David Moyes has lifted the lid on the surprising item he kept in his office as Everton manager while admitting that the best moment of his career to date came with the Blues. Now in charge of Premier League rivals West Ham United, the 59-year-old spoke candidly on a number of topics in an interview with Sky Sports. In terms of the highlight of his managerial career, Moyes, who was named LMA Manager of the Year on three separate occasions during his 11-year tenure in charge at Goodison Park,
David Moyes said: “Look, I’ve got to say that I still believe I’ve got the best moment to come yet in my career, I really do. I think there’s better to come, hopefully there’s some cup wins along the way. But on the journey I would say I qualified for Europe when Everton finished fourth in the Premier League with probably not anywhere like the budget of all the other clubs. But it was a long journey, it took about five, six years to get to that point but I’ll always remember that.”
Such was the Scot’s devotion to his duties with the Blues, he was forced to modify his work space and when asked how long he typically works each day,
David Moyes said: “It’s probably ridiculously bad number of hours. At Everton I used to have a bed which I would fold out if I was getting back late from games, I’d bring a bed into my office and set it up. I don’t reckon you should think that’s unusual. A lot of managers will probably have to do the same.”
Over 20 years on from handing him his debut, Moyes concurred that Wayne Rooney was the best player to have worked under him.
David Moyes said: “When you get a boy so young and he goes on to become such a superstar and we had him again at Man United, I would have to say yes. It wasn’t because of what the manager had done I have to tell you, it’s what he had done. He had all the ability. It wouldn’t have mattered what manager he played under, he was always going to be a great player. I wouldn’t say it was the best goal I’ve ever seen (Rooney’s first Premier League goal for Everton against Arsenal) but for a 16-year-old boy to do that at the level and at the time. I’ll always say that I was really lucky as a manager that I had someone like Wayne Rooney in the building. Sometimes as managers you need to have good players in the building which can help you in your career to give you that longevity which keeps you in the job and shows that you’re making some progress and I was really fortunate at that time to have Wayne Rooney.”
Like Rooney, another of Moyes’ former players to have progressed into management himself is Mikel Arteta, whose Arsenal side went into the World Cup break on top of the Premier League. Asked whether he always thought the Basque midfielder would become a manager,
David Moyes said: “Maybe. He was a bit sultry as a player but he was a good football player and he made a huge difference to us. Obviously he’s had a brilliant opportunity to work with Pep and have those experiences and work under Arsene Wenger as well. From that point of view, he put himself in a really good position.”
Away from football, Moyes revealed that while he doesn’t watch Netflix, golf is his big passion but although he’s hit no fewer than three hole-in-ones, he still has a burning ambition when it comes to the game.
David Moyes said: “It’s my biggest hobby when I get to play, I love golf and if you get a chance on this show to ask the committee at the Royal Lytham is there any chance of me getting my membership soon that would be very good if you don’t mind. I’ve been waiting three years to get in. I’m probably about a 12 handicap and if I wasn’t working and I was playing a bit more often, then I would hope I could get it down a little bit.”
