Owners give me time to work - Moyes

David Moyes' Manchester United won the Community Shield last week
17 August 2013

David Moyes heads into battle as Manchester United manager believing the club's controversial owners will provide the stability required for him to make a success of the job.

Moyes has already made his feelings about his tough start as United boss known and by the middle of September, the Premier League table may be looking pretty bleak if results go against him.

Yet Moyes believes the Glazer family have a long-term outlook that will not be shaken by short-term results.

"I have really good owners who don't panic," said Moyes. "We have stability at the club. We know where we are going and how we work.

"There is not a panic on every time we have a defeat, not quite reaching expectations is not something to really bother yourself with. Obviously I am aware of the job - to continue the success of the club.

"But the owners have been fantastic in their calmness, their openness and their support. What they want to do with the club is incredible, it really is.

"They see stability and continuity as really important so one-off results are not really interesting to them."

Moyes has a pretty significant support network around him too. One of the first people to call in for a chat following his appointment was Sir Bobby Charlton.

And despite his recent hip operation, Sir Alex Ferguson has been available for consultation too.

"He is recovering from his hip operation but I went to see him the other day," said Moyes. "He was great. He will be a great mentor for me. I want him to be around."

Rather than a distraction, Ferguson can be an invaluable source of knowledge because no one else knows the unique pressures of the job Moyes is being asked to do.

"Within the first 10 minutes of him telling me I was getting the job, we had already had discussions about the team, what would have to be done and what was expected; like sponsors, media and all the things that come from a big club.

"There were no airs and graces. He didn't feather it. He told me straight and he told me what it was going to be like. But he would also expect me to get on and do the job myself."

Charlton meanwhile has spoken of United's history, and how that demands certain standards; possibly one of the reasons why Moyes was approached by Ferguson rather than long-time favourite Jose Mourinho.

"You have to do things correctly and with honour," he said. "I have been made aware of what is expected of Manchester United players and manager, about how players and I conduct ourselves.

"It is not in any great rule book but through conversations about the things that have happened at the club."

Moyes estimates it could take him 18 months to put his own stamp on the club; a long time by modern standards but half as long as the time taken by Ferguson to turn United into sustained trophy challengers.

"At a club like Manchester United, I will get the opportunity to do that," said Moyes. "There might be other clubs where you wouldn't."

Of course, this superior view of life is easy to adopt when your manager is unsackable and ended up winning 13 league titles. Reactions may be different if the season does not go as planned, with a trip to Swansea hardly what anyone would describe as a gentle loosener.

But the man who admitted last month he slept in his car on a knowledge gathering trip to the World Cup in 1998 so keen was he to expand his horizons, has worked hard to reach the top; even if some aspects of his new role are taking a bit of getting used to.

"Sitting in the chair for the first time felt odd," said Moyes, of walking into what used to be Ferguson's office for the first time. "I did it myself with nobody looking. I thought I would have to see how it feels in case anybody thought I looked stupid.

"It will not get better than Sir Alex Ferguson. It just won't. But the club has to keep moving forward and progressing. There have to be changes at times. I am ready. I have worked hard to get to this position.

"I have landed the biggest job. Yes, I am a rookie at Manchester United but I am not a rookie overall. I worked hard at Preston. I worked hard at Everton. And I am going to work hard to maintain Manchester United at the top of the league."

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