The Mail Bag

Moyes had Options?

Comments (19)

Before I start, I want to make it clear that I am not a big believer in conspiracy theories, but this really has got me thinking.

Spurs have just ditched Ramos, and paid Pompey 5 million for Harry. It seems this happened 'overnight'. But surely Spurs would look at Moyes before Harry? So it makes me wonder if the delay with Moysie's signature may have been related to some contact with Spurs? It seems very coincidental that Moyes has a significant delay in signing on with no clear reason as to why, and then quickly after he does, Spurs ditch their manager and take on Harry. Was Moyes first choice?

Like I said, it has only got me thinking. And I do concede I could be completely wrong (and hope I am). I am wondering if anybody else noticed this?
Dan Brierley, Tianjin, China     Posted 26/10/2008 at 16:13:07

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Rob McFawn
1   Posted 26/10/2008 at 17:49:51

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No it's probably that Spurs have been talking to Redknapp for the last few days and waited for him to agree to take over before sacking Ramos.

I don?t see how this could involve Moyes at all.
Gavin Ramejkis
2   Posted 26/10/2008 at 17:57:52

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And Harry has form for saving teams from relegation and can get to cup finals and has teams that play decent football perhaps?

Tottenham were doomed from the end of last season they scored more goals than most teams besides the tops sides yet conceded more than most, take away their goal outlet Berbatov and Keane and it was inevitable what would happen, not rocket science just bleeding common sense.
Alan Taylor
3   Posted 26/10/2008 at 18:00:19

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According to soccerbase.com the managerial records of the two (all games) are as follows:-

M W L D Win %

Moyes 529 233 168 127 44%
Rednp1076 422 387 267 39%

Their records are very similar in win % terms although ?Arry is vastly more experienced, a cockney and a real wheeler dealer in the transfer market. He also enjoys an outstanding relationship with the Press. I cannot see how, in the situation Spurs are in, how their chairman could possibly have preferred Moyes.
Robbie Carew
4   Posted 26/10/2008 at 18:15:14

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I firmly believe investment will come. Kenwright will sell up before next season, imo. When Everton have this, they will also know what the situation with the stadium is. This is the likelihood next season then:
Tottenham;
Good stadium
Bottom half finish
Decent transfer buget

Everton:
Poor stadium, with near certainty of a new stadium, surely with new owners this is an exiting prospect.
Top half finish
(With new owner) Decent transfer budget
A team Moyes knows very well that is young and talented.

With a bumper salary pack of £60k a week at Everton, who would you (if you were Moyes) pick to manage???

Not hard.
Mike Oates
5   Posted 26/10/2008 at 20:40:03

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I live on the South Coast and the word around today is that:- Spurs wanted a manager who they could claim has won something recently (FA Cup) - ie can take on the Big 4. Spurs also wanted a guy who fronts up well with the media, and with benefits of being a Londoner. And lastly, Harry feared that Pompey were about to become a "selling" club and he didnt want that.

Moyes, thank goodness for Everton, didn't fit any of the criteria.
John Doolan
6   Posted 26/10/2008 at 21:09:22

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Moyes will never ever ever be offered a job bigger than Everton - the fact that some fans believe a club with Spurs attacking tradition would contemplate the dour one in charge is madness. There was even one loon not long ago who said he was next choice for the Man Utd job ? you couldn?t make it up!!!
Keith Glazzard
7   Posted 26/10/2008 at 22:35:44

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I have to agree with most of the comments made so far - the panic Spurs were in was much more likely to lead them to Arry’s door. Allardyce would have been more of a stopgap solution for them than our 5 year plan man.

Bad news is that Spurs are likely to revive. Good news is that Pompey might fall apart.

And for us? The season might have started in the second half on Saturday - let’s hope so.
Karl Masters
8   Posted 26/10/2008 at 23:56:31

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Robbie Carew:

Why is a second rate stadium in the hard-to-access suburb of Kirkby any more exciting just because of having a different owner?!

Just wondered. When you are still queuing up to get a train out of there in the pouring rain 2 hours after the game (and that is going to be reality I am afraid), will it really matter whether it?s Kenwright or Sheikh Mohammed you can see leaving the nice warm Directors? lounge and getting off home in his car?
Dupont Koo
9   Posted 27/10/2008 at 01:35:51

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Sigh.... just imagine Levy took Moyes out of our hands and freed us from 5 more years of boring hoofballs.... now that would make my season a good one (as long as we don?t get relegated)!!
Jason Lam
10   Posted 27/10/2008 at 02:33:37

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Not only have Spurs taken action to rectify their current crisis - before playing us, Liverpool’s next game is against managerless Pompey! Typical!!
Martin Hughes
11   Posted 27/10/2008 at 07:26:43

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Could never see Moyes go to Totenham, more of a side-step than going up. The Man Utd job is out of his league... apparently a Mr Mourinho is lined up for Old Trafford.

Moyes delayed becasue he is waiting for the investement/takeover to happen, he wanted some assurances that this would the case!
Kevin Sparke
12   Posted 27/10/2008 at 08:42:08

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Sorry, but like most suggestions of conspiracy this doesn?t stand up to scrutiny.

Spurs started the season at the same time we did, Moyes was dithering on the contract months before Spurs were in the shite and looked likely to sack their manager.

Though, I have heard that if you play a recording of Moyes? last press conferance backwards you can clearly here him saying "Come and get me Portsmouth... I?m available for five million and I am the antichrist."

Honest.
Brian Wolf
13   Posted 27/10/2008 at 08:52:26

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Would?ve been happier if Moyes had gone to Spurs and we had ended up with Redknapp.
Dave Smith
14   Posted 27/10/2008 at 09:53:30

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A swoop for Diarra or Kranjcar come January?

The former would fit in very well to the midfield.
Fred Swann
15   Posted 27/10/2008 at 10:15:17

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We all know Spurs swooped for ?Arry having offered the job to Moyes and having him turn it down to re-sign his contract!

Amazing how all the apolgists are back on the Mailbag after one half of a game we could easily have lost 3-1.

Arthur Jones
16   Posted 27/10/2008 at 10:46:50

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I have read recently that Moyes wanted his contract to give him autonomy over team affairs including transfers, in the event of Everton being "bought out". In other words, he did not want to be put in the same position as Keegan or Ramos. Perfectly reasonable IMO considering the fate of the latter two.
James McGlone
17   Posted 27/10/2008 at 13:29:49

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Yeah John Doolan ? beautiful football was the reason they went for Harry Redknapp hahaha. Behave yourself.

Teams that play good football are usually those who spend big money, or appease the fans by buying a bunch of fancy dans ? and then wind up in trouble, a la Spurs.

Outside of the big spending clubs, if you want to get far, you have to play ugly, as Everton showed on Saturday.

Would you agree that Ramos is a far more accomplished manager than Moyes? I would have thought so, and look what Ramos is up to today, with (on paper) a far better squad than Moyes has.

Basically, until Moyes gets good backing, he will continue to squeeze the best out of a limited bunch of footballers, and that?s where Blue Bill comes in.
Matt Byrne
18   Posted 27/10/2008 at 16:51:27

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I hope Diarra isn’t the answer, he’s another midget. I’m not sure about Spurs, they do have a smaller stadium than us currently, a trigger happy chairman and an expectant fan base. The timing did make me wonder if DM was their first choice, he dug us out of the relegation hole a few times, he also put us there a few times too mind. But it is something we will never know I suspect.
Thomas Christensen
19   Posted 27/10/2008 at 21:12:22

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Redknapp said on SkySports this morning that he was first approached by Tottenham before Ramos took over, but said no.

He used to play for Spurs (or at least he did in their youth team) so has history, I do not think that Moyes had much to do with Spurs.

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