2025/26 David Moyes

[Dwight K Schrute]

I have no interest in protecting a Moyes. I've said multiple times I never wanted him back, I have tolerated him on a short term deal, I have voiced that he should only get the minimum contract, I've been vocal about his stubbornness and marginalisation of younger players, his lack of ambition and our poor end to the season.

I think you've waded in on a discussion then constructed a narrative based on that.

You brought up stats as a measure for judgement, I told you I don't read them but asked you about Diblings stats and you've gone on a rant about Moyes.

According the Fbref - I just looked based on your recommendation - his P+A-pk was 0.10 over 33 games for Southampton in 24/25 and it was 0.00 this season. A Google search tells me that is poor.

Well, they are not the representative stats that are used to judge players. For example, assists is considered an outdated metric by most recruitment teams, so is used as a supplementary one to chances created. The theory is that you could have Bruno Fernandes creating for Brett Angell, and the assists stat would be massively distorted.

Fbref no longer has detailed stats (which are the kinds I'm talking about and used by professional recruitment teams) which it used to. For example, here is a screenshot of Ashley Maitland-Niles' data from the 24/25 season from my gallery (from a previous discussion with some mates, and on here, when we were linked with him). Their license has expired this season, so you can't get these anymore.

And, for the record, I maintain that it is abundantly clear that Dibling and George would have offered more had Moyes given them a chance.

 

[Zatara]

I suppose the only hope is that deep down he realises he cocked it up and goes back to a front foot based attitude. He'd never say he got it wrong but surely he must know that he didn't use the squad properly.

He'll NEVER admit he was wrong or at fault. As you say, the only hope is he realises he needs to develop and use the squad.

Hes said he wants 1 or 2 quality signings. I hope we only sign 2 players and he develops and plays the others.

He’s hardly ever been a front foot mananger, who knows what happened last season, players feeling refreshed with dyche gone and new voice. Moyes ain’t changing 18 months into the job

Let’s have it right had he given Aznou 7 or 8 starts, Dibling 12, rhol 15, O’Brien 20 games at CB and 2nf half of the season ,10 stats for Armstrong and George, would we be worse off??

If we had finished 15th no one would have cared as we'd all see were developing players for the long term.

He's gone for broke and failed.

Rewarding what merit? Who do you think really impressed but was left out?

He obviously did something right because he raised expectation by getting the most out of his squad for most of the season and getting to the point that some believed they should've got a European spot. He did this despite having to play with a toothless attack, a one paced, aging defence, missing a RB and its best CB and losing Grealish halfway through. Most players got a chance at some point and generally didn't impress.... he was even hammered for playing some of them at Wolves in the league cup.

Since he came back?

Alcaraz motm = dropped. Scored/assisted = moved wide.

Iroegbunam, Armstrong, Rohl all had a good game and...dropped.

Aznou vs Sunderland a tasty cameo and showed him up. Never seen again.

Dibling never given a run despite looking good for Southampton and highly thought of in the game including by Carsley.

For the rest of it others have answered this (see below)

"Raised expectation" - my minimum after his summer was 8th or develop youth and 14th.

He failed on every barometer anyone has set for him.

The toothless attack and missing a RB are because of Moyes! He built the team! He choose to buy a winger who "generally didn't impress" in fact he paid the 2nd highest amount in our history for that winger, money he could have spent on a right back or a left back. Moyes only has himself to blame for this season. Raising expectations was something he also did in every press conference! You couldn't talk to Moyes for five minutes without him bringing up Europe! And then after he bottles it to a team who finished 4th in the championship last season, he has the gall to tell the media he can't understand why fans would be frustrated with the club! It's never his fault, it's the fans for having ambition, it's the players he signs for not being good enough, it's the board for not giving him unlimited money, but never Davey's fault.

Spot on.

We were 3 points behind 4th when we beat Chelsea.. Criminal end to the season. Moyes out this evening.
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Disappointed hes still here.

We'll spend £400mil like he did at West Ham before some of the Moyes fans open their eyes.

 

[daza_1973]

 

[Tom Hughes]

Like I said, if you can't understand the difference between one or two players coming in to a generally settled side to freshen it up and making wholesale changes including playing your second choice keeper and a a 37 year old right back at left back then that's very much on you.

That might make some sense if Wolves (the worst team in the league) hadn't made 9 changes too, and if the point that I was responding to was that we had an abundance of unused quality just sitting on the bench all season.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Revisionist rubbish from the club. If we’d have been in the bottom half instead it would have been ‘we needed players who could keep us in the premier league’. There was no scenario where these players would have played.

Even though ironically it’s the contributions of Alcaraz (Palace at home) Rohl (Villa away) Barry Armstrong Iroegbunam Patterson that probably put the club in a position to achieve something but then most of them were moved aside for the ‘experience’ of McNeil Keane Gueye Beto OBrien and the results plummeted.

 

[Zatara]

How many managers have built a great side from the type of dysfunctional, unbalanced mess he inherited, in just one summer window? We needed new players for all over the pitch, not just RB. Then those required players have to be available, affordable and willing to come in a very competitive market.... especially where 14 other teams had more to spend and mostly had higher value squads already. We got rid of quite a lot of the deadwood and spent just enough to tread water, with mostly bargain basement to mid-level acquisitions and loans. It is always a gamble shopping at that end of the market and largely living off scraps. I think Grealish added something tbh, and if he'd not got injured, possibly would've helped see us over that raised expectation line. Similarly if Branthwaite had managed more games. Wafer thin squad in quality terms.

"Spent just enough to tread water"

"Living off scraps"

"Gamble shopping at that end of the market"

"Mid-level acquisitions and loans"


Are you Moyes' window cleaner or something?

 

[ValBlue]

How many managers have built a great side from the type of dysfunctional, unbalanced mess he inherited, in just one summer window? We needed new players for all over the pitch, not just RB. Then those required players have to be available, affordable and willing to come in a very competitive market.... especially where 14 other teams had more to spend and mostly had higher value squads already. We got rid of quite a lot of the deadwood and spent just enough to tread water, with mostly bargain basement to mid-level acquisitions and loans. It is always a gamble shopping at that end of the market and largely living off scraps. I think Grealish added something tbh, and if he'd not got injured, possibly would've helped see us over that raised expectation line. Similarly if Branthwaite had managed more games. Wafer thin squad in quality terms.

Polite reminder that we didn’t actually even get a RB last summer

 

[ValBlue]

Wonder might we go back in for Bakayoko or Fofana have had mixed years with firm and injury and we bid for both last summer.

They both rejected us last summer, why on earth would they want to join us now after that season and our upcoming prospects? Would you want to play as a young winger under Moyes?

 

[Tom Hughes]

Since he came back?

Alcaraz motm = dropped. Scored/assisted = moved wide.

Iroegbunam, Armstrong, Rohl all had a good game and...dropped.

Aznou vs Sunderland a tasty cameo and showed him up. Never seen again.

Dibling never given a run despite looking good for Southampton and highly thought of in the game including by Carsley.

For the rest of it others have answered this (see below)

"Raised expectation" - my minimum after his summer was 8th or develop youth and 14th.

We'll spend £400mil like he did at West Ham before some of the Moyes fans open their eyes.

I half agree regards Alcaraz, although I'm not sure if he beats KDH to that central role, and the wide roles are largely spoken for too.

Iroegbunam shows promise, but tbh Gana has been comfortably first choice in that role even at his advanced years.... that may be about to change. Armstrong is the classic "neat and tidy" at this point (which is good for his age), but again doesn't displace Garner or Gana as first choice. Again shows great promise. Dibling to displace N'daiye? Really? Again, I don't think so, and tbh the snippets we have seen haven't even shown that much promise yet.... hopefully that will change. Rohl shows some promise..... but again, who is he displacing on merit when everyone fit?

Aznou is a baby and is being kept out by an established (if workmanlike) international. I also have no idea about his defensive qualities.

Grealish's, Branthwaite's and Gana's injuries have opened up opportunities for all of those, but our form has generally dropped-off in their absence imo. Of course it's a moving scale with time, and some of those younger players are still improving.

 

[Neiler]

They both rejected us last summer, why on earth would they want to join us now after that season and our upcoming prospects? Would you want to play as a young winger under Moyes?

Sorry mate meant that for the transfer thread.

 

[NathDogg]

Win now mentality

Do one boyland.

 

[Dyo1878]

Again it’s the Moyes defenders who just state it’s the players, its all on the players playing/on the bench, or the new signings will make the difference.

It does not matter who is playing with these type of managers. They set the team out the exact same way every game.

Yes we have issues upfront, but our style of play creates absolutely nothing for them.

The majority of teams in the championship play better football than we do. (and have done for a number of years)

Modern football is about systems, creating chances from the system you employ, not just giving it to your best player and hoping they take on 3 players and put it on a plate for the striker.

So no, we will not look any better with better players. It will just be on them to create their own chances as the system will not do it enough for them.

 

[Zatara]

I half agree regards Alcaraz, although I'm not sure if he beats KDH to that central role, and the wide roles are largely spoken for too.

Iroegbunam shows promise, but tbh Gana has been comfortably first choice in that role even at his advanced years.... that may be about to change. Armstrong is the classic "neat and tidy" at this point (which is good for his age), but again doesn't displace Garner or Gana as first choice. Again shows great promise. Dibling to displace N'daiye? Really? Again, I don't think so, and tbh the snippets we have seen haven't even shown that much promise yet.... hopefully that will change. Rohl shows some promise..... but again, who is he displacing on merit when everyone fit?

Aznou is a baby and is being kept out by an established (if workmanlike) international. I also have no idea about his defensive qualities.

Grealish's, Branthwaite's and Gana's injuries have opened up opportunities for all of those, but our form has generally dropped-off in their absence imo.

You appear to be being deliberately obtuse.

Grealish out / Ndiaye AFCON = Where was Dibling? Why was he not given consistent sub appearances to get him up to speed?

Gana AFCON = Why wasnt there an actual strategy here regarding the midfield?

When both the AFCON players returned they were off the pace but Moyes used them every single game.

Aznou versus Sunderland delivered more energy and dynamism than McNeil has all season. Never seen again.

Rohl vs Villa then dropped

Etc etc etc its repeated by 90%+ of fans.

Why cant you see it?

 

[DualityNSNO]

"win now"

 

[DualityNSNO]

Conversely, how many individual performances that were poor, had any consequence?

I'd say 0, unless the player also got injured.