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Fergie’s advice to Moyes

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailSir Alex Ferguson insists that harmony is the key success and that David Moyes must ensure his staff are singing from the same hymn sheet, regardless of how rough the sea might get during the season.

Moyes has endured a difficult start to his managerial career at United, losing three of his first seven league games, which means United lie in ninth place, six points adrift of leaders Arsenal, with the former Everton manager coming under scrutiny for his cautious approach as well as for a summer during which he failed to strengthen his squad as required.

Moyes has also been criticised for bringing his own backroom staff from Goodison Park to Old Trafford, but while Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t see it a problem, he insisted his successor must ensure every member of his staff shares his vision for the club and all pull in the same direction.

“Three things are very important when you are working with them – work ethic, loyalty, philosophy,” said Fergie.

“You all have to be singing the same tune, no matter how bad the tune is. It’s important that your people agree with you and the way that we at United wanted to play, that was very important.

“My attitude to a game of football – never give in. At half time in a game of football, if you’re behind, never give in.”

Many considered the job of replacing Sir Alex an impossible task and the early stages of David Moyes’ reign at Old Trafford have done very little to dismiss the notion, but the former United manager believes managers should thrive in difficult environments, rather than shying away from them for fear of failing.

“I think that the more difficult you make the challenge of being a top coach, well that’s a challenge that any coach should take because if you’re successful that way then you’ll be successful anyway,” Sir Alex said.

“Sometimes it’s about inspiring to make players better than they are and the best that they could have been.

“On the football field, it’s generally a player with character who wins the match.”

Sir Alex, who yesterday had a street leading to Old Trafford named after him and was freedom of Trafford, expressed his sympathy for David Moyes, claiming that he must be difficult to manage such a cosmopolitan team and that he himself had to turn down the famous hairdryer in his last seasons at the club, as players are a lot softer nowadays.

“The human beings I’ve dealt with are far more fragile than the human beings of 30 years ago,” continued the former United manager.

“And I say that in a good sense because they’re coming from better conditions. I couldn’t lose my temper the way I did back then with people nowadays.

“Also, which has become very dominant in the English game, is the culture of players from different countries.

“At United I think there are people from 20 different nationalities and that’s a challenge because people from different cultures have to be addressed.

“You have to make sure that they are comfortable in their environment because it’s a results industry and you need to get the best out of them.”

Dan