ASS News » Manchester Uniteds hierarchy may well be casting

MANCHESTER, England -- As David Moyes lurches from one setback to another in his troubled first season at Old Trafford, Manchester Uniteds hierarchy may well be casting envious glances at Bayern Munich to discover just how smooth managerial transition can be. Two of the most celebrated clubs in European football were forced to begin new eras last summer after Alex Ferguson and Jupp Heynckes opted to end their coaching careers and head into retirement. While Bayern went with one of the safest pair of hands around in Pep Guardiola, who turned Barcelona into the best team in the world in a trophy-laden four-year spell, United took a gamble and hired Moyes despite his limited experience of top-level football. Eight months on, perhaps unsurprisingly it is Bayern which has managed change the better. The two teams are heading in opposite directions as they meet for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, with Bayern having just retained the German title in record-breaking style and tipped by many to retain its Champions League trophy. Moyes, meanwhile, is hanging onto his job after a first season at the soon-to-be-deposed English champion that has been nothing short of disastrous. "They are probably the side most people have looked to recently," Moyes said Monday, when asked for his opinion on the Bayern side of Guardiola. "He has had a year to get ready for the Bayern job and has done incredibly well with them." To be more precise, Guardiola agreed in January last year to replace Heynckes the following summer. He was living in New York at the time, spending a year away from football after a stressful spell at the Camp Nou when he was approached by Bayern. In many respects, the inheritance was made easier for Guardiola. The majority of Bayerns players were in their prime -- Arjen Robben was 29, Franck Ribery was 30 and Bastian Schweinsteiger was 29, for example -- and he took over a squad full of talented, technical players who would have little trouble slipping into the tiki-taka approach Guardiola favours. But the Spaniard was also decisive in his sole incursion into the transfer market in signing Thiago Alcantra -- reportedly from under the nose of United, no less -- and his insistence on high standards means Bayerns level hasnt dropped. In fact, the evidence suggests things are getting even better The team clinched the Bundesliga title last week in record time and the team is unbeaten in the league in 28 games. The team also motors on in Europe, opening the season by winning the UEFA Super Cup and then marching to the last eight of the Champions League without losing a competitive match. "Nobody has the secrets for eternal success," Guardiola said Monday, but he and Jose Mourinho appear to offer the best guarantees to success in football. "You have to say that when Pep took over at Bayern, we were in great shape and we had had a fantastic season before that," said Schweinsteiger, who is surprised at the fall from grace of United. "Its difficult to say when you are outside the club . (but) Man United should be one of the top four teams in England all the time." United is nowhere near that. Succeeding Ferguson after his trophy-laden 27 years in charge was described by many as the impossible job and it is proved to be exactly that for Moyes, with United seventh in the Premier League and left with the Champions League as its only chance of silverware this season. His style is less attacking than Fergusons and the teams lack of movement and dynamism going forward has been a source of frustration for fans. Moyes is set to be given another season but many wonder whether he is the right man for the rebuilding job at Old Trafford. "Sometimes you need a little more time," Guardiola said. "The decisions Manchester United take are always right." Guardiola revealed Monday that he was invited to dinner by Ferguson during his time in New York. "My English is not so good so when Sir Alex spoke quickly, I didnt understand him," Guardiola said, "so maybe I didnt understand if I received an offer (to take over at United) or not." Guardiola was joking. But after what has happened this season, United supporters likely wish the Spaniard had been the "Chosen One" rather than Moyes. Garrett Richards Jersey . -- Olympic medallist Jennifer Abel of Laval, Que. Manny Machado Jersey . - Rookie Tesho Akindele scored three goals and Fabian Castillo added two in FC Dallas 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. http://www.padressale.com/padres-aaron-loup-jersey/ . Floundering in the English Premier League, United has delivered better performances in Europe this season and stunned Bayern by taking the lead against the run of play through Nemanja Vidics header in the 58th minute. Bayern had dominated possession but struggled to create a clear-cut chance before Schweinsteiger arrowed a half-volley high into the net in the 67th to give the German side a slight advantage ahead of the second leg in Munich next week. Ian Kinsler Jersey . Starting from pole, the 26-year-old Vettel turned in a trademark clinical performance to win the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday and join F1 greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as just the third driver to win four consecutive championships. Jose Pirela Jersey . And yet as they left TD Garden amid the slush and snow of a winter storm on Thursday evening, there was a sense among the Leafs that they had finally stood toe to toe with their long-time bully, only to fall just short.Warren Foegele wont be playing in the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects game in Calgary on Wednesday, but hes an intriguing prospect whos creating some draft buzz amongst scouts nonetheless. There are two reasons you wouldnt find him in the game. One, hes No. 62 on the NHL Central Scouting Bureaus mid-term ranking of North American skaters, which was issued today by the league. No. 62 certainly doesnt guarantee you a spot in the CHL Top Prospects game. Two, its impossible to get an invitation to the CHL Prospects game if you dont play in the CHL, and this player doesnt. Foegele, 17 (he turns 18 on April 1), was passed over in both the 2012 and 2013 Ontario Hockey League drafts and currently plays high school hockey at St. Andrews College in Aurora, Ont. Something of a late bloomer – he was only 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds in his minor midget season with the Markham Waxers – the now 6-1, 178-pound left winger is attracting attention from NHL scouts, whove been flocking to the Canadian private school or following SAC when they play games in the U.S. against prep schools there. Hes committed to go to the University of New Hampshire for the 2015-16 season, with the plan, for now anyway, to play in Penticton of the British Columbia Junior League next season. Some scouts have been buzzing about his play of late, a fast-skating, hard-working, two-way left winger..dddddddddddd Adding to the chatter is the fact hes one of those seeming "come out of nowhere" kids whos playing at a level of hockey in Canada that doesnt usually attract many, if any, NHL scouts. Some scouts have wondered aloud whether Foegele may be this years version of Mark Jankowski, the Calgary Flames surprise first-round pick, 21st overall, in 2012 from Stanstead College in Quebec, whos now developing and playing well at Providence College. A flash survey of NHL scouts puts Foegele in potential second or third-round territory for this years draft. While some have projected him to go later than that, no more than a mid-round prospect, some of those who rank him as a possible second-rounder believe he has the tools to perhaps trend even higher. Jankowski, part deux? "Hes a kid everyone is going in to look at now," one scout told TSN. "Theres a lot of interest in him right now, so well see how does with a lot of scrutiny. There are always skeptics for players playing at that level but hes a legit NHL prospect."Foegele, who trains in the off-season with Gary Roberts, is eligible for the OHL draft, again, this spring, though he seems intent on playing NCAA hockey at UNH. In any case, its a name thats getting some play from the scouts in a week when the top dogs will be on display in the CHL Top Prospects game. ' ' '