David Moyes

Lore & Background

Moyes made over 540 league appearances as a centre-back in a playing career that began with Celtic, where he won a championship medal. He then played for Cambridge United, Bristol City, Shrewsbury Town, and Dunfermline Athletic, ending his playing career with Preston North End. He became a coach at Preston, working his way up before taking over as manager in 1998. Moyes led Preston to the Division Two title in 1999–2000 and the Division One play-off final the following season. He became manager of Everton in 2002. The club managed a fourth-place finish in the league in 2004–05, their highest since 1988, and played in the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League the following season, the first time since 1970–71. Moyes led Everton to a runners-up finish in the 2008–09 FA Cup. Everton consistently finished between fifth and eighth in the league under Moyes, and at the time of his departure, was the longest-serving manager in the league behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, at 11 years and 3 months. Moyes succeeded Ferguson as manager of Manchester United in June 2013, but with the club 7th in the league in April 2014 and unable to qualify for European competition, he was dismissed. Moyes was appointed head coach of Spanish club Real Sociedad in November 2014, but was dismissed after a year in charge. In 2016, he replaced Sam Allardyce as manager of Sunderland, but resigned at the end of the 2016–17 season after the club was relegated to the EFL Championship. Moyes was appointed manager of West Ham in November 2017 and led the club out of the relegation zone to a 13th-place finish, but left at the end of the season when his contract was not renewed. He was appointed at West Ham for a second time in December 2019, following the dismissal of Manuel Pellegrini. During his second stint, West Ham achieved two consecutive top-seven finishes in the Premier League, before victory in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, defeating Fiorentina in the final to achieve the club's first major silverware in 43 years. Moyes left West Ham in 2024, and returned to Everton the following year.

In Their Own Story

The dressing room at Goodison Park, the night before the 2009 League Cup final. The air smells of deep heat and nervous sweat. Moyes stands at the back, arms crossed, saying almost nothing. A young midfielder wipes his forehead and mutters, 'Boss, they've got the whole world watching.' Moyes turns, looks at him levelly, and says, 'Then let them watch us.' No speech. No whiteboard. Just a man who has spent eleven years teaching a group of men that patience is a weapon. Outside, the November rain hammers the car park. Inside, nobody moves. They are listening. They are ready. And somewhere in the stands, a thousand scarves are already being waved, as if the result has been decided by faith alone.

Reader's Guide

Moyes started his career at Icelandic club ÍBV, playing half a season with the youth team in 1978. He made over 530 league appearances in his career before becoming a coach at Preston. He captained Scotland at under-18 age group level and played under Andy Roxburgh in 1980. As a player with Cambridge United, Moyes received abuse from teammate Roy McDonough for his religious beliefs; Moyes is a practising Christian. While playing for Shrewsbury Town in 1987, Moyes began coaching at the nearby private school, Concord College. Moyes took over as Preston North End manager in January 1998. He took charge of Preston for 234 matches, of which his team won 113, drew 58 and lost 63. Moyes joined Everton on 14 March 2002. His first game in charge was against Fulham at Goodison Park, a 2–1 win. He was awarded LMA Manager of the Year for 2003, 2005 and 2009. Moyes signed Tim Cahill and Marcus Bent in summer 2004; Cahill is considered one of his best signings. Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United for a reported £25.6 million. Moyes sued the Daily Mail for libel after extracts from Rooney's autobiography claimed Moyes forced Rooney out; the case was settled out of court with Rooney apologising and paying damages, which Moyes donated to the Everton Former Players' Foundation.

Did You Know?

• Moyes made over 540 league appearances as a centre-back.
• He won a championship medal with Celtic.
• Moyes was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 LMA Manager of the Year.
• He led Everton to a fourth-place finish in 2004–05, their highest since 1988.
• Moyes led West Ham to victory in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, the club's first major silverware in 43 years.