Social Media’s Image of David Moyes Is Toxic To The Club’s Morale

With the club heavily in debt and pinned down by the sanctions of the financial fair play regulations, coupled with it’s chairman looking for a way out of our monetary implosion, it's natural to feel that the odds are stacked firmly against David Moyes’ campaign for survival.

But the Scotsman’s uphill battle in the world of football is something that's been going on for a while now - and it isn’t particular to his time at Sunderland. It didn't start at the beginning of this window, nor did it arise at the end of the August - it’s been following him for far longer.

Once a manager who was known almost solely for establishing Everton as a resolute, consistent presence in England’s top flight, Moyes’ reputation quickly deteriorated as he was thrust into the spotlight as the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

This is where the problem arises.

From the moment things threatened to not be completely perfect with Moyes at the helm of the then-champions, popular media sources everywhere began to gradually weave their social tapestries which would ultimately depict David Moyes as a weak, incompetent figure. Someone whose presence in the managers dugout signified failure and disappointment.

Anyone causally scrolling through their Facebook newsfeed over the past few years will have more-than-likely seen images posted and sourced from pages in the mould of theLADbible and BenchWarmers, using David Moyes as the focal point of a joke when something goes wrong to a comedic effect. How many times have you seen the meme of Moyes at a desk with the caption “I have no idea what I’m doing”?

Indeed, social media can be a dangerous weapon, and David Moyes has been in its firing line many times over the past few years.

The consequences of this are more devastating for his reputation than you might think. A handful of reasonably disappointing campaigns for Moyes are exaggerated through the sheer repetition of the joke that he’s a bad manager. Repeat the joke enough, and it becomes ingrained into our opinion of him.

It needs to be made clear in the mind of every Sunderland fan that the confidence had in David Moyes to see us through these trying times should not be soured by the toxins of social media.

The Scotsman’s image might be a source of mockery in many media sources, but his clear-cut honesty and ability to work with a severely depleted squad are qualities that many other managers would struggle to grasp.

Bottom line, we need to keep an open mind and put faith in Moyes to get the job done. Don’t let mainstream media cloud your judgement.