Great change at Utd as Moyes makes first appointments

Breaking news….Sir Alex Ferguson retired. I know, I missed that little newsbite too. I bet it was in one of those really tiny sections; you know, the ones where they say Gary Smith has transferred to Torquay for £500 and will be paid in custard creams, or David Beckham’s next club will be in the Belize division 2 – all of his salary going towards a penny chew. But anyway, apparently it was there, and on July 1st (a couple of days ago – granted, but if you are looking for hot-off-the-press news, this graveyard really isn’t the best place) his successor, Mr Moyes, drove the 35.5 miles (43 minutes according to Google Maps) to his new office. He looked absolutely delighted at the name plaque Utd went to great expense to produce:

First actions were to get to grips with his new mousemat (with appropriate Utd emblem – bought for an inflated £25 from an enterprising street salesman) and to interview for assistant manager. With such prestige, some big names turned up:

Moyes, having politely informed the candidates they may not be suitable, returned to his office and picked up the phone. An official, exclusive no less, transcript of the conversation is provided below:
DM: Hey, Steve
SR: Hey, David! How’s the new place? Find it alright?
DM: Bit tricky. They’ve gone and renamed the training complex, sat nav couldn’t manage.
SR: Sounds like they don’t want you there.
DM: Don’t start.
SR: So, what can I do for you?
DM: Well, you should have just seen who turned up for the assistant manager position. Four cleaners and an old bloke who from the museum.
SR: He runs it?
DM: No, he’s an exhibit.
SR: Well, what can I do about it?
DM: Get round here.
SR: That’s not funny.
DM: I know, just get here. You’re assistant manager. Say, get Chris and Jimmy in the car too. I need other coaches.
SR: Alright, I’ll get them.
Or words to that effect. It has since transpired, in all seriousness, that Rene ‘first team coach’ Meulensteen was asked to stay, but the Dutchman said he thought it better for Moyes to make his own mark. Fair enough, he’s done that. He’s also gone for a bit of the old too, for it was announced a few days later that recently retired Phil Neville has been appointed first team coach, and that he will be joined (part-time) by Ryan Giggs, promoted to player-coach with immediate effect. Excellent news, with widespread positive reaction, you can’t really beat those two for experience in the Utd setup. Good to have a bit of that around when making such changes.
That leads into today, where Mr Moyes has just completed his first press conference. This was no Mourinho moment, simply an occasion that had to be done at some point where Moyes said how happy he was to be in his new job. The hot topic was of course, Mr. Rooney, and it can be confirmed that he is NOT for sale. From his words, it seems as if Wayne has turned up for training (always a good starting point), has performed well, and is working hard, is willing to work hard on a more permanent basis, and generally seems committed. Personal feeling aside, it won’t be anywhere near enough to stop the press talking about the issue, but Rooney is NOT for sale. In the world of football contracts, this means diddly-squat but Moyes seems happy to be statesmanlike about it.
So, there we are. Up to speed on everything United. Comments always appreciated.