David Moyes has been sacked as head coach of Real Sociedad, just one day before he would have marked a year in charge of the Spanish club.
With his reputation in tatters following an ill-fated nine-month spell as Sir Alex Ferguson’s replacement at Manchester United, the Scot took the brave decision to rebuild his reputation in La Liga. Upon his arrival he found La Real threatened by relegation, but he managed to lead them to a 12th place finish thanks to results which included the 1-0 defeat of Barcelona.
Moyes was able to spend around €25million ahead of the current season, with the arrivals of Asier Illarramendi, Jonathas, Bruma and Geronio Rulli designed to help them build on last term’s survival. However, they have recorded just two wins from the opening 11 matches, and the 2-0 loss to Las Palmas on Friday leaves them level on points with their third-bottom opponents.
The Scot had continued to maintain he would remain at the Anoeta, where he was under contract until next summer, but the club have decided to act now. As well as the bad results, some sources in Spain claim La Real were disappointed with the style of play he had tried to implement, whilst it is believed a number of his players were also unconvinced by his methods and ideas.
Reports also claimed that Moyes had struggled to adapt to life in his adopted homeland, and was having difficulty mastering the Spanish language. The most damning fact will, of course, will be his record of only 12 wins during almost a year in charge of the club. Their decision to sack him also means he has failed to last 12 months in either of his jobs since leaving Everton in 2013.
During his time at Goodison Park the 52-year-old built up a reputation as one of the best coaches in England, and in the summer he was linked with a return to the Premier League with Newcastle United and West Ham United. It remains to be seen where his next position will present itself, but he will be aware that another failure would further damage his standing in the game.
