David Moyes Sacked | 5 Reasons Why Manchester United Fired Him

David Moyes watched by Grim Reaper in last match as United manager vs Everton. Photo: Reuters

David Moyes SACKED by Manchester United

5 Reasons Why:

#1. The 2-0 loss to Everton. The humiliating defeat to his former club proved why David Moyes was incapable of managing a club of United’s stature. It was apparent from minute one that Moyes’ style is to react to the opponent in an effort to contain them. “Let’s try not to lose,” instead of, “Let’s go out there and win!” It’s a defensive-minded approach suited to mid-table teams not capable of standing toe-to-toe with the top clubs.

In contrast, Roberto Martinez has a courageous, positive approach – a trait that distinguishes good managers from champions. His lowly side Wigan, underdogs vs. Manchester City, became FA Cup champions because Martinez’s teams impose their game on the opponent. They earn it by going for it, not holding back. United players had no tactical direction under Moyes and the loss to Everton was the final straw.

#2. He lost the dressing room. Playing the ball through the middle got the brilliant Shinji Kagawa in a heap of trouble with Moyes throughout the season. His shameful disrespect for Fabio, Welbeck, and Ferguson’s last signing, Wilfried Zaha, divided the players and reached boiling point when club captain Nemanja Vidic not only announced he was leaving for Inter Milan midseason, but tweeted a picture of himself signing the documents for his new club.

Unlike Ferguson, Moyes never had the courage to leave Wayne Rooney on the bench, rushing him back for the match vs. Everton when he was clearly incapable of shooting due of a toe injury. Moyes lacked the authority and assertiveness to make the difficult decisions in football, which is why he favored his star player over the in-form Welbeck and Javier Hernandez. If allowed to stay on as manager, Robin van Persie, Welbeck, and Chicharito were certain to quit in the summer, leaving Rooney to have his cake and eat it too.

#3. Mismanagement of transfer funds. The Glazers are ready to flex their financial muscle this summer with funds reported to be around £150million. But Moyes’ first signing was wasted on £28m Marouane “Elbows” Fellaini, a player who spends most of his time on the bench and has yet to score a goal this season. Even the world-class, club record transfer Juan Mata has struggled under Moyes.

If United was to splurge on top players such as Hazard, Fabregas, and Pogba, there’s no evidence to suggest Moyes would adopt the creative passing style Manchester United is synonymous with. Mindless crossing with hard workers such as Ashley Young and Valencia is all he knows. Or hoofing it to the likes of Fellaini and Duncan Ferguson. It was clear Moyes had no plan for the future of the club. Even if he did, he lacked the confidence to implement it.

#4. Firing of the back room staff and coaches. Against Ferguson’s advice, David Moyes fired United’s coaching staff to bring in Everton’s Steve Round and Phillip Neville. The United training coaches were highly respected by the players and would’ve eased the transition. Taking over a global powerhouse such as United is a task best left to experienced staff capable of handling such an operation.

#5. His negative, irrational post match interviews. Defeat after defeat saw David Moyes unreasonably claiming players played well or controlled the match when they clearly didn’t. Top managers give their honest assessment in the most diplomatic way, but the truth always prevails so their credibility is never questioned. Moyes’ interviews made him sound clueless and unconvincing.