When Everton hired David Moyes as manager in January, they were 16th in the Premier League table, one point clear of the relegation zone.
Everton had won just three games in 19, a run of form that saw Sean Dyche lose his job. Since Moyes’ arrival, they have only lost once in the league. This came just four days into his second spell in charge, and the Toffees now sit 17 points clear of the relegation spots.
After a successive spell with Everton first time round, it looks like Moyes is working his magic once again. After his second spell with West Ham United and work so far with the blue half of Merseyside, he is disproving the theory that you must “never go back”.
Unsuccessful second spells
The phrase “never go back” has been adopted by football fans for many years. There have been plenty who have had success in their second spells, such as Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid manager, Tony Pulis at Stoke City and Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
However, Mourinho was also sacked as Chelsea manager during his second spell just under seven months after winning a Premier League title for the club, and there have been many managers who have regretted going back.
Kevin Keegan had a great first spell at Newcastle United, despite an almighty collapse in the 1995/96 season where they finished second after a 12-point lead in the January. Who could forget the famous rant.
He resigned in 1997 but would return to the St. James’ Park dugout in January 2008 but this reign would only last nine months after a fallout with the board. The club would go on to get relegated in the same season as his departure.
Luiz Felipe Scolari won the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Brazil but after returning as the national team manager in 2012, he was also in charge for their 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup. Frank Lampard’s second spell as Chelsea boss was just as underwhelming as his first and Max Allegri went from a 70% win percentage in his first spell with Juventus to 53.6% in his second spell. From 2014-19, he won five Serie A titles, four **Coppa Italia**’s, a Supercoppa Italiana and two Champions League runners up medals. He had just one Coppa Italia to show for his second spell.
Zinedine Zidane won three Champions League in a row during his first spell as Real Madrid, along with a La Liga title, a Supercopa de España, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups. He may have won a La Liga title in 2020 after he returned a few months’ later but his second spell was just not the same. He seemed to jump before he was pushed after a trophyless season in 2020/21. Changing to rugby and Warren Gatland was recently sacked after a disastrous second spell as the Welsh national team head coach.
For Moyes, it has been anything but a difficult second spell for West Ham and Everton.
A difficult five years for Moyes
The phrase “never go back” would have certainty been on the mind of West Ham and Everton fans when Moyes returned to both clubs.
Moyes was announced as Sir Alex Ferguson’s replacement at Manchester United in 2013 after an excellent 11 years with Everton. He was sacked less than a year into a six-year contract. His reputation was at an all-time low and after unsuccessful stints that followed with Real Sociedad and Sunderland, his stock could not have been any lower.
The arrival at Old Trafford was meant to be the next step in his career, but the move ended up being a disaster. His first transfer window was a bad omen for what was to come. The club reportedly had a helicopter waiting for Gareth Bale before he rejected them for Real Madrid and the club also failed in trying to sign Cesc Fàbregas. Instead, they opted for someone Moyes knew well in Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian eventually had some success in a United shirt but this was not the case whilst Moyes was in charge.
Rio Ferdinand spoke of how he felt the job was too big for Moyes, with reports of the Scot trying to change too much. The former England international also spoke of his “defeatist attitude” and that he had not grasped the magnitude of the club’s size and struggled when planning against the big clubs.
Moyes also set some unwanted records. During the 2013/14 season, they suffered their first home defeat to Newcastle United in 41 years, lost both league games to Everton for the first time since 1970 and Swansea City claimed their first ever Old Trafford win in their FA Cup meeting. It was also the first win at Old Trafford for West Brom since 1978 and they secured their first season without Champions League football since 1995. It was only the second time since the inception of the Premier League that they would finish below Liverpool in the table.
His time at Real Sociedad saw him sacked with the club just above the relegation zone and he had the first relegation of his career at Sunderland, with the club yet to return to the top flight since.
He has managed to turn his managerial career around since.
June, 2023 (Oh What a Night!)
Moyes’ first spell only lasted less than a season, joining in November 2017 and leaving after his six-month deal expired in May 2017. When he arrived, they were in the relegation zone but he managed to guide them to survival. Despite this, his re-appointment in December 2019 was not met well by fans, with the club’s board were accused of lacking ambition.
https://x.com/coyotewandering/status/1211235724261036033
A 4-0 win against Bournemouth on his first game back got him off to the perfect start. They finished the season in 16th but would finish sixth in the following campaign, securing UEFAEuropa League**** qualification. Moyes would guide the Hammers to a semi-final spot a year later and with a seventh place finish in the league, they embarked another season in Europe for 2022/23 in the newly formed UEFA Conference League.
They would finish 14th in 2022/23 but after a semi-final win over AZ Alkmaar, they reached the final of the Conference League, where they would play Italian side Fiorentina in Prague. This would end up being the crowning moment in Moyes’ managerial career.
Saïd Benrahma scored the opener for the Hammers from the spot in the 62nd minute, but scores were evened just five minutes later through Fiorentina’s Giacomo Bonaventura. Both teams were preparing for extra time, but just before the added time board was lifted, Jarrod Bowen broke through on goal and slotted it past Pietro Terracciano. West Ham were European champions and to quote the BT (now TNT) Sport commentary on the night, “Moyes’ mission is accomplished.”
West Ham would earn a Europa League spot for the 2023/24 as a reward for their victory in Prague, but their time in the competition would end in the quarter final stage, at the hands of eventual finalists Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite a respectable ninth placed finish, Moyes would end his tenure after the conclusion of the season, leaving as one of the greatest managers in **West Ham**’s history.
It is so far so good for Moyes at Everton.
He has managed to steady the ship and earned some great results along the way. The 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur and 1-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion were impressive, but the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in February has been the most memorable.
Against the league leaders, Everton gave as good as they got against their local rivals as they secured a draw in the 98th minute thanks to James Tarkowski’s powerful strike.
In the last ever Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park, Moyes helped ensure Liverpool did not have more wins than Everton in the history of this fixture at this stadium. This may not have been the case had Dyche still been there.
Moyes has overseen the improvement of Beto and has allowed James O’Brien to flourish, with former Everton manager Kevin Kilbane very excited with how the Toffees have looked since his return.
“Moyes has bought a confidence to the team and they are scoring more, conceding less and playing more expansive football. They have nothing to fear in these games and especially at home, they can look to take positives from previous performances and the crowd will be in full voice as the last few home games at Goodison are upon us, so fans savouring every game as it happens.”
https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2025/03/21/everton/1217729-exclusive-kevin-kilbane-says-everton-have-nothing-to-fear-in-their-next-three-games.html
Everton’s next game is against Liverpool, and Moyes has the chance to do something he has never done as a manager, won a game at Anfield. With how well they played against Arne Slot’s side in the reverse fixture, there is a growing feeling that he could finally end this long hoodoo.
Liverpool’s recent run of form, that saw them get knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and lose to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, will give Everton fans even more confidence that they could dent their biggest rival’s title hopes.
Some fans may wish on their team to lose in the game that follows, as they take on Arsenal, especially if they do get something at Anfield. You would not expect Moyes to allow his team to fold, and he will relish the chance to damage the Gunners’ title hopes.
It has been a great start to life at Everton for Moyes, and he has definitely eased fans’ fears that a manager should never go back.