It has been something of a baptism of fire for Moyes at Manchester United; rarely free from the shadow cast by his predecessor, the constant public scrutiny has shackled the manager’s early tenure. This is hardly surprising though, he isn’t just managing the biggest club in the Premier League but arguably in world football, the expectations don’t get much greater.
Anyone walking into a new job is expected to make mistakes, it is how we learn and develop and the same is true of Moyes at United. The appointment was made with a degree of patience obviously in mind, and while fans may already be clamouring for success I fully expect the club itself to be viewing things slightly more long-term.
The jury may still be out on Moyes’ regime at United, but even in his short time in charge he appears hell-bent on making life difficult for himself. A series of media gaffes and misdirected pieces of management have already left Moyes slightly uneasy during his spell at the club.
Many have become preoccupied with his apparent fall-out with Wayne Rooney and a less than convincing approach to the summer transfer window as a whole; these are of course issues to concern United, but I personally believe the biggest oversight made so far is a much less obvious one.
The unsung hero of the Ferguson dynasty, and widely regarded as one of the best coaches in world football, Rene Meulensteen’s departure last summer is in opinion the most heinous of crimes committed by Moyes during his first months in the job.
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You may think crime is a strong way of describing the act of letting a backroom member of staff go, but for me it is as important if not more important than letting one of your star players exit the club. The pool of top-level coaches in the world game is even smaller than that of world-class players; Meulensteen is within footballing circles regarded as one of the best. Following his departure there was interest in him to manage and coach at places as far removed as Qatar and Russia, such is his reputation on the global footballing stage that his influence has gained international acclaim.
All this from a man who has never sought the limelight at United, his reputation is a measure of the Dutchman’s inherent ability above all else.
We shouldn’t downplay his influence on a United side that continued to function even in the twilight of the Ferguson era. It is widely accepted that Ferguson continued to reduce his involvement in day-to-day coaching and running of the club to become at the very end of his reign more of a public figurehead than anything else. This isn’t to say that Ferguson wasn’t in and around the first team on a day-to-day basis, more so that his coaching team, led by Meulensteen, were given greater freedom to directly influence the way the team played and developed.
Naturally you can understand Moyes wanting to bring in his own team, staff members that he has known and trusted for a number of years, unquestionable loyalty that will be paramount for Moyes going forward. Yet you wouldn’t ostracise Van Persie because you wanted to bring in someone like Jelavic who you know and trust would you? Moyes may well have wanted his to bring some stability from his previous club Everton with him, but for me failing to combine what he knows with the proficiency of the Dutchman is a huge management gaffe in my opinion.
United’s loss was always going to be someone elses gain and it is Fulham that have moved fast and decisively in this case. Hoping to revive the fortunes of an ailing Fulham side under Martin Jol, Meulensteen has been tasked with helping out in an audacious new project under new owner Shahid Khan. Something which the club themselves clearly see as something of a coup:
“We are all delighted to welcome René to Fulham,” said the club’s chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh. “There was always going to be a battle for René’s services and, with the assistance of our chairman, Shahid Khan, we have been able to bring one of the best coaches in the world to Fulham.”
Meulensteen made it known that he has a very clear direction for the club going forward, something which manager Jol clearly has happily taken on board:
“I have spent many hours talking with Martin Jol and we share a vision of how football should be played and how players should be developed,” said Meulensteen.
United could well thrive under the new regime at Old Trafford, but there still is that nagging feeling that a bit of continuity at the club wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Was Moyes right to overlook Meulensteen?
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