Source: DSG
If Villas-Boas had to go, then surely so does Moyes?
Football management is a strange beast to predict. On the one hand, you have Arsene Wenger, who has won nothing save for admiration regarding his fiscal nous in 8 years, and his club and supporters are almost universally behind him, and on the other, you have the demise of Andre Villas-Boas at Tottenham, who won his domestic league and cup, and the Europa League, in 2011, but was unceremoniously ousted after the 0-5 defeat by Liverpool at home, leaving Spurs an obviously terrible equal 6th in the table, and a full 2 points above last year's runaway champions Manchester United. 2 points above last year's champions = the sack, seems somewhat harsh to me, for a manager building a side that was still adjusting to all of its new arrivals. 5 points from a Champions League place with a team which should only get better as stability grows, is far from insurmountable after only 16 games. So what happens? The manager is fired and the club is perceived to be in chaos. For all of that, Spurs still sit 6th, and are 2 points from the much vaunted 4th place that Arsenal have viewed as a trophy for so long. More to the point, they still sit 2 points above Man United. A team who've lost 3 games in the last 7 days, and sit 9 points from the top of the league, (a league topped by a team they finished 16 points clear of), a league they dominated and won by 11 points just over 8 months ago, and their only transfer activity of real note was to replace Scoles who retired (again!) with Marouane Fellaini. Now I know, I know, people say, "It took Sir Alex X amount of time" etc etc, and that's correct, but, that was coming from a state where Man United had not won the league in years. Of course that required time. The circumstances are simply not comparable now. David Moyes inherited a squad who won the league by 11 clear points, and has somehow managed to turn them into a team who look for all the world like they will be fighting for a Europa League place, and ironically might find themselves being beaten by Moyes's old club Everton, who incidentally, sit 5th, having adjusted pretty well to life without THEIR long term manager, and their talismanic midfielder. In a world where Villas-Boas was removed, it seems inconceivable that David Moyes is immune to the same treatment. But wait. On the horizon, 11 days from now, United visit Chelsea. Assuming the Red Devils don't lose to Swansea the week before, (something which is far from certain given Swansea's famous FA cup victory 3 days ago), Chelsea could well had out a 7th league loss in 22 games. Even for the staunchest supporter of Moyes, those statistics, and the subsequently widening gap between the two clubs, must spell doom in this quagmire which is Premiership Management. The perfect opportunity for the powers that be in Old Trafford's headquarters to take decisive action is close at hand. But, if the axe is indeed wielded, whither then for David Moyes? And who next for Sir Alex's hot seat? As I said before, football management is a strange beast to predict, but for me, one thing is certain. If Villas-Boas had to go, then surely so does Moyes!