Dust Down and Rebuild

So the Champions League dream finally came to an end for David Moyes and Manchester United.

A brave effort in Munich, which produced a 20 second, or so, glimpse of hope, was all United could offer, as Bayern Munich showed their true class, with a 15 minute master class on how to finish off opponents when it matters.

I will be honest, I have been left scratching my head at times this season. The scratching started towards the conclusion of last year’s triumphant Fergie swan song, as I asked myself, why would the club appoint a manager whose only trophy was the Division 2 title from over a decade ago, to replace the most decorated manager in the history of the English game?

It continued throughout the transfer window when a club that was once the peak of a player’s career to play for, became more unattractive than a coalition government and by the end of it we ended up with an expensive disappointment, much like the coalition government.

As the season has passed, it is surprising as a United fan, I have much hair left, as month over month, more disappointment has followed and more questions have been asked about whether or not David Moyes really is the man for the job.

All of this has culminated with a Champions League quarter final, where we were expected to get drubbed into oblivion, where the beleaguered manager finally seemed to stand up and stand tall against the growing discontentment and the furore reigning from supporters and the press who like me sit behind keyboards.

In truth Moyes was not my number one choice and at times there has been mornings where I have woken up and hoped to see the headline ‘Moyes leaves by mutual consent’, but throughout I have remained in vocal support for the team when they have played and found the stunt to fly a plane across the ground embarrassing and completely detrimental to the team’s hopes of revival.

Now the season is over and we have just the Community Shield to show for it. Perhaps we are blessed to have won that. What went from being a bright new era for both the club and Moyes, has become a nightmarish season, full of battered pride and emotional heartache.

But this is football, and that is what many a supporter has had to endure over the past 20 years while we have dominated the English game. We have no right to complain or chastise any of the other emerging clubs because our own success has finally caught up with us.

Now is the time the club, the players, the fans who have been so gifted with success show their true mettle and support and get behind the new era, however difficult it may be.

There were a lot of positives to be taken from our European Cup run this season, not least that we showed great determination and heart to turn round the 2-0 deficit against Olympiakos, which, let’s face it, would not have happened if this result occurred earlier in the year and we capped that off with a show of heart and resolution against a side in Bayern Munich, that have been proven to be unplayable when there is something on the line.

The key now for Moyes is to dust himself and his squad down, forget about all that has gone before and start rebuilding immediately.

That means there should be no room for sentiment with those who are set to depart, not until the final games at least and that night in Bayern should, unless injuries dictate otherwise be the last starts for Vidic, Evra, Rio, Giggs and the likes.

Yes, they represent a golden era for the club and yes, there is homage to be repaid for their efforts, but the club has to move on and to start doing it now would go a long way to avoiding the sort of terrible start to next season that David Moyes can’t afford.

Realistically the manager and his board need to identify their targets in the transfer market immediately and work on bringing them a step closer to the club. They don’t have the guarantee of European football to offer and a reliance on the club’s illustrious history may not be enough to attract the very best players, so the next option is commitment to the player.

They need to go out to their identified targets and make them feel that a club of this size really wants them. Look at Daniel Sturridge as an example. He had a place in the squad of a champions league team guaranteed and Liverpool managed to lure him away because they offered to make him a star attraction and show faith in what he can do, something neither Manchester City nor Chelsea did when they had him at the club.

Some players need that feeling of importance and if the results are as good as what we have seen with Sturridge then surely it is of benefit to go out there and do the same.

Moyes can no longer sit behind his board officials while they bungle the transfers either. He needs to be proactive within himself and go and meet players and sell himself and his ideology over to the players.

Whereas players like Sturridge need love, others need guidance and a leader and Moyes must become that character.

In terms of youth, now is the time to bring them into the squad. Players like Januzaj, James Wilson, Jesse Lingard, Nicky Powell would all benefit from runs in the team. We know what Carrick, Rooney and the like can do, but Moyes can effectively play the rest of the season out as a trial now due to the weight of expectation being lifted.

He also needs to make his mind up about what he wants to do with his attackers. In Mata and Kagawa he has two forward thinking number ten players who play superbly together behind a front man

Get that partnership right and next season United will be difficult to stop, but the real question is, who should play in front of them.

Well, we know he has tied Rooney down with a new, highly lucrative deal, but he was missing in Munich as he was against Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea and as he has been in previous ‘big games’ for which he is supposed to be the player who can make the difference.

On the other hand Van Persie has been missing for other reasons, most notably his injuries. He is also not getting any younger and this may be why Moyes favours Rooney.

To be honest, maybe both of them should be moved on. Their inability to connect with each other has, at sometimes this season, been crippling to United and both at some point have had their attitudes and desire to play for the club questioned.

To me if there is any question, then they don’t belong at the club and I know there will be a lot of people who say Rooney has carried the side but only when he got his own way in regards to his salary, access to club plans and potentially the captaincy next season.

Personally, I think Hernandez should be given his time from now until the end of the season. His attitude can’t be questioned, despite being sat on the bench longer than a player of his quality should be.

He is always ready for action and almost always scores when he comes on so it would be interesting to see how he would fair in front of Mata and Kagawa. Judging from the Newcastle game, the answer would be very well.

We all know that there are huge issues with United’s midfield. Nani doesn't want to be there and shouldn't, Valencia is inconsistent, Fletcher is still recovering from his illness and Cleverly has no place in a top 8 premier league side, which leaves Carrick and Fellaini.

Neither of them have been particularly good this season. Carrick has somewhat drowned in a midfield of mediocrity and Fellaini, has failed to live up to the minimal hype he brought from his Everton career.

Moyes would do well to cut his losses with the big Belgium this summer and accept that he isn’t good enough to fit into the role but what should he do with an aging Carrick.

If rumours are to be believed, Toni Kroos is heavily on the club’s radar and reportedly displaying interest in joining the red devils. This could end up compromising Carrick’s position, especially if another defensive midfielder is brought in as part of the mass overhaul.

Do you keep Carrick and rotate him through the squad or is the time right to cash in and bid farewell to a player that, certainly over the last two years, has been a great servant and played some great stuff.

I would have to say the latter. I am not sure whether it has been because of the nature of this season, but Carrick has become far more negative as the season has rolled on in terms of his play.

He has never been one to roam forward and score goals but what I am talking about was best displayed at the Emirates where with minutes to go and United on the front foot moving forward he elected to pass backwards and accept a draw.

We used to be the kings of taking chances and scoring late winners and now it is as if we can’t even be bothered having a go. This isn't just down to Carrick of course, but sometimes a player just has his day and I think with Michael Carrick, this is the case.

Notwithstanding the obvious Midfield conundrum, however, I believe our biggest concern has to be in defence.

Vidic has been a real leader in his eight years and there aren't enough words to describe his value to the club.

Personally, I would have liked Moyes to offer him at least another year, but sadly this isn’t happening and as things stand that sees us relying on Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in the centre back department.

All three have played at times this season and for me the most established is definitely Jonny Evans but that has to come from the fact that he has had more game time alongside the guidance of either Vidic or Ferdinand when they were still at the peak of their powers.

This season Jones has gone from useful and versatile, to clumsy and out of position and Chris Smalling has struggled, largely to the fact Moyes keeps picking him at right back, but when he does play in the middle his lapses of concentration have given him the tag of being slightly dodgy and unreliable.

The frailties in the middle are further backed up by the erratic on the flanks. At times Rafael seems to forget he is a defender whereas Evra this season has seemingly decided he is not a defender at all.

Moyes needs to look at his defence and invest heavily in either the development of what he has got or in new talent to replace the likes of Rio, Vidic and Evra.

Luke Shaw has been rumoured and if signed would be a great addition but a centre back who can lead from the back, such as a Chiellini or a Kompany style figure is what the club really needs.

The final thing Moyes really needs to take a long, and perhaps harder look at, is his coaching team.

It is simple his buddies from Everton are completely out of their depth, much like the manager himself. When Ferguson talked about a great foundation being left for his successor it is clear to see now that he was talking about playing personnel, but the structure of coaches he left in place for Moyes to utilise and get the best out of.

Moyes dismantled it within weeks and like any great structure, when you remove the glue that is holding it together, the planks, or in this case some of the players, that remain will simply fold. Then when you try to rebuild it using second rate equipment it will continue collapsing until it is in a state of disrepair.

That is the perfect way to sum up the way things are currently working at the club. A formerly great structure that was stripped of its foundations and collapsed and currently the rebuild is being performed by cowboy builders who are not qualified for the job.