David Moyes - The Man for 2013

The tongues are a-wagging and the chairs are a-shaking. Wenger has apparently overstayed his welcome (16 years?), and Alex Ferguson may hang up his boots next season, and all the overt speculation points to the current manager of Everton, David Moyes.

Highly linked with a move to Old Trafford to replace Ferguson, Everton chairman Bill Kenwright said,“It’s absolute nonsense to infer that we would let David depart for Manchester United with our blessing. If a day like that ever did occur, Evertonians know that I would fight tooth and nail to keep our manager where he belongs.”

David Moyes is certainly a class apart; a manager who is hard as nails and as consistent as the rising sun. Every club has a face. United have Ferguson, Arsenal have Wenger, Liverpool have Gerrard, and Everton have Moyes. They define the club, the vision and what the club stands for. And in this era of flaky owners and fickle fans, to sustain a club which has almost no silverware to boast about, is nothing short of a miracle. Moyes, the man at the helm, is the reason why Everton hit hard, and his presence is enough to galvanize the blue sea at Merseyside.

Everton are the perennial second favourites. Everyone, including Liverpool fans, respects them for their resilience, and admires them for their strength. Everton also do not have a ‘Star’ to boast of. They have never actually bought a star in terms of money, and stuck to the economical bigwigs who consolidated, rather than disrupted. The reason for the tight purse strings is the size of the purse curtailed itself. Moyes holds his cards close and ensures that if Everton cannot win, they certainly will not lose.

Early in the day, Moyes was quick to understand that coaching was to be his vocation, and he even received his first coaching badge at the age of 22. He started his career in coaching right where he ended his career as a player, at Preston North end. He was a member of the coaching staff and took over from Gary Peters in 1998, at the age of 34. He worked his way up from player-manager to assistant boss, to finally manager. His immediate agenda was to save the team from relegation, which he did manage to accomplish, much to the delight of the fans. In a couple of years, Preston North End were close to securing a spot in the coveted English Premier League, but lost out to Bolton Wanderers.

Moyes was destined for bigger things on tighter budgets, and he eventually took up the Everton job in 2002. Walter Smith left a void at the Toffees, but the ambitious Moyes was a welcome change. His time at Preston showed his ability to change mentality. Preston’s long balls were slowly replaced by sleek passing, and it took them to a stage they hadn’t seen in over two decades. Moyes’ dedication is often cited as an example, and he even paid for his own coaching badges before he hit 30. He also ensured he attended World Cups funded by his own wallet, to satiate his need for knowledge.

Moyes hit a career high after making it to the top four in the English Premier League, even though Arsenal demolished them 7-1. Only the year before that, Everton were on the brink of relegation, but no one would remember after the squad rallied after the man from Glasgow. Experience is another part of his arsenal, as he represented 7 different clubs and amassed 535 first team appearances. He was also the Manager of the Year for three different seasons, including the one he shared in 2008-09. In the January of 2012, Moyes recorded 150 Premier League wins, only the fourth person to do so after Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp.

Moyes has spent 11 years at the top, and suffered a lot of ups and downs. From making it to the FA Cup final and suing Rooney for libel, Moyes has seen it all. Simplistically thinking, only an Arsenal or a United will be a step up for Moyes. Having said that, we cannot forget that Moyes hasn’t actually won anything; except personal laurels and managing to keep his team afloat. If money is all that Moyes requires to win silverware, Arsenal will be more suited to his taste then the cut-throat United. Either way, as Andy Burham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, United Kingdom puts it, “Mr. David Moyes is probably a fine example to everybody in government of stability and making the right decisions for the long term.”