I am not sure about anyone else but I found the flying banner protest at Old Trafford this week rather pathetic. Firstly because it seems a complete waste of money, it might have got a bit more media coverage then a normal banner just displayed inside the ground but I can’t see how it would influence fans more than the usual way.
In fact I believe a banner at the ground is more effective as you get to see who is expressing this opinion and you get to put a human face and emotions along side the protest. If they wanted to spend a lot expressing their opinion I would have gladly taken the money that they spent on the plane and got ‘Moyes Out!’ inked on my behind with a creative alternative for the o’s!
The second reason is I feel there are growing tendencies among the top clubs to get rid of managers when thing are not looking as brightly as they could. There will be people who say that Moyes inherited a top squad so should be doing better, and that maybe so, but I feel you have to understand that some managers take time to get things going in the right direction and I think Moyes is one of those managers.
If you look at his time at Everton you can see this. In his first full season, 2002/03, he achieved a 7th place finish, the next season saw a blip with Everton finishing 17th but this would be his worst finishing position and in the next 9 seasons his team were rarely outside the top 8, the only exception was in the 2005/06 season were Everton finished 11th.
Although this may not sound impressive, the fact is that he turned around a club that in the 5 seasons before his appointment had been festering above the relegation zone, 13th being their best finish. When Moyes was hired the club was in a staring match with second tier football with only 9 games to go. He not only saved them but, with time, took a basement dwelling team and gave them glimpses of the penthouse on a number of occasions.
And then you have his spell at Preston that also shows the more time he has with the club the more success he is likely to achieve. Not only did he make 143 appearances for the club, he also coached the team and became assistant manger before he was made manager in 1998. I believe his duration there as a player and a coach gave him the time he needed to learn about the team and helped him achieve stunning results when he did climb into the role as manager.
The time he spent as a player, coach and then assistant manager helped him build up an idea of what he was dealing with and how to get the best from the team. And when he was finally given the chance I believe all this helped him to lead Preston to the league two title and then the league one play-off final, almost getting to the Premiership, with the same squad of players.
On this evidence it looks like if you do give Moyes the time he needs to understand and work with a squad of players he will produce results and have them playing at a higher level than they were. Yes, Man Utd do play at the highest level but we have seen that year after year even the best have to keep working hard to stay where they are. And with Moyes' performance at other clubs, given enough time he can take Man Utd back to where they believe they should be and keep them there.
If more proof is needed then you have to look no further than Chelsea. After the bizarre sacking of Mourinho Chelsea went through 7 managers. If you take out Hiddink and Benitez who were interim mangers for the last part of the season, that leaves 5 and only one of them won the title in his first season- Ancelotti, and he was the only one to get a second season before he was off.
You might get lucky and get a manager that wins the title on his first attempt at a new club but going on Chelsea’s record, one success out of five, you would have to say that this replacement method is more likely to fail than it is to win the league. And if you want evidence that giving a manager time works then you only have to look at Liverpool.
They may not have won the league since 1990 but they are a big club with a good squad and their fans want nothing more than a Premiership title. In Rodgers first season his team did nothing special, finishing 7th and 11 points away from even getting into the Europa league. Now, nearly a year on, Liverpool sit top of the table with the destiny of the premiership title in their own hands, playing some great free flowing, creative football and better at scoring than Russell Brand at an all woman rehab centre.
Rodgers was given time to learn everything he could about the club, the players and the staff and has produced a team that is not only closer to winning the league then at any other point in their Premiership history, but has made a team that is feared and respected.
I can understand why clubs change managers when they are threatened with relegation and time isn’t a luxury, but teams with the clout to challenge for the top spots do have the opportunity to give their managers some leeway and I think in most cases this should be applied.
It only worked once for Chelsea in a 6 year period and that was only after 3 different managers, so if Man Utd want the Premiership crown back sooner perhaps they should give Moyes more time. And if you are going to spend a lot on a protest, try something better than an over-elaborate picket sign and something that shows more of a collective spirit than an opinion statement.