Manchester United's David Moyes "fighting against time" after succeeding Fergie claims Louis Saha
Manchester United's David Moyes "fighting against time" after succeeding Fergie claims Louis Saha
Striker who knows what it's like to play for both Alex Ferguson and the new Old Trafford boss says fans have to be patient
"Obsessed": Saha has seen David Moyes' drive at first hand
Reuters
Louis Saha is backing David Moyes to justify his 'Chosen One' tag at
Manchester United - but warned he is "fighting against time."
Along
with Wayne Rooney, Phil Neville, Tim Howard and Darron Gibson, former
France striker Saha belongs to a select group who have played under both
Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson, his predecessor at the Old Trafford giants.
The
last time a United dynasty came to a close - with the end of Sir Matt
Busby's era - Wilf McGuinness and Frank O'Farrell presided over a sudden
decline which culminated in relegation, under Tommy Docherty.
But
Saha, who scored 42 goals in 76 starts under Fergie at United, and
another 35 in 78 under Moyes at Everton, believes the crown jewels are
in safe hands at Old Trafford this time - as long as patience holds sway
over knee-jerk reactionaries polluting the phone-in airwaves.
He
said: "I have no doubt that Moyes will be a success at Manchester United
- but there is also no doubt he is fighting against time.
"When
you are in his position, it comes down to how long it will take to put
his team together, find the right tactics and get the best out of them.
He is driven by an obsession to develop players, and that is always a
good basis for success.
"One thing which does not change, by
moving from Everton to United, is his desire to win or the quality of
his commitment. There was no fear in the man to start again, to build a
new team.
"He is obsessed with working hard every day, working
hard to improve the mentality of his players and every aspect of their
game.
"To develop players, and make them the best they can be, you
need to demand that of yourself. He is a tough manager - and that
includes being tough on himself - and that is an asset for any club.
"United will benefit from that approach, and it may take time to gel, but I'm confident he will succeed." King Louis: Saha spent four years at United under Alex Ferguson
Getty
Saha, 35, was "surprised" when Ferguson retired at the end of
last season, and admitted Moyes was "not the first choice in my head"
to take over.
But he acknowledges that his former Everton boss has the authority, and pedigree, to prove a worthy pick.
Speaking
at the Leaders In Football conference at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge
ground, he added: "Moyes has fire in his eyes and, as well as being a
humble person, he is also very honest and at Everton he knew how to
motivate his players.
"You need to have that right combination to find the fire inside a player, and he does that well.
"I
am a competitor, and my main target when I started a new season was
always to win something, so it was one of my biggest disappointments to
lose an FA Cup Final with Everton - especially after scoring the fastest
goal ever in the final.
"I wish I had scored the winner in the last
25 seconds instead of putting us ahead in the first 25 seconds, but I'm
sure David Moyes was even more frustrated because that was as close as
he came to winning a trophy.
"There is no doubt in my mind that
Moyes will win trophies for United. They are always looking to win the
Premier League, and obviously they will be contenders, but maybe the
first two years it will be difficult and it will take time for them to
peak.
"As great a manager as he was, Sir Alex Ferguson went three
years without a trophy at first, and that's why they may have to accept
that David Moyes is fighting against time."
United's meagre return of seven points from their first six Premier League games was their worst start for 24 years.
Further misery beckoned when they then fell a goal behind away to bottom club Sunderland, but Moyes' men fought back to grab a win that put them within six points of early leaders Arsenal.
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