Okay, it’s a little fashionable to get on David Moyes’ back, but after today’s loss at Everton the calls for his sacking have gathered even more momentum. The Red Devils have gone from champions to a midtable club in the space of just 12 months, and even the fiercest defender of the Scot would have to admit that he’s been a big part of the decline. With the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Louis van Gaal supposedly available, how long can Moyes hold on? Here are three reasons we think he has to go.
Tactically awful
United entered the first half like lambs heading to the slaughter, with Moyes having fielded a midfield devoid of pace and dynamism. Everton quickly cut through and exposed the Red Devils’ soft side.
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Big summer ahead
With this season now a write off, the summer transfer market appears to be pivotal for United. With £200m to spend, can Moyes be trusted to get the right players?
He’s lost the fans
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There was patience at first, but now the #MoyesOut has gone almost viral on every matchday. The fans are the lifeblood of clubs, so their views do count.
Arsenal couldn’t have picked a better time to let the world know exactly how much money they had in their pockets. As Matt Law put it earlier this week, “the drinks are on you, Arsene.” The thing is, the club were never going to be in great danger by releasing it’s financial information at this time; Arsene Wenger was simply doing too well for sections of support to sharpen the knives. But is it enough?
I don’t think Arsene Wenger has a real problem this season unless he makes one for himself. Those situations where January rolls around and the club are in desperate need for a player but they decide to sit on that £50million for an even rainier day. The club are not beyond another real injury crisis and the need for some action. But right now, there really isn’t any reason for supporters to question the club.
The contract situation with a number of players is something that still grates many supports. How can the club find themselves in this situation once again? But there’s a real difference in Wenger’s stance over this Theo Walcott saga. Yes, the player is free to walk at the end of the season, but have we ever been made to believe that Walcott holds all the power in this ordeal? Wenger’s not having anymore of it, nor is the club. They’ve been ransacked and significantly weakened by clubs and want-away players in the past, but not this time around.
The other real point of action which has forced many of the boo-boys away is the business the club have done over the summer transfer window. The thing about Arsenal is that many supporters know the club won’t pay big money for players, and that’s fine. Fans do, however, want to see the club take a gamble and pull the trigger when there’s a good offer on the table, an offer that resembles a Spanish international available at a bargain price. How many fans would have been sweating on the deal for Santi Cazorla being called off at the last minute by the manager? That’s the real problem and the reason for much of the dissent. The club don’t need a £40million midfielder when there’s one just as good available for a third of the price, but the supporters need the club to make those deals and make the squad stronger.
It also bodes well that the team have scored 12 goals in their last two home games. The goals aren’t a massive problem for the Gunners, despite the calls from outsiders that Olivier Giroud would fail to step up. Patience is needed with him and fans understand that. The performances of the team also looks to be greatly improving on what we saw last season, but that’s a another plus for the manager. Wenger is acknowledging the shortcomings of certain areas on the pitch and is addressing them. Could the club really have gone into another battle with an army who had nothing to fight with? It becomes sickening and it’s hard to understand. But those fears have been laid to rest, at least for now.
There will continue to be supporters who are not entirely trusting of the modern Arsene Wenger and miss the partnership he had with David Dein. This new Arsenal is one that crumbles under pressure, has nothing left in the tank at the business end of the season, and at times has lacked real quality across the pitch. A fair assessment of the current squad? Absolutely not. The team have strengthened and are taking a no nonsense attitude against players who are attempting to hold the club to ransom.
But it only takes a string of bad results for the wounds to open up again. However, I’m not entirely convinced that the dissent will be spread throughout the fan base. To reiterate, the club have taken steps to move forward and adapt to the loss of their real attacking strengths of last season. That’s all that fans wanted to see, not the club sitting back telling everyone it’s ok and then revealing profits that would be applauded at any other club. Are they applauding because Arsenal are such a well run club, or because the team are no real threat to the big teams in England and Europe?
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Stoke City have begun talks with Joe Allen over a new contract, according to the Daily Mail.
The report states that the Welsh midfielder has three years left on his current deal, but was automatically given a pay-cut following Stoke’s relegation, which has led new manager Gary Rowett to open talks with the playmaker.
Allen has been one of the shining lights for Stoke since he joined from Liverpool in 2016, scoring twice and assisting six goals during this campaign which saw the Potters relegated to the Championship.
The player nicknamed ‘The Welsh Pirlo’ has become a fan favourite at the Britannia and was one of the few Stoke players to end the season with any credit.
Stoke supporters have been reacting to the latest contract news on Twitter, with fans delighted that one of their star players might commit their future to Stoke despite their relegation.
If Allen, 28, puts pen-to-paper, it will be a great start for new Stoke boss Gary Rowett who wants to lock down as many quality players as possible.
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On Sunday, Watford unexpectedly sacked manager Marco Silva after a downturn in form. Accordingly, the Portuguese leaves Vicarage Road under something of a dark cloud – especially with the Hornets claiming his head was turned by interest from Everton.
But it wasn’t long ago Silva was being touted as the Premier League’s rising managerial star after transforming Hull City and almost saving them from relegation despite inheriting a dire situation at the KCOM Stadium.
Which all begs the question of whether the 40-year-old’s departure will create something of a gaffer merry-go-round as another Premier League club looks to snap up a hot managerial priority before a managerial rival beats them to it.
David Moyes has improved West Ham exponentially since taking over from Slaven Bilic but as he’s only on a short-term contract until the end of the season, would you sack the Scot now and replace him with Silva?
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Roy Keane has come to the defence of David Moyes, claiming the decline of Manchester United is down to former boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his policy of ‘cutting corners’ in the transfer market, reports the Express.
Former captain Keane believes the club’s failure to bring in enough top class players in recent years has caught up with them, and has left David Moyes with a huge rebuilding job.
Keane said: “United need five or six players. They’ve kind of cut corners in terms of transfers in the last few years, they’ve not gone out and got the big players and it has just caught up with them this year.
“It has maybe surprised everyone how far they’ve slipped behind teams but now it’s a case of rebuilding. If it happens in the summer then instead of being fearful of it, embrace it – it’s exciting. These can be exciting times for United. Get them back to the very top where they belong.”
Seventh placed United travel to Arsenal tonight, with the team in real danger of failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in almost two decades.
But Keane believes Moyes – Ferguson’s nominated successor – needs time to turn the club around.
“The man [Moyes] deserves plenty of time,” he said. “People have been afraid to use the word that there might be ‘rebuilding’ going on but that’s exactly the word I would use.
“On form at this moment in time you have to say the Champions League is a long way off for Manchester United. Would I fancy them for it? Probably not. But they’re still a threat, they’re still there and, with their big players like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie back up to speed with their fitness, United will be a dangerous team if they can get their act together over the next month or two.”
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It never seemed appropriate to write off Tottenham so early in the season. Yes, there were obvious flaws to certain areas on the pitch and in the club’s transfer activity. But was all the premature hysteria just further evidence of an agenda many have against Tottenham’s new manager?
Liverpool have been subjected to similar criticism this season, written off with little hope of securing a promising position in the league come May. They seem to be enjoying it, and I really don’t need to highlight who “they” are. But even with good starts at other clubs around the Premier League, surely everyone knows that a club like West Brom is not going to secure a higher position than Tottenham. Why then is there such little reference and acceptance to how young the league season is at this stage?
I made the point recently that the title race only starts to become relevant around Christmas. Adding to that, how long will it take the rest of the league table to take realistic shape? Andre Villas-Boas certainly didn’t get the players he targeted in the transfer market, but he’s a football manager and evidently one with plenty of knowledge of the game.
How foolish was it to write off a manager whose job it is to steer the ship and make something positive with what he has? And that’s not even to suggest that the Portuguese manager is working with very little. He’s picked up an excellent and versatile defender, one of the most highly praised midfielders in the league—although that description could be applicable to either Moussa Dembele or Gylfi Sigurdsson—and a forward who scored well over 20 goals in all competitions last season. It’s the manager’s job to find ways around the obvious problems he’s faced this early in his Tottenham career. It’s also the job of the media to take a little more care with how they approach circumstances such as this.
Spurs are sitting in fifth place ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, two points ahead of the much praised Arsenal and off the back of a surprise and impressive win at Old Trafford. For all the good that Arsenal have done recently, when last did Arsene Wenger’s side go to Old Trafford and take three points, and in such a manner? When was the last time Spurs returned to London with a win in the bag following a trip to Manchester United?
Will there be ever-lasting praise for Villas-Boas and that win? Talk of it certainly won’t outlast the heavy criticism he’s faced and continues to hear each week. The Hugo Lloris gossip won’t go away, but how else should the manager deal with the situation? He’s wrong if he benches Brad Friedel and he’s wrong if he benches the France captain over the steady hands of the veteran. But it’s needless gossip that somehow found a way to entrench itself on the front pages.
Are Tottenham playing bad football? It’s hard to say because plenty see Barcelona and Spain’s methods on the pitch as boring or even negative. But Spurs are doing well and are only feeling the effects due to a new manager and the adjustment to his system, as well as late activity in the window. Those first few games were essentially their preseason, but was that ever flagged up in the continuing criticism of the manager?
The media’s best mate is now gone and out of a job, where will they get those diamond quotes that sell stories? AVB doesn’t fancy all that business, and fair play to him. He’s a manager who’s trying to take the club forward and repay the trust sent through from Daniel Levy. The loss of Luka Modric gave plenty of fuel to the assumption that Spurs would fail this season; where would they go without direction from the midfield and without a win in their first few games of the season? Were there genuinely people who could say Tottenham would never win a league game all season? It’s not so much a laughable stance to have but it’s a childish one and further points to the media desperately trying to stick anything on Villas-Boas.
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Would those be the same who suggested Arsenal would finish mid-table last season? The Gunners’ start was horrific last year, but surely their finish should be enough to warrant a little more time in the final verdict on how Spurs would do this season.
Tom Davies’ Everton career has regressed this season, but can the young Englishman find his form under Marco Silva?
When Tom Davies broke into the Everton side, there were real hopes the Toffees had just found their next great local talent.
The 19 year-old scored a fabulous goal in last year’s famous 4-0 win over Manchester City, but has struggled for form this year.
Of course, the entire Toffees’ team has struggled, as the torrid run of form under Ronald Koeman cost the Dutchman his job, and the arrival of Sam Allardyce certainly didn’t help exciting young talents like Davies.
The young midfielder scored just twice in 33 Premier League appearances this season though, and was really poor at times alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney and Idrissa Gueye in midfield.
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Everton have been strongly linked with Abdoulaye Doucoure due to the Watford midfielder’s connection with incoming manager Marco Silva, and the arrival of the towering Frenchman could set Davies even further back.
Gueye is unlikely to lose his starting spot, and with the likes of Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson fighting for the more advanced midfield positions, the potential arrival of Doucoure, or the heavily linked William Carvalho, could destroy Davies’ Everton career before it’s really even begun.
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Silva and new director of football Marcel Brands are clearly wanting to make some major moves in midfield, so will Davies be a flop under the Portuguese tactician?
Everton fans, do you think Davies has what it takes to make it at Everton? Can he survive under Silva? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…
Many Everton fans would have been thrilled during the summer when the club spent over £100m on new signings.Unfortunately, a large number of the new arrivals failed to take the Toffees forward; in fact, the club were in a relegation battle under former manager Ronald Koeman.Sam Allardyce is now in charge and he is overseeing his first transfer window since taking the job at the end of November.The Merseyside outfit are in a much healthier position in the Premier League table given that they are ninth in the standings, seven points above the drop.With that in mind, fans might be allowing themselves to get excited about the potential new arrivals this month.The club have already recruited forward Cenk Tosun from Besiktas, and now Allardyce hasÂrevealed to reportersÂthat the club are in negotiations with Arsenal over the signing of winger Theo Walcott.The winger, who has scored more than 100 goals for the Gunners during his 12-year stay, has not started a single league game this season.Once Allardyce revealed the news, Everton fans gave their reactions on Twitter.
Real Madrid needed this international break, as much or even more than those clubs who were desperate for a break in the domestic calendar.
It hasn’t been clear sailing for Carlo Ancelotti – far from it. The team have been saved from La Liga embarrassment on multiple occasions due to the intervention of the younger talents in the squad; the Gareth Bale fiasco has blown up, underlining – perhaps, we’re not too sure yet – the extravagance and stupidity of Florentino Perez; and whatever problems there were under Jose Mourinho, they clearly haven’t been washed away, as the team are caught up in a whirlwind of two tactical ideas.
As is usually the case, money makes the problems go away. In theory. Karim Benzema isn’t firing, though his two strikes for France during this two-week break will be reason for optimism. Alvaro Morata, on the other hand, is the forward in form, he’s the player fans and neutral onlookers want to see. More than anything, he’s earned a place in the starting XI.
But that’s a problem; not on a club-wide level, but personally for Perez. Morata is a young Spaniard who has come through the ranks. There is little else that the supporters want to see. But Benzema is Perez’s signing, one of his golden acquisitions during this second spell as club president. Despite form, how can Perez go from travelling to meet Benzema prior to signing him from Lyon in 2009, to accepting him on the bench in favour of player who cost nothing and arrived on the scene with nowhere near as much fanfare?
Real Madrid’s situation at present is that the La Liga title looks gone. Based on their current form – and results don’t make up the whole story – the title will most likely go to Barcelona. Don’t even bother to suggest an Atletico win around the Real camp. If the landscape of this season doesn’t change too drastically between now and January, it is more than likely that Real will look to Luis Suarez to right the ship.
The thing is they have to get round Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers’ side are currently second in the Premier League and could very well finish in the top four with Suarez in the team for the remainder of the season. Like the case with Arsenal in the summer, the club will more than likely do everything they can to hold onto the Uruguayan.
But that won’t extend beyond the summer – at least it seems incredibly unlikely. Suarez may have apologised and put himself back in the good books, but no one really doubts he’ll eventually move.
Liverpool, however, and despite the likelihood of turning away Real Madrid in January without even listening to an offer, could be in a fantastic situation to exploit the La Liga side’s domestic situation.
In the summer, Perez was desperate to land Neymar ahead of Barcelona, so much so that his offer blew the Catalans’ out of the water by some distance. That didn’t matter, though; Neymar to Barcelona was agreed long before. Gareth Bale turned out to be the next best thing, the card which would save face for Perez in the market. Forget the fee; Perez just needed a marquee name to make up for the loss of Neymar. And of course, the Cristiano Ronaldo contract situation was always a separate issue.
This time around, Real could be in a similarly desperate situation, and vitally they have players, very good players, who they’re looking to move on. Liverpool’s rebuilding project isn’t over. They need a new striker to replace Suarez, and they need further midfield depth – notably of quality.
Sami Khedira is almost definitely on his way out of the Bernabeu, but while Liverpool will not get a striker from Real Madrid, it’s possible they’ll receive a sizeable fee for Suarez, likely more than the £40 million which was suggested during the summer.
Perez’s approach to the transfer market leaves many clubs around Europe at a great advantage. Whether it’s buying players such as Wesley Sneijder for a knockdown fee, or inflating the value of a player as Tottenham were able to do with Bale, clubs know that Perez is largely concerned about the prestige associated with incomings rather than the financial situation he puts his club into.
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Liverpool may not be interested at all in selling Suarez in January, and that’s more than understandable. If they’re in a similar position come the end of the Christmas period, why risk a slip in form through the sale of their best player? But it’s something to think about. Suarez is leaving one way or another, and the funds Real Madrid may be willing to shell out would be a great deal of help in the further strengthening of the squad.
Should Liverpool look to exploit Real Madrid’s need for a striker in January?
Reading manager Brian McDermott says he is not concerned over his side’s poor start to the Premier League campaign because he feels his players have more to offer.
The Royals, promoted to the top-flight at the end of last term, sit rock-bottom of the fledgling table having taken just one point from their opening four games. Defeats by Chelsea, Tottenham and West Brom mean Reading’s season is yet to ignite but McDermott is refusing to get downhearted over the slow start. He told Sky Sports:
“If after our last two games every single one of our players had played to the maximum level and we’d got beaten the way we got beaten, I’d be concerned. I can’t honestly turn round and say to you that at Spurs too many played to the max level, and I can’t against West Brom either. From the players’ point of view they’ll know there’s so much more to come and I know there’s so much more to come.”
McDermott is reluctant to dwell on the opening four results and prefers instead to look at how he can prepare his side for their upcoming games, with a Capital One Cup trip to QPR next on the agenda on Wednesday night.
“I had the self-same thing last season and the season before. You have to get the right formula, you’ve got to get the players to gel.”
Despite being yet to register a win with his side in the league this season, McDermott says he is enjoying the experience of top-flight football. He added:
“I’m loving the challenge of the league. It’s a fantastic league. I’m enjoying every single moment. I’m not enjoying the results at the moment, but they’ll change.”