Manchester United: Is David Moyes the Right Man to Lead Red Devils?

There is little doubting David Moyes' managerial credentials. He has done an excellent job at Everton, and with Manchester United seeking a level of consistency and continuity amidst the seismic changes that Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement will have on the club, he was the only realistic candidate for the job.

And what a job he has on his hands. Attempting to fill Sir Alex Ferguson's quite astronomically large boots was always going to be an almost impossible task.

Moyes has been talked up as the ideal man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson because of his similarities to the great man, but this concerns me slightly. Maybe he is too similar to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Comparisons

In many ways, this isn't a bad thing. There is no harm nor foul in being compared to arguably the greatest British manager who has ever lived. But no man can replicate what Sir Alex has done for Manchester United. There is every possibility that someone who is touted as something of a "Ferguson-lite" may just end up as a pale imitation. 

Don't get me wrong: David Moyes could very well be the right man for the job. But that doesn't mean that there shouldn't be some concern over his suitability for the role. The only other potential candidate was Jose Mourinho, who wouldn't have brought the consistency that Manchester United were after. 

Whilst the Real Madrid manager was never really seriously considered, if he was brought in he certainly would have mixed it up a bit, brought something completely different and would not have allowed the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson to lurk over him. 

Yes, Mourinho may not have wanted to stay for more than a few years, but the rules have changed since Sir Alex Ferguson took charge in 1986. He was untouchable, and even though he has hand-selected David Moyes as his replacement, this does not make his fellow Scotsman irreplaceable. United may give him more time than many other clubs would, but he will not be granted the leeway Sir Alex Ferguson had in going four seasons without a trophy.

If Manchester United have a poor start to the season and are well off the title pace come the new year, the United fans will start to get restless, and the chanting of Sir Alex Ferguson's name will begin. With Sir Alex Ferguson on the board of directors and likely to attend every home game for the foreseeable future, David Moyes could easily find himself undermined from a relatively early stage. 

In 2010, Roy Hodgson took over at Liverpool. Under the watchful eye of Kenny Dalglish, the club's legendary former player and manager (who attended every home game in an ambassadorial role with the club), Hodgson did not have a particularly good start. It was only inevitable that within a month or two, the fans started chanting their old hero's name.

Within six months of starting the job, Roy Hodgson was sacked and replaced by Dalglish. The situation may have been slightly different, but the same logic can be applied. With this in mind, it might be an idea for Sir Alex Ferguson to stay away from Old Trafford for the first few months of David Moyes' reign. 

Small-Club Mentality

Before he took the job at Liverpool, Roy Hodgson did an excellent job at Fulham; after he was sacked by Liverpool, he went on to do an excellent job at West Brom. He struggled to make the step up to the big job at the big club. He was too negative in too many games, far too happy to play for a point away from home when the Liverpool fans demand their team to play to win in every game.

The same is true for Manchester United, and the same will be true for David Moyes.

He needs to make the transition to managing a club who will be expected to go out in every game with the intention of winning. He will need to a adapt to a big-club mentality, and he will need to do so quickly.

His record at home against the big clubs has been good this season, but too often in recent years his Everton sides have given off the impression of a team who do not believe they can win against the big sides when it really matters (with last season's FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool being a prime example). His record away at the big clubs in Premier League is spectacularly bad.

By nature, he is an incredibly reactive manager, and whilst this is not a bad thing for Everton, for the majority of games as Manchester United manager, he will need to impose his own style upon the opposition, forcing teams to adapt to deal with them rather than vice versa. That is the sign of a great side. 

Dealing with Wayne

David Moyes already knows his first major dilemma as United's manager: what to do with Wayne Rooney. Considering the Daily Mail reported Rooney has asked to leave for the second time in three years, Moyes is lucky in that a lot of Manchester United fans might not be too bothered about seeing the back of him. He either has to convince him to stay or sell him at the right price to the right club.

I'm sure with Sir Alex still in the background, they will not let Rooney move to say, Manchester City or Chelsea. But if the unthinkable happens and he moves to one of those two clubs, Moyes will have lost the fans straightaway. It is crucial that this does not happen. 

Fergie's Allure

Moyes might also struggle to attract big-name players. Manchester United either can not or do not want to compete financially with Chelsea and Man City. Whilst City tried to tempt Robin van Persie to the Etihad Stadium last summer, he was eventually signed by United, thanks to the key role played by Sir Alex Ferguson in making the deal happen. Will playing for Manchester United still have the same allure without Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm? 

David Moyes certainly commands a great deal of respect in Britain amongst his peers, but when it comes to trying to attract the biggest names from around Europe, Manchester United will no longer possess the luxury of being able to tempt players with the allure of playing under Ferguson. 

What Must Be Done

There has not been so much uncertainty around Old Trafford in a very long time. David Moyes needs a positive summer and a good start to the season, and whilst he may seek the advice of Sir Alex in private, he must look to escape from his shadow in public.

He must establish his authority and be his own man, rather than trying to do his best Sir Alex Ferguson impression.

Sir Alex Ferguson seemed to be the only certainty in English football. Now that he is taking a step back, David Moyes will need to lay down his marker. Even with two Everton games to take charge of between now and the end of the season, his mind must already be drifting towards the start of the next campaign.

I imagine he will already be hoping and praying that, one day, United fans will be chanting his name with the same amount of affection and adoration with which they sing the name of the great Sir Alex Ferguson.