2025/26 David Moyes

[Ming the Merciful]

IIRC, Stones WAS Moyes' signing just before he left for ManU, and I think he was supposed to be a replacement for Tony Hibbert, because we already had Distin, Jagielks, Lescott and Heitinga at CB (Might be wrong)

Stones was a Moyes signing on deadline day.

I remember it implicitly, I was sat at Exeter coach station in the snow getting deadline day updates whilst the driver tried to start the coach.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

If you've just missed 25 attempts why not try a different approach..

( that would get you relegated on football )

And no, I refuse to be a Statman, I love football not the cringe that fans have to follow it with, so they have something to add to a conversation..

It's just an analogy to illustrate a point. Moyes sets us up for every game in the way he thinks is most likely to get a result. What has happened historically doesn't change that.

 

[Swartzy]

Stones was a Moyes signing on deadline day.

I remember it implicitly, I was sat at Exeter coach station in the snow getting deadline day updates whilst the driver tried to start the coach.

Can I borrow your memory..

 

[Ming the Merciful]

Can I borrow your memory..

I haven't checked at all.

I was going Torquay to Liverpool to see my Mum. Coach stopped at Exeter and broke down with doors stuck open, they handed out blankets.

I sat refreshing my phone with bone cold hands for hrs for news.

I'm 99% sure it was deadline day otherwise not sure why I would have been that bothered.

 

[Lanolin]

Think it was January - he played over 20 league games that season

I accept the Lukaku bit, but think the midfield gets overlooked - Martinez overhauled the entire midfield unit.

We went from Fellaini, Gibson and Neville/Osman to Barry, McCarthy and Barkley and I tend to think that had as much to do with it

No I checked after I posted, it was March. He didn't start at all until January but the first few games were at right back and he only played centre half when we had 3 others injured. He came in at centre half in March and started every game from then to the end of the season. He did change the midfield but like I say I don't think that was the big contributory factor because the midfield had been functional as it was, just in a different way. The biggest difference was going from Jelavic scoring 8 goals and being generally ineffective to Lukaku scoring 15 and being a massive threat almost every game. That's not to say the other changes we made weren't good or useful in their own way or anything, it's just agreeing with the point that putting Lukaku into Moyes's team might well have seen us have a similar season.

 

[Swartzy]

I haven't checked at all.

I was going Torquay to Liverpool to see my Mum. Coach stopped at Exeter and broke down with doors stuck open, they handed out blankets.

I sat refreshing my phone with bone cold hands for hrs for news.

I'm 99% sure it was deadline day otherwise not sure why I would have been that bothered.

As long it warmed you up m8, definitely one of the players to change the game for defenders and brought us in some nice cash ( tho wasted it )

The player was worth the use of a blanket..

 

[Ming the Merciful]

As long it warmed you up m8, definitely one of the players to change the game for defenders and brought us in some nice cash ( tho wasted it )

The player was worth the use of a blanket..

Haha I didn't actually get a blanket, I declined mine nobly in favour of small family and less nobly to sit and smoke and drink cider in the shelter.

I remember feeling really let down that was the only signing though, I don't think anyone knew how good he was, we wanted someone right now.

As true then as it is today.

 

[kiss the crest]

That didn't keep working though, and by the end we looked clueless under Martinez. I always thought that season we benefited from the blend of Moyes' discipline, fitness and solidity blended by a more expansive element from Martinez. The longer Martinez was left in charge, fitness, discipline and shape seemed to have gone out of the window (not practising set pieces etc) and we were a shambles.

This team will continue to get better over time if Moyes is left in charge, and give the time he will leave the club in a much better shape. I would rather that than role the dice on someone who will supposedly get us playing like Real Madrid with the squad we have today - even Carlo couldn't manage that.

I do agree to a certain point, its just that I am not convinced that Moyes will ever get us beating the top 6 away due to his mentality that is passed onto the players, as he has failed to do so yet in all his managerial career

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

I do agree to a certain point, its just that I am not convinced that Moyes will ever get us beating the top 6 away due to his mentality that is passed onto the players, as he has failed to do so yet in all his managerial career

We beat Newcastle away last year so he has already done that.

 

[Simon Buttle]

We beat Newcastle away last year so he has already done that.

Since when have Newcastle been part of the sky 6?

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

You're right, he just wasn't getting a game

He hadn’t even arrived - he moved at the end of the season!

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

Think it was January - he played over 20 league games that season

I accept the Lukaku bit, but think the midfield gets overlooked - Martinez overhauled the entire midfield unit.

We went from Fellaini, Gibson and Neville/Osman to Barry, McCarthy and Barkley and I tend to think that had as much to do with it

Just look at the season results etc. We were chasing top four but came up short. We had way too many draws and that was because we didn’t have a man who could finish like Lukaku. A 10 point swing to finish above Arsenal would be realistic with Rom up top. Gibson would have fed him for many goals, I think.

 

[JobForTheMoyes]

Since when have Newcastle been part of the sky 6?

The current top six would be City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Villa, Chelsea, in my opinion. You can argue Spurs and Man Utd, but they were rank rotten last season and haven’t been as strong as usual.

Hell, Newcastle have as much, if not more, of a claim than Tottenham when you look at the Premier League era as a whole.

 

[Nymzee]

He hadn’t even arrived - he moved at the end of the season!

Stones arrived 31st Jan 2013 and played for our U21's

Moyes left 30th June 2013

 

[Simon Buttle]

The current top six would be City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Villa, Chelsea, in my opinion. You can argue Spurs and Man Utd, but they were rank rotten last season and haven’t been as strong as usual.

Hell, Newcastle have as much, if not more, of a claim than Tottenham when you look at the Premier League era as a whole.

The sky 6 has always been about revenue and both Newcastle and Villa can't spend like any of those teams can, they are restricted just like the rest of the league are as that drawbridge has long been pulled up and it won't change until someone finds a way to unseat Masters imo. For me its still the RS, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, and Man U, just as clubs they are much bigger than the rest of the league. You always use the recruitment argument to defend Moyes yet Villa and Newcastle can't compete in the market against the other 6, the geordies summer window was an absolute joke for the most part, and Villa have hardly started the season well, it suggests that really they are not that big in the grand scheme of things. It's a bit mad really when you think about it as Newcastle's owners could probably buy the entire top 6 and still have plenty of spare change.