Four years is a long time in football. Just ask David Moyes.
In 2013, Moyes joined Manchester United replacing Alex Ferguson as manager. He lasted less than a season, before being replaced by Ryan Giggs in a caretaker capacity.
Ahead of the October international break that season, Moyes saw his team in ninth place, despite winning the title the previous May under Ferguson. Three defeats in the opening seven league games meant the pressure was on from the get-go.
Despite his unsuccessful tenure at Old Trafford, Moyes has told the Sunday Mirror that he was the right person to replace Ferguson.
I accept totally that when you are manager of Manchester United, you have to win. I didn’t win enough. But I don’t think there is a manager out there who would have been able to do something better or quicker in the time I was given after Sir Alex retired. It was all about small margins.
Moyes' arrival at Manchester United was in the middle of a period of change at the club. David Gill, the Chief Executive left the same summer as Ferguson and was replaced by Ed Woodward. That hindered the progress of transfers.
We were in for Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas. They were genuine targets, but for one reason or another we didn’t get them over the line. Getting them would have been the perfect start in terms of reshaping the squad I inherited.
Since leaving Everton to join Manchester United, Moyes' career has nosedived. He joined La Liga side Real Sociedad, but was sacked after a year at the club. He left Sunderland last summer, after the club were relegated to The Championship in his only season at the Stadium of Light.
Although the time in Manchester was understandably a disappointment, he still thinks he did the best he could in testing circumstances. Whether others agree with that, remains up for debate.
