David Moyes – All you need to know about Everton’s legendary manager
David Moyes is one of the most iconic managers in Everton’s history.
Moyes was previously in charge of the Blues from 2002 to 2013 and returned to Everton after Sean Dyche was sacked in January 2025.
Moyes has overseen a rapid transformation in the Toffees’ fortunes since he came back to Merseyside, winning 11 of his 24 matches in charge.
The Friedkin Group have backed Moyes to revamp his Everton squad, and only time will tell whether he can bring success in the new era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
David Moyes’ managerial history
Moyes is a legendary manager for his exploits with Everton, but he did not start his managerial career with the Blues.
After finishing his playing career with Preston North End, Moyes took over as manager in January 1998 and guided the team away from Division Two relegation.
He then took them to the play-offs the next season, where they were defeated by Gillingham in the semi-finals, but he would win the title in the 1999-2000 campaign.
The Scotsman led Preston to the Division One play-offs with mostly the same squad that had won promotion, losing in the final to Bolton Wanderers, which denied his side a Premier League berth.
He then joined Everton on 14 March 2002, and helped them to avoid relegation from the top-flight before finishing in 7th place in his first full campaign, narrowly missing out on a UEFA Cup place on the last day of the season.
In the 2003/04 season, his side finished 17th with 39 points, the lowest in the Toffees’ history until the dismal 2022-23 season.
The following campaign would be the crowning one of Moyes’ time at Everton, as his side finished fourth, qualifying for the Champions League.
However, they would be knocked out in the qualifying round by Villarreal, and that would impact the 2005-06 season, as the Blues were pushed back into 11th place.
Everton would finish fifth twice in the following three campaigns, also embarking on a UEFA Cup run, where they reached the knockout stages of that competition twice and were defeated by Chelsea in the 2009 FA Cup final.
Moyes’ final three years would be ultra consistent with two seventh-place finishes and a sixth place in his last campaign.
Moyes’ win percentages:
- Preston: 47.86 per cent
- Everton: 42.08 per cent
- Manchester United: 52.94 per cent
- Real Sociedad: 28.57 per cent
- Sunderland: 18.60 per cent
- West Ham: 29.03 per cent
- West Ham (Second stint): 44.59 per cent
- Everton (Second stint): 45.83 per cent
He was handpicked as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor at Manchester United in July 2013, but he lasted just 10 months at Old Trafford before he was sacked.
He has spells with Real Sociedad and Sunderland, but his most iconic spell away from Everton was with West Ham.
He was initially appointed at the Hammers in 2017, but left after securing survival as his six-month deal expired in May 2018.
He would return in December 2019 and guide the London Stadium to the UEFA Europa Conference League title in the 2022/23 season, the first major trophy of his career.
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David Moyes can seal glorious Everton return with a trophy
The aim now for Moyes is to do what he did at the London Stadium, turn a poor side into a winning one and end a long trophy drought.
He is already an icon on the blue half of Merseyside, but if he can take the club to their first trophy since 1995, that will further cement his legacy.
His return already felt poetic, with Moyes being the man to guide the Blues into their new stadium; if he could top it off with success, it would be the perfect return.
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