David Moyes Replaces Alex Ferguson as Manchester United Manager

The news everyone was waiting for was confirmed on Thursday morning. Everton manager David Moyes will replace Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Al Dannity says the pair have more in common than just being Scotsmen.

For over a decade it’s been clear that whoever became the man to replace Alex Ferguson at Manchester United would face an onerous task. How can anyone compete with the legacy of a man who brought 13 EPL titles and 2 European Cups to Old Trafford? That’s before taking into account his Scottish and European success with Aberdeen, oh and winning the Renfrewshire Cup (look it up) with St Mirren. Any man who stepped into that job had better have a strong neck.

David Moyes might just be the ideal choice, at least in terms of his ethos. Like Ferguson at Aberdeen, Moyes comes to Old Trafford after a long tenure bringing a club back to prominence. While he only managed one fourth place finish and won no trophies with Everton, Moyes managed to make the Toffees consistent contenders for European qualification on a fraction of the budget of teams around him. Like Ferguson, Moyes has his fundamental ideals but isn’t afraid to make significant shifts in how his team plays in order to evolve. This year has seen a major shift in the number of shots his Everton side takes because the statistics indicated that, despite having a poor conversion rate, this would bring more success over the course of the season. It has worked despite not having top drawer players on the field.

A three-time LMA manager of the year, Moyes has earned the respect of his peers. The challenge now will be to prove he is cut out for the next level. The only way to win over the hearts of Manchester United supporters is with trophies and lots of them. You have to go all the way back to 2005 for the last time United failed to win some form of silverware.

Moyes however is used to pressure and will relish the challenge of taking over one of the biggest clubs in the world. The media scrutiny over his transfer dealings this summer and the start to next year’s EPL campaign will be like nothing he has ever before faced. The Scotsman, like Ferguson, will know that no matter what is said about him he will be fine if he does the only thing that matters. Win.