“He’s an extremely nice guy,” Rathbone told Football Presse. “He probably wouldn’t want me to say that. He likes to be tough. But anybody who knows him as well as me — he’s a fantastic guy.”
And crucially, he cares.
“He cares about the players. The players would healthily moan about him — in a good way. But they all knew, when David’s the manager, you’re going to have your best years under him.”
That balance — tough but fair — is what sets him apart.
“He’s got fantastic knowledge. A fantastic reader of the game. He understands the new stuff. But he knows the big thing is to win your personal battles.”
Rathbone believes that blend — old-school edge with modern understanding — is why Moyes has endured.
“There’s a room for sports science and there’s a room for digging deep.”
And in the end, Moyes always knew which mattered most.
“This is about heart.”