Building an effective defensive core that works well together takes time, and patience. Moyes is re-imagined now as a Scotch Pulis (largely because of the quality of Martinez's first season, and the clear attacking improvement he's brought, which we all now obviously take for granted). But go back and look at how many seasons it took Moyes before we stopped conceding more than 40 each year. We rely more than most teams on young players, who are more prone to making errors, and whose form tends to be inconsistent. This is normal, if incompatible with the short attention-span of the Sky Sports generation. It's not a coincidence that the defence has weakened this year with so many senior players - Coleman, Baines, Jagielka, McCarthy et al out injured for so long - and with Howard clearly past it. Even Besic, young, and learning, would have added stability had he been able to stay fit longer. Stones, Galloway, and Funes Mori, who has made a very difficult transition far more quickly and capably than was fair to expect, are young and inexperienced. It takes time. Being a smart club means being a patient club.
