I wanted to share my thoughts on Moyes. I stated in November that I would give him until New Years before I passed judgement. He inherited a difficult situation and things improved during the festive season - wins against Chelsea, a 1-1 vs Tottenham away a 2-0 win over WBA
(I was lucky enough to see those games live). A game vs. Bournemouth in which we were robbed. I was impressed at that point with what he had achieved, and his tact in interviews. Then Pedro got hurt, and our midfield suffered - as if it hadn't suffered enough by Sullivan having
belated lack of confidence in Bilic and not moving for Carvalho. What a difference he would have made. We then had our ups and downs, mostly downs, until they became big downs in March culminating with the Burnley debacle. The issues off the pitch contributed, in my mind, to our
poor performances. But Moyes remained professional. Yes, he was VERY defensive from the off but his remit was to keep us up and that meant not losing games. Our defense was shaky and he stabilized it. It was neither pretty nor entertaining but in the end, the end justified the
means. He did what he had to do. Once safe, what I saw was an unfettered team, free of pressure, and we played beautiful football vs. Man United and Everton. Some of the best football of the season. Now we are without a manager. Let's not forget there is a cost to changing a
manager. Moyes had a familiarity with the owners, and vice versa. He had gone though his growing pains with his players, and knew his squad. His players became familiar with his system and training methods. A new manager and his players will have to relearn these relationships
and systems. This takes time. There were benefits to keeping Moyes. For those who didn't care for him, perhaps it's better to dance with the devil you know then the one you don't. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. I saw progress and thought the last few games
showed what he was capable of when it was not about staying in the Prem. Now I'm adrift and concerned about the unknown. I'm concerned that managers will not want to work for our ownership. I'm concerned that Sullivan will shed the humility he displayed in February and will
again cloak himself in the hubris he's displayed throughout his tenure. Sure, Moyes wasn't perfect, but he had a great backroom staff, and in my mind proved enough to be given another year or two. Could he have gotten us into Europe? We'll never know. But we do know one thing:
He's leaving with dignity and class. And he will always have my respect for that.
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