David Moyes: The one that got away?

[Legion]

Mat Kendrick - Football editor, Birmingham Live

Aston Villa face West Ham United this week with both clubs gradually refining their expectations for the season.
The Hammers are fifth in the Premier League table with 35 points from 21 games, while Villa, who have played two matches fewer, are ninth with 32 points.
David Moyes lines up against Villa in the away dugout at Villa Park on Wednesday evening.
Had the footballing fates decided differently, the West Ham boss could have been wearing the claret and blue of his Brummie hosts.
There will be no regrets from Moyes or Villa.
Moyes was under serious consideration for the Villa job several times during a decade when the nameplate on the manager's door at Bodymoor Heath should have been scribbled on a Post-it note rather than engraved in brass.
The Glaswegian's name was originally in the frame back in the summer of 2010 when Villa were seeking a successor for Martin O'Neill after his bombshell relegation and again the following year as the club sought to replace O'Neill's replacement Gerard Houllier.
On those occasions, Randy Lerner and Paul Faulkner were put off from pursuing Moyes and turned their attentions elsewhere, while the Scottish boss would have been unlikely to leave a settled job at Everton for Premier League peers in a perpetual state of upheaval.
The summer of 2016 was when Villa made their strongest pitch for Moyes.
Available after his ill-fated spell at Manchester United and his aborted stint in Spain with Real Sociedad, Moyes was a serious contender for the Villa gig four and a half years ago.
Reeling from relegation out of the Premier League, and under new ownership following the Tony Xia takeover, Villa drew up a very short shortlist.
Villa firmed up their interest to the extent that the club held telephone conversations with Moyes and his agent brother Kenny to sound him out.
The then chief executive Keith Wyness was a keen admirer of Moyes having worked closely with him during their fruitful time together at Everton.
Moyes was receptive enough to the idea to take the call, but reservations about the new ownership and a desire to maintain his Premier League reputation proved to be barriers to him wanting the job.
"He felt he was a Premier League manager if he took a step back and things didn't work out for whatever reason he would be pigeonholed at that level so he wanted to stay available for a Premier League job," a source told BirminghamLive.
"He was unsure about how things would work out at Aston Villa with the new regime and, let's face it, he was proven right."
They didn't know it at the time but perhaps it was a sliding doors moment for Villa and Moyes.
Had Moyes made more encouraging noises during that phonecall, then it seems he would have been given the nod over eventual choice Roberto Di Matteo, even though the Italian was a firm favourite of Xia.
Nigel Pearson was the preferred choice of interim chairman Steve Hollis before the sale of Villa and the former Leicester City boss also met Xia and his inner circle over lunch, but the Chinese businessman favoured Di Matteo after a productive meeting in a hotel.
Xia was impressed by the fact Di Matteo had a degree, and the sheen of his Chamnpions League triumph with Chelsea was also a massive plus for Villa's new owner, who was seduced by the star quality of that success.
Champions League to Championship was not the smoothest of transitions, though. Di Matteo lasted just 11 league games, with just 10 points on the board and the club marooned 19th in the table.
Here's how Birmingham Live reported his departure back then:
"It was at a drizzly Deepdale where Roberto Di Matteo's body language gave him away.
"Behind the bullish bluster was the awareness that his short reign as Aston Villa manager was up.
"Villa had been beaten 2-0 by Preston North End and any misconceptions that this Championship promotion malarkey would be a doddle were quickly banished.
"That loss in Lancashire completed a miserable, and very brief, spell in charge for the former Chelsea Champions League winning gaffer.
"It was to last just 124 days, encompassing just one victory in 11 Championship matches, along with an embarrassing League Cup exit.
"At Deepdale as the assembled press sought shelter from the rain near the tunnel, Di Matteo wore a fixed smile throughout his post match duties.
"He said all the right things about 'taking full responsibility', 'faith in the team' and 'they'll be up there'.
"But his demeanour told a different story, the story of a man who, truth be told, could do without the hassle."
As it was it didn't exactly work out brilliantly for Moyes back then either. He held out for a Premier League job, taking over at Sunderland in July 2016, only to 'do a Villa' and slide out of the Premier League as the top flight whipping boys that season.
Again he wasn't keen on being a Championship manager, resigning the day after the relegation season concluded in May 2017.
By November 2017, he was back in the Premier League, taking over West Ham on a short, sharp, shock deal, but leaving the following spring - despite keeping the Hammers up - when his six month contract expired.
Fast forward to last season when both Moyes and Aston Villa were back in the top flight.
Villa took the circuitous route to get there. Despite a very near miss, Di Matteos's successor Steve Bruce - another whose Villa tenure was ended by Moyes' old club Preston - couldn't get the Lions out of the Championship, but Dean Smith managed it at the first attempt and kept the club there, courtesy of a last day draw at the London Stadium.
Moyes was back in charge at West Ham by that time, having succeeded Manuel Pellegrini in December 2019.
When it comes to Aston Villa managers, David Moyes is the one that got away.
But with both sets of 'claret and blues' daring to dream of Europe ahead of the midweek encounter neither party will be particularly rueful about how it all worked out.

[wittonwarrior]

I am so unsure when it comes to Moyes.  His football is not the best and he hasn't got the risk element to his game management so I am happy with what we have got and not shedding a tear. 

[Sexual Ealing]

Yes, very happy to have missed the Moyes boat.

[AV82EC]

Exactly like MON but not as much of a c***.

[SoccerHQ]

He'd have done a good job for us around the 2010-11 period I think. Was a top manager in those days.

In fairness thought he was finished a few years ago but done a really good job at West Ham.

His style though has its limits where the DS style can continue to grow with good signings so I'd stick with what he got.

[ChicagoLion]

A very limited Manager, he drove Evertonians nuts with his constant safety first negativity. He tried the same at TTOD and see how that worked out.
This West Ham team is doing what Everton did and will come up short.

[danno]

I'm not sure sure Everton have done any better without him, despite having new investment. One good year with Martinez?

It's a strange article from Kendrick though. Usually "one that got away" is something unbelievable or amazing slipping from your grasp. Zidane not joining Blackburn, Ibrahimovich not joining Arsenal, Doug not giving Clough the managers job. Etc.

A guy broadly comparable to MON and Steve Bruce not being our manager certainly doesn't give me sleepless nights.

I don't mean to dismiss the guys achievements but it's not like missing out on Mourinho is it?

[chrisw1]

He's certainly bounced back well, a couple of years ago most people considered him finished and I recall horror on here at the prospect of us signing him.

But it's hard to argue against the fact that he's done extremely well.  I think the dinosaur comparisons are a bit lazy really and based more on his age than anything.  Yes he likes to be organised, but I think hes a lot more tactically astute than people give him credit for.  I also think the comarison with MON is a bit unfair, he's (or at least the clubs he works for) are far more imaginitive in the transfer market than MON ever was and I thing there's more substance to his management than MONs tub-thumping get the best out of limited players style.

With all of that said I ddn't want him at the Villa as I wanted a younger more progressive manager and we certainly got that with Smith.  Would I swap?  Not a chance.   

[danno]

I don't think he's a dinosaur. But I do think a comparison with MON is fair.

I'm not saying he's better or worse, but there's not that much between them. When it comes to working with limited resources MON achieved similar levels of success at Leicester than Moyes did at Everton.

And both were crap at Sunderland!

[brontebilly]

A very limited Manager, he drove Evertonians nuts with his constant safety first negativity. He tried the same at TTOD and see how that worked out.
This West Ham team is doing what Everton did and will come up short.

Results at Everton were very good though and his stint at West Ham has turned them around (twice). Keeping West Ham in the division is the sum total of their boards ambition and he is comfortably achieving that on a limited budget.

Once the fans get back in, he will come under a bit of pressure alright "We're West Ham and we play on the floor".

Looking forward to this game.

[OCD]

He's the type of manager you bring in when your club's a mess and you need to stabilise it.

[ChicagoLion]

A very limited Manager, he drove Evertonians nuts with his constant safety first negativity. He tried the same at TTOD and see how that worked out.
This West Ham team is doing what Everton did and will come up short.

Results at Everton were very good though and his stint at West Ham has turned them around (twice). Keeping West Ham in the division is the sum total of their boards ambition and he is comfortably achieving that on a limited budget.

Once the fans get back in, he will come under a bit of pressure alright "We're West Ham and we play on the floor".

Looking forward to this game.

Yes he kept them there or there abouts but no Cigar, he did not push on and pretended he did not spend money which was rubbish. The football was dull.

[mamuu]

"villa were seeking a successor for Martin O'Neill after his bombshell relegation"

does this stuff ever get proof read ?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I don't think he's a dinosaur. But I do think a comparison with MON is fair.

I'm not saying he's better or worse, but there's not that much between them. When it comes to working with limited resources MON achieved similar levels of success at Leicester than Moyes did at Everton.

And both were crap at Sunderland!

Compare what MON had to spend at Villa Park and Moyes at Goodison yet MON was always was second best. Never rated either and was delighted when Moyes turned us down it the Championship. As for MON, even the Celtic fans were tired of his football and glad he left when he did (though not under the personal circumstances).

[GordonCowansisthegreatest]

"villa were seeking a successor for Martin O'Neill after his bombshell relegation"

does this stuff ever get proof read ?

Auto-correct!! Resignation.