MOYES RETURNS TO THEATRE OF DREAMS
DAVID MOYES will be engulfed by mixed emotions when he steps out at Old Trafford today. He was in the dream job that turned into a nightmare. Now he is just in a nightmare with Sunderland locked into their annual relegation battle with no funds to strengthen. Moyes was proud to be offered the United job, frustrated he did not get the signings he wanted – Gareth Bale, Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos – and sorry he was not given more time. And he will reflect ruefully how times have changed. Jose Mourinho, the man many United fans wanted to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson, was in the opposition dugout for Moyes’ first home game. Now the roles are reversed. The Special One is in the home dug-out; the Chosen One is in the other corner. Three years on and United are more or less in the same place where he left them – outside the top four Moyes believes the struggles of Louis van Gaal and Mourinho to restore United to former glories show what a difficult job it was to follow Ferguson. His biggest regret was being fired just 10 months into a six-year contract he thought gave him the safety net to rebuild.
“Most people, myself included, would say whoever took over from Sir Alex wouldn’t have had an easy ride,” he said, “Whether it was Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or David Moyes. It would have been a difficult job for whoever took over.
“I had my chance to do it and I had to do it in my time. I didn’t believe I had to do it in nine months, or even 12 months. I was given plenty of reassurances.
“I only say that because I had a long contract. People would now see it has taken a while for United to start to get back to where people see them and the club want to be.”
Asked if he would do it again he said: “One hundred per cent. Very few people are offered the job at United and I was honoured to be offered it. You have to be half-decent to be offered the job. They have a very good manager in charge now and they had very good and experienced one in Van Gaal. I think they would all say that going to Manchester United is a different animal to maybe even some of the clubs they have managed before.
“My time was too short. As I have said many times, you have to win games and I didn’t win enough games that’s the first thing.”
Look back at Moyes’ record as he approached Christmas in 2013 and it was almost identical to Mourinho’s at this stage. Both lifted the Community Shield in their first competitive games; both guided the club through to the knockout stages of European competitions and the semi-finals of the League Cup. And in the Premier League, United were only two points worse off after 17 games than they are now.
In all competitions Moyes record was played 27, won 15, drawn six and lost six. That compares favourably to Mourinho’s record after the same number of games – won 16, drawn six, lost five.
But after winning six successive games in December, United’s fortunes plummeted in the New Year and Moyes was sacked. Had he got Bale, Kroos and Fabregas it might have been different.
He says Sir Alex had even offered hope that Cristiano Ronaldo might return from Real Madrid.
But none of the deals materialised and Moyes first and only signing that summer was the much-maligned Marouane Fellaini for £27million, although he did add Juan Mata the following January.
“A lot of players come into United and have not necessarily made the difference. But given time and having got to this period, I would have hoped I would be working with a successful team now. But it was a great experience and one I wouldn’t change,” said Moyes.
He was touched when Norma Charlton, wife of United legend and director Sir Bobby, invited his wife to today’s game. She is unable to go due to family commitments but Moyes said: “It was a classy moment, which reflects United more than anything. “
No bitterness then, just regrets at what might have been.
My time was just too short