In Defence of Dithering Dave

IN DEFENCE OF ‘DITHERING DAVE’

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lex Ferguson fathered many a great Manchester United side; From Bruce, Keane and Cantona to Vidic, Ronaldo and Rooney - via Giggs, Scholes and Solskjaer, he ensured that while one team prepared to fly the nest, another was already being conceived.

The biology wasn’t always spot on, an occasional ugly kid would fall from the womb - the Klebersons, the Djemba-Djembas, the Juan Sebastien Verons to name a few - But Daddy Ferguson would usually triumph through a bigger, stronger, more beautiful bairn next time around. Unfortunately for David Moyes, his current side has few of those remaining.

That sounds silly given that the Red Devils waltzed comfortably, in the end, to their record-breaking 20^th league title just five months ago, but with several key players and a handful more still struggling to reach their potential it’s easy to see why.

Three of United’s first-choice back four – Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, and Vidic – as well as Michael Carrick, one of last season’s stand-out performers, are entering their early/mid thirties and while the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones may develop in to adequate replacements, Moyes is hardly spoilt for choice in Carrick’s position.

Illustration by Ryan Cusick (@CusickRyan)

Both Tom Cleverley and Anderson have flattered to deceive alongside him in central midfield (Darren Fletcher is still recovering from illness), forcing the new boss to bust £27million in his old club’s direction for Marouane Fellaini – this proceeded the somewhat laughable pursuit of Thiago Alcantara, and in particular, his former teammate Cesc Fabregas.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have had to, had Ferguson done more to prevent Paul Pogba from leaving for Juventus in 2012 - a player who, according to recent reports, is now a £40million target for rivals, Chelsea.

In him, they had a youngster with all the potential to become the complete midfielder – an eye for goal like Robson, the ability to pass like Scholes, combative like Keane. He left, in his words, because Ferguson refused to play him ‘even though there were no other midfielders’.

A point underlined by the Scot’s decision to talk a then 37-year-old Scholes in to putting on his tackling boots for the final time, after initially hanging them up the previous summer. Of course, there were ‘other midfielders’ - like Anderson, who was overlooked despite costing the club a substantial, eight-figure-fee. He was supposedly one for the future – but it’s been six years.

Ferguson’s sides have always been a force from out wide, whether through the pace of a pre-adulterous Giggs or the craft of David Beckham – Dad of the Year nominee. But this side is probably the weakest we've seen in wide areas, and has been since the departure of Ronaldo to Real Madrid in 2009.

Nani, despite penning a new five-year-deal just weeks ago, still doesn’t command a regular first team spot after more than half a decade, while bizarrely beefed-up Ashley Young’s continues to frustrate the club’s following with his inconsistency. Antonio Valencia, the same.

Shinji Kagawa hasn’t yet had a look-in under Moyes' tenure - nor was he a regular under Ferguson - though arguably, his best position is as a ‘number 10’, a role currently occupied by the in-form Rooney. Good  player, but was he really the signing United required at the time?

It’s a club which will always produce talented youngsters - Adnan Januzaj being the latest (don’t tell Jack Wilshere) – but I can’t help but feel that Ferguson’s recruitment of those aforementioned has stalled the transition between those on the decline (Ferdinand/Evra/Carrick) and those coming through (Januzaj/Jesse Lingard/Will Keane).

Fergie, of course, has got a lot more right than he has wrong over the years. When he didn’t get it right, he’d make sure he fixed it next time around. Unfortunately for Moyes, this time around it was he who’d be left to pick up the pieces.

The 50-year-old(and United)’s progress has also been hindered by the departure of Chief Executive David Gill with Ferguson. This left two relatively inexperienced people (in terms of spotlight at least), Moyes and Ed Woodward (Gill’s replacement), in positions of extreme pressure. The former Preston boss also declined the opportunity to retain Sir Alex’s coaching staff, though this is commonplace for most new managers when moving clubs.

Until he achieves substantial silverware at Old Trafford, Moyes will always be the untrustworthy step-dad – a tag he’ll find even harder to shake given the tools he was left. He needed as smooth a transition as possible, unfortunately what he got was far from it.

Himself however, left his successor (Roberto Martinez) in good hands, with Everton in perhaps the best shape they’ve been, both on and off the pitch, for decades. Few Evertonians flinched at the sale of Fellaini, with players such as James McCarthy, Gareth Barry and Romelu Lukaku coming in to the squad at his expense.

They even kept hold of talisman Leighton Baines – with minimal fuss – when he became subject of a bid from his old boss down the M62. Yet, despite an encouraging start to Martinez' tenure, the Toffees will be lucky if they better last season's position under Moyes (sixth).

Ferguson will be forever lauded by most, Moyes perhaps won’t. But sometimes it’s worth considering the bigger picture.

@My_Big_Tackle