David Moyes returns to football as Real Sociedad boss

David Moyes will be looking to rebuild his managerial career in La Liga after being appointed as head coach of Real Sociedad

Former-Manchester United boss David Moyes has returned to football as head coach of Spanish club Real Sociedad.

The Scot has been handed an 18 month contract with the Basque outfit and will be looking rebuild his reputation in La Liga after a nightmare spell in charge of English giants Manchester United.

Reputation

David Moyes had built a reputation as one of the brightest young British bosses at Everton.

He took the Toffees from regular relegation candidates to regular challengers for the European spots. The Scot also helped to balance the very fragile finances at Goodison Park as well.

Amongst his peers he was regarded as one of the best man motivators in the game and when he was offered the chance to manage Manchester United, the most successful club in English football he could not turn now the opportunity.

Unfortunately for Moyes he had to follow in the footsteps of legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. Whoever took the job was on a hiding to nothing. If he had been successful then people would have claimed that was because it was Sir Alex’s team.

However, if he had failed it was because he lacked the managerial acumen to manage a club with such high expectations. He failed and his reputation as a boss was in tatters.

To be fair to Moyes there was just too many things that were against him to succeed at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson played a big hand in his compatriot being appointed and obviously had faith in Moyes.

However, Ferguson knew when it was the right time to quit, as United’s squad was not in the best of shape, despite winning the Premier League title in the previous season. Too many players were mediocre in the United squad and Moyes paid the price by being sacked after less than a year in charge.

Risk

Moyes deserves praise for coming out of his comfortable zone at Everton and taking the risk of taking the manager’s job at United, which was always going to be a difficult one. He failed at United, but once again Moyes is taking himself out of his comfort zone by moving to Spain.

Steady

Despite his failings at United, David Moyes is still a very steady football boss. He is no idiot, as he proved with Everton. The 51-year-old would not have been so highly-regarded at Everton if he did not know the game.

Sir Alex Ferguson would not have recommended Moyes if he had no managerial acumen. Moyes is very much a student of the game. The former-Preston boss is unlikely to be fazed by the Spanish league, as I am sure he has a good knowledge of the game in Spain.

Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague seems pleased that Real Sociedad have chosen Moyes. He told Sky Sports News HQ: “I’m so excited about this. He’s one of the top British managers and he’s actually going to go to La Liga, to a team he can improve.

“The interesting thing is Real Sociedad have not accepted no for an answer. They insisted they wanted him to be the man and received very good reports. It’s not a decision that’s been taken lightly at all.”

Ideal

Real Sociedad could be the perfect opportunity for Moyes to re-launch his managerial career. They currently find themselves in La Liga’s relegation zone, but in truth with the players in their squad they should be performing better than they are.

Real Sociedad have been in and around La Liga’s top four for the past few seasons and appeared in the Champions League last season, so they are no tin pot club. The loss of star French winger Antoine Griezmann in the summer was a hammer blow, but they do still have a lot of good players in their ranks, such Carlos Vela, Xabi Prieto and Inigo Martinez.

However, Moyes will be walking into a club that has low morale and little money to spend, much like Everton when he first arrived on Merseyside.

The only way seems to be up for Real Sociedad and Moyes should have enough managerial talent to guide the Basque club away from the drop zone. They are currently odds of 14/1 to be relegated, by no means favourites for the drop.

Transition

With expectations currently low in San Sebastien, the biggest issue Moyes has to worry about is the transition to another country and league. The Scot does not currently speak the language and will have to learn quickly, or hire a translator to help him out in the first couple of months.

If he can make a quick transition then I have no doubts that David Moyes can re-launch his managerial career and help move Real Sociedad away from La Liga’s drop zone.

Will David Moyes be a success in La Liga?