24 matches under David Moyes
It was an unpleasant and rather miserable afternoon at Brittania Stadium on Saturday for United fans. In their 100th match against Stoke City, Manchester United was beaten 2-1 for the first time in 30 years.
Breaking records is not a novelty in his managerial career, but he’s unlikely to be boasting about his recent achievements. United had its first home loss to West Bromwich Albion since 1978, and Newcastle since 1972. Everton won at Old Trafford for the first time since 1992, and United lost to Swansea for the first time in the club’s history and got knocked out of the FA Cup at the beginning of this year.
The last time United lost so many matches in the opening 24 games was back in 1989-90 (when they finished 13th). However, that season proved to be a turning point for then manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. That season ended with United winning the FA Cup, which was Ferguson’s first trophy with United. The rest, as they say, is history.
Whether through Facebook, Twitter or news articles, United fans almost daily remind Moyes that he is not leading Everton but Manchester United. The chart above shows the points gained in Moyes’s first 24 Everton matches in the previous season and first 24 Manchester United matches this season. In the first 24 matches under Moyes, United have taken only 40 points, which is two more than Manchester did in their first 24 league matches at the beginning of Ferguson’s reign. However, these 40 points are United’s worst in the Premier League era.
Old Trafford
Copyright ©Leïla
Leila Murseljevic
Even though Manchester United set up a new losing record under Moyes, the club definitely doesn’t have a sponsorship problem. Just after Arsenal announced a £30m-a-year contract with Puma, it has been speculated that United are in the centre of a bidding war for a kit deal that could be worth a record of £70m a year. United’s current 13-year sponsorship with Nike, which is worth at least £23.5m a year, ends at the end of 2014-15 season. Reportedly, Nike, Adidas, Warrior and Puma are trying to win the contract war.
Moyes surely suffered a tough start as United boss, and has an almost impossible task to continue the work of his predecessor. However, we must not forget that Manchester United had 38 points this time in the first year of Ferguson era, which marked a beginning of one of the most successful managerial careers in the world. A year later, United lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup, after beating Barcelona in the final 2-1.
Perhaps David Moyes doesn’t have enough time to turn things around until the end of the season, but surely does in the upcoming years.
By Leila Murseljevic
Chart courtesy by https://twitter.com/ImaJuanker
Image courtesy by ©Leïla