The growing demand for him to **** off seems to have vanished. 3 wins in 4. Where once we were looking cast adrift we're now looking like we have a good shot of surviving with the way we're playing. Moyes took us on in a horrendous position and is making the most of the limited resources he has. Fair play to him. I like the miserable ****. Just goes to show a few weeks is a long long time in football and sometimes it's worth waiting to see what happens.
I like Moyes, mate. I was also somebody who was thinking we had took the wrong bloke on. I'm still not convinced by him, either. His defeatist attitude has really pissed me off at times. Saying we were in a relegation scrap after two games was terrible. Talking about Everton constantly, has at times, really pissed me off. I'm also not exactly impressed with the transfer window, he had. I think he signed 9 players and about 7 of them come from the north west. That left me questioning his knowledge of players, outside of his comfort zone. I was really impressed with the way he handled the Kone situation. I thought he spoke well and come across strong with the way he handled that in the media. I like his ability to organise a side that is hard to break down. I like the way, he likes to have the full backs pushing forward and overlapping. Basically, I'm on the fence with him. Willing to give him 18 months, regardless of how this season plays out.
You'll always get impatient fans who don't appreciate how long it takes for a manager to assess his squad, implement changes and make them take effect. Managers walk into jobs completely oblivious to player traits, habits and performance levels that we've had years to assess. I was a long way from turning on him. Dower demeanor + few bad results = sack him in some minds. On screen interview charisma isn't important skill for me. As though all the players are ignoring the intimate time with him and instead tuning into to look north for manager pep talks and inspirations. No, we've no idea how he gets his message across but if think people think the players hang on every interview and if he sounds depressing it's automatically going to rub off badly on the squad. Never understand why so many appear to think this way. Alex Ferguson was nowt but a miserable whining sulkier and it made no difference what so ever to his management capability. People put far to much importance on interviews imo, to the point they let it mold their entire outlook. He getting **** together. But he still needs to backed. Both from the stands and from Short's pocket.
Moyes has never been a posturer or headline chaser some others seek to be. He is basically honest and accurate in everything he says and tells it how he sees it. He produces half a glass of liquid and leaves it for others to decide if it is half full or empty.
I'll be the first to admit that after about half a dozen games I just didn't believe in him, he looked out of his depth. I also didn't like after one game stating we were in a relegation battle (even if he was right) to say that during a transfer window must have hindered him bringing in certain players. Having said all that, the last 4 games have shown he has a system and they seem to working to it. We are desperately short of quality and we have a long injury list.....lets hope we can maintain this form till Jan and by hook or by crook get a couple of genuine quality signings..
Talking about interviews all those players I've seen talking about Moyes all praise him highly, Borini, O'Shea, Watmore & Defoe to mention but a few all say he's a good hands on manager on the training ground. Now it could be they are just saying wgats expected of them when being interviewed or they genuinely believe in the manager and I for one prefer to believe the latter. We've certainly turned a corner and long may the upturn continue.
I think when a manager has got two points from eleven games it's quite reasonable to start seriously questioning whether he should stay in charge. Happily he's managed to get a more or less average bunch of players performing above their level which is what good managers do. Signing Anichebe was a stroke of genius as it turned out.
I get the feeling with a Anichebe, he knows this is his last chance in the EPL...he always had promise, but never delivered, thankfully, he is now.
I was happy when we got Moyes, I thought it was probably about as good as we could do. Then came a poor transfer window and then massive negativity from Moyes. He had taken a squad that had decent mid table form, changed a working system and everything looked wrong. We easily looked the worst team in the league and I wanted shot of Moyes. I didn't think he could turn it around. I thought he looked lost and a busted flush. Maybe his confidence had gone after Man United and Spain. Then he played Big Victor and all of a sudden we look like we have a chance. When we signed Anichebe I think I let out a big sigh and bemoaned the ambition of the club. What a revelation this lad is. Finally we have a player who can hold the ball up and allow the team the chance to get up the pitch. He is linking fantastically with Defoe. What a difference one player can make to a team. He bullied Danny Simpson yesterday. He is a handful to mark. We are also starting to get our "better players" fit. Kirtchoff looked good yesterday, Larsson looked good. Still a long way to go. The African cup of nations decimates our defence. I wish we would buy some good fullbacks. I think this is easily the weakest part of the team. It's a shame young Watmore is injured as (I know a lot don't rate him) he is a good ball carrier, he works hard and he can make things happen. Yes he needs to work on his final ball but he is still young remember.
If Moyes gets a few more decent performances what's the chance of Scotland doing a Sam Allardyce on us (during the January window of course) and leaving us managerless again.
I had my concerns about Moyes similar as you outlined but I never wanted him out - i'm not that short minded and said wait till Jan transfer window. I'm very pleased to say my only concern now is hoping we don't lose any more players to the ACON -Antchibe for Nigeria Moyes maybe a dour Scot but he's ours and is shedding his own baggage and organising the Sunderland team - all round success atm
Football is a fickle game. I'll happily hold my hands up and say I was one calling him. And I'll also say I'm still not convinced by some of the stuff he does. That said, he's worked out a game plan (knock it to big Vic and see what happens) and it's working. If we lose the next 6 games there will be people calling him again.
Football is fickle though, if it wasn't for a couple of great saves we would have 4 less points and Moyes would be on the rack. Look at Alan Pardew he probably would be unemployed this morning if they lost yesterday.
The first few games of the season we were unlucky. As things went on, we seemed to get worse and tactically we were poor- the zonal marking wasn't working, we were giving teams too much time and space, we weren't playing with an intensity. The manager has to take responsibility for those things and he didn't appear to be doing anything about it. That coupled with his bizarre comments in interviews and the strange transfer window made it look like he was out of his depth. Things seem to have changed with Anichebe coming into the side but that doesn't suddenly make Moyes a good manager- he may have just struck lucky. The acid test comes when Anichebe is unavailable- will Moyes be able to keep the momentum going then? I hope he can, but the jury still has to be out on him.
We've had a tough start. Moyes hadn't much time to learn about his new squad, much of it depleted by injuries, giving him even less time to see them on the training ground. We've now got some lads coming back from injury strengthening the first team increasing his options. And whisper it quietly, there's a transfer window opening in a few weeks with maybe a bob or two to spend, by which time we could be right in the mix and a few points above the bottom 3. I'd like to think we've weathered a storm and we're now moving ahead. That'll be down to Moyes I guess. That's my glass half-full view after 3 recent wins.
To say it's all OK after a few wins is premature. Just as it was to call for his sacking. We still look like we could capitulate in ANY game and concede 3 or 4. How we handle December and January is key both on and off the field. Also Moyes did not take us on in a horrendous position at all in fact he had the best job to come into that any of our managers had since Steve Bruce. Yes funds were limited.....they always have been recently but our squad wasn't a in the dire state MoN, PDC, Gus, Dick and Sam found it in. Fair play to Moyes he's given us hope when there was little to be found but let's not start the back slapping yet all we've done is loosen the noose
Totally agree, it's still early days Giacc. I'm not happy-clapping from the rooftops just yet. But there are some good early signs of a team coming together there. There's nowt wrong with being upbeat after our results in the last month mate. Especially when I've just doubled up to £100 on a bet with a mate that we'll stay up
I'm on cloud 9 after recent results mate mostly because I couldn't see it coming so I'm ecstatic to be wrong! But our defending still worries me for example against Hull a better team would have done us. Momentum is massive in sport and we've finally got some let's hope it continues!
