As
Sir Alex Ferguson took to the Old Trafford turf last May to deliver his
farewell speech, not many would have guessed that he may have been
about to deliver his final act of genius as
Manchester United manager.
After a few minutes of soaking up some rapturous applause, thanking players and staff and wishing all the best to the ill
Darren Fletcher and fellow retiree
Paul Scholes, Ferguson uttered his final request to his adoring faithful: ‘Your job now is to stand by our new manager’.
The new manager he was referring to was of course, David Moyes and by
encouraging the Old Trafford crowd to back their new leader to the hilt
Ferguson may just have bought him some valuable time.
For at this stage of the season, if Moyes had been employed by the ruthless owners of either
Chelsea or Manchester City, one would have to conclude that he would almost certainly have received his P45 by now.
While most Manchester United supporters did not expect Moyes to slip
into Fergie’s throne without any discomfort, most would not have
expected to be languishing in 7th position in the Premier League table
in January, five points adrift of the fourth Champion’s League spot.
Yet after last week’s last-gasp F.A. Cup defeat to Swansea and the
midweek humbling by Sunderland in the Capital One Cup, fans were still
showing their support for the manager. The question now is, exactly how
far will the patience of the Manchester United faithful stretch?
How many more defeats will it take before they are calling for Moyes’
head? How many more weeks of mid-table obscurity will they be able to
handle before pushing for his exit?
If Moyes can manage to lead a
springtime charge up the table and clinch Champion’s League
qualification then he should be able to breathe a sigh of relief and
look forward to a second season at the Old Trafford.
Another
saving grace would be a decent run in this season’s edition of Europe’s
premier competition. With Olympiakos as opponents in February’s round of
16, United will fancy their chances of at least making the
quarter-finals and, with a bit of luck, go even further.
All this
would certainly have to be seen as a decent return for the manager’s
first season in charge. However, with last week’s conquerors Swansea
returning to Old Trafford in the league this Sunday and a trip to Jose
Mourinho’s Chelsea looming the following week, Moyes may find himself
with his back firmly up against the wall, and with Sir Alex Ferguson to
thank for ensuring he’s made it this far.
