Moyes In?

Should David Moyes be given more time at Manchester United?

If it's not obvious by now, Manchester United fans are frustrated. After years of being the most successful team in the world with a record 20 league titles, 11 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and  20 FA Community Shields, it seems the era is coming to an end.
But should David Moyes really be feeling the pressure in his first year as the Manchester United manager?

After following in the shadow of one of the most successful and influential managers ever in the game (Sir Alex Ferguson), Moyes had big boots to fill. Big boots for man that had never won a trophy as manager of his once beloved Everton. 

But Manchester believed. They believed that Moyes could continue the success of his elder compatriot and keep the Red Devils at the very top of their game.

But look closer, Moyes was inevitably going to perform poorly at first. He inherited a team that did win the Premier League last year, but in a poor Premier League season which offered little competition to their crown.

He inherited a team inadequate of young talent, a team that relied on Robin Van Persie to save them numerous times and a team of aging players that were used to winning everything. But Moyes shouldn't panic, and neither should the Manchester United faithful. A record of 7 losses from 22 games does shout mid table finish, but the writing was on the wall before the season even began back in August. 

Many are shouting for Moyes to put his hand into the transfer market and spend in January, but this will surely do more harm than good. Panic buys are never a good investment, in the long term anyway. Moyes clearly couldn't get who he wanted before the season began, so why would they leave to join now with Manchester in the mediocre position that they are (by their own high standards).

However you view the results, Moyes deserves more time. He needs the summer to rebuild and reinvest, make the team his own and build his own brand of football. This season he is breathing the Ferguson mentality, team and tactics. 

Next season he has to make it his own, or I can offer no more excuses. 

twitter: @ryanmcevoy

The Sherman Deliberation

Richard Sherman's live rant is the talk in every household, but why?

If you haven't seen Richard Sherman speak his mind during a live post-game interview with Fox, where have you been hiding? (See it here) 

It once again brings Sherman straight into the spotlight for saying exactly what he thinks, regardless of who it's about. After Sunday's interview (post NFC Championship victory over rivals San Francisco 49'ers), Sherman has been called every explicit in the Oxford dictionary, but the word on most peoples mind is classless.But why?

It shows how much the game means to him, how much it meant to be a part of the winning play, how much the man wants to be better than his opposition.

Sherman argues that Micheal Crabtree (San Francisco 49'ers wide receiver) had been talking all game, but it's Sherman that hits the spotlight. Not for running back into the changing rooms like most players, but for showing true emotion in the heat of the moment. It shows that the game was not only real, but hit him emotionally. Who doesn't want more moments like that, where athletes that are idolized show that these games matter and are not just another paycheck.

With Sherman it's easy to label him a thug, but bear in mind that this is a man who graduated from Stanford (and coincidentally played there under Jim Harbaugh). A man that grew up in the streets of Compton, arguably one of the roughest areas in the USA, but still managed to 'make it' to the NFL. He has said that he is used to hearing people talk about what he is not able to do, and so far he's proved most of them wrong. 

While Sherman can talk as fast as he can run, he can also back it up. That's the person that he is. Why are we pretending that this is the only man who trash talks while playing; every player does. So why during a game where you're legally allowed to 'hit' an opponent to the floor using brute force we draw the line at trash talking. Why are we also pretending that players should love each other, embrace each other after the game and tell the other how beautiful the other played during the game. Rivals don't like each other, Sherman even acknowledged post game, “A lot of what I said to (Erin) Andrews (Fox reporter) was adrenaline talking, and some of that was Crabtree. I just don’t like him.”
Naturally when you make a game winning play against someone you just do not like, the adrenaline speaks. In my opinion, we need more Richard Sherman's. People who are not afraid to speak out and say it exactly how it is.
But no matter what you think about the cornerback, he sure is unique.

Twitter: @ryanmcevoy