Rock Bottom

David Moyes was appointed Manchester United manager in the summer of 2013,
handpicked by the great one himself, Sir Alex Ferguson. His parting words your job
now is to stand by your new manger resonated with the fans of the club and even
though many were unsure about David Moyes, they were willing to give the scot a
chance.

Following an average pre-season tour and a disastrous transfer window in which we

were linked to the likes of Fabregas, Thiago, Baines we ended up signing Marouane
Fellaini on the final day and that too at a inflated price. But the biggest goof up was
Anders Herrera saga which was perfectly captured by Spanish paper Marcas
headline the next day, 'Grotesque mess by United'.

It was obvious from the beginning that the team was not strong enough to compete
with the likes of Chelsea or Man City but what has transpired so far was never
expected. United are 6th in the league 11 points off 4th spot, out of the FA cup in the 3
rd round, and knocked out by Sunderland in the capital cup in a penalty shootout and
now face an embarrassing exit from the champions league.

The signing of Mata brought some much needed hope to old Trafford faithful but all
that soon evaporated with the red devils falling 11 points off 4 place in a run of 3
games where they dropped 8 points.

But the defeat at the hands of the Greek champions, Olympiakos has taken United to
the lowest point under Moyes tenure. It was not the loss but the manner of the
defeat that saddens me and all the United faithful. The players looked bereft of ideas
and none of them shone, in a night that saw Moyes team break another record. It
was the first time united lost against Greek opposition and the first time Olympiakos
won a match in the knockout stages of the tournament. There is no denying the fact
that Olympiakos played well but united never turned up on the night.

David Moyes set up the team to defend and not concede. That would have been
reasonable if we were playing a Bayern Munich or a Barcelona but not against
Olympiakos with all due respect to them. He went back to his favoured but ineffective
4-4-2 with the likes of cleverly and Valencia back in the team. Uniteds beacon of
hope in this period of turbulence Adnan Januzaj was not even on the bench. Fellaini
was dropped to the bench after what most would agree was his best performance in
a united shirt against Crystal Palace.

Though Moyes has to take blame for his tactics and team selection, the players were
simply poor yesterday. It was one of the most insipid performances by an United
team in a very long time. Players like Ferdinand, Cleverley, Valencia and Smalling
had a pathetic game. Uniteds highest paid player didnt look like he deserved the fat
pay package he is taking home. Van Persie was isolated up front and missed
Uniteds only genuine chance. That miss typifies the lack of confidence that is
running through the team. Even after bringing on the likes of Shinji Kagawa and
Danny Welbeck , United looked as toothless as before.

The game once again showed that David Moyes cant motivate this team.The most
frustrating part for the United fans has been the utter lack of hope under David
Moyes. He gives an aura of a person who is out of his depth at the most famous
footballing institution in the world. Moyes has not been able to project his vision for
the club, the kind of football he wants the team to play. If wing play, crosses and long
balls are his style, then why did he purchase Juan Mata. It is confusing and most
united fans are left dumbfounded.

People have talked about giving Moyes time and I do think he must be given atleast
one more season to put his own team together. Only then, he can be fairly judged.
But time is running out for the former Everton Manager.

The next 3 months are the most important for David Moyes. This includes games
against Liverpool and the return leg against Olympiakos. If united dont come away
with 3 wins and a place in the champions league quarters, i am afraid Vidic wont be
the only one leaving come the end of the season.