David Moyes could not have known the pressures of being Manchester United manager until he actually stepped into the job claims the next man aiming to stop him getting that morale-boosting first win.
After the surprise loss in Bangkok, United have now moved on to Sydney for a full week's training that will end with a sell-out encounter against the A League All Stars at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
The arrivals of Robin van Persie and David de Gea has helped give United a more familiar look. However, with Nemanja Vidic, Ashley Young, Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney amongst a large number of absentees, Moyes is still not even close to working with his full squad.
And another defeat, even in a pre-season match, is bound to attract negative comment given the high-profile nature of this weekend's fixture. It is the type of scrutiny Moyes would not have encountered at Everton.
And All Stars coach Ange Postecoglou accepts it is part of the job.
"I am sure David Moyes has prepared for it," he said. "He is a very experienced manager. But until you are actually in the seat I am sure you don't realise exactly how massive the pressures and expectations are.
"I am sure the amount of scrutiny he will be under is surreal. The fans in Australia will be trying to pick up any noticeable differences in the things he does or the kind of players he picks. But he is ready for the role and I am sure he will make a good fist of it."
Unlike Sir Alex Ferguson, who dealt with the media in a fairly unforgiving manner, Moyes' engaging nature means his tolerance for subjects such as Wayne Rooney goes far deeper. Yet that can just draw even more words out of subjects he would probably prefer not to talk about.
"You have to deal with these things," said Postecoglou. "You are probably more in the spotlight at the bigger clubs because the level of expectation is so much higher.
"Maybe at clubs with less scrutiny there is less at stake. But Manchester United are expected to be challenging for trophies and winning things and at that level, it is as much about man-managing as it is about the coaching.
Source: PA
