With Manchester United enduring one of their worst starts to a Premier League season in recent years, manager David Moyes has already had his future with the side called into question. After former manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired this summer to end a trophy-laden 26 years with the Premier League holders, he gave a rousing speech in his last home game in which he urged the supporters to 'stand by the new manager'. Was he seemingly hinting how United won't have it all their way upon his immediate arrival? Many experts looking at the Manchester United side within the last 12 months highlighted the potential problems awaiting the new manager this season, and it's already rung true early on this campaign. The Lancashire outfit are currently 8th in the Premier League with 11 points after 8 games - 8 points adrift of Arsenal in 1st place. They've succumbed to three league defeats already. The biggest issue Moyes was having to face upon his arrival was the ageing players in the squad. This season, the side will be going through a transition as the longer serving players were starting to show their age. Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and even Michael Carrick are all in need of eventual replacing with the future in mind. While Sir Alex Ferguson may have retired for health reasons, the fact he's still fairly active and watching the side play most every week suggests he may well have foreseen the temporary crumble of a team going through a big transitional period, and saw Moyes as the perfect man to turn them around over the long term - hence the six-year contract he was offered. The next Manchester United manager had to be one with a proven track record of long-term improvement and stability at a club. Moyes fits the bill perfectly from his time at Everton, and Sir Alex Ferguson highlighted that. The side aren't looking for a quick fix. They were expecting an immediate struggle this season, but are prepared to ride through it and play the long game.
Crippy Cooke, 23, is a freelance Football Writer contributing to What Culture. He's had work featured on Zoo, MSN, London 24, The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and was recently named Writer of the Year on FTBpro - while also a nominee for Best Male Blog in the Football Blogging Awards.
