To the complete surprise of absolutely nobody, the reign of David Moyes as Manchester United manager came to an end. And with that came to an end of Manchester United’s philosophy of developing a new legacy after Sir Alex Ferguson’s 27 year reign with the most successful English club in the Premier League era.
Many pundits and fans proclaimed that Moyes was the “chosen one” as a banner was draped across one of the stands in Old Trafford. There was a romantic air about how the appointment of Moyes draws parallels with the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, sharing the same tough Glasgow roots. And with a six year contract, Moyes could build a new Manchester United, just like Fergie, when he took four years to start defining his legacy.
Yet not even twelve months on from Manchester United lifting the Premier League for the final time under the Fergie era, Moyes— Fergie’s chosen replacement, has lead them to a calamitous seventh place in the Premier League. Goodbye European football and good riddance to David Moyes.
What Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, the commentators, the fans and the romantics all failed to realise is that the game has changed drastically since Fergie’s appointment in 1986. The English game had significantly less money, Liverpool were England’s mega giants, the Premier League/Rupert Murdoch era was yet to begin and the stock exchange was just set up in London.
With the billions of pounds invested in the English game from foreign owners, sponsorship and television companies, Manchester United became the biggest commodity in English football. The game of football has become focused in the short-term, and therefore the initial idea of appointing David Moyes in the long-term backfired.
Millions of dollars have been wiped off their shares in recent times, in tandem with the poor run of results that Moyes’s men endured this season. Their Champions League exit was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and in the end, one could purely call the move to terminate Moyes’s contract after a year a business decision, not just a footballing one. Of course there are footballing reasons too, both on and off the pitch, but you can find those debates elsewhere.
Manchester United has conformed into the same line of thinking as every other big club in the modern game when it comes to managers; win now or you’re gone. David Moyes failed to win even the easier games in the Premier League and as a consequence he needed to be removed from his position quickly.
Managers will never be able to define a lasting legacy at one club these days. The likes of Fergie and Arsene Wenger are the last of a generation who can have careers that span past a decade at one club. Many of managers understand that they live a life filled with uncertainty over job security, whether they are loved by the fans or not.
Consequently, thanks (apply your own degree of sarcasm here) to the rapid economic change to the modern game, the idea of a manager’s legacy has changed too. Out with the countless honours and achievements at one club and in with the expansive globe-trotting curriculum vitae with few honours at each of the countless clubs.
Jose Mourinho is a prime example of a manager who has defined his legacy through many clubs. He has had Champions League success with both Inter Milan and FC Porto as well as plenty of domestic success with Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Another example is in Carlo Ancelotti who has done pretty much the same thing as Mourinho. He won two Champions league wins with AC Milan and has also lead the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid to domestic success. Fellow Italian coach Roberto Mancini has achieved domestic success at every club he has managed—Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter Milan and Manchester City—and could do the same in the Turkish FA Cup with Galatasaray next month. A feat that would even make Mourinho jealous.
There are arguments that could suggest the old school way of defining a long legacy as a manager might not be dead. You just have to look at Brendan Rodgers or Jurgen Klopp. Yet if Rodgers fails to win the Premier League with Liverpool this season and if fixture congestion gets the better of them next season then he could be heading out the exit door. Klopp seems determined to make Dortmund better than Bayern Munich, but if players like Lewandoski are switching sides, one could ask how long it will be before he leaves. Not long, I might suggest.
Manchester United are undoubtedly going to start looking at the short term. They have learnt a very valuable lesson and they will be looking for a manager with the right clout and experience to manage a club with a high reputation and an even higher standard. The favourite, according to many bookmakers, is Louis van Gaal.
The current manager of the Dutch national team will be leaving his coaching post to pursue a club role next season. He has also got a colourful CV, experiencing both success and failure at high levels. He won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 as well as leading Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AZ Alkmaar to domestic successes in a managerial career that has lasted nearly three decades. He also failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2002 in his first stint as Netherlands coach.
The varied yet still pretty good track record of van Gaal seems like a better fit for Manchester United than Moyes. He understands how to be successful and he understands failure, something which this current squad understand. He has the perfect mentality for this club at the present time—a combination of ruthlessness and sympathetic understanding.
Yet if there is one thing that has been consistent since his six year stint as Ajax’s manager, is that van Gaal only has short reigns as a manager. It seems that he is always looking for a new challenge—a new way to define his legacy. Manchester United will definitely think this is more of a positive thing from now on as they will definitely learn from the mistake that was the appointment of David Moyes.
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