Everton
Moyes: United Have Drifted From Ferguson’s Values, Leaving Managers Little Time
David Moyes: United moved away from Sir Alex Ferguson’s values, leaving managers little time. widely
David Moyes has renewed criticism of Manchester United’s post‑Ferguson era, saying the club’s culture has changed and managers now receive far less patience. The former United manager, now preparing to face the Red Devils with former club Everton, argued that the values established under Sir Alex Ferguson have eroded and that the environment that once favoured long-term planning is gone.
“The history of Manchester United was not [one of change],” Moyes reflected, more than a decade after his appointment. “Manchester United had a great culture. They stuck with their managers, they brought through their own academy boys. They actually had some of the best characteristics of what you would want your club to have; good values.
“Sir Alex had great values at Manchester United and, over the years, those values he established needed some time to come through as well. It was always a club with brilliant values with an understanding about bringing their young players through and developing them in the right way.”
Moyes said the lack of time given to managers has been decisive. He recalled inheriting an ageing United squad after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, with senior figures such as Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick all over 30, Robin van Persie approaching 30 and Ryan Giggs near 40. The club also lost long-term stability at the executive level when David Gill planned to move on.
Recruitment difficulties compounded the challenge. Marouane Fellaini was the only new signing recorded in that window, arriving amid a missed release clause deadline, and moves that had been in motion before Ferguson left — including efforts involving Cristiano Ronaldo and interest in Gareth Bale, Cesc Fàbregas and Toni Kroos — did not come to fruition.
“I always thought when I took the job that it wouldn’t be able to be fixed quickly. I saw not long after I went in that it was going to take a bit of time,” Moyes said. He also noted the rising strength of rivals: “I think also you have to remember that it was not just to do with the strength of United. It was to do with the strength of other teams; Manchester City , Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal were all incredibly strong. They were all rebuilding and bringing in more all the time. I think those clubs played as big a part in it as anyone else, that their quality had risen or was rising all the time.”
Moyes has repeatedly argued that he was not afforded the time needed to rebuild. “I believe I had nothing but support from Sir Alex during my short period as manager,” he explained. “It was unfortunate I wasn’t given more time to succeed. It could well be that gone are the days of long-term planning at United.” He later added: “Do I feel I should have been given more time? Of course I do. To go to a club like Manchester United and follow someone like Sir Alex after the time he had been there, to stay for 10 months … ]
Arsenal
From £75-a-week to millions: Rooney’s scholar pay compared with Max Dowman
Rooney earned the equivalent of $100 weekly as a scholar; Max Dowman can earn $465.60 now per rules.
Wayne Rooney’s early earnings as a scholar remain a striking reminder of how quickly a football career can change financially. Rooney has revealed he was receiving the equivalent of just $100 each week when he scored the famous goal against Arsenal in 2002. That payment came while he was still a scholar, four days shy of his 17th birthday.
The landscape for under-17 players is defined by rules that keep them on scholar terms until they are eligible to sign professional contracts. The recent emergence of Max Dowman, who scored for Arsenal against Everton 73 days after his 16th birthday, has brought those scholar payments back into focus. Dowman can earn up to $465.60 per week under current terms, an annual figure of $24,211.
Rooney recalled the difference between those scholar payments and professional wages on his BBC podcast. “When I scored against Arsenal, I think I was on £75 ($100)-a-week,” he said. “But then that was four days before my 17th birthday, so I was still a scholar [for the Arsenal game]. I used to borrow money off my mum and dad until I signed my pro contract.” The transition at 17 is decisive: a contemporary newspaper report noted that, upon signing his first professional contract, Rooney jumped to a weekly salary of $17,293 (at today’s rate), an amount that worked out at almost $900,000 a year.
The progression continued rapidly. By the time Rooney left Everton and joined Manchester United aged 18, he was being paid not far short of $3.5 million per season. Those figures underline the contrast between scholar allowances and professional terms, and they also reflect Rooney’s own modest upbringing. He admitted he used to exaggerate travel distances when reporting for England’s national youth teams. “I used to find the furthest place away and say that’s where we drove in from,” he laughed.
Chelsea
Three Standouts from Gameweek 29: Palmer, Wharton and Garner
Gameweek 29 standouts Cole Palmer, Adam Wharton and James Garner impressed in Premier League action.
Shock results dominated the midweek slate, none more notable than Wolverhampton Wanderers’s last-gasp win over Liverpool. The round was less chaotic than the weekend, but several individual displays caught the eye of statisticians at FotMob.
Cole Palmer (Rating: 8.6) was central to Chelsea’s response in the Midlands. Chelsea had looked likely to suffer a fourth Premier League match without victory after conceding early at Aston Villa, but they recovered to secure a 4–1 win and capitalise on slips from Liverpool and Man Utd in the race for Champions League qualification. As he’s so often been at Chelsea’s best, Cole Palmer was integral to an important win in the Midlands. The attacking midfielder returned to the scoresheet as he rattled beyond Emi Martínez for his side’s third of the evening, a rare non-penalty goal these days, and his general play laid the foundations for an impressive attacking display.
Adam Wharton (Rating: 8.6) returned to form for Crystal Palace as the Eagles recorded a significant 3–1 away victory at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Wharton offered a composed head amid a frenetic end to the first half, supplying two assists to complete Palace’s quick-fire comeback. The first was a simple pass to Jørgen Strand Larsen but the second was a sumptuous through ball poked home by two-goal Ismaïla Sarr.
James Garner (Rating: 8.7) continued a quietly excellent season in Everton’s midfield during their 2–0 win over Burnley. Garner’s set-piece quality provided the opening goal; a teasing free kick delivery to the far post led to James Tarkowski’s opener. He finished the game with more touches than anybody else on the pitch and a match-high 13 defensive contributions, underscoring how influential he has been in Everton’s engine room this campaign.
These three performances were among the brightest in Gameweek 29, each combining tangible statistical impact with decisive moments that helped their teams on the night.
Aston Villa
Premier League: Accounts Show PSR Compliance After Women’s Team Sales
All 20 Premier League clubs met PSR for 2024-25 as women’s-team sales shaped reported accounts. PSR.
All 20 Premier League clubs are reported to have satisfied Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) for the 2024–25 season, with a number of clubs using asset sales to parent companies to record revenue in their accounts.
Everton and Aston Villa are understood to have benefited from the sales of their women’s teams to parent companies, following Chelsea’s decision to do so in June 2024. Premier League rules permit the use of such sales when recording revenue, while UEFA does not allow them.
Aston Villa’s £55 million ($74.2 million) sale of their women’s team to their parent company is credited with helping the club avoid Premier League breaches. That transfer is not understood to have the same effect under UEFA’s financial regime. Unai Emery’s side are said to have broken UEFA’s squad cost rule, which restricts spending on player wages, transfers and agent fees to 70% of revenue.
Villa’s dispute with the squad cost rule has been ongoing. The club were fined £5.2 million last summer and another failure to meet UEFA requirements is expected to bring further financial punishment.
PSR regulations have become increasingly unpopular since their introduction in 2025, with the use of loopholes such as the sale of women’s teams and other club assets cited as factors that have eroded confidence in the system. As a result, Premier League officials are pursuing changes to the rules, with squad cost regulations among the areas under review.
England’s top flight will initially adopt a softer approach by restricting spending to 85% of revenue. Villa’s first breach of UEFA’s squad cost rule last summer occurred when the governing body’s limit was set at 80%. Discussions have also been held over a process known as “anchoring.” The reported accounts and the proposed reforms signal an active season of regulatory review and potential change within English top-flight governance.
