- Rob Fleming
- 1 day ago
Olympiacos hand West Ham first European loss in 18 games
West Ham's unbeaten European record was reduced to ruins in Athens as they crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Olympiacos.
David Moyes is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of West Ham United in the Premier League.
Moyes was a Scotland national team captain at Under-18 level, but had a largely unspectacular playing career. He played for Celtic, Cambridge United, Bristol City, Shrewsbury Town, Dunfermline Athletic and Hamilton Academical before his longest stint as a player at Preston North End.
Moyes went on to manage Preston from 1998 until 2002, when he left to take charge of Everton. He presided over the Toffees from 2002 to 2013, in a largely successful spell on Merseyside.
At the end of the 2012/13 season, Moyes was appointed as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor at Manchester United. However, he was sacked nine months later before the end of a dismal 2013/14 campaign.
Moyes had unsuccessful spells in charge of Real Sociedad and Sunderland before moving on to West Ham United, where he's enjoyed greater fortunes over the course of two separate stints.
He saved West Ham from relegation twice, then steered the club into Europe in three consecutive seasons.
But his crowning glory came at the end of the 2022/23 season when West Ham lifted the Europa Conference League trophy after a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in Prague.
Moyes wrote his name in West Ham folklore, joining Ron Greenwood and John Lyall as trophy-winning Hammers managers.
Preston North End
Moyes began his managerial career with Preston North End in January 1998. He replaced Gary Peters with Preston struggling in Division Two and desperate to avoid relegation.
Moyes steered them to safety and then took them to the Division One play-offs the following season. Preston lost the Division One play-off final to Bolton Wanderers 3-0 in 2001.
On 14 March 2002, Moyes took charge of Everton.
Going to Goodison
Moyes hit the ground running with a 2-1 win over Fulham and steered Everton to safety after inheriting a side from Walter Smith that was in serious danger of relegation.
Everton struggled during the 2003/04 season despite several major signings, but the following season was arguably their best under Moyes. They finished fourth in the Premier League, making the qualifying rounds of the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League as a result.
The 05/06 season was another difficult one and Everton finished 11th in the Premier League, exiting the Champions League before the group stages, but in 2006/07, after another round of squad reinforcements, the team stabilised.
Everton finished in the top six in each of the next three Premier League seasons, establishing themselves as the strongest challenger to the "big four" at the time (Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal).
In 2008/09, they made the FA Cup final but lost 2-1 to Guus Hiddink's Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
Everton finished eighth in 2009/10 and seventh in each of the next two seasons, but then sixth - ahead of local rivals Liverpool - in 2012/13.
Moyes left for Manchester United after that season, ending a successful and lengthy spell at Everton, but one which did not yield any major trophies.
Manchester United misery
Moyes signed a six-year contract at Manchester United and overhauled the coaching staff, bringing in his own methods rather than making gradual adaptations to those of his predecessor, Sir Alex Ferguson, who spent 27 years in charge.
United were poor in the Premier League in 2013/14 and were knocked out of the third round of the FA Cup by Swansea City.
Moyes was mocked by many after saying following a defeat to fierce rivals Manchester City that Manchester United should aspire to be more like Manchester City.
Rio Ferdinand, who played as a centre-back for Manchester United under Ferguson and then Moyes, has said that Moyes spent too much time worrying about the strengths of the Red Devils' opponents and not enough focusing on winning football matches.
After a defeat to Everton in April 2014, and the club in seventh position in the Premier League, Moyes was sacked by Manchester United.
🗓️ OTD 2014: Manchester United sacked David Moyes just 10 months into his six-year contract #MUFC pic.twitter.com/bxXOS6Kw8p
— PA Dugout (@PAdugout) April 22, 2018
Ryan Giggs took charge until the end of the season and, despite some degree of improvement to their form, could only secure seventh place in the Premier League, which they had won the previous season under Ferguson.
Career rebuild at West Ham United
Moyes endured unsuccessful spells at Real Sociedad and Sunderland before taking charge of West Ham United in November 2017. He kept the team in the Premier League, but was not offered a new contract after the 2017/18 season and left the club.
His successor, Manuel Pellegrini, failed to improve West Ham's fortunes, so Moyes was reinstated as manager midway through the 2019/20 season.
Moyes once again led a relegation-threatened team to safety during a season affected by COVID-19.
This time last season, West Ham were 16th in the league, four points clear of relegation
— The Sack Race (@thesackrace) April 27, 2021
This season, they're three points off the Champions League, above the likes of Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal.
David Moyes is rightly named as the LFA Manager of the Year... 🏆#WHUFC pic.twitter.com/XI7LXOTUUr
In the 2020/21 season, he turned West Ham into a serious force as they competed with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur for a Champions League spot.
West Ham enjoyed similar success in the 2021/22 season, challenging on multiple fronts in both the Premier League and Europa League.
The Hammers reached their first European semi-final for over 40 years under Moyes, after he steered the side to the Europa League last four in April 2022.
European silverware with West Ham
After a disappointing 2022/23 season in the Premier League, where West Ham only managed to finish in 14th just six points clear of relegation, Moyes found his job under threat. But in Europe it was a totally different kettle of fish.
After an unbeaten run to the Europa Conference League final, Jarrod Bowen's last-minute winner saw West Ham end their 43-year wait for a trophy with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Italian side Fiorentina in Prague.
The Irons won a first piece of silverware since 1980's FA Cup, and a first European trophy since 1965.
Just nine weeks before their manager watched as the away fans unfurled a 'Moyes Out' banner during a scratchy 1-0 win over Fulham, which likely saved his job.
Now Moyes has written his name in West Ham folklore, joining Ron Greenwood and John Lyall as trophy-winning Hammers managers. A place in the 2023/24 Europa League meant the club qualified for Europe three campaigns in a row, for the first time.
Declan Rice became only the third captain, along with Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds, to lift silverware in the club's 128-year history.
Personal life
Moyes has a daughter and a son and is reported to be a devout Christian and a supporter of the Labour Party.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Moyes delivered fruit and vegetables to those in need.
However, he attracted negative press in 2017 when he said to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks: "You were just getting a wee bit naughty at the end there, so just watch yourself. You still might get a slap, even though you're a woman. Careful the next time you come in."
Net worth
Moyes' net worth is not known, but he took a voluntary 30% pay cut in 2020 to help West Ham cope during the COVID-19 pandemic.
