Moyes next Man Utd manger as Sir Alex is set to retire

Not to any considerable surprise, David Moyes will become the second Manchester United boss in 27 years, after the quarter century long reign by compatriot Sir Alex Ferguson. The Everton boss was installed as firm favourite to succeed Ferguson on Monday after a flood of bets over the weekend. Bookmakers Paddy Power cut his odds from 7/2 to 1/2 after they reported a myriad of overnight bets from Sunday to Monday. Someone let the cat out of the bag. Nevertheless, the Scot will take charge when the 2012/13 seasons ends. Admittedly, the appointment was greeted with trepidation by some United fans due to numerous concerns. The most pertinent of which, his distinct lack of Champions League experience. Time will also tell how he can finally manage a significant sized squad and disposable transfer fees. Admittedly, observers will point to his remarkable success with a well publicized lack of resources and depth in squad at Everton and all superficial signs advertise that he is an ,all round, excellent manager. However the trepidation exhibited by red devil fans aren't abated by the revelation that some Everton fans are glad to see the back of what will soon be their former manager. Some toffees claim Moyes has an extremely negative approach, asserting that he strangles his strikers' natural attacking instincts and pushes them out on the wing, citing Steven Naismith as an example, and pointing to the goal drought of Nikita Jelavic as further evidence. Albeit, it will take a remarkable effort to turn Robin Van Persie into a bad striker, however these concerns will only know their legitimacy this time next year when his first year in charge is reviewed (if he's still manager that is).

However, one thing is for sure, the unprecedented successful era resided over by Sir Alex Ferguson won't be emulated. The unyielding success that flocks of United fans are used to enjoying and come to expect will be a thing of the past. I thought the departure of Edwin Van de Sar, breaking up the impregnable defence spear headed by Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at the height of his powers would bring about an end to United's dominance. An assumption that only had short lived affirmation with arch rivals Manchester City winning the league the very next seasont. However, they have won the league this season without much difficulty and without a vintage Man United team, concertedly also without good challengers. Taking away the main heart of United's ethos and genetics will surely also diminish the success that accompanies.

Unrelenting, authoritarian, trophy collecting, Sir Alex Ferguson will retire. Though Love or hate Man United, anyone will still tell you Ferguson, with the likes of Brian Clough and Bob Paisley, is one of the greats.  It pains me to say it but, over the past twenty years or so Manchester United have become the Roman Empire of English football and Ferguson is the Julius Caesar of management. Caesar was a dictator of the Roman Republic and never an Emperor of Rome he contributed to the downfall of the Roman republic and the rise of the Empire. This is particularly applicable because Sir Alex overseen and effected a change in the way most clubs are managed; from his appointment in 1986 to the new millennium, he had established an archetypal club and business, a sporting dynasty. He established absolute authority, deploying belligerence and intimidation as his tools of control. He became a tyrant for referees, vehemently attacking them when a decision didn't go in United's favour. All the while somehow escaping sanctions from the FA when managers from other clubs received touchline bans and fines for behaving in a more restrained fashion than the 71 year old.

On the other hand, one benefit of this unchecked dominance is longevity and the stability. In comparison to other, for instance Liverpool's managerial ambiguity over the past five years has seen them slip from challengers of the premiership and Champions League winners to mere top 6 challengers and face a huge amount of catching up to do as clubs that they used aspire to be like them, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City for example. While Chelsea have enjoyed success over the the last decade, infamously chopping and changing their managers has starved them of the opportunity to embed themselves in Europe's elite. And even within the ranks of the European elite, the likes of Real Madrid have employed the services of 26 different mangers in Ferguson's reign, an obscene amount. Which ultimately culminated in senior figures like Ikar Cassilias having spats with manager Jose Mourinho on what the Spanish goalkeeper claimed as a case of Madrid 'identity'. For many people, Sir Alex Ferguson is the only Manchester United manager they have ever known. That's identity.

How United and Moyes will progress with a new identity, the younger Scot at the helm and the older, 'watching' from the director's box, will make for intriguing viewing.