EPL: Moyes must be given time

If you are David Moyes today, there will be no place to hide.

Banner headlines in newspapers will scream he is primed for the axe.

Cartoonists would have been busy over the last couple of days working on his head using a guillotine.

Turn on the TV and tune in on radio and Moyes will hear former managers and players who have become pundits express disbelief over how poor Manchester United have become.

Angry fans will call on phone-ins and complain bitterly over how disjointed, listless and bereft of ideas his side were in the 3-0 humiliation by Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Blogs and tweets will hurt, water-cooler talk and coffeeshop chat among fans and foe will mostly say he should be sacked.

It will be United's owners the Glazers who will have to wield the axe, because I am sure Moyes will not walk away from the job.

No manager walks away from Manchester United.

And I believe he should stay in his job.

Moyes must be given the time to get it right. He must get the chance to mould his own team.

If the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata continue to struggle, if talented youngsters like Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj fail to show improvement next season, and, crucially, if he fails to bring in top talent before the next campaign kicks off and there is little progress by December, then it will be time to act.

Not now, because there is no room for panic at a club of United's stature.

They say Sir Alex Ferguson was the biggest reason United romped to the league title last season.

His skill, motivational powers, influence and bloodymindedness were essential.

But the players were the biggest reason the Red Devils extended their record number of league wins to 20.

They mixed their undoubted talent with stubbornness and were tough to beat.

Their game was confident, Rio Ferdinand rolled back the years in defence and Robin van Persie was an all-moving, free-scoring genius.

Within a few months, they turned abject.

Nemanja Vidic and Ferdinand were suddenly old.

Crucially, injuries mounted, in defence and up front.

Van Persie's injury curse that looked as if it was exorcised last season reared its ugly head all over again and the Dutchman's stop-start appearances on the teamsheet hurt badly.

Forced to handle Wayne Rooney's summer of discontent the moment he assumed his new role in Manchester, Moyes was unable to gel quickly enough with new chief executive Ed Woodward and secure his transfer targets, which meant the season was always going to be difficult, especially when the chasing pack redoubled their efforts to hunt United down.

Bobby Charlton and Ferguson are football men with Red Devil blood coursing through their veins.

They will know what is going on behind the scenes at Old Trafford and they will not back Moyes if his stewardship will continue to hurt the club.

Powerbrokers

They will be crucial powerbrokers as the pressure mounts and names like Juergen Klopp and Laurent Blanc are bandied about as possible successors.

They will hear Brendan Rodgers' comments about how strange it was for Moyes to rate Liverpool as favourites ahead of the Old Trafford date and bristle over how United's greatest rivals are turning the screws.

But I believe Moyes will receive the support of Charlton and Ferguson because even after all these years of success, they have never forgotten the dark days and know what a priceless commodity patience is.

I believe they know he will get the money to sign at least one really big name and also bring in some other stars in the close season.

I don't think they will object if Moyes drops a dispirited van Persie and introduces the speed of Welbeck and Luis Nani for the crucial Champions League clash with Olympiakos.

After talent, pace is the most important commodity in an attacking player these days and, on Sunday, Liverpool had all the dash and verve while United were pedestrian.

Moyes is in the middle of a storm.

There is no chance for him to sit back and take stock because he has to get his shell-shocked side mentally and physically prepared for the huge task of overturning a two-goal deficit against the Greek champions on Thursday morning (Singapore time).

Even if United do advance into the last eight, it will only be a tiny reprieve for the embattled Scot.

But the date may one day go down as the start of Moyes' turnaround in Manchester.

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