Wrong to say I didn’t embrace Spain
IN HIS FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE BEING SACKED, DAVID MOYES HITS BACK AT CLAIMS HE FAILED TO EMBRACE LIFE IN SPAIN
EVEN before he was sacked by Real Sociedad, it was said that David Moyes had not embraced the culture of San Sebastian. Indeed it was presented as a reason why he survived only a year in the beautiful Basque city.
The Scot had failed to master the language. Failed even to move out of the hotel he checked into when he first took the job.
He also stood accused of lacking commitment — as did his assistant, Billy McKinlay. ‘I’ve been looking forward to answering this,’ says 52-year-old Moyes, those piercing blue eyes narrowing a little.
‘We were there for 12 months, we took two Spanish lessons a week that were organised by the club and I really enjoyed my Spanish.
‘I wasn’t fluent and I wasn’t coaching the players in Spanish but in time I think I would have been. I intend to keep it going.
‘In fairness to Billy, he went to college to do it and his Spanish is better than mine, but as manager there were just more demands on my time.
‘I think we immersed ourselves in the life there, though. We’d eat in the hotel only on Champions League nights when they brought out the telly for us to watch the games.
‘Billy and I would walk the city every night, eating in different places, eating the street food — pinchos. Because they eat late in Spain we’d head out at around seven and make a point of walking three or four kilometres, just talking about the day, before dinner.
‘And the people were always happy to see us out and about. Honestly, I know the place so well I could work as a tour guide there. I could certainly be a food guide. We went to every restaurant.’
A year in a hotel nevertheless gave the impression that Moyes was just passing through. ‘It was a great hotel,’ he says as a bit of a joke.
‘Look, the club had shown me apartments that just weren’t suitable. But in the end I’d actually found one, right on the sea front, and I was planning to move in before Christmas.
‘They were just sorting a few things out. It needed a new kitchen.
‘Two weeks before I lost my job I did a presentation for all the coaches in the region. I’d attended funerals for supporters. I reckon I would have gone to as many games in Spain as any manager in La Liga, because of our thirst for information and knowledge.
‘We went to as many B-team games as possible. Folk used to say they had seen me at more B-team games than any previous manager. I felt a wee bit aggrieved when they talked about the culture.’
After losing what proved to be his last game, a disappointing 2-0 defeat away at newly-promoted Las Palmas, Moyes took comfort in the fact that at least his president knew the truth.
He also believed their relationship, built on the effort that Jokin Aperribay had put into recruiting Moyes in the first place and strengthened by the loyalty the manager had shown in rejecting chances to return to the Barclays Premier League, could endure pressure to dismiss him.
It was why Moyes was not too concerned when he followed the game at Las Palmas by flying home for the night to attend his daughter’s 21st birthday party. And why he felt let down that the news of his dismissal had leaked out before he had even returned to Spain. ‘Even bad news has to be given with integrity,’ says Moyes. ‘I don’t think he did that in the end.’
He met Aperribay (below) on the Monday evening. ‘Our flight back on Sunday was cancelled, so Billy and I travelled back on the Monday,’ he says. ‘By then I knew from other people that things weren’t right. That was the disappointing thing; a similar situation (to what happened at Manchester United).
‘I was disappointed because the president had made such a big thing of recruiting me. I had actually turned him down three times. I remember walking up and down my driveway, thinking: “Will I, won’t I?” but he was persistent. ‘And I’d turned down opportunities to return to the Premier League. ‘I won’t say which clubs out of respect to the managers (Moyes was linked with West Ham, Sunderland, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa) but I had an 18-month contract with La Real and out of loyalty to the president I at least wanted to finish the season there.
‘I saw him on the Monday evening and by then my room was already half packed up. He said he was sorry. I think the pressure from the local media was something he found very difficult. That was disappointing.
‘We would have spoken most days. To me it was a similar relationship to the one I had enjoyed with Bill Kenwright at Everton. That’s why I felt let down.’
This, however, is not the same David Moyes who only 15 months ago was giving Sportsmail the first interview since his departure from Old Trafford.
The venue is different. This time it is in London rather than a quiet Italian restaurant in Cheshire, but the man is different, too.
He is more philosophical and an awful lot more positive, convinced that he is a better manager for his experiences in Manchester and in Spain.
Moyes is also keen to return to work as soon as possible.
He left La Real sitting in 16th
That home win was just fantastic — I had a great experience I took risks at Sociedad and United but my peak years are still to come
position in La Liga, with just nine points from 11 games.
‘But if you put together our results at the start of this season with those from last season and I think we are 11th in La Liga,’ he says.
‘If you took the results from when we took over in November to the end of last season I think we were fifth or sixth with the climb we had.
‘Why do managers lose their jobs? Because of results — but our performances had merited much better and I actually think the only poor performance was against Las Palmas.
‘I also think we would have picked up. I wasn’t panicking. I’d had similar seasons at Everton when we started slow and finished strong.
‘I’ve looked at it and Real Sociedad have had 15 managers in 15 years since John Toshack.’
Moyes says that the philosophy at La Real ‘makes it a struggle for any coach’.
‘You have to have 13 or 14 out of your squad of 22 or 23 from the club’s academy,’ he says.
‘I admire the philosophy because it is encouraging their young players, but ultimately, to have the level of success they want on a regular basis with that structure is going to be nearly impossible.
‘It limits how many players you can bring in. In the summer we signed just two players with a couple coming in on loan.’
Even so, Moyes says he has few regrets. ‘I am disappointed that I lost my job because I had an 18-month contract,’ he says.
‘They offered me a five-year deal but it was my choice to sign an 18-month contract.
‘It was always an ambition to work abroad. Germany was probably my preferred choice but the chance to work in Spain, with the teams that dominate the Champions League and the best national team, was attractive.
‘La Real also gave me a chance to get back coaching again and get back on the field and working with the players and I really enjoyed that.
‘The players were terrific. I had a great relationship with them. In fact some of them have phoned me since I left. I wouldn’t change it. I had a great experience. Beating Barcelona at home was fantastic.’ He rejects the suggestion that two dismissals — one after 10 months at United and the other a year into his tenure at La Real — may have damaged a reputation established during 11 successful years at Everton. Instead, he would urge any prospective employer to consider the positives.
‘I took a risk,’ he says. ‘I could have taken other jobs in the Premier League after United but I chose not to. As I said, it was an ambition to work abroad — to network, to find out what was happening in other countries; the style.
‘I have done that, even if I would have liked it to have lasted a little bit longer.
‘I would hope my experience of working in La Liga would have actually enhanced my reputation because I now have a knowledge of the Spanish players, the Spanish league — a lot more idea of a different style of play.
‘You could say I also took a risk when I followed Sir Alex Ferguson at United but let’s put this into perspective. Is this someone who is trying to challenge himself? Trying to develop?
‘I think I’ve always chosen wisely, with all the jobs I’ve taken and I think I’m probably wiser, calmer, and better for the experiences. My peak years are still to come.’
Starting right away, he insists. ‘I don’t feel I need a holiday,’ he says.
‘Some really good Premier League clubs came in for me and there are some opportunities to go abroad again. I just need a challenge that excites me — here or in another country.’