Moyes talks about the day Ferguson told him his new job

Thursday, 4 October, 2018 83comments  |  Jump to most recent

Here's one for the Moyes lovers among the Everton faithful. Our great former manager talks to another almost incomprehendable fellow Scott in Si Ferry on Open Goal:

Among the revelations, Moyes talks about how he was blatantly tapped up by Sir Alex Ferguson while he was still manager of Everton — not that the wiley Glaswegian puts it quite as bluntly as that:

Moyes, 55, said Ferguson called him out of the blue while he was out shopping in Cheshire with his wife, shortly after his birthday in April, 2013.

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He said: "He (Ferguson) said, 'Come to the house later'. I says, 'Aye, OK.' That's what you did when he called. But I've got a pair of jeans on. It's my day off. I'd never turn up to Alex Ferguson's house with a pair of jeans on - that's just the way I've been brought up. I wouldn't do that.

"I was like, What am I going to do - nip to Marks and Spencer and pick a pair of trousers up? Anyway, I dropped my wife at the shopping centre and I go and get to the door and say, Sorry, I'm in my jeans'. He says, 'Aye come on in,' and he made me a cup of tea.

"He's got a really lovely big room with all his memorabilia and stuff in and he took me up and he says, 'You're going to be the next Man United manager'.

"And that was it. He says, 'I'm retiring'. And the biggest thing, he says, 'Nobody's to know. You can't tell anybody'. He says, 'Tell your wife, but don't tell anybody else'.

And we talked after that. He opened a bottle of red wine and we had a couple of glasses. And we talked about the squad for about half an hour, an hour. And he says, 'Come back tomorrow, the paper are coming to meet you tomorrow here in the house again. So that's what I done.

"So it was as simple as that - he offered me the job and that was it. I never got a chance to say, 'No' or, 'By the way, what about this or that?'

"He went through the squad and just went on with it. That was exactly it and maybe in hindsight there needed to be much more done and said, but why would there be? I trusted him and why would I need to do more than that?

"I went back and told my wife in the shopping centre but I couldn't tell my kids, couldn't tell my dad, couldn't tell anybody. The biggest thing wasn't me getting the Man United job, it was Sir Alex retiring, and I couldn't say a thing."

Moyes has also told how he always thought he might be in with a chance of getting the United job because they "didn't always take the sexiest manager", preferring "up and coming" British bosses.

 

Reader Comments (83)

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Gordon Crawford
1 Posted 03/10/2018 at 18:27:48
Surely that's reason enough to report them for tapping up? One rule for them...
Kieran Kinsella
2 Posted 03/10/2018 at 18:55:17
Gordon,

He didn't explain fully why he didn't stop by at Marks and Spencers to get his trousers. Talking of Utd, supposedly Brenda Rogers is in the running for that job. I would love that, it would be hilarious to see that complete charlatan continue their demise

Gerry Quinn
3 Posted 04/10/2018 at 06:24:49
...also admitting he drove back to the shops after a "couple" of glasses of wine!
Peter Gorman
4 Posted 04/10/2018 at 07:38:00
Twat
Jim Bennings
5 Posted 04/10/2018 at 08:29:32
What did it for me was the piss take of a double bid for Baines and Fellaini, Moyes thinking he could now behave in the “We are the big club now and we'll do what we like” attitude.

One reason why I'll always hold a special place in my heart for Roberto Martinez was the “double” we did over Man Utd that season and breaking that away hoodoo at one of the so-called top four as it was then, made it so sweet that it was achieved when Moyes was managing United.

Colin Glassar
6 Posted 04/10/2018 at 08:38:35
He had a cup of tea then a few glasses of wine? What a pleb!
David Donnellan
7 Posted 04/10/2018 at 09:16:33
Well, that worked out well for him!

"I'd never turn up to Alex Ferguson's house with a pair of jeans on."

The grovelling shit!

Derek Thomas
8 Posted 04/10/2018 at 09:34:41
Yesterday's man, I was never his biggest fan. Old news – I'm well over him and this story... Leicester next up – look forwards, not backwards.
Colin Glassar
10 Posted 04/10/2018 at 09:58:31
What he forgot to say is, that he polished Fergie's shoes, hoovered up, and flushed all his bogs before leaving. Oh, and he polished the socialist's Bentley.
Tommy Carter
11 Posted 04/10/2018 at 10:11:20
His small-time mentality seeps through in this short anecdote. It was this mentality that was his shortcoming at Everton and also underpinned his abject failure at Manchester United.

I heard a story in which he was handed an iPad on day one which had a pre-programmed diary for him that outlined all of his commitments, which for a corporate giant like Man Utd were plentiful. Apparently he turned his nose up at it and pointed to his paper diary and how that this was his trusted way of keeping on top of his commitments. It was the first indication that he was lost and well out of his depth.

Rio Ferdinand told a story of how Moyes was showing them videos of Jagielka and how to defend in the way he wanted. Sure, it was probably only intended as a demonstration. But the fact that Ferdinand and the other players took such offence to it illustrates a complete lack of understanding of big characters.

We all know about his derogatory and contradictory comments about EFC. ‘We never tried to hold players back from a move' after offering £12m for Leighton Baines.

‘Knife to a gunfight' is a famous quote when explaining his failure to win away at Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal between 2002 - 2013. (More than 44 games.)

The facts of the matter were that he did some outstanding initial work at Everton and really established us as a decent side. I'm minded to believe that whoever was involved in the recruitment of players from 2004 onwards was also responsible for much of the success.

His achievements, however, are relative to the bubble of English football. Clubs on the continent with less resources managed to bring about far greater success during the period Moyes had with Everton. Wolfsburg, Villarreal, Atletico came from the second tier of Spanish football to re-emerge; PSV, Lyon etc.

Colin Glassar
12 Posted 04/10/2018 at 10:26:10
Great post, Tommy. I hope it's read by all the Moyes revisionists on here.
Clive Rogers
13 Posted 04/10/2018 at 10:34:14
A flawed manager in many ways. His strengths were mainly defensive. His defenders were mostly good and well organised, but he was very weak tactically and never seemed to understand forward play.

Nearly all of the strikers he brought in stopped scoring due to his work ethic philosophy. Fancy buying the Yak and expecting him to run about.

John Raftery
14 Posted 04/10/2018 at 10:34:19
Yep, Moyes was a total failure unlike the managers who succeeded him at both Everton and Manchester United.
Clive Rogers
15 Posted 04/10/2018 at 11:08:29
John, it was hardly a surprise that Martinez was a failure having just been relegated.
Brian Harrison
16 Posted 04/10/2018 at 11:14:34
I don't know why Moyes gets so much stick on here, I know he didnt win anything, but apart from 3 managers in the last 50 years who did. We now have an owner who has spent in excess of £250 million in the last 3 seasons, but if you ask most fans for the last 3 seasons where we will finish most accept 7th as being a decent season. But Moyes had us finishing in this position or better most seasons and with a pittance to spend.Yes he built his team round a solid defence, something that Martinez benefited from in his first season, but when he made to changes to most who played under Moyes it all went pear shaped.

I accept football is all about opinions and thats what makes it such a great game, so I will side on Sir Alex Fergusons judgement probably the greatest manager in British football. He thought highly enough to appoint Moyes as his successor, and no it didn't work as both wanted but seeing the present Man Utd manager has complained about the lack of support from the CEO who was very new to the job when Moyes took over at Man Utd, then maybe it wasn't all Moyes fault it didn't work out.

James Stewart
17 Posted 04/10/2018 at 11:45:20
Hated Moyes at times, but will still recognise he is the best manager we have had in my lifetime. His best side would wipe the floor with our current lot.

The state of the team he took over was an utter car crash, which he miraculously kept up. Going down then would have killed us. Fans are fickle, especially on here.

Ian Pilkington
18 Posted 04/10/2018 at 11:58:10
An unpalatable aspect of Moyes's departure was the laudatory Goodison farewell arranged by the Club at the end of his final match. I left after the final whistle but the vast majority stayed on to applaud a manager who, for 11 years, had continually aided and abetted Blue Bill's cash-starved regime.

Any manager with genuine ambition for our club would have resigned in the manner of Howard Kendall (2nd spell) and Joe Royle during previous periods of boardroom parsimony.

Compare Watford's owners to Kenwright who, despite losing his beloved manager without the courtesy of an official approach from Man Utd, then continued to pay his salary for several weeks until the end of his contract!

Brian Murray
19 Posted 04/10/2018 at 12:09:25
James Stewart (#16). If Moyes is the best manager in your lifetime as a Blue, therein lies the problem. You have never known anything except mediocrity right through the club. Unfortunately, that mindset is still prevalent today, discounting Moshiri and Brands.
Colin Glassar
20 Posted 04/10/2018 at 12:27:04
You're obviously very young then, James. Moyes stabilised us, improved us, but could never get us over the line due to his negative mindset. Cup final and record against top 4 are unquestionably crap.
Mark Taylor
21 Posted 04/10/2018 at 12:52:40
I'm not sure if this makes me a Moyes 'revisionist' but it is pretty obvious that he significantly over achieved with the resources at his disposal. You just need to look at his typical league finish which we would consider a decent outcome at present. He even got us Champions League football and there's precious little chance of that now, without massive change.

Even the 'knife to a gunfight' comment, while offensive to any Evertonian old enough to have seen the great teams of the eighties and sixties, was pretty accurate. Teary Bill didn't have two brass farthings to rub together at a time when wealth was changing the order of the Premier League, hence we were indeed condemned to brandishing a knife.

What has been so tragic about the last two years is that, when we finally have proper money to spend, we seem to have wasted it and are no further forward. Could Moyes have spent it more wisely? He could hardly have done much worse but I don't personally believe his character would be suited to such a different mindset, and maybe explains why he failed at Man Utd.

As others have noted, it is infuriating that we get investigated for tapping up Silva, even though we did go through official channels and then looked elsewhere when Watford rebuffed us, yet Man Utd blatantly tapped up Moyes before the end of his contract, as is evidenced here, and no action is taken.

Tony J Williams
22 Posted 04/10/2018 at 13:00:36
I couldn't give a flying fuck about why, when and how he was tapped up.

He's in the history books now and will ever be so.

It would have been interesting to see what he could have done with a bit of mullah behind him, especially having a Lukaku up front.

That was our biggest problem when he was with us, we were on the bones of our arse and had to buy the Meatties, Bents of this world and hope for no injuries.

The "purple" patch was when we actually had a good striker in Yakubu, Arteta and Pienaar in midfield, Jags in his prime and Baines linking up greatly on the wing.

We were almost there and ifs and buts, it would have been interesting to see how we fared against Chelsea in the cup final had Arteta, Jagielka and Yakubu been fit – that was the entire spine of our team missing.

Paul Kelly
23 Posted 04/10/2018 at 13:13:20
I can't believe he turned up in jeans when he said he wouldn't, the cheek of it! But I want to know more about these jeans.

Where they straight-legged? Loose fit? Boot cut? Flares? The mind boggles, maybe they were cut down a la Daisy Duke style and he was showing off a bit of anal cleft round the rear end. Guess we'll never know.

Tom Bowers
24 Posted 04/10/2018 at 13:28:44
He's a loser and just another journeyman manager who goes through the motions.

He's done nothing and his record with Everton, Man Utd, Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham proves it.

Anyone who buys his book is also a loser.

Michael Lynch
25 Posted 04/10/2018 at 13:30:27
He could be frustratingly negative at times, but the number of top 6 finishes he achieved in his time at Everton speaks for itself, as does the fact that Fergie saw him as the man to succeed the most successful manager in the history of English football.

We certainly haven't had a better manager since at Everton. Even Martinez in his first season only achieved what he did on the back of Moyes's work – once the discipline and fitness was allowed to dissipate, Martinez was useless. Koeman, Unsworth and Fat Sam have all been failures, and Silva has only just started so we'll need to give him at least a season or two before we can judge.

I didn't like the way he left, or the way he tapped up our players on the cheap afterwards, but he's still a great Evertonian in my eyes, and he did a lot for the club.

Dermot Byrne
26 Posted 04/10/2018 at 13:36:37
Just to help you out, Paul (#22):

DIY Bell Bottoms

Kevin Prytherch
27 Posted 04/10/2018 at 14:06:11
Colin (19) - James could quite easily be 30 with that comment.

The only team to challenge Moyes since 1988 is Royle's team.

It's a sad state of the club that someone who could potentially be 30 has seen their greatest ever Everton team fight to finish 5th or 6th.

Andy McNabb
28 Posted 04/10/2018 at 14:09:16
Revisionist? All I know is we were sinking without a trace when he arrived.

His failings have been well documented but he also got us playing the best footy I have seen from an Everton side since the 80s. And the difference to today? His teams had heart. I reckon Donovan and Cahill on their own could take on any 11 from our current squad.

Shame he left as he did but those who write off his achievements with us are short sighted at best. Whatever happened to 'credit due...'?

John Daley
29 Posted 04/10/2018 at 14:44:54
Moyes in 'too tight to buy new keks' shock.

The umming and ahhing over whether to throw away £30 on a pair of Farah's he was probably only going to wear once, or potentially offend his host/hinder his future career prospects, must have gone on for fucking ages.

John Pickles
30 Posted 04/10/2018 at 14:56:02
He left us finishing above our neighbours for the second time in a row, it hasn't happened since. They were in a Champion's League final last season and expected to mount a serious challenge to the Premier League title this year. With considerable investment, we are struggling in the League again and just been dumped out of the 'Caribou' Cup at home in the third round again.

Yet still the haters hate.

Andrew Keatley
31 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:00:26
Interesting comment from Ross Barkley on his recall to the England squad and working with Sarri at Chelsea:

"Over the years I haven't really been coached much."

Not sure how true it is, but it's a pretty damning statement about his years at Everton (including several under Moyes) either way.

Mike Gaynes
32 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:06:17
The man left five years ago. And five managers ago, if you count Rhino.

It amazes me that he's still a topic of debate at all, let alone a debate so passionate. Can't figure it out.

Michael Lynch
33 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:24:52
Mike, he was our manager for a long time. Watch the interview, the stuff about Everton. He's one of us. Listen to his stories about Stubbs, Gravesen, Rooney and above all Big Dunc. It's really interesting. He's a massive part of our recent history, that's why we're talking about him.

And – again, watch the interview about when he first arrived at Everton – he "got" us more than any other manager of recent years. "The People's Club" — indeed.

Pete Edwards
34 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:41:45
Michael @25 — Moyes might have been here a long time but in no way shape or form is he an Evertonian.
Michael Lynch
35 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:43:10
Pete. Watch the interview.
Pete Edwards
36 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:44:30
Andrew, that's because Barkley can't remember his own name most days...
Lawrence Green
37 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:49:02
Sorry Michael @33 but David Moyes isn't one of us, he chose to leave, he chose to be disloyal to his boss in order to keep Sir Alex's secret safe. I just wonder whether his meeting with SAF was before or after our shocking FA Cup home defeat to Wigan Athletic?

I also don't believe that the clandestine meeting Moyes mentions, was the first time his possible move to Old Trafford was discussed, either formally or informally.

As far as I'm concerned, David Moyes is just another former employee; he did the job he was paid to do but ultimately he didn't win a trophy for Everton – despite the number of years he was in charge – much the same as Bingham, Lee, Walker, Martinez, Koeman et al.

Michael Lynch
38 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:51:43
Okay, we're going to have to agree to disagree here but please do watch the interview – certainly the part about Everton – even if you hate Moyes. You might not think he's an Evertonian, but he certainly sounded like one on the night the Shite "won" the Champions League.
Anthony A Hughes
39 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:52:08
I was never a big fan of Moyes but he had an ability to compile a squad of players that could function as a team and fit his "style" of football. And to think he did this without a Director of Football.

Some of the signings over the last few seasons have been completely random and without any real thought if they fit with what's required.

Mike Doyle
40 Posted 04/10/2018 at 15:59:22
Andrew. Ross has hardly played for Chelsea – and when he has, he hasn't done much. He's back in the squad because he is associated with a glamour club (albeit usually on the bench).

How Mason Mount justifies a call-up is even more baffling.

Dave Abrahams
41 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:02:30
When Ferguson, or Sir Alex, as Moyes would call him as he bowed down to him entering his palace, decided to choose Moyes as his successor, didn't he check his record? — 44 away matches against the top teams and not one victory?!? That would have made even an average manager stop and think.

Moyes was too frightened of losing to think about winning in those games, even the famous one when he talked about taking a knife to a gunfight, we were losing 2-0 and with a few minutes to go pulled a goal back and had another good chance. I wonder how we would have done if we'd gone with a winning mentality? "Knife to a gunfight" he said, then put the knife away and took out a large white flag.

Two United fans said to me after the semi-final when we beat them at Wembley, "Sorry, we'll be taking your manager off you soon."

"You can fuckin' have him for me, lads – and the quicker the better," I replied – and that was after a win in a semi-final.

Kieran Kinsella
42 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:04:02
I am guessing Moyes thinks the jeans put a seed of doubt in Fergie mind that led to his sacking – otherwise, why mention his excuse?

Kind of like that Man City documentary on Amazon. They toured Aguerro's apartment and he said his family are in South America mostly. Then he said “So I am here alone” about 15 times as he stood in his bedroom.

Made me wonder if he is alone... Maybe Moyes comes over to do some housework?

Mike Gaynes
43 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:04:03
Michael #33, I get that. And I'm enjoying the interview, although I wish it had subtitles, because my Yank ears just won't process the brogues properly.

But the extended debate on his merits just bewilders me. I'm not sure if it's a footy thing or a cultural thing, but a debate like this would never happen in the US. I was a sports "journo" here for nearly 20 years, and I cannot remember a single discussion over the abilities/liabilities of past coaches in the NBA, NFL or baseball. In our sports, when the manager is gone, he's gone. And forgotten.

By contrast, I've seen debates here about not only Moyes but Kendall, Smith and Royle. I just don't get it.

Rob Halligan
44 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:06:03
Lawrence (#37). I don't know how true this is, but I was told that Moyes actually told the squad on the day of that Wigan game that he was going to Man Utd.

Could be one reason for such an abysmal performance on the day.

Michael Lynch
45 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:06:38
Ah, okay, Mike, I see what you mean. That's interesting, that there's no debate about past coaches in the USA. As you say, could be cultural – whether football culture or national culture – but maybe we just have too much time on our hands over here in the UK
Kieran Kinsella
46 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:07:22
Mike Gaynes,

You will agree Billy Bingham deserved the sack then?

Jay Wood
[BRZ]

47 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:07:46
Not going to get drawn into the Moyes debate.

The Ross Barkley interview is interesting, as is him being recalled to the England squad after limited appearances with England.

More impressive is that both Digne and Zouma have been called up for the World Champions, France.

Kris Boner
48 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:07:49
It's beginning to get on my nerves now just how little people seem willing to acknowledge the context that our more recent managers have had to face as opposed to the Moyesiah of old.

Man City are a completely different animal to the one Moyes faced practically all of his tenure. Scratch another place on average for that fact alone when using rose tinted specs.

Tottenham are no longer the flatter to deceive team they used to be when he had us above them with regularity. It was his failure to push on that has seen them become the smallest team in the big six.

Moyes faced some of the most dire Liverpool teams in recent memory and yet still somehow failed to achieve anything of note. I stress his failures see them at the very pinnacle of football again rather than us.

These failures are mitigated as an argument only by the lack of support he received from the board room, but they should not be forgotten when slagging current managers.

Moyes's Everton today would have finished 7th or 8th. He wouldn't have achieved season one Martinez and would only have matched season one Koeman.

James Hughes
49 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:09:43
Michael #33. If he 'got' Everton so much, then why did he not sign a new contract and therefore allow us some recompense for his move?

He knew all about our finances, so knew the money would have been welcome, but he was too busy kissing Ferguson's shoes. keeping his secret, on his terms.

Mike G. if you wonder why he still evokes debate, just recall his comments after leaving. The 'Everton should be grateful to me' line still rankles for me.

Michael Lynch
50 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:15:17
Kris, that's a fair comment, but one that could be applied to any manager, however successful. Perhaps if Moyes had the money Koeman had, he would have won the title? Who knows, it's pure conjecture.
Pete Edwards
51 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:17:48
Michael, he isn't an Evertonian — he was a very very well paid employee of the club, who admittedly did a pretty good job overall... but never an Evertonian.
Michael Lynch
52 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:20:23
Pete, they're all well paid employees at the end of the day. Alan Ball was, Howard Kendall was, Alex Young was. But some inhale the essence of the club more than others.

Moyes describes himself as an Evertonian and, in the context of managers that have come before and after, I think he means what he says. He might not be an Evertonian in the same way you or I are Evertonians, but then not many employees of the club are.

Kris Boner
53 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:21:22
dup
Mike Gaynes
54 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:24:23
Kieran #46, you should start a thread on that. I'll get a cup of coffee and join you there. If I'm late, start without me.
Pete Edwards
55 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:25:53
Michael, I'm not really interested in what he says in the interview, his actions while still at the club and when he moved on shows that he's far far away from being an Evertonian.

Maybe it's a bit of regret on his part that it didn't work out as he had hoped when he left or since and who didn't revel in the shite losing the Champions League final (other than those pesky reds!)

Anyway, we aren't going to agree so I'll leave it there.

Paul Tran
56 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:30:25
John #29, no doubt he looked at several pairs of trousers of varying shades of brown from different angles, before deciding none of them were quite worth the risk.
James Stewart
57 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:36:14
@19 Sadly true, 95 aside. But there in lies the problem for a lot of blues my age. Made worse by the club behaving in a way that doesn't reflect its history.

@27 Not far off, 34. And by no means a member of the Moyes fan club either, but I'm not one to rewrite history and pretend anyone post-Moyes has been anything other than complete and utter failure and with vastly more resources.

Don Alexander
58 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:47:09
Paul (#23), I didn't and don't associate Moyes with "flare" because he always came across as a "straight" man (until he welched on us that is).

Since then, he's had to get used to the "boot", of course, after so consistently showing his arse.

Kieran Kinsella
59 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:49:05
For once, he isn't talking about himself in third person in this interview.
Liam Reilly
60 Posted 04/10/2018 at 16:54:23
Words fail me - this was our Manager FFS.

His head was so far up Ferguson's arse he could see Giggs.

I'm only surprised that he ever had the audacity to beat United (on the very rare occasion that he did).

Well overstayed his welcome for me and treated the club disrespectfully after his departure.

Be thankful for Moshiri or he'd very likely be back in charge again now.

Jay Harris
61 Posted 04/10/2018 at 17:23:38
Probably been mentioned already but I can’t understand why we didn’t claim tapping up unless Bill was compliant.
Daniel A Johnson
62 Posted 04/10/2018 at 17:44:36
No point discussing Moyes in these parts.

I can at least given the shit that has followed acknowledge that he did a solid job for us. A job for us that ultimately got him the biggest job in the Premier League.

Whereas, to most idiots on here, he's just a "knife to a gunfight" Judas ginger twat, which is laughable.

Ian Hollingworth
63 Posted 04/10/2018 at 18:20:10
FFS, and we are being investigated for tapping up Silva.

Regardless of what Moyes achieved or didn't achieve it still narks me that he became Man Utd manager and then still managed Everton for 2 matches and the faithful gave him a standing ovation. That incident just about summed up our collective ambitions.

No wonder we are scrambling about in the wilderness with no real ambition to ever win anything again.


Paul Kelly
64 Posted 04/10/2018 at 18:20:26
"Whereas, to most idiots on here, he's just a "knife to a gunfight" Judas ginger twat, ".

I'll happily be that idiot.

Steve Ferns
65 Posted 04/10/2018 at 18:34:11
Daniel, can't he be both? He did a solid job, but he's still a bastard for leaving us the way he did.
Kieran Kinsella
66 Posted 04/10/2018 at 18:58:42
He did the job Kenwright asked him to do; he got starstruck and left.
Eugene Ruane
67 Posted 04/10/2018 at 19:09:10
AF: "Dinna get me wrang son, Everton's a guid team, guid club lotta history and aw that, but weer talkin' aboot Manchoo-Nytit. Can you imagine it Davie son, walkin' oot at auld Trafford, the theatre o' dreams. Aw those famous names Best, Law, Charlton...Ure"

DM: "Whit?"

AF: "Ainly kiddin' ye son. So whit de ye say?"

DM: "Whit dee ah say? Ah say YES PLEASE! Sure I'll have to sort it oot wi' Everton but they're as soft as shite so there'll be nae problem theer."

AF: "And keep in mind yer'll be quadruplin' yer wages, 7-year deal, nae bother."

DM: "SEV holy fu...ah mean...wow...WOW!"

AF: "Yer'll life will change son, bigger hoose, bigger car, bigger budget tae buy players, everythin'!"

DM: "Amazin'...(thinks)..always fancied wan o' they flash cars like you see on Top ge.."

AF: "Wait a fuckin' MINUTE!! Are they no PROPER pants like school pants or goin' to a weddin' pants!!? Get the fuck OOT you disgusting, goggle-eyed, pasty-faced, ginger twat!"

(Just think, all that might have happened if he hadn't said 'Sorry, I'm in my jeans')

Steve Ferns
68 Posted 04/10/2018 at 19:11:06
Eugene!! Long time no see, taking time out from the politics on twitter, I see!

Great comeback post by the way.

Danny Broderick
69 Posted 04/10/2018 at 20:10:23
There's a lot of bitter posts here. Surely with the passing of time, people can see that he inherited a crap squad in danger of relegation every season, and developed us into a team that was regularly in the top 6. He didn't win anything, but it wasn't for the want of trying. He was probably over defensive in key moments, but he generally did a good job on a tight budget.

I don't think Moyes was responsible for the low bids for Baines and Fellaini. The new CEO of Man Utd hasn't got a clue, and they have struggled with recruitment ever since he was appointed. In any case, we got £27 million for Fellaini, so we got the better end of that deal.

Let's move on and wish him well – he talks well of us, let's not be bitter.

Paul Kelly
70 Posted 04/10/2018 at 22:37:38
Does anyone remember the style of footy we played in the first 3 months or so of TGT's last season with us?

Pass and move, pass and move, neat little triangles, we were racking up shots in the double figures. Just not scoring... (sound familiar)?

Probably remembering the period better than it was, but that is when I reckon he was showing the Man Utd hierarchy his credentials. Fergie telling them, "Imagine what he could do with our players, blah blah blah," but typical of TGT, he reverted to type, probably once he'd secured the gig, or because it's not in his forte to play expansive togger.

Conspiracy theory, I know. But I remember him saying around that time it would only take 5 mins for him and Bill to sort out a new contract, and all I could think of was, "Well, why haven't you?" ... "Plenty of five minutes in a day"... I knew then something was up.

I didn't see it being Man Utd but, then again, who knows the mind of someone who turns up to Fergie's house wearing Joe Bloggs jeans, no socks, and flip-flops???

Simon Smith
71 Posted 05/10/2018 at 01:02:03
Fuckin el, Moyes left years ago, we've had 6 managers (at least) since he was in charge at Goodison, and he still seems to be a topic for us.

He should move on, take his tongue off of Fergie's arse (as Fergie has ridiculed Moyes since all the above happened) and get a new job instead of chatting bollocks about his life at Everton.

We've moved on; so should he!

Simon Smith
72 Posted 05/10/2018 at 01:03:48
Danny @69,

I do agree with you 100%, I've said all what you said when Moyes was up for the USA job, but I'm a little bored of Moyes being a topic.

Clive Rogers
73 Posted 05/10/2018 at 13:30:02
Moyes was a decent manager up to a point but was tactically naive and came up with the worst tactics I have ever heard of.

For the cup defeat by Wigan, 3 - 0, Everton had been beaten by them in the away Premier League game and Heitinga had struggled with Kone's pace and was taken off at half-time.

To counter this for the cup game, Moyes and Round decided to pick Neville in midfield. Neville by then was dead slow and couldn't pass to a blue shirt to save his life. How was playing a slow 36-year-old in midfield going to affect a flyer playing up front.

Steve Round admitted this tactic on the radio some weeks later. Unbelievable.

Conor Skelly
74 Posted 05/10/2018 at 19:32:47
I'm a huge Moyes fan. People have really short memories. Previous comments about knives in gunfights etc all true. It's called an analogy and if Marcus Bent is a butter knife then Ronaldo or Aguero would be military grade machine guns.

Moyes is a solid old-school manager who is largely responsible for Everton still being, well Everton. He built a very good side through his methodical and diligent approach to his work. Moyes put in place the foundations of what we have today. He also knew how to get the best out of players. He got Arnautavic playing again at West Ham and they finished comfortably last year.

If you look at his post Everton career. He was stitched up by Ferguson, who left him a squad full of institutionalized veterans with massive ego's. He didn't do great in Spain but by no means a disaster.

The majority of his career and what he should always be judged on is producing Everton teams that were consistently finishing in the Top 6 and qualifying for Europe. He did this for 10 years. There was nothing flukey about any of it just hard work and talent.

Terry Downes
75 Posted 05/10/2018 at 19:42:32
Haha – got to love Daniel's consistent defence of Moyes!! Go on, Daniel, you tell 'em, lol.
Phill Thompson
76 Posted 05/10/2018 at 23:11:45
Apparently Ferguson did the same trick of asking Pep Guardiola around to his house, nearly got him too but the Scottish accent let him down, made him an offer he couldn't understand... 😀
Kase Chow
77 Posted 06/10/2018 at 00:58:42
Weird how many on here hate Moyes when he clearly did a solid job for us.

Yes, he left poorly and acted very badly when he left but he left enough positivity in the bank account to override that:

Top 4 finish
FA Cup final
Survived relegation with a shite squad
Had us competing top end
Played some excellent football at times

Chris Davies
78 Posted 06/10/2018 at 05:44:55
EFC (average) wage bill with Moyes? 6th.

Current wage bill?? 10th. Apparently!

Andrew Haizelden
79 Posted 06/10/2018 at 06:10:32
Some of the comments on here are unbelievable. David Moyes saved our club. Without him we were on our way down and for all his shenanigans about leaving the club, at the time he left we had a top six side. We had a team who was expected to do well and we could hold our heads high around town.

We then got Martinez who had a great first season on the back of Moyes's team then screwed it up with his WW1 Generals mentality-kids, read a book or Google it.

Now we are close to being back in the same position we were when DM took over. I'm not looking for a statue of Moyes but ffs give credit where it is due, we're the club that knows it's history.

Davie Turner
80 Posted 06/10/2018 at 14:11:56
Moyes

Years at the club
Early, did very well to drag the worst Everton side on a pitch out of the mire

Mid
Had some money, rebuilt well, put some pride in the place

Late
The money dried up and eventually Everton stood still

Constant
Could be infuriating, missed golden opportunities to win a trophy, tended to start badly finish strong


On getting the united job
Turned into a disrespectful muppet, despite being pretty much the same as every other united manager since got sacked tough shit.

Since
Journeyman who blew his chance, bit like his cup record

Jack Convery
81 Posted 06/10/2018 at 21:17:44
I'm just surprised he wore anything around his backside when visiting his hero's house.
Susong Hermawan
82 Posted 07/10/2018 at 09:25:43
Mediocre Specialist.
James Marshall
83 Posted 09/10/2018 at 12:57:41
We buy players, we laud them, we sell them, we hate them. Same goes for managers to a degree. So what? Players & managers come and go. Part & parcel. Personally I have a lot of respect for what Moyes did at Everton in the main.

I'm old enough to remember us winning titles in the 80s but ever since we've been shit, like it or not. Moyes at least gave us back a level of pride at not supporting an utterly shit team, albeit one that still didn't win anything.

If I'd been Everton manager for 11 years, or whatever it was, and Man Utd offered me their job, I'd be off as well.

Seb Niemand
84 Posted 20/10/2018 at 12:54:39
I think there are a lot of people projecting a lot of their own deep inadequacies onto David Moyes. The simple fact is the best Moyes could do was better than the best anyone has been able to do since or looks like being bale to do in the foreseeable future. There's no practicable suggestion from anyone as to how he could have in anyway done any better, just a cadre a ranty knobs carrying on like he's the drunken uncle who touched them in a bad place one Christmas. Some people need to grow up and find something more constructive to do with their impotent rage.

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