MOYES THROWS IN THE TOWEL
He quits Sunderland after just a year — but will help choose his successor!
DaVid MoyES quit as manager of Sunderland yesterday after taking the club down in his first season and losing the support of the players — but he will still have a say on his replacement.
Chief executive Martin Bain plans to seek Moyes’s advice on the next boss and the pair were at the LMa dinner last night.
Bain will lead the search for Sunderland’s sixth manager in four years after Moyes informed him and owner Ellis Short of his decision to resign during a meeting in London yesterday.
Sunderland are unlikely to be an attractive proposition given that Short wants to sell the club.
they are £140million in debt, although Moyes did forgo the £3m he would have been owed had he been sacked.
the former Everton and Manchester United boss leaves few admirers at the Stadium of Light. one senior player said recently that Moyes ‘did not care’ and several others — including Papy djilobodji, Lamine Kone and Wahbi Khazri — declared themselves unfit for Sunday’s 5-1 defeat at Chelsea, after which players voiced their unhappiness with his management.
Moyes had long since lost the dressing room after repeatedly questioning the strength of his squad, who thought his training sessions were repetitive and uninspiring.
the Scot never came to terms with what he thought were broken promises from Short over his transfer budget following his arrival last July.
For the past fortnight he has indicated a willingness to stay on — should Short match his ambition for next season — but his mind was already made up.
Moyes knew that he would first have to sell star player Jordan Pickford before assembling a new team for the Championship. He also realised that many of his squad had turned against him, blaming his negativity for draining the club of belief and enthusiasm.
Few observers will dispute that he was dealt a bad hand — an owner who wanted to sell, a squad short on depth and quality and little money to improve it.
on reflection, Moyes should have quit soon after taking charge. instead, he hung around to tell the world what a rotten mess the club were in. and he is right, Sunderland are in dire need of root and branch reform.
at least with Moyes gone they have taken one step in the right direction. His resignation is perhaps the best decision he has made all season.