By Alex Turk
In front of an international audience managers select their team, take training and speak to the media. But behind the scenes, there’s so much more involved with perhaps the most scrutinised job in football.
As part of the UCFB-LMA Insight Series, former Everton, Manchester United and West Ham United manager David Moyes spoke to students about the importance of understanding different aspects of the job, and how the degree programmes on offer at UCFB can send aspiring coaches along the right path to success.
Moyes said: “Fortunately enough I went on to be a professional player, but I think if I hadn’t got to that level and I was really keen on doing something then at the time you could only really become a PE teacher if you wanted to work in sport. I think the amount of opportunities there is now for young people is fantastic. The programmes [at UCFB] have got a big direction on football and the football industry, so I think it’s something I would really be interested in.”
The Scotsman has been in the managerial game for 20 years across six different clubs, with his longest stint coming at Goodison Park for 11 of them between 2002 and 2013. He started back in 1998 at Preston North End, and told students he grasped club finances at an early stage and their importance.
The former Real Sociedad boss said: “I knew all about the finances, player’s contracts, deals, everything; you’re working with a club and you need to know how much you’ve got to spend, what sort of players you could go for and how much room you’ve got for wages.” Moyes added: “You have to understand the finances, that’s really important.”
