Carragher:
[article=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2570456/JAMIE-CARRAGHER-United-team-old-men-coming-end-Moyes-stuck-them.html#ixzz2uiDWcoaI ]Watching United labour against Olympiacos brought back memories of the situation Roy Hodgson experienced in his brief stay at Liverpool in 2010; the shock home defeats, the unexpected cup exits and certain players letting the manager down badly.
The way Robin van Persie, for instance, is playing reminds me of the way Fernando Torres was with Hodgson. His goal record might be good, as was Torres’ for Hodgson, but the quotes that he has made and the stories surrounding him make it feel like Van Persie isn’t behind Moyes.
He didn’t miss a game last season in the Barclays Premier League but this year he has been in and out – is he thinking about the World Cup? – while his demeanour has served only to increase the perception there are problems. Torres did exactly the same.
If a manager loses his players, there is often no way back and an issue Moyes has to contend with at the moment is the fact he is the focus of the criticism; United’s players will know this and can hide behind that, rather than looking at their own shortcomings. Again, that happened with Hodgson.[/article]