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Soccer Premier League

Real Sociedad Offer Hints At Redemption For David Moyes

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It’s been over six months since he was unceremoniously axed as Manchester United boss, but despite his forgettable experience at the head of one of Britain’s most prestigious football clubs that saw him fall out of favour with pundits and football-lovers alike, David Moyes is only now regaining some of the respect and prestige he took so many years to build up.

At Everton, he was widely regarded as a shrewd operator; a man who was more than capable of keeping Everton on the right track. Through a number of trophy-less and adverse years, it was Moyes who continued to steady the ship, captaining it away from the doldrums towards calmer seas. An almost halcyonic influence at Goodison Park, he was a man who knew how to carry out his role with boardroom-specificity, but always edging the club nearer to a breakthrough. Nevertheless, he wasn’t the sort of smooth-talking, outspoken boss that could be the ideal United saviour.

And when he took the reins at Old Trafford following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, not much went right for him. The transfer market was particularly harsh. His lack of big-name signings, that saw only Marouane Fellaini follow him from The Toffees, caused the Stretford End faithful to get testy and anxious. This wasn’t how they were used to things. It threw them off and many were skeptical from the get-go, undermining his ability in the process.

What happened during his 10-month tenure has been well-documented. Player rifts, unspoken tensions and incompatible changes in managerial style all caused Moyes to lose his grip on the first-team steadily – from the get-go, in fact. But he’s sure to have learned from all of that. And his stocks of confidence and credibility are creeping back up.

Being linked with La Liga outfit Real Sociedad following the sacking of Jagoba Arrasate, as reported by The Mirror, confirms just how much the 51-year-old has regained the belief that was lost in his ability ever since his ill-fated United journey began.

Even his recent piece for The Daily Mail suggests Moyes now feels he has finally earned the right to stand up and speak out – that some of the decisions he made at United were good ones and could still have a lasting, positive impact on the future of the club.

“I remember people telling me it took Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic a while. Players who became great players for United. Marouane should have been given time too, because he’s now proving what I always believed; that he can be an important player for United.”

Redemption, it seems, is something the former Everton boss is slowly starting to experience. It’s beginning to shift back into focus that he knows his football, he knows how to do business, he knows exactly what he wants and very often, how to get it done.

Reflecting on the fact that the 2012-13 Premier League Champions have less points now than at the same stage under David Moyes again offers us an appreciation of just how scrutinized his personal performances were, because Louis Van Gaal isn’t nearly as widely criticized.

Taking the reins at Sociedad — a team currently sitting in 19th position, second from bottom with only six points after 10 games — would certainly be a tough assignment, make no mistake.

Without a win in nine weeks, since their unbelievable 4-2 triumph over Real Madrid, it’s all been downhill. But despite the presently bleak outlook of the Basque club, it’s unlikely to be any more laborious than what he was forced to endure at United. If anything, he’s likely to go into it with a more open-minded approach, less naive and far more in-tune with the lifestyle of change commanding a new club brings.

At the end of the day, this is a massive opportunity for the Scotsman, and most definitely the biggest act he could do to fully prove many of his doubters wrong. Sure, it’s a risk, but he’s showing all the right indicators he’s ready to take it. After all, he’s learned a hell of a lot in the last few months, and nothing more so, you’d imagine, than to believe in himself.

Trevor Murray is a soccer writer at www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on twitter @TrevorM90, ‘”like” him on Facebook or add him to your circles in Google+.

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