Welcome, David Moyes!

Manchester United has officially announced David Moyes as the club's next manager. Moyes signed a 6 year deal, which would start on July 1st. I'm glad that it's a long contract, because it shows the board's ambition and their trust towards Moyes.

Sir Alex Ferguson on his successor:

When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes we unanimously agreed on David Moyes. David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic. I've admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of Assistant Manager here. He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this Club.

Great quote from Sir Bobby Charlton:

We have secured a man who is committed to the long-term and will build teams for the future as well as now. Stability breeds success.

And here's what our new manager said:

It’s a great honour to be asked to be the next Manager of Manchester United. I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job. I have great respect for everything he has done and for the Football Club.

I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn't something that comes around very often and I’m really looking forward to taking up the post next season.

I have had a terrific job at Everton, with a tremendous chairman and Board of Directors and a great set of players. Between now and the end of the season, I will do everything in my power to make sure we finish as high as possible in the table.

Everton's fantastic fans have played a big part in making my years at Goodison so enjoyable and I thank them wholeheartedly for the support they have given me and the players. Everton will be close to me for the rest of my life.

I'm happy to know that Moyes was Sir Alex Ferguson's recommendation -- I had suspected this but it's nice to have confirmation --, and that it was fully backed by the board. I do believe that one of the main reasons Moyes was chosen is the fact that he's a long-serving manager at Everton, and that United is searching for stability. His appointment is also a risk, but one worth taking, in my opinion.

I'm also glad this was resolved quickly, because that strange feeling of insecurity not knowing who our manager is? Not great! Us United fans have been so freaking lucky that we don't have to deal with this for so many years. We're a spoiled bunch, that the question I have every season is just "what trophies are we going to win this time?" This time, a new era is starting and a new challenge is ahead of us. I'm really glad that the sadness and fear from yesterday have started to evolve into excitement with this announcement.

Here's to the exciting new era!