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Originally Posted by S/Side.Red
Possibly so. For all that Neville the journalist doesn't want to prod at the subject too much, as a fan he must be trying to find out as much as possible. Maybe he's had a few chats with Giggsy or Rio recently, but he's definitely changing his angle.
Looked like Scholesy wasn't too impressed last night, too. Neither seemed to keen to fight Moyes's corner.
Must lead to an awkward situation with his bro  |
Dunno if this has been posted or not
Chris Bascombe (scouse)
Paul Scholes missed the key date on his calendar by a mere 10 days. The Ides of March fall on the 15th of the month.
No matter, whether by design or a quirk of timing, Scholes chose the most conspiratorial of months to offer a startling contrast between Manchester United’s glorious past, dire present and dilemmas of the immediate future.
In his role as a TV pundit, Scholes delivered an assessment of understated brutality on the Manchester United he left behind. His conclusions must have left United fans nodding as furiously as Steve Round every time David Moyes offers a suggestion on, well, presumably anything.
It was a little after 11pm on Tuesday night. Old Trafford was deserted and the United stewards were considering if military protection was required to ensure ’The Chosen One’ banner remained intact.
Scholes and his co-analyst, Gary Neville, dissected the state of their own club and in doing so offered the only crumb of consolation on an abject evening for United supporters. There are obvious successors to Sir Alex Ferguson if you look hard enough. It is extraordinary the man himself chose not to.
Planned or not – and in fairness only a mischievous mind would argue this was calculated – it was impossible to escape the conclusion that Scholes and Neville were taking their first tentative step towards a silent coup to wrestle back control of their club in the wake of a dismal Premier League season.
They chose their words professionally and studiously – they came neither to praise nor bury Moyes – but pieced together they were damning. There were traces of perplexity but there was mostly annoyance and frustration in every syllable.
Throughout his mesmerising performance, Scholes often had the demeanour of a teenager who found himself sitting with his parents while watching an adult movie scene. His head was bowed, he shuffled in his chair and every time he was cut short for a commercial break he looked like he might take the opportunity to do a runner.
Despite this, with his first nods and grimaces whenever Graeme Souness was speaking, Scholes immediately became a more insightful pundit in 60 seconds than Garth Crooks has managed in 25 years. When he did speak, you wanted to increase the volume, pause and rewind.
Much of it was due to the sheer novelty value, but you cannot beat people who know what they are talking about. It makes life so much more tolerable for everyone.
Scholes says United need three more defenders and a better balanced midfield that can both defend, attack and run at pace. The strikers, he concluded were all right.
Neville said United were suffering an identity crisis, neither one thing nor the other, and the suggestion the chequebook was the answer ignored the fact that £80 million has been spent since Ferguson’s retirement.
It was perceptive enough when the cameras were rolling so one could only imagine what was said when microphones were off.
The problem for Moyes – one of many – is the United legends are easily envisaged back in their tracksuit. They would represent vibrancy and youthful dynamism as coaches as much as they did as players when they made their debut.
It is true at least two graduates from the famed “Class of ’92” are already part of Moyes’s coaching staff, but to say Phil Neville has never carried the gravitas of his brother is rather like comparing the merits of JFK with Teddy Kennedy.
“Assistant” Ryan Giggs is not tarnished by association. Real or not, the distance many have observed between the Welshman and the present ‘inner circle’ serves him well longer term. It is ironic that it is probably the 40-year-old’s performance against Olympiakos that has ensured Moyes will last beyond this week.
Perhaps it is misguided to see Scholes’s move into punditry in seditious terms, but with every withering (and wholly accurate) comment he demonstrated the detachment between the United he knows and the one he was confronted with on Tuesday night.
He, rather like Gary Neville, seems too proud, too wise and too passionate about his club to tolerate such a rapid dip into mediocrity. It is not in either’s nature.
You can hear Neville wrestling with his conscience in every commentary, negotiating the fine line where the greatest act of loyalty to the United badge is to say enough is enough rather than hide behind a misguided, often exploited notion of “loyalty”.
Moyes continues to talk about support for the long term, but nothing – especially in football – is unconditional. Consecutive 3-0 home defeats by your greatest rivals prompt many to look up that dreaded word “untenable”.
The final question of the evening to Scholes asked if he saw himself in the dugout in the future.
The head was no longer bowed, he visibly appeared to stiffen his back, and he confirmed that was exactly what he wanted in the future.
Moyes took over United with many wondering if the shadow of his predecessor would overwhelm him. It is now those manoeuvring into position behind who offer the most obvious and immediate threat.
26-03-2014, 08:45 PM
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