Moyes promises quiet evolution, not a revolution
Manchester City and, more worryingly, Middlesbrough.
For the second year running, they lost their first home match of the season to a newly-promoted side and afterwards Moyes talked about the Black Cats facing another season of struggle.
It’s not what the fans want to hear but it’s a dose of realism from the new boss.
Remarkably, Sunderland haven’t won a match in August since 2010 and it creates a feeling of playing catch-up against the rest.
The inadequate preparation and rush job with the squad didn’t help this time but both club and manager need the reassurance of three points, and the sooner, the better.
Moyes’ success at Everton over 11 years was built on strong foundations. He kept the club up when he got to Goodison and then improved the team year-on-year.
There were no major upheavals, just quietly evolution, changing one or two players per season.
But to reach that period of stability, you have to come through those rocky early patches. That is what Moyes couldn’t achieve at United or Real Sociedad.
At United, he had the impossible task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson and the subsequent two years under Louis van Gaal underlined the difficulty. But at Old Trafford you have to keep winning, even while the team is in transition.
Then in Spain, a failure to truly grasp the language during his year in San Sebastian was the principal reason why his reign was so short.
The job at the Stadium of Light came along at just the right time for him and gives the 53-year-old the chance to rebuild his career.
Ellis Short will have looked at Moyes’ track record at Everton and seen that as the perfect model for Sunderland – the guarantee of Premier League football every season and its TV riches, with a manager who can get on with the job diligently and with the respect of everyone in football.
This is the chance to get things truly right at the Stadium of Light. Too often in the last few years, it has been a case of get through to the end of the season and start again with the same plan in August.
Once he gets his feet under the table, Moyes could be the man to break that destructive cycle.
But it might have to be early pain in the season’s opening weeks before there can be any sign of long-term gain.