Former Everton, Manchester United and West Ham manager David Moyes has launched a veiled dig at Aston Villa over Steve Bruce while at the same time heralding the talents of Newcastle United’s Rafael Benitez.
The Villans pulled the trigger on the former Hull City man after a poor start to their Championship game, replacing him with former Brentford boss Dean Smith while bringing John Terry in as an assistant.
However, speaking of the managers under pressure in England, Moyes insisted that Villa had gotten rid of one of those “up there with the very best,” while heralding Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho as well as the Magpies’ Benitez for the jobs they are doing.
He told the Telegraph: “There is always a rush to move them on. They are told they aren’t modern enough, that they have not been able to adapt to the changes, but it’s nonsense.
“I look at some of the managers who are being criticised, people like Jose Mourinho, Martin O’Neill, Steve Bruce and Rafa Benitez – I’d say they are up there with the very best.
“We see this happening to managers all the time when they get to a certain age. But these are managers who have been incredibly successful over a long period of time.”
Opinion
Only time will tell whether Villa’s decision to get rid of Bruce and replace him with Smith was the right one, with the former Bees man yet to take charge of a game, but it will no doubt be viewed by many as a gamble considering the sort of experience that the ex-Sunderland boss had at his disposal. Moyes has delved into a very current argument about the need for a proven track record versus the prospect of an unknown boss with fresh ideologies, and it seems like clubs still cannot make their minds up as to what is best for them. Yes, Smith is not a newbie on the scene but he certainly is not a proven quantity at the level Villa want him to be competing at. While Villa might have swung the axe, Newcastle have kept faith with Benitez despite a dire start to the campaign, and perhaps it all comes down to the fans’ opinions. Many were wanting Bruce out the door at Villa Park, while St James’ Park is firmly behind their Spanish manager. It is an interesting point to bring up, but it appears Moyes is not too happy with the Villans.