Wayne Barton
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Wayne Barton “Insightful, highly readable and full of detail.” Ian Herbert, Daily Mail Contents Introduction 7 The blood drained from my face 17 Rio And Chips 34 We will try and make it difficult for Newcastle 40 Ryan Giggs — Football Manager 67 The future is Orange 76 Out with the old 95 Cracks 127 Dark December 147 Spring 167 Summer 183 Call The Doc 203 A New Era 212 Einsteins 216 In His Own Mould 240 A case for the defence 246 Smoke and Mirrors 259 The more things change … 291 Third Season Syndrome 302 Clockwise 323 Timing 333 When Skies Are Grey… 336 Acknowledgements 352 The blood drained from my face Shortly after 8am on Wednesday, 8 May 2013, following almost 48 hours of speculation, Manchester United announced that Sir Alex Ferguson would be retiring from his role as manager at the end of the season. ‘The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly,’ Ferguson said in an officially released statement. ‘It is the right time. It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so. The quality of this league-winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level, whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one. Our training facilities are amongst the finest in global sport and our home Old Trafford is rightfully regarded as one of the leading venues in the world. Going forward, I am delighted to take on the roles of both director and ambassador for the club. With these activities, along with my many other interests, I am looking forward to the future. I must pay tribute to my family; their love and support has been 17 Redprint essential. My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me. As for my players and staff, past and present, I would like to thank them all for a staggering level of professional conduct and dedication that has helped to deliver so many memorable triumphs. Without their contribution, the history of this great club would not be as rich. In my early years, the backing of the board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in particular, gave me the confidence and time to build a football club, rather than just a football team. Over the past decade, the Glazer family have provided me with the platform to manage Manchester United to the best of my ability and I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with a talented and trustworthy chief executive in David Gill. I am truly grateful to all of them. To the fans, thank you. The support you have provided over the years has been truly humbling. It has been an honour and an enormous privilege to have had the opportunity to lead your club and I have treasured my time as manager of Manchester United.’ Journalists were torn between writing plaudits and speculating as to who would be Ferguson’s successor. Of the names suggested, Jose Mourinho and David Moyes quickly became the bookies’ favourites from a list that included Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti. Most of the speculation as to who and why, and why not, turned out to be retrospective, as it quickly became apparent that it was Everton manager Moyes who would become ‘The Chosen One’. On 9 May, at 3.53pm, the club announced on their official website that the ‘Manchester United Board unanimously approves the recommendation of Sir Alex Ferguson’ in the appointment of David Moyes as the next manager. ‘David Moyes will take over as the Manager of Manchester United from the 2013/14 season,’ the club’s statement to the Stock Exchange read. ‘David, 50, has been the Everton manager since 2002, joining after a successful spell as manager of Preston North End.’ The statement included a number of endorsements from high- ranking officials at the club, beginning with the outgoing boss. ‘When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes, we unanimously agreed on David Moyes,’ Ferguson said. ‘David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I’ve admired his work 18 The blood drained from my face for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here. He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club.’ Sir Bobby Charlton was quoted next. ‘I have always said that we wanted the next manager to be a genuine Manchester United man,’ he said. ‘In David Moyes, we have someone who understands the things that make this such a special club. We have secured a man who is committed to the long term and will build teams for the future as well as now. Stability breeds success. David has tremendous strength of character and recognises the importance of bringing young players through and developing them alongside world-class talent. At United, I think David will be able to express himself. I’m delighted he has accepted and I’m looking forward to working with him.’ CEO Ed Woodward said, ‘In David Moyes, we have secured the services of an outstanding manager who has all the skills to build on the phenomenal legacy in place today. I have no doubt that he will bring an energy and commitment to deliver winning football that is part of the fabric of this club. In this respect, he is cut from the same cloth as the Old Trafford greats who go before him. I have been very impressed by David’s personal and managerial traits, which reflect the Manchester United values. I have no doubt that he will embrace, and soon become an integral part of, United’s unique culture and heritage.’ Next, it was the turn of the Glazer family. ‘I am very pleased David has agreed to lead Manchester United into the future,’ said Joel Glazer. ‘His hard-working style and steely determination are characteristics we value at the club. He has impressed as a coach for many years now and we strongly believe he will be able to take up from where Alex is leaving off by continuing this club’s tradition of flair football played by exciting, world-class players.’ Finally, Avram Glazer gave his opinion. ‘The search for a new manager has been very short,’ his statement read. ‘Alex was very clear with his recommendation and we are delighted that David has agreed to accept the job. He comes to us with excellent credentials and a strong track record. I know he is keen to get started and Ed will be sitting 19 Redprint down with him as soon as the season is over to discuss plans for the summer and beyond.’ All that was left was to hear from the man himself. Moyes’s statement read, ‘It’s a great honour to be asked to be the next manager of Manchester United. I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done and for the Football Club. I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn’t something that comes around very often and I’m really looking forward to taking up the post next season. I have had a terrific job at Everton, with a tremendous chairman and board of directors and a great set of players. Between now and the end of the season, I will do everything in my power to make sure we finish as high as possible in the table. Everton’s fantastic fans have played a big part in making my years at Goodison so enjoyable and I thank them wholeheartedly for the support they have given me and the players. Everton will be close to me for the rest of my life.’ So far, so normal. With the benefit of nit-picking hindsight, one might look at the ‘as high as possible’ comment and think Moyes had made his first faux pas, but at the time nobody picked up on it. There were reservations, of course there were. On 12 May, United defeated Swansea City 2-1 in Ferguson’s final home game, fittingly enough, a victory delivered with a late goal. Afterwards, the club were awarded the Premier League trophy after a 13th successful league campaign under their retiring coach, and the man himself took centre stage to address the crowd. ‘We’ve got a winner, that is really important for this club. To get a winner is the most important thing,’ he said, before later telling the fans that ‘their job now was to stand by the new manager.’ Moyes, of course, had never won a trophy in his career as a manager. The closest he’d come was in the 2009 FA Cup Final when his Everton team, who had defeated Ferguson’s United side on penalties in the semi-final, came up short against Chelsea. Earlier in the year, Guardiola had announced that he would take over as Bayern Munich boss in the summer, following a short sabbatical after he had resigned as Barcelona manager.