Dein erstes Forum » English champions morph into the next

LONDON -- In this bleakest of introductions to Manchester United, David Moyes is struggling with the hand dealt to him by the club. A squad that was in need of more than just tinkering when Alex Ferguson retired, has faded as a force and seems incapable of competing with the elite. The giants of English football lurch to a new low each month as the transition following Fergusons 26-year reign proves more difficult than the fans or owners could have envisaged. Under Ferguson, seasons were about chasing trophies. Now its about avoiding further embarrassment, with United out of the domestic cups and sixth in the Premier League, 11 points from the Champions League places. Needing to lift the trophy in May to return to the Champions League, Uniteds matchup with Olympiakos in the round of 16 seemed like a gift to Moyes from UEFA. But United was insipid in Greece on Tuesday, and bereft of any attacking threat or defensive cohesion in a 2-0 loss. Thirty years ago pre-Ferguson, United overturned such a deficit against Barcelona to advance in the European Cup Winners Cup at Old Trafford, but such a feat would seem beyond this group of players, for whom the Theatre of Dreams has become the scene of too many nightmares this season. "I take responsibility, its my team," Moyes said at Olympiakos. The message from within Old Trafford remains that Moyes will be entrusted with leading the clubs revival. How much is Moyes to blame for Uniteds misfortunes? The Scot was chosen to replace his compatriot partly because he was low-maintenance and would not storm in wanting to rip up the squad. It was in an unusual moment of candour from within the United hierarchy, the day after the title was clinched with four games to spare last April, when this became apparent -- just before Moyes was approached to replace Ferguson. At that point, then-chief executive David Gill knew Ferguson would be retiring within weeks, despite the managers public denial days earlier. And, although Gill did not let slip Fergusons secret, what he said in an Associated Press interview indicated that a change might not be too far away, and that the Glazer family didnt want any drastic changes to the team. Although United would go on to win a 13th Premier League title under Ferguson by 11 points, such rampant success masked the necessity to strengthen an aging squad. "The quality of the squad, the composition of that squad, means that any new manager coming in will inherit a great squad of players," Gill told the AP on April 23, 2013. "And yes he may, whenever that is ... clearly want to bring in one or two of his own people, new players. But he wont want to change the squad wholesale because (then) he wont be our manager. Weve got to be consistent with that and thats what we are planning on." The comments were eye-catching but set against Fergusons retirement denial. The succession plan, however, would be implemented rapidly, as Moyes was handed the job -- initially secretly -- to leave Everton and fill one of the toughest vacancies in football. Perhaps United did not fully recognize the Ferguson factor in pushing the team beyond its limits, although the clubs shareholders had been warned about the dangers of British footballs most successful and feared manager hanging up his hairdryer one day. "Any successor to our current manager may not be as successful as our current manager," United said as it prepared to float on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012. "A downturn in the performance of our first team could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain coaches and players." As it proved in Moyes first transfer window. After the audacious pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas failed, Marouane Fellaini was the only major summer signing and the recruit from Everton has made little impact during an injury-hit season. The flaws in planning for the post-Ferguson era have become apparent in recent months. And from within the United boardroom a different message has emerged about this summers strategy, with vice chairman Ed Woodward, who assumed Gills responsibilities, conceding the squad does in fact requirement a significant overhaul. Rather than building from a position of strength, as was possible last summer, the empire must fight back from one of weakness. "We are not afraid of moving in the market in a way we havent seen in recent years," Woodward said on a conference call with Wall Street insiders two weeks ago. Juan Mata was persuaded to join from Chelsea last month in a club-record 31.7 million-pound ($62-million) move. And Wayne Rooney was convinced to sign a new contract in the last week through 2019, a powerful if expensive message to the world that the club can retain talent. While not challenging for titles, United remains the indisputable commercial champion of English football, with the Glazer family building up a formidable marketing operation. The club expects to generate around 430 million pounds ($718 million) in revenue this season, although such prosperity diminishes with an enduring downturn on the pitch. The great fear is that the 20-time English champions morph into the next Liverpool, which is on the rise having won the last of its 18 topflight titles in 1990. The club, though, wont want to be living on past successes for too long, but its hard to see where the next trophy is coming from. "United need six top quality players," said outspoken former captain Roy Keane, a TV pundit. "I would think David Moyes has been shocked. When he went into United in the summer he probably looked at the players and was expecting great things. "Privately hes probably been shocked at the lack of quality that hes working with." Bill Walton Jersey . The New York Rangers centre had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators ending a 13-game goal-scoring drought. Shabazz Napier Jersey . Less than 24 hours later, in the same arena, he tried to recreate the magic of his all-time favourite player. Hilliard scored a career-high 26 points and No. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Brand...Blazers-Jersey/. The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign. Custom Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. Terry Porter Jersey . "I dont know where we would be without him," McClendon said. "Hes done a tremendous job for us and (Wednesday) was no different." Logan Morrison drove in two runs in Seattles big sixth inning, Young pitched seven strong innings and the Mariners beat the Houston Astros 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep.The Rangers force Game Six and the Wild even the score; notes on Zuccarello, St. Louis, Cooke, Toews and more. RANGERS ROCK PENGUINS Facing elimination, the New York Rangers invaded Pittsburgh, earned a first-period lead and never let the Penguins back into it, winning 5-1 in Game Five, forcing Game Six back in Manhattan. Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello each had three points for the Rangers, while LW Chris Kreider and D Ryan McDonagh each contributed a goal and an assist. Brassard, who was a point-per-game player for the Rangers in a dozen playoff games last year, now has six points (3 G, 3 A) in 12 playoff games this season, while Zuccarello is up to eight points (3 G, 5 A). Zuccarello also had the best possession stats for the Rangers, with 16 shot attempts for and seven against. The Blueshirts had 69.6% of the attempts with Zuccarello on the ice and 48.6% when he was off the ice. This was only Kreiders second game of the playoffs, and he was effective on a line with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash. Both Kreider and Brassard tied for the Rangers team lead with six hits. McDonagh, who only had one assist in 11 playoff games prior to Game Four, had a goal and an assist, with both points coming on the previously beleaguered Rangers power play. After scoring two goals on three attempts with the man advantage, maybe the Rangers are ready to leave that PP slump in the rearview mirror. After getting annihilated by Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Game Four, the Rangers (led by McDonagh and Dan Girardi) were much more effective against that duo in Game Five. While Malkin scored a goal, Crosby was on for 13 shot attempts for and 18 against. The inspirational story for the Rangers was veteran RW Martin St. Louis, playing a day after his mother died suddenly. St. Louis didnt have his best game, but the Rangers rallied around him and G Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 of 32 Pittsburgh shots to keep the series going. The Penguins line of James Neal, Jussi Jokinen and Brandon Sutter didnt fare too well in the possession game. Neal, in particular, was on the ice for 28.6% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts when he was on thee ice, while the Penguins had 54.dddddddddddd0% of the shot attempts with Neal off the ice. In a must-win game, the Rangers played with an urgency that they havent shown in this series and are rewarded with a home date for Game Six. Theyre not out of the woods, by any means, but deserve credit for a big road win. WILD AT HEART The Minnesota Wild dominated play against the Chicago Blackhawks and won Game Four by a 4-2 score, evening the series at two games apiece. Wild defencemen Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter each had two points. Spurgeon, who had a goal and an assist, now has five points in the playoffs. Suter is up to seven. Wild LW Matt Cooke returned to the lineup, after serving a seven-game suspension and replaced Matt Moulson, who is out with a lower-body injury. Cooke was an impact player for Minnesota, playing a physical game (a game-high five hits), and chipping in an assist on the first goal of the game. He set the tone. Wild forwards Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula and Jason Pominville were all on for better than 70% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts, while Blackhawks RW Ben Smith had a game to forget, on for zero 5-on-5 shot attempts and 13 against. Smith spent the first half of the game on a line with Jonathan Toews, who was on for seven attempts for and 21 against, his 25% Corsi% was his lowest of the year. Toews faced the Wilds top defence pair, Suter and Jonas Brodin, for most of the night. Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa had two assists and D Brent Seabrook had one; they are tied for Chicagos playoff scoring lead with 10 points. Neither goaltender, Chicagos Corey Crawford or Minnesotas Ilya Bryzgalov, looked sharp, but with the Wild controlling play, they had more opportunities to take advantage against Crawford. In front of a rowdy home crowd, the Wild continued their winning ways, now 5-0 at home in the postseason. If theyre going to pull off the upset, though, they are going to need to win at least one in Chicago. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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