Bye bye Moyes, we barely knew ya.

No surprise that David Moyes was sacked today from Manchester United. In the midst of one of the worst seasons the Red Devils have suffered in ages, it is no surprise that the replacement for SAF takes the responsibility by losing his job. Alas I think that Moyes was dead man walking from day 1. Here is why:

• SAF worked his magic in his final season, willing the Red Devils to a title. Manchester United has been a flawed side for a few seasons now, the cracks had started to show. Age, lack of youth coming up and poor track record in the transfer market were masked by a phenomenal season from Van Persie and Ferguson working his magic. This fool's gold did bring another title to Old Trafford, but it was like painting over rust...that rust was still there. Add to this mix the sketchy finances that surround the club (when I say sketchy I am not saying there is anything illegal just not great

  

  Sorry I left you with such a $%^& situation

  financial backing for a football club) and you have a situation that is truly fool's gold.
• Speaking of RVP, does he still play for Manchester United? Other than a goal against Arsenal in the beginning of the season, where he celebrated like a wanker (most players show some class when playing their old clubs and don't celebrate like 12 year old girls at a Beiber concert). Van Persie has reverted back to the injury plagued ways Arsenal fans were so accustomed in seeing. Throw in the fact he was rumored to be running "upstairs" to complain about his manager, and you have a cancer in the club house. RVP was a good boy for his first and only season under SAF, but quickly reminded everyone what a wanker he can be at times. 
• Not all the player blame falls on the Dutchman's shoulders...age also reared its ugly head this season. Evra, Ferdinand, Giggs, Vidic to name a few reminded us that this is 2014 not 2008. It is especially challenging when that age hits your back line at the same time. Add to this that Moyes, just like Ferguson, could not find some steel for his midfield, and you have a bad combination. Let's not forget that SAF had to get Scholes to come back out of retirement to bolster his midfield. 
• Speaking of lack of midfield steel...Moyes put a lot of his eggs in the Fellaini basket. The tall Belgium international was synonymous with Moyes' success at Everton. But that mojo did not carry over to Old Trafford. On the contrary the afro wearing midfielder was more of a negative than a positive for the Red Devils. He never seemed to fit into the system. Add to this the lack of midfield creativity...until Mata was purchased...and you have a shell of a midfield to work with.

So Moyes was heading into a situation fraught with landmines, and he found a way to step in all of them. Some were his faults others were not of his control. He should have know things were not going to be easy when the whole Rooney for sale fiasco went unresolved in the beginning of the season.  The Scotsman remains a good manager and I am sure will find himself employed by the summer (Tottenham maybe?). And now Manchester United will start the process of finding a new manager. With the rumored 200 sterling pound transfer kitty for this summer the hire will be vital for Manchester United's near term success.

I feel for Moyes, he was in a no-win situation. I do not feel badly for Manchester United! Should be interesting in Manchester England this summer.

A legend retires - Sir Alex Ferguson calls it quits for Manchester United.

After a decade of rumors, SAF finally decides that he has had enough and announced that he will be retiring after this season. The 71 year old, at times cranky old man, legendary manager will not longer be patrolling the side lines at Old Trafford, harassing every official in the EPL and finding ways to always get an extra 5 minutes of injury time when his side needed a goal. His legacy speaks for itself:

• 26 years in charge of the club - he has been at Manchester United longer than most of his current squad has been alive! (average age of ManU is 27.2 years old, that includes grandpas like Giggs and Scholes)
• 38 trophies. No qualifier needed on that statistic.
• 2 European Champions league titles.
• 13 League titles.

All amazing numbers. But two things stand out for me and SAF:

• What he did before Manchester United. Before he became a legend at Old Trafford, he had

  

  The beginning of the legacy

  worked miracles in his native Scotland with Aberdeen. Winning the league title, something that is nothing short of amazing considering how strong a grip Celtic and Rangers have on that title. More impressive was finding European glory by defeating Real Madrid for the 1983 Cup winners Cup title. Winning with the resources that Manchester United bring could be devalued, but bringing in titles with a side like Aberdeen would almost be like a AA baseball team in the United States winning the World Series.
• His longevity. 26 years. That is beyond impressive. And I highly doubt we will ever see another manager reach that longevity...If a manager can survive and do well for a decade that is already impressive. But over a quarter century??? He is also leaving (by all indications) on his own accord. I am sure he could have added a few more years to this run had he decided to. Impressive.

So we will say good bye to a legendary manager. One, the likes, will never be seen again. Good luck Sir Alex. I never really liked you, I had to respect you but I am glad you are leaving.

Nasri to the Red Devils...the horror

A recent transfer rumor is that Sir Alex Ferguson is keeping tabs on Arsenal and French play maker Samir Nasri...ugh the horror. The last thing Arsenal needs is to see one of their bright lights jumping ship and heading north. Wenger is going to need to get his business in order - aka sign Nasri and either sign or jettison Clichy. Add to this the never ending rumors over Cesc and this off season will prove to be an interesting one once again in North London.

My thoughts - sell Cesc now, if Manchester City is truly interested that could start a minor bidding war with Barcelona - sell high. Move Clichy to Italy, I just do not see the French left back's game evolving any more, I think Wenger has maximized that player. Resign Nasri...now. And go spend some money on players. Look for some thoughts on who Wenger should target over the next few weeks.

Arsenal v Manchester United....here we go again

The first leg of the Champions League semi finals match is this evening at Old Trafford, and it is match up of old friends - ManU and Arsenal. The venom between the two managers has diminished over the past few seasons, maybe because Arsenal has not really been in contention for the League title and Rafa has become the new whipping boy for SAF. But the heat might get turned up again with this new installment.

Manchester United is trying to be the first club, since the old Cup of Champions became the Champions league, to win back to back titles...the last time it was Nottingham Forrest, talk about a blast from the past! Clearly such a repeat would solidify SAF place in the halls of one of the most successful club managers of all time. Of course standing in his way is his old nemisis Wenger. After a poor start to the season, Arsenal is starting to find its stride. Arsenal has also not enjoyed any silverware in what appears to be a life time...since Pat Vieira scored the winning penalty kick against Manchester United in the 2005 season. I am sure there is nothing Wenger would like more than to bring to Arsenal its first Champions League trophy, and doing so at the expense of Manchester United.

So what about the game? These two clubs know each other very well. Arsenal is starting to click, with Cesc pulling the strings the club is getting back to their free flowing attacking football. Nasri, Diaby, Adebayour, and Van Persie are all clicking. The key against Manchester United will be Wolcott. He has been absolutely devastating as of late. His pace has given fits to opposing defenders and opened up space in the middle for Cesc. Of course the combo of Arshavin and Wolcott would be lethal in this match, but the Russian is not eligible having already made appearances for Zenit. The one area of concern for the Gunners, central defense. With Gallas out, the fact that Silvestre is relied upon is cause for concern. In addition with Clichy out, the left side will be an area to monitor with regards to Arsenal blocking Manchester United's attack as well as being able to move up and add to the offense.

Speaking of offensive onslaughts, after watching Manchester United wake up and score 5 goals against the Spurs this weekend I am a little nervous about facing the likes of Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo, Berbatov, et al. Manchester United have the potential to give clubs lots of trouble when they go out with a 3 striker formation. While this places some added strain on the back four, the offensive fire power forces teams to play deeper thereby taking away some pressure on the defense. The back line is suspect at times when it comes to the break, Vidic in particular. He has committed some poor decisions being the last man back at times. This could be exposed due to the speed Arsenal can counter.

I have a feeling this game will be very cautious, both clubs will not want to take too many chances early on. Manchester will play for a goalless draw, wanting to avoid the dreaded away goal. While Arsenal will look to keep the ball with their fluid passing and avoid putting too much pressure on a makeshift back line. Wolcott will again be the wild card, it will be up to him to disrupt the defense with his pace on the wing and force Manchester back deeper, if he can do that it will open up the pitch for Cesc and others.

I see this as a tense match, between old rivals. Arsenal 1 - Manchester United 0 - Wolcott

Champions League draw....bad news for the Frenchies

The Draw for the knock out stage of the Champions League:

Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v Porto
Lyon v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Arsenal v Roma
Inter Milan v Manchester United

Ouch ouch ouch...the Frenchies are in a tough position - Lyon and Wenger. A quick look at the pairings:

• Chelsea will beat Juve but it will be very close. Intrigue that Juve's current boss used to manage the Blues. Too much midfield talent at Stamford Bridge for the old lady.
• Villareal will be upset by the Greeks! Tough leg to play in Athens.
• Bayern over the Portugese. The Bundesliga champs draw one of the easier clubs, have too much fire power in Ribery, Klose and Toni.
• The other Madrid club...Athletico, gets by Porto. Not many outside Iberia will be intrigued, but this should be a good match up.
• Ugh, tough tough tough draw for Lyon...Barca is the best club in Europe right now, with all the problems the Lyon team faces on defense I am not sure they can stop Eto'o, Henry, Messi, Bojan, et al. Barca win handily.
• Interesting match up on two very successful Champions League clubs and two managers that are masters of knock out competitions. I think that the Premiership title chase is too much for Benetiz and Real find a way to get past Liverpool, but could go either way.
• Yuck, another tough match up for the Frenchies - Wenger et al. Roma is in good form right now and the trip to Italy will be very difficult. I think much depends on what happens for Arsenal during the transfer window....if they lose more experience, aka Gallas. I think they will have a tough time of it. However I think Arsenal will find a way to draw at Roma and win at home 1-0. Arsenal through....barely.
• Ah Mourinho vs Ferguson, two of the most capable...and arrogant managers. There are so many story lines here, one of which would be is this a match up of the current and future Manchester United managers? Mourinho is almost highly motivated but facing ManU will only add to his desire to demonstrate his specialness. If anyone knows how to go to Old Trafford and win it is Jose. I see this being a mouth watering match up, but in the end the Red Devils get through.

Mind you, this is my first take so I am sure once I start thinking about this more I will change all my predictions! I am glad that ManU did not end up with Sporting or Panathinikos, but Lyon playing Barca is cruel fate for the French champs.