Moyes’ open Window

By Rebecca Stephenson (@1rebs)

Just a month in to the new era at Manchester United and many are already feeling confused with the inevitable changes in the club’s procedures.

With the season yet to get underway, fans have been left with off-field activity with which to assess David Moyes’ first month in charge, namely the transfer window.

As United fans we’re used to the secrets. To being kept in the dark as to transfer targets until they literally wander through the Old Trafford entrance, new red shirt in hand. But 2013 has seen the usual fog clear to a gentle mist as the dealings appear to have been outlined at every turn.

The unsuccessful pursuits of Tiago and then Fabregas have seen questions raised as to the shortcomings of the club’s appeal to top players. Would either have ended up at Old Trafford had it been Sir Alex, rather than David Moyes being the interested party?

This was bound to be the question – and has probably set the theme for much of the coming season – naturally our minds will always be computing what the great man would have done in certain predicaments and what the outcome would’ve been.

Lets not forget, however, that Sir Alex’s transfer activity was not always fruitful – Kluivert, Batistuta, Sneijder, Vieira, Shearer and Modric all slipped through the net – and those are just the ones we know about.

The difference has been that this time fans have almost had a blow-by-blow account of the negotiations. I doubt we’d ever have heard any detail about failed bids in our club’s previous incarnation.

So what may have usually have been seen as a lack of activity, this year has been seen as a line of failed attempts. But positively, it’s nice to know that Moyes has cited the midfield as an issue that needs addressing – something we’ve all wanted to hear from the hierarchy since Roy Keane walked out of Old Trafford in 2005.

At the very least it’s nice to know he’s on the same page, but with stories of Bale, Ronaldo, Lewandowski, Fabregas, Tiago et al setting pulses going with anticipation, our expectation levels have been raised as to who we want to walk into Old Trafford in the next three weeks.

Unlike previous years, we have a manger being quoted as saying they are confident of bringing in “some” players – a bold statement, but just reaffirming the determined stance from inside the club to add to the squad. It’s something I, for one, welcome.

A club happy to rest on their laurels simply because last season resulted in league success is a recipe for disaster. I firmly believe that every summer needs a fresh face, someone to give the squad a boost, and fans the excitement for a new season. And you have to admire Moyes for at least having the guts to put his head on the line and make public his desire to make those additions.

In the past few days attention has switched back to targets that, I believe, were, in an ideal world, supposed to be the ‘undercard’. Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini were always going to be players Moyes would run the rule over, but after wallowing in dreams of a messiah-esque return by Cristiano Ronaldo, some have scoffed at the idea of the addition of the Everton duo.

I’m not going to address Leighton Baines. For me he would be a good addition, but not a necessity with what we already have. But I’ve been surprised at some of the outrage that has followed the supposed interest in the afro-sporting Belgian.

On paper, we’re talking about a midfielder who scored 12 goals and made 7 assists for Everton last season. A record any of our current midfield would surely have grabbed with both hands, and he’s always been a player capable of running a game – as we have found to our cost on more than one occasion.

I’ve heard arguments that he’s not a United player, that his capture would change our style. Some have even suggested it would see a long-ball game emerge.

But forget his role in an Everton side that struggled for attacking prowess. It suited them to look for Fellaini in the air, to play him further forward and enhance their direct style. But if you analyse his qualities… and the role he plays for Belgium, he could just be one of those missing midfield links.

Last summer, fans looked at the likes of Tiote, Dembele, even Wanyama as possible targets -combative, box-to-box players with a physical presence – players who would provide a missing driving force in midfield and stop us being overrun.

That was the ethos of Fellaini’s CV when he arrived in England in 2008 – sure he suffered the wrath of the referees in his first season, picking up multiple cards, but his stats since appear to reflect a more measured approach, and, lets face it, it’s not like Roy Keane’s partiality to the odd booking diminished his value to the side.

In fact, maybe its that bit of physicality we need. Nothing like a couple of tackles to get Old Trafford to its feet – think Phil (chopper) Neville on Vieira in those battles with Arsenal.

His addition to the centre of the field would free Carrick to be the creator I believe he wants to be, relieve him from the defensive responsibility he has fallen into, and allow him to flourish even more than he already is.

It’s not a ‘marquee’ signing. And I know David Moyes has not given up on his desire for one of the headline-grabbers too. But when you look at adding a player who has an engine and the ability to be a force in both boxes, to be a physical defensive presence but also have an eye for a goal, I don’t think we should turn our noses up.

I know some will say he is unproven in Europe, but these qualities are what many have cited as a reason for our Champions League shortcomings – plus he is a fundamental cog in a Belgian side that is fast progressing into a force to be reckoned with.

So, if he does squeeze that afro through the Old Trafford door before September 2^nd, I, for one won’t be disappointed. As our solitary capture of the summer it wasn’t what we all wanted, but judged on its own merit it has to qualify as ‘a good bit of business’.

Follow me on twitter (@1rebs)

The Rooney Question…

By Rebecca Stephenson (@1rebs)

Which side of the fence are you on?

There are few things that divide United fans quite like Wayne Rooney. The Scouse-lad-turned-red is categorised as anything from persona non grata to ultimate hero, and dropping his name into a red circle can be tantamount to igniting a flame in a petrol station.

Until 2010 its safe to say it was a united front – fans loved him, and he appeared to thrive on the enormity of the club. That was until 2010 when, out of the blue, the striker asked for a transfer.

Citing the club’s lack of ambition in the transfer market, he appeared to have reached the point of no return as his comments insulted both the decision-makers at the club AND his own team mates.

Despite the cease-fire – his silence secured with pacifying talks… and a new 250k-a-week contact – many fans have never really forgiven him for considering defecting to Manchester City.

Some did make their way back to the adoration levels of pre 2010 whilst others always retained that slight grudge that he was able to hold the club to ransom. Maybe those people aren’t too surprised that events appear to be repeating.

Ironically miffed by his partial relegation to the substitutes bench by Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of last season, Wayne has become the victim of what he wanted to happen. The signing of Robin Van Persie last summer gave the fans a new hero, and suddenly Rooney had to share the spotlight.

Whatever your opinion of his reaction to this situation, on and off the pitch, even Rooney’s staunchest supporter cannot argue that United’s number 10 has fulfilled the potential shown by the teenager who pulled on the number 8 shirt when he signed in 2004.

His work rate is never in doubt, but in recent times he’s played with more of a snarl on his face than a smile, and when you think he was on a par with Cristiano Ronaldo for game changing influence just a few years ago, you have to wonder if he could’ve enjoyed a similar development had he committed himself to the same lifestyle.

That’s not to say the 2013 Wayne Rooney is a poor player, but he has not reacted well to being played out of position, and in many people’s opinion almost looks to have gone stale. Sure there’s still that chance of magic – his strike against Norwich towards the back end of last season as an example – but ask yourself how many recent games you can remember where he has stamped his authority in the same way as he used to a couple of years ago.

The problem is this leaves United in a difficult situation. If the player has gone stale at United, he’s unhappy and feels unloved. Do they really want to be a part of reinvigorating him? But then what’s the point of keeping a player who may not produce the goods?

As I write, it is being reported Rooney is formulating his written transfer request after United rebuffed two offers from Chelsea. With experience it appears inevitable the player will get his way – the only hope being that some European superpower appears over the horizon and turns his head from Stamford Bridge.

We’ve been on the right side of this so often that we know the course of events all too well, Robin van Persie the most recent example of the power a player has over choosing his new employers. Eventually the selling club has to cut their losses and get the best deal they can.

Of course all is not lost, and if you stand in the camp that believe that David Moyes should attempt to move heaven and earth to shackle Rooney to the Old Trafford drainpipe, you may yet get your wish.

But my worry is how that compromises the club I love. We pride ourselves on being different from the rest, NEVER bowing down to players, however talented. That was tarnished in 2010. Should we suffer the embarrassment of having to persuade the same player to stay at Old Trafford a second time?

Do you really want to pay to watch a player who doesn’t appreciate playing for the club? Do you want to see United begging players to stay?

Don’t misunderstand me – I’ve been around players in my work long enough to know that for most it is simply a job, the “love” for the club is not even in the same stratosphere as the passion we feel. But there should be fundamental respect, an appreciation of the fortuity to be able to wear that shirt, and a care for those in the stands who elevate them onto the pedestal.

Sure, the squad will be weakened if Rooney does make his way out of the Old Trafford exit door. And I will be as disappointed as anyone else to lose a player we’ve nurtured for almost nine years. But Manchester United must remain bigger than the loss of any player.

I guess I’ve come to the conclusion that tomorrow is more important than today. And if sacrificing Rooney ensures the club remains true to its traditions then it may be a blow we just have to endure.

Follow me on Twitter @1rebs