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'Man United cannot afford to follow the Chelsea "tradition"'

Listen to the full interview via the podcast  While many have questioned David Moyes' manag...



'Man United cannot afford...
Soccer

'Man United cannot afford to follow the Chelsea "tradition"'

Listen to the full interview via the podcast 

While many have questioned David Moyes' management style, most critics have acknowledged that he is a good man.

Today, the League Managers Association were critical of the way his sacking was handled and said it was unfair that he had to put up with extensive media coverage before the club told him that they were letting him go.

But how damaging could the recent debacles be for Man United in the long-term?

"In the list of football's heinous crimes it would be nearer the relegation zone rather than pushing for Europe," said the Evening Standard's Paddy Barclay on Off The Ball tonight.

In the short-term, Barclay reckons that Man United are relatively financially insulated from any damage that may have been done over the past few months.

But he did have a warning for a club that has enjoyed a long period of managerial stability prior to the Moyes period in charge.

"What they can't do is become a Chelsea," said Barclay. "Chelsea, to be quite frank, don't have a lot of respect [for the role of the manager] in the way that Roman Abramovich behaves compared to the traditional reputation of Manchester United - which like Arsenal - is one of stability. [Man United] can't afford another slip up. They had a couple of slip ups after Matt Busby stepped down. But in the short-term memory world of today, they really will have to get it right next time. And I'm not 100 per cent sure they got it wrong the last time."

Barclay also discussed the impact any decline could have for Man United in fan markets of the Far East and beyond.

Alex Ferguson's principles vis a vis Moyes and the spectre of the Class of 92 was also put under the microscope and as for a replacement for Moyes, Barclay had some interesting things to say about Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and his potential availability.

"Don't bet against him?" You heard it here first!

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