Clean Slate - Moyes to bring his entire team in

Well, this isn't confirmed by the official site but given the number of papers carrying the news, and the fact that most of them would have one person sitting outside Carrington the whole summer, it's too much smoke to ignore. Reports suggest that David Moyes will bring his entire coaching staff in, with Rene Mulensteen (the first team coach) deciding to follow Ferguson out of Old Trafford.

The Guardian | The Mirror | Fox Sports

Clearly, this is a major change. Keeping in mind that we at United have been privileged to view major change in the third person for the best part of two decades, let's explore both sides of this (apparently imminent) development.

The Cons

Alienating the squad, appearing closeted, losing coaches experienced in Europe, disconnect with backroom staff

More so than the fans, this is going to be a major change for the players. They are professionals, but human, and more than one has indicated that United is like family. Walking in and seeing none of the old familiar faces who have helped them through some troughs and built a rapport - that is going to be intimidating. That said, one hopes the senior guys help the team stick together and pull through. I rate this a 6/10 problem.

Appearing closeted in thought and unwilling to adapt to a new scenario - phew, where do I start. It might be a bit too early to judge, what with books having stupid covers and all that, but to my eyes this is not a great first impression in this regard (more on that later). I'm going with a 9/10 for this.

Losing coaches experienced with the tactical aspects of European football, the rotations needed for midweek fixtures, simple stuff like how each player deals with jet-lag. There are varying degrees in this, but keeping in mind we have not been tactical trailblazers in Europe lately, I'll go with a 8/10.

Disconnect with backroom staff refers to the monstorous support staff at Carrington. Medical experts, diet experts, training experts, and the like. Guys who are the brains behind the operation, guys who usually don't like change all that much. They were valued by Fergie, they had a connect with his staff - changing every aspect of higher management to a team that is unaccustomed to change is going to be a killer. A 9/10 problem.

Note that none of these are insurmountable. A really hectic summer to iron out the gaps in communication, understand the language each other uses, and hitting the books, so to speak, will help. Also, this pro/con analysis is the cumulative reaction to all three of the support staff leaving.

The Pros

Stamping authority, avoiding cliques and discouraging discontent, implementing the Manager's vision

Where Moyes has got us concerned is also where he has strengthened his working position infinitely. Anyone who thought he would walk in meekly and pick up the scraps after Sir Alex left must surely be surprised. This is the work of a man who has the backing of the executive box and is not afraid to use it. I'd say that for pure effect on his perceived image, this gets a 8/10.

Following on, it's been discussed how Phelan was always going to leave since he was as close to the players as anyone. There always is a possibility in these cases where disgruntled players form a clique behind the staff member, making it a headache to operate. Personally, I don't think a United player would do a Casillas, so I'll give this a 6/10.

With his own staff, Moyes has no excuse in communicating his vision and impressing his style on the first team squad, at least. When Moyes says "Go", these guys say "Go", when he says "Stop" they say "Stop". There's nothing lost in translation - with regards to the first team, the Manager can hit the ground running and make the changes in training that he feels necessary. I'll rate this a 9/10 - it's a huge advantage for any manager to know his immediate team is behind him and buys into him.

Well, those are some quick thoughts on the situation. The links up there give you a good grasp of "Why, Who's in, When" and so on - feel free to sound off about that in the comments sections. A particularly tasty one is news that former Red and utility man Phil Neville might well join Moyes' backroom staff - intriguing for me as I'm sure it is for many others.