled by Sir Alex Ferguson, insisting that this has created a sense of upheaval which first impacted him more than a decade ago and is still a factor for the current regime.
Everton’s legendary boss had consistently overachieved with the Toffees during 11 years at Goodison Park, regularly guiding them into Europe on a famously shoestring budget. But his time at Old Trafford last less than 11 months, as he was dismissed towards the end of season one in a six-year contract.
Moyes suggested that time isn’t something he was afforded—no United manager since Ferguson has had more than two full seasons in the job—and that the culture is no longer set up for that.
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“The history of Manchester United was not [one of change],” he has now reflected, more than 12 years on, as he prepares to face the Red Devils with former club Everton.
“Manchester United had a great culture. They stuck with their managers, they brought through their own academy boys. They actually had some of the best characteristics of what you would want your club to have; good values.
“Sir Alex had great values at Manchester United and, over the years, those values he established needed some time to come through as well. It was always a club with brilliant values with an understanding about bringing their young players through and developing them in the right way.”
Given the churn which has followed, patience is no longer guaranteed by the Manchester United board—as Moyes found out.
David Moyes got the Man Utd job in 2013. / PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images
A lack of the time wasn’t the only factor working against Moyes a dozen years ago. As the Scot was keen to point out this week, he was up against some stiff competition.
“I always thought when I took the job that it wouldn’t be able to be fixed quickly. I saw not long after I went in that it was going to take a bit of time,” Moyes said.
“I think also you have to remember that it was not just to do with the strength of United. It was to do with the strength of other teams; Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal were all incredibly strong. They were all rebuilding and bringing in more all the time. I think those clubs played as big a part in it as anyone else, that their quality had risen or was rising all the time.”
The trajectory United’s squad appeared to be moving in the opposite direction.
Age meant the squad required a refresh. / GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images
Moyes inherited an ageing team when he was handpicked by Sir Alex Ferguson to lead United into a new era, with key players like Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick over the age of 30, Robin van Persie coming up to 30 and Ryan Giggs closing in on his 40th birthday.
In addition to Ferguson retiring, chief executive David Gill had independently planned to also move on to usher in a new era at the top of the club. United notably struggled to recruit, with Marouane Fellaini the sole new signing at an inflated price after a release clause deadline was missed.
Ferguson had been setting up a deal to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club prior to his retirement. United also offered more money than Real Madrid for Gareth Bale, while Cesc Fàbregas and Toni Kroos were targeted without either pursuit coming to fruition.
Moyes was given the boot before the end of his first season. / CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images
Moyes has consistently said since his dismissal that the time he needed wasn’t there, telling the Sunday Post exactly that as soon as June 2014, less than two months after he left.
“I believe I had nothing but support from Sir Alex during my short period as manager,” he explained. “It was unfortunate I wasn’t given more time to succeed. It could well be that gone are the days of long-term planning at United.”
Speaking four years later in 2018, he told talkSPORT: “Do I feel I should have been given more time? Of course I do. To go to a club like Manchester United and follow someone like Sir Alex after the time he had been there, to stay for 10 months …
“It couldn’t be a revolution at Manchester United, it had to be evolution. It had to take time. I wasn’t going to come in and change all the things Alex had done, but there were lots of things that had to be changed at the club.”
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