Money, pride and ego do a lot to a person, and it seems David Moyes isn’t immune to its effects. Suddenly, when speaking from his ivory tower as the manager of Manchester United, he forgets about his actions of the past, speaking and acting in a hypocrisy that seem to sit very much in line with his predecessor at the position, only Alex Ferguson won a thing or two in order to earn the right to say the things he did.
Moyes? He hasn’t won anything with Everton, and he hasn’t been long enough at Manchester United to brush off on the arrogance and the feeling of entitlement his words seem to project. It’s not all too certain that these aren’t words someone else is putting in his mouth, but it’s funny to hear him talk of Everton and the whole Baines-Fellaini situation in this way considering the way he acted while at the job.
Moyes says that if he was the Everton manager getting these low-ball offers from Manchester United, he would find it very hard to hold on to these players, because it’s not right for their careers.
This is from the man holding on to Wayne Rooney like he’s the only life jacket a drowning man can find, while Rooney is trying to push his way out and find a way to become a Chelsea man. But when you’re a Manchester United manager, your perspective changes.
This is from the manager who once said Everton don’t sell cheap, and then goes on to offer a deal he knows will unsettle the players but doesn’t actually bring forth the amount Everton are willing to sell in. This if from the man who once forced Joleon Lescott to train on his own after the centre back spoke of his desire to leave Everton and go to Manchester City.
Moyes is doing his job. He’s the manager of a bigger club than Everton, but doesn’t want to throw away money. Anything he did in the past doesn’t matter to him because he’s at the Big Boys table right now. The problems Everton will have in replacing two key players this close to the transfer deadline? It means nothing to him, even if it eliminated any shred of love Everton fans still feel for their former manager.
But you sometimes expect a bit more from certain figures, and Moyes used to be someone who had something to do with class, or at least the class you expect when you’r naive and blind to the business side of the sport. Crushing Everton and weakening them isn’t his goal. Contradicting his past actions isn’t his goal as well. If it’s something that happens while he makes his current job and life easier, so be it. It might show something about his character and principles, but in order to win and succeed in a difficult situations, you have to let some of the good parts in you go.