To many, the appointment of David Moyes at Manchester United signified them finally dropping off of their pedestal once and for all. Those people will certainly feel vindicated now. But, in truth, it’s Moyes’ sacking that has shown United’s biggest fall from grace. Because it’s his sacking that has truly made United just like every other club.
Practically everyone will find it difficult to argue in favour of David Moyes. Regardless of whatever frailties you may see in the ageing United squad that he inherited, he has still taken a team that won the league last season and left them without a Champions League place for next season. Only 6th or 7th are realistic possibilities for United from here. They lost 15 games this season under Moyes and the Scot leaves Old Trafford with a win percentage of only 53%.
A combination of embarrassing defeats to fierce rivals like Man City and Liverpool, and disappointing results including losses at home to Newcastle and West Brom left the fans in no doubt that a change was needed and the club acted. But despite believing that Moyes’ tenure had rightfully come to an end, there was still a drop of disappointment amongst the United faithful, who filled social networks and forums with their thoughts as soon as the news broke. They weren’t disappointed with what had happened, just that it HAD to happen.
Despite historically being a notoriously disliked club amongst the neutrals, there had been a sense that this was changing. United were once seen as the English football juggernaut that ran over everyone in their path. But more recently they had taken on the role of the underdog. When others were trying to buy the title with Russian or Saudi money, United kept their place at the top of English football despite not being a leader in the transfer market. They did ok, of course, they spent money, of course. But they didn’t have a prayer of outbidding their nearest rivals.
When City or Chelsea would win the league with a flavour-of-the-month-manager and a huge cash injection, it was only ever a matter of time before Fergie found some way of claiming it back. United were becoming the exception, other clubs would draw the disapproving glances of the football public by hastily disregarding another manager, but not United. Sir Alex had seen them all come and go. Mourinho, Ancelotti, Mancini, Benitez, Redknapp, Keegan, Houllier, AVB, Scolari, revolving-door managers. And United fans rightfully enjoyed their place on their high horse as other clubs made rash decisions like this.
Today, they are the club with the interim manager, when the last incumbent of the job lasted just nine months and twenty two days. And it’s this that has dropped United to everyone else’s level. Rest assured the 6/7th placed finish can be recovered from. Liverpool seems to have survived a few league campaigns like this. They were just as far behind United as United find themselves behind top spot now, and they recovered.
It isn’t the league position that is telling in United’s fall from grace, it’s how they smashed the panic button and sacked their manager in exactly the same way that their rivals would. It’s this loyalty and longevity that made United a truly special club, and it’s potentially gone forever. To the neutral, there is nothing about United that sets them apart from City, Chelsea, or anyone else at that end of the league. They have ceased to be special.
And it’s this that will hurt their fans the most. David Moyes was their one and only chance to continue in the traditions laid out by Ferguson. Moyes was appointed for no reason other than to continue what had come before. That chance is gone now. United under Sir Alex are gone and gone forever. The new United, for better or worse, will be different.
Arsenal can feel good about themselves. They have a manager who, similar to Sir Alex, will be at the club for as long as he wants to be. But they will one day find that replacing him won’t be easy and that they are likely to get it wrong more than once.
Now, going into next season, United have a chance of being at the right end of the table. That’s no bad thing; it’s the same chance that others like City, Chelsea and Arsenal have. But that’s all that it is, a chance. It used to be a guarantee and that made them special.
Now that era is over. Now they are no longer special.