The David Moyes era is not one that United fans remember with particular fondness. It is for that reason that they will perhaps be given the chills by the similarity in results between Moyes' beginning as United manager and that of Jose Mourinho after Mourinho's side lost 4-0 to Chelsea on Sunday.
The 'Moyes years' are looked back on by Manchester United fans in a similar manner to which Kerry people remember the years between 1986 and 1997, remembered with a kind of shudder and a sudden urge to watch repeats of 'Premier League Years' from the Fergie era.
Poor old Moyes was probably doomed from the beginning and there was always the impression at Old Trafford that he wasn't quite big enough for the club - that his managerial ability was just below what was required to keep the club at the top of English football and lead them back to the peak of the European game.
Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, has not faced questions regarding his credentials for a managerial job in football ever since the heady days when his Porto side were breaking Celtic hearts. But perhaps he should, in the interests of fairness - especially when we compare his start to the season as United boss with that of Moyes in 2013/14.
For both managers the first nine league games yielded four wins, three losses and two draws. Moyes' United side scored 14 and conceded 12 while Mourinho's have netted 13 times, shipping 12 goals. It's a good thing United didn't score today or things would be getting spooky.
Overall, United's record under Mourinho has been worse than Moyes, however. With fourteen games in total played in all competitions, Mourinho has eight wins, four losses and two draws whereas Moyes had three draws and three losses.
The knives are being sharpened...
