It is the way of things in the Twitter age that by the time Manchester United made official the departure of David Moyes this morning, the ‘breaking news’ was almost a day old on the social media site.
The reach and pace of dissemination of information on Twitter has transformed the sacking process. It allowed United to get the story out there without having to answer for it immediately.
Without a hint of irony the club’s own Twitter feed prefaced the news of his departure around 8.30am with the old news ticker-tape favourite ‘breaking’. The only thing breaking at that point were the sides of the punters laughing at the cheek.
The removal of a manager at Old Trafford is about as big a sporting news item as can be.
By allowing the ‘facts’ to be established via Twitter the club effectively bought the time required to shuffle Moyes out without saying a word. The story is no longer about the failure of the Moyes appointment but about who might replace him.
The advent of Twitter has given the matter a virtual twist that spared the club the leash in real time. The whole issue had been discussed, dissected and accepted without a peep from United. Who’s next in line? Find out on Twitter.
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