David Moyes reflects on Everton board support as records approach

Moyes, 63, spoke at the Football Writers’ Association Northern Managers’ Awards Dinner in Manchester on Sunday, where he was guest of honour and received the organisation’s North Tribute Award. He has managed more than 1,200 matches across his career and is closing in on another Premier League milestone.

His total of 759 matches in the competition puts him third on the all-time list, behind Arsène Wenger on 828 and Sir Alex Ferguson on 810. Moyes first took charge of Everton in 2002, aged 38, and guided the club to nine top-eight finishes, including fourth place in 2004-05.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Moyes reflected on the importance of having supportive owners, starting with his first managerial job at Preston North End.

Moyes credited Preston owner Bryan Gray with giving him the trust and support to build his career, arguing that young coaches can struggle to survive without people at a club who allow them time to work.

At Everton, Moyes found similar backing from Sir Philip Carter and Bill Kenwright during his 11-year first spell at Goodison Park. He described Kenwright as a personal source of support when the pressures of management became difficult.

“Bill Kenwright was fantastic to me personally. Over all the years, if I wasn’t in a good place, he helped me if I needed lifting, he was always there for me and sometimes as managers we need that as well as it can be an incredibly lonely job at times.”

After leaving Everton, Moyes managed Manchester United and Real Sociedad before returning to the Premier League with Sunderland and West Ham United. His second spell at West Ham brought European silverware when the club won the Europa Conference League.

“I understand how important longevity is, because I think having it says something about how you do and how you work. But I’d never experienced what it felt like to be a winner and winning a European trophy because it felt like it was something different and I’d gone somewhere onto a different level.

“It made me realise that winning the trophies really means something special if you’re really fortunate to be a manager who could do that. I’m jealous of Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex, all those ones who won bundles of trophies and I wish it could be me.”

The approaching record is another source of pride for Moyes, who believes his longevity reflects both the support he received at key moments and his ability to keep working through the instability that defines modern management.