The Lowest Points at Manchester United Under David Moyes
David Moyes' debut season as Manchester United manager has so far been one of disappointment and disillusionment, with the Red Devils out of the title race, the Champions League places fight, both domestic cups and now in danger of exiting the Champions League itself...all by February.
There have, of course, been bright spots pitted throughout the campaign but in Moyes' first seven or eight months in charge, they have been far outweighed by poorer moments.
Here's a round-up of the lowest ebbs of Moyes' first campaign—surely the only way from here is up?
Transfer Market Failures
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The summer was supposed to herald the start of a shiny new era for United, with David Moyes making his mark on the transfer window to put his own stamp on the team.
Instead, what fans got were a series of failed attempts to bring in a midfielder, with Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera the subject of a lengthy, public and overpriced tug-of-war, per Sky Sports. In the end, the £30 million bid never got close to being sealed, while the midfielder has gone on to make only 10 90-minute appearances for the Basque side this term.
Marouane Fellaini, Moyes' midfielder at Everton, was the only senior summer signing, brought in at a cost of around £27 million—a fee he has not come close to justifying so far.
Loss to Rivals Liverpool
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Moyes had a couple of early opportunities to pick up impressive wins over title rivals this season.
At the end of August they were held to a home 0-0 draw by Chelsea, before heading to Liverpool at the beginning of September.
The Reds were victorious by a narrow 1-0 scoreline, but United never really looked like taking anything from the game. An early opportunity lost but not really a sign of what was to come soon after.
Debut Derby Ends in Defeat
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The really big early season game for United was, of course, the first Manchester derby of the season, which took place at the Etihad Stadium in September.
Moyes and his team were completely outfought, outclassed and undone by City, who triumphed by a heavy 4-1 scoreline.
The home side led by four goals within five minutes of the start of the second half, before taking their foot off the gas somewhat. It was at this point that perhaps some started to think that Moyes wasn't quite grasping, as quickly as he needed to, what was required of the club he was now at.
Home Loss to WBA
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Away defeats against big clubs are never pleasing, though certainly excusable—but United's foundation for much of their previous success came in consistently and unerringly swatting aside lower-placed clubs at home.
That particular castle began crumbling for Moyes on 28 September as he saw his team fall behind to West Bromwich Albion, draw level with half an hour to play...and then concede again to lose 2-1.
With more than 20 minutes to find a leveller (and inevitable winner, as would have been the case a year previous), United failed to rally and somewhat tamely surrendered the points.
It remains West Brom's only away win this season.
Cardiff City Spoil the Party
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Following that WBA defeat, United embarked on a run of 12 games in all competitions without defeat, the best run of the Moyes era so far. It included five draws, true, but some were almost wins—an 89th-minute equaliser by Southampton to rescue a 1-1 draw—and some were acceptable draws, a 1-1 away in Donetsk in the Champions League, for example.
But, then, there was also a shoddy 2-2 draw with Premier League newcomers Cardiff City.
United twice took the lead but couldn't maintain it against what was soon to be the league's bottom club. A last-minute leveller showed the frailties in United's defence and the team's mentality as a whole.
Back-to-Back Home Defeats
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Once the run of 12 games came to an end, it ended hard and fast.
United faced two difficult enough, but certainly winnable, games at Old Trafford in the space of three days in December, a chance to reestablish themselves amongst the sides gunning for the top four places in the league table.
Instead, United managed only 10 shots on target between the two games, averaged under 50 percent possession over the 180 minutes and failed to score even once—losing 1-0 to both Everton and Newcastle United.
Those defeats registered Everton's first win at Old Trafford in 21 years...and Newcastle's first in 41.
Press Wades in to Discredit Moyes' Reign
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Had it been another team or another manager from further afield, the suspicions are that it might have happened sooner—but the printed press let loose on Moyes after those defeats.
ESPN FC reported on the British press giving Moyes "no hiding place", describing his time in charge of the club as having descended into "crisis" and on how his team were erratic and lacking the consistency, never mind the quality, to challenge for major honours.
There were also questions over his players and especially his sole senior signing, Marouane Fellaini.
Home Woes Again and an FA Cup Exit
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United bounced back with six wins on the spin before the next slip-up came on New Year's Day: a 1-2 reversal at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Though not ideal considering both teams were challenging for top-four places, the defeat was understandable given Spurs' determination to bounce back strongly after their own troubles and replacing their manager.
The worst was yet to come as United were defeated at home again four days later by Swansea City.
This game came in the FA Cup and condemned United to a third-round exit in his first season in charge—already equalling the total exits at that stage overseen by Alex Ferguson in almost three decades as manager of the club.
THREE Defeats in a Week
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And still, that awful first week of 2014 wasn't over.
United next faced a game at the Stadium of Light in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg, with opponents Sunderland then bottom of the Premier League table.
An own goal from Ryan Giggs and a penalty from on-loan Liverpool striker Fabio Borini did for United this time, as they ended the first 90 minutes 2-1 down.
It was January 7 and Moyes, with his United side, had lost three games in three different competitions in 2014 already.
David Moyes Definitely Does Not Win the Internet
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The internet is a merciless, incessant, trolling cess-pit of a place at times, not for the faint-hearted or the overly sensitive. It's also very funny, quick-witted and, well, merciless again, but in a humorous way this time.
If you happen to frequent social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter you'll be well aware of the rise of the Moyes Meme over the past few months, but January was when it really kicked into gear.
101greatgoals collated early reactions to those three successive defeats...and, well, let's just say they haven't become any less frequent since then. Or any less harsh.
More Problems Against the Big Clubs
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Mid-January saw Moyes take his team to Chelsea, looking rather desperate at this point for anything resembling a telling performance and a victory to savour.
Instead what he got was a first Samuel Eto'o Chelsea hat-trick, a red card for Nemanja Vidic, what should have been another red for Rafael and a 3-1 defeat.
Seventh place, well and truly consolidated.
Capital One Cup Horror Show
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Losing once, away in a cup tie, against the bottom club in the league...OK. It happens. But the Capital One Cup semi-final gives teams a second leg to overcome such a deficit, a full 180 minutes—plus 30 extra time if needs be—to show superior quality and reach the final.
United took the lead and sat on it—trying to see out the game through extra time instead of going for the second, which would have put them into the final.
Phil Bardsley hit a last-minute-of-extra-time daisy-cutter which somehow squirmed into the net past David De Gea, momentarily sending United out, before Javier Hernandez netted to level the scores on aggregate seconds later.
Penalties arose, ensued...and were lost.
United exited the two-legged semi-finals against Sunderland.
Undone at Stoke...for a Sixth Defeat of the New Year by February 1st
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January was simply not a good month for Moyes or United, despite the signing of Juan Mata, and February didn't start any better.
A Charlie Adam-inspired Stoke City ran the midfield show on February 1st, beating United 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium. That was United's eighth league defeat in 24 games.
More significantly, it was a sixth defeat in all competitions since the turn of the year, in just 32 days.
Crosses Galore and a Last-Minute Draw
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United faced a home match against a ragged and disappointing Fulham side in early February, a side struggling for confidence and goals and looking without much threat in attack. Fulham, that is.
It was the relegation-threatened team who took a lead very much against the run of play in the first half though, with almost their only attack of the opening hour of play.
United had all the ball for the rest of the game, with it being a case of could attack break down defence?
For so long, for so, so long, the answer was no, as United's wide men crossed it back and forth, again and again, giving Fulham's centre-backs more and more heading practice. A few shots were fired at goal but they were mainly half-chances, from range or scuffed.
And then, the "United moment": two goals in two minutes with only 10 to play, to turn the match on its head. Moyes, players and fans alike were delighted, perhaps this was the time when they began to remember the self-confidence and quality they used to have.
Then Darren Bent equalised in stoppage time, and Fulham took a point.
United's Season on the Edge of Extinction After Olympiacos Failure
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A 0-0 draw at Arsenal and a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace gave hope that United's defence was improving and the team shape might be coming together a little more as we enter the final third or so of the season.
The Champions League was the competition United had performed best in under Moyes this term, and Olympiacos were not seen as anything like a threat for the Premier League side.
Over two legs, that may yet be proven to be the case.
But United's lethargic, unambitious, uninspired and sloppy performance in Greece certainly doesn't give that impression, and it has been decades since United managed to overturn a 2-0 first leg deficit in European competition.
This is now the only trophy United are playing for, and indeed objective for the season, unless qualifying for the Europa League counts—11 points off the pace for fourth place is a mammoth task to overcome at this point.
Moyes has it all to do to turn around his team but surely things can't sink much lower than they already have.
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