Anno Fergie.

Anno Domini, the latin phrase that refers to the  "Year of the Lord" is used as reference point in the Gregorian Calendar to illustrate a time period using the birth of Christ as a focal point. Anno Fergie might as well be used to refer to "the period of Sir Alex Ferguson", a colossal figure who "reigned" as the undisputed Knight of the English premier league for 27 years. As Manager of the Manchester United a.k.a The Red Devils, he saw to the dethronement of eternal rivals,  The Reds, Liverpool FC , from their perch on top of English football and a haul of 38 trophies.

It was not always an all conquering performance. He had to endure four barren years before an F.A cup victory in 1990 saved him from the sack. Those were the days, when Managers were given time to build teams. Also, he had battles with Arsenal's Wenger and was almost put in his place by the enigmatic "Special One". 

Unfortunately, these are the shoes, the new Manager David Moyes hopes to fill when Sir Alex, as he is fondly called, decided to retire at the end of 2012/2013 season. Questions were asked if the former Manager of Everton, a club with modest ambitions, could handle the high pressure and lofty expectations that comes with being the Manager of the third richest club in the world?

Hitherto, Moyes has never won a single trophy. The excuse handed out, is that it was an achievement, just to take a club with such a small budget to be within the reach of winning.

Fast Forward to the start of the 2013/2014 season. After five matches played, Manchester United led by Moyes had lost to Liverpool, its fiercest rivals, drawn with Chelsea in a drab 0-0 match and got humiliated 4-1 by their city neighbors, ManCity.

It seems, it is all unravelling for Moyes.  Well, to be fair no. You see, his predecessor also suffered humiliating losses to Mancity,  most notable, the "Why always me?" Balotelli's inspired 6-1 drubbing at Old Trafford, of all places. And Manchester United were usually slow starters, who end up finishing strong towards the end of season. As some of his critics point out, Man United was one of the richest clubs in the world throughout his reign, yet could only manage to win two European titles.

Another point that might be contributing to the hysteria is that,  unlike in previous seasons, were there was just one main rival to the crown, this season, one can sense a genuine challenge from six clubs, making the stakes much higher. Fans believe that any slip could be fatal to title chances. Hence, more pressure on Moyes.

As it is during the year of our Lord, so it is in the time of Fergie. The shroud of Sir Alex is hovering around Old Trafford, providing extra scrutiny for Moyes. Most pertinent question asked at every turn is, "What will Ferguson do"?

The answer to that is, "That is irrelevant". In my earlier post, I opined that this was inevitable. Controversially, if I might add, that the statue of Ferguson on the ManU bench "guaranteed" 15 points on the league table. Moyes is yet to gain such clout but while he is at it, he might consider bringing creative midfielders and replacing the aging legs of Rio Ferdinand.

How Moyes handles the pressure, will determine the duration of his tenure as Manchester United Manager. He has accomplished much with a smaller team like Everton, taking them to Champions League and an F.A cup final. Now he is in a different challenge. He is expected to win and not just participate.

ManU faithfuls could help cushion the effect of the poor start to the season, if only they will heed to the advice of Sir Alex, who so eloquently put it, "Your job is now to stand behind our new Manager".