Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/279808
23 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 19 MARCH 2014 Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Partly to rather cloudy with the possibility of some isolated showers, becoming partly cloudy at times. VISIBILITY: Generally good. WIND: Variable force 2 to 3 veering East to Northeast force 3 to 4 locally force 4 to 5 and later on becoming Easterly. SEA: Slight becoming slight to moderate locally moderate overnight. Sea Temp: 15 °C A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. PARTLY CLOUDY 16 º C / 9 º C UV INDEX: 4 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits Bxh6+ Ke7 (or Rg7) Rxf7 Bxf (or Kd6, Kd8, Ke6) Qf6+ Ke8 Qxf7 Kd8 Qd7# JUST when he thought the worst was over for him, David Moyes has some- how managed to sink even deeper into the depths of the darkest, loneli- est of oceans. The club, he argued in his pre match notes, was on the up with pos- itivity growing in training. He tried to paint an optimistic picture of life at Old Trafford however he then did the unthinkable and labeled rivals Liverpool as favorites for the home game last Sunday. He might have wanted to crank up the psychological warfare before the game to force pressure on the oppo- nents however by labeling them fa- vorites at Old Trafford, home of the current Champions just gives us a peer into David Moyes' state of mind. What we see from that tiny peer is a dark long cave with no light at the end of it. The drip drops of sweat can be heard echoing around the cave as dusty cobwebs swing with every nod of his head on the pitch. A dark picture indeed, and my fears are that it will only get darker as the days get longer. The theories are that United are not a sacking club, and patience is a virture. Let's not forget what Sir Alex went through in the start of his glory-laden career at the helm of what became under him the biggest club in the world. People argue that Moyes has inher- ited a failing side and that he needs time. Sir Alex had himself inherited a drinking club and mass changes were needed to stop the rot. Moyes walked into a dressing room of Champions, who made winning the league last season look easy. How much time will be given to David Moyes where in this modern climate the average lifespan of a top flight manager is less than one year in the job? Liverpool made United look like schoolboys on the day with a su- perb 3-0 away victory and their day was made even better when some clever fans unveiled a banner hail- ing Moyes a "football genius". He is being ridiculed in his own stadium and at present United are the laugh- ing stock of English Football. Only a convincing win over Olympiacos to- night would help to settle the nerves at the club however no one is backing them to have the character to come back from that shocking, previous new low, defeat in Greece. United fans feel that the worst is still to come and truth be told the signs are there. Moyes' conferences seem desperate with him thanking the fans for their support. Keeping the faithful on his side is his only way out of this however they may not be so patient as the club prepares to face Manchester City after West Ham this weekend. As we discussed in an earlier arti- cle, the Europa League would only serve as a distraction next season and the summer will see many new faces at Old Trafford. He has the money to spend but due to a closed chest at Everton he has no skills what so ever in the transfer market. He has spent over £60 million on two play- ers which have so far looked average. Juan Mata is being played out wide rather than down the middle, while Fellaini never really impressed me at Everton due to his lack of speed and burst. His tactics too seem awful: opting for a 4-2-3-1 at home against Liver- pool is way too conservative, and the stats point to me being right. United managed only one shot on goal as Rooney forced Mignolet into a de- cent save. Having Carrick and Fel- laini operating as the double pivot leaves a compressed rear guard and a rigid midfield, reducing the chance to attack on the counter or indeed push forward as a unit. United's options are to wait it out and hope for a decent summer in terms of signings, or make a radical change at the top in order to bring in a big character to motivate what I be- lieve is a decent squad. Stop the rot Summer signings might be hard to make if United are not in Europe next season, and a long Liverpool like spell outside the top four is looking like a reality for United in the next few seasons. Turning things around will be impossible this season and I can only imagine what the score against Man City will be like in the current climate. The big men on the top might opt to give Moyes time however the longer the rot is left to spread the more damage will occur and I am beggning to think it is time to stop the spread of this horrible disease that has gripped the club. As his mood worsens and confi- dence decreases the next few months will be testing ones for Moyes and I would not be surprised if words like give up and resign are lingering in his mind. OPINION Mark Strijbosch A new low for Moyes Across 1. Shirker (7) 5. Lacking a top (7) 9. Very cold (3) 10. Nut of an oak (5) 11. White-and-black bear-like mammal (5) 12. Colouring material (3) 13. Rework (6) 16. Put an end to (6) 19. Wagon (4) 21. Intersects (4) 23. Category (4) 24. Cacao sweetmeat (9) 25. Boy or man (4) 26. Spool (4) 27. At that time (4) 28. Stops (6) 31. Perfumes (6) 35. Which person (3) 37. Person used as one's excuse (5) 38. Short letters (5) 39. Fabled bird (3) 40. Rose shaped ornament (7) 41. Plug to keep out noise (7) Down 1. More secure (5) 2. Embarrass (5) 3. Is aware of (5) 4. Outer covering (4) 5. Class (4) 6. Overwhelming fear (5) 7. Strictly accurate (5) 8. Hush (5) 14. Send to school (7) 15. Gathering of pus in body tissue (7) 16. Pilfer (5) 17. Notice (7) 18. Make right (7) 20. Residence (5) 22. Harbour towns (5) 28. Lid (5) 29. Gather (5) 30. Be (5) 32. Provide food (5) 33. Pertaining to the nose (5) 34. Moved back and forth (5) 35. Metal filament (4) 36. A single time (4) Steven Gerrard scored two penalties in a 3-0 win at Man United