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David Moyes reveals what he REALLY thought when he replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United in 2013 - and opens up on 'impossible' challenge facing the incoming Ruben Amorim Amorim will be the seventh full-time boss since Ferguson and little has changed David Moyes has revealed what he knew when he succeeded the legendary boss LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! , available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday By Luke Power Published: 08:01, 7 November 2024 | Updated: 08:02, 7 November 2024 e-mail View comments David Moyes has claimed he knew it would take years to revitalise Manchester United when he succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. The Scot was given the keys to the Old Trafford kingdom after they won the title in Fergie's swansong season but was sacked just 10 months into a seven-year contract.
United were an ageing side when they won their last title and needed an overhaul, but Moyes, handpicked by Sir Alex to succeed him, did not get a long crack of the whip. Over a decade on and with Ruben Amorim set to become United's seventh permanent boss since Ferguson retired, Moyes fears it is an 'impossible' job for the Portuguese - with the reset United fans have longed for yet to dawn. 'I had a feeling that it was going to take a long time to fix [Manchester United] but I couldn’t come out and say that it’s going to take six years to fix,' Moyes told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet .
David Moyes said he knew it would take 'years' to fix Manchester United when he took over The Scot was sacked just 10 months after succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson, who had won 13 titles Fans hoped the woeful 2013-14 season might be a blip but over a decade on, little has changed 'The team had just won the Premier League, and I was thrilled to be taking over, thinking this is great, but it was also a team that was on the verge of having to change around. 'The players had a great loyalty to Sir Alex Ferguson, no matter who you had coming in, which is amicable, but I did feel like it was going to take a longer time to change things around. 'I had a great relationship with Sir Alex and David Gill – we’d meet once a month for dinner and talk about things.
'I hear people talk a lot about Manchester United and think to myself, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho would arguably be right up there in the top dozen managers worldwide who you’d want to be manager of your team, and they found it impossible to get what they want. It might run deeper than that [the issues at Manchester United]. Moyes was sacked on April 22 2014 after a 2-0 defeat by his former side Everton.
With Ryan Giggs seeing through the rest of the campaign as player-manager, the Red Devils ended seventh and missed out on European football - still the only time that has happened to United since Ferguson qualified them for the 1990-91 Cup Winers' Cup after a European ban on English clubs was lifted. Moyes did steer them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, though they lost 4-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich. 'We lost in Olympiacos, 2-0, in the Champions League Round of 16, and won the next game 3-0 at home - but I felt the pressure then.
I was coming back to the media, they’re all waiting on me and the pressure was mounting at the time, Moyes told Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet . Moyes fears the job is a poisoned chalice for Ruben Amorim, soon to join from Sporting Lisbon Moyes points to the litany of managers such as Jose Mourinho who have found it 'impossible' 'The biggest thing they were saying then was that if I didn’t qualify for the Champions League, I’d lose my job at Manchester United. You think of that nowadays, that wouldn’t be the standard set now, the standard has dropped.
'I have no regrets, I learnt so much from the players, the level of fight they gave you – the dressing room was tough, and they called each other out, there was no messing around in the months I was there. 'I admired them greatly and could see why they’d been at the top but there was a diminishing level of quality and age. They had a toughness and ability to dig each other out, which is lacking greatly in the modern game.
' More to follow. David Moyes was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet . Manchester United David Moyes Premier League Share or comment on this article: David Moyes reveals what he REALLY thought when he replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United in 2013 - and opens up on 'impossible' challenge facing the incoming Ruben Amorim e-mail Add comment.
