Daily WHUFC News - 15th November 2017

Moyes explains backroom team decisions
WHUFC.com

David Moyes says he has the perfect team behind him as he sets his sights on
reviving West Ham United's Premier League fortunes. Moyes has finalised his
backroom team this week with the appointments of Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce
and Billy McKinlay as his assistants, who join goalkeeper coach Chris Woods
on the staff, and the quintet are leading preparations for the Scot's first
game in charge of the Hammers at Watford on Sunday. All three of Moyes'
assistants possess managerial experience of their own and the boss is sure
their collective knowledge will push the Hammers on. "I'm really pleased to
welcome Alan, Stuart and Billy to the club, along with Chris who was already
here, and I'm looking forward to working with them all," Moyes said. "I
wanted to get their appointments finalised as quickly as possible and it's
great that we now have a full week together before the game at Watford on
Sunday. "I've obviously worked with Alan, Billy and Chris previously, and
I'm also looking forward to working with Stuart, who I have got to know well
over the years. "They all bring different qualities, and they all share the
same desire and hunger to make a positive contribution here. "It's all
about working hard on the training pitch and getting the results we need as
quickly as possible – that's all we are focused on."

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Foundation coach Abba nominated for Asian Football Award
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Foundation coach Rashid Abba has been nominated for the
Behind The Scenes award at this evening's Asian Football Awards. The 4th
Asian Football Awards will be presented on Tuesday evening in London and
Abba is on the shortlist for the Behind The Scenes honour – an award which
recognises the hard work of individuals behind closed doors in the world of
football. Employability and coach education manager Abba is one of three
names on the shortlist for the accolade along with Arsenal sport scientist
Nav Singh and Humayun Islam of Shapla Sports and Bangla Bantams. West Ham
United Foundation chief executive Joseph Lyons said: "We are delighted that
Rashid's hard work and efforts have led to his nomination for this
prestigious award. "Rashid has been a valuable member of our team since
joining West Ham United in 2004 and his tireless commitment to developing
and mentoring players and coaches in our community is worthy of recognition.
"On behalf of the entire Foundation I'd like to congratulate Rashid again on
his nomination and he should be incredibly proud of his achievement'

Abba, who boasts almost 30 years of experience of working in football, was
also honoured at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards in March, where
he was presented with a Football Association Special Recognition. West Ham
United are proud to also sponsor the Women's Player Award at tonight's
event. The award – which will go to either Maya Vio of Spurs Ladies, Vanisha
Patel of Gillingham Ladies, or QPR Ladies' Neethu Haridas – will be
presented by West Ham United Ladies' general manager Karen Ray.

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One or two U23s players have caught my eye – Moyes
WHUFC.com

West Ham United manager David Moyes was a guest on 5 Live Sport's Monday
Night Club this week. The new Hammers boss was asked about his first week in
charge of the Irons, his assessment of his new team and the crop of
youngsters at the Club.

On taking over during the international break:

It's probably a good time to get used to the players but I'm already missing
eight or nine, as most clubs do at this time of year during the
international games. It's a good time and a bad time. I have spoken to one
or two [players on international duty] for different reasons. But I will
wait on most of them coming back in. I've not been able to talk to the whole
group and I won't do that until probably Thursday.

On his new squad:

I think it takes you a little bit of time to get used to them and working
with them. I think we've all probably got an idea because we watch them
regularly and we've seen them all season. Overall, I think it takes you a
bit of time to get used to them and get to know them. I've got to say the
players have been terrific. They really have. They've worked very hard in
the four or five days I've been with them. They've done everything we've
asked.

Moyes in training

On his initial aims:

We must start from scratch and give the players a chance to start again. We
would also be stupid if we didn't look back. We've looked at the goals we've
conceded and we have got the worst defensive record in the league. First of
all, we've got to try and find a way of stopping that. We don't want to stop
the attacking play because we've got good attacking players as well. But we
can't get away with not running back. We can't get away with not doing the
jobs we've got to do. Ultimately, they've got to be a bit more humble for
each other, work for the team, and score goals together and defend together.

On his targets for the season:

For me the first thing is to make sure there's no chance that we are
involved at the bottom end of the table. Realistically I'm hoping I can win
more games than people expect me to do. And I can only do that by getting
the players onside and making sure they are doing the right things. They're
talking a good game, the players. They're telling me exactly what they want.
They're telling me they want to work hard, be organised and be disciplined.
I hope once I've done that they won't be complaining!

On whether he pays attention to statistics:

I do look at the stats. You're always looking for ways to make things
better. We have to try and improve those figures if possible. And it might
not actually be fitness, it could be attitude or commitment. But we're going
to find out and we're going to give the players an opportunity to show us
they can do it. The U23s have come up to Rush Green to train with us...I've
been told about one or two and a couple of others have caught my eye.

David Moyes
On the West Ham academy:

They've trained with us every day since I've been here because the numbers
are down and we wanted to train with decent size numbers. The U23s have come
up to Rush Green to train with us and I hope that's the way it will stay.
I've been told about one or two and a couple of others have caught my eye.
Really those young boys need to be given opportunities.

On West Ham's upcoming fixtures:

I've looked at the fixtures and I want to treat them really positively. I
want to go into every game thinking we can win it. Let's not be kidding
ourselves either – there's some really tough games in there. I've never put
a team out not expecting to win.

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Ladies draw Coventry United in FA Cup second round
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies have been drawn to take on Coventry United Ladies in
the second round of the SSE Women's FA Cup. The away contest - set to be
played at Butts Park Arena - will take place on Sunday 3 December, with the
exact time to be confirmed in the coming weeks. The Hammers and Coventry
have met twice in the Premier League Southern Division already this
campaign, with Greg De Carnys' side on the receiving end of a 2-1 loss in
both contests. However West Ham now have a chance to overcome those defeats
with the FA Cup tie early next month. The competition was won last season
by Manchester City, who defeated Birmingham City 4-1 in the final at
Wembley. Cup competition fixture changes have also meant a slight alteration
in the upcoming matches for the Hammers over the next few weeks. West Ham
United Ladies will now play C&K Basildon Ladies at Rush Green on Sunday 19
November, with kick-off at 2pm, rather than Crystal Palace. The match
against the Eagles will be rescheduled for a later date in the next few
weeks. The Ladies will then return to action following the Basildon tie
this week with the SSE Women's FA Cup match with Coventry United a fortnight
later, before playing Brislington away on Sunday 10 December in the WPL
Plate.

Admission for the match against C&K Basildon is free for Season Ticket
Holders, Claret Members and all Under-16s! Click here for more information

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Trevor Sinclair in drink-drive and PC assault arrest
13 November 2017
BBC.co.uk

BBC pundit Trevor Sinclair, who was held on drink-driving charges, has been
further arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. Police were
called after a woman was hit by a car in Lytham, Lancashire, on Sunday,
suffering minor injuries. The former England footballer, 44, was arrested on
suspicion of drink-driving, common assault and criminal damage. He is also
suspected of a public order offence and has been released while inquiries
continue, police said. Officers responded at 20:45 GMT to a disturbance at a
home on Victory Boulevard in Lytham, said Lancashire Police. A man had
already left the property in a car. A police spokesman added: "A short time
later, officers found the vehicle which had been involved in a collision
with a woman pedestrian on Clifton Drive. She received minor injuries." The
London-born winger, who grew up in Manchester, played 12 times for England
including four caps in the 2002 World Cup. His clubs included Blackpool,
QPR, West Ham, Cardiff and Manchester City.

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Moyes monitoring Academy stars
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 14th November 2017
By: Staff Writer

David Moyes has confirmed that he has been keeping a close eye on several
members of the Academy after they were invited to train with the first team.
And the 54-year-old Scot, who is back at Rush Green for his second week
since succeeding Slaven Bilic in the managerial hotseat revealed that one or
two of the club's youngsters had made an instant impact. "They've trained
with us every day since I've been here because the numbers are down and we
wanted to train with decent size numbers," he told whufc.com. "The U23s have
come up to Rush Green to train with us and I hope that's the way it will
stay. I've been told about one or two and a couple of others have caught my
eye. "Really, those young boys need to be given opportunities."

The new boss also called for his senior players to be more "humble", as the
squad begins the arduous task of attempting to lift itself away from the
relegation zone. "We can't get away with not doing the jobs we've got to
do," he added. "Ultimately, they've got to be a bit more humble for each
other, work for the team, and score goals together and defend together. "The
first thing is to make sure there's no chance that we are involved at the
bottom end of the table. Realistically I'm hoping I can win more games than
people expect me to do. And I can only do that by getting the players onside
and making sure they are doing the right things. They're talking a good
game, the players. They're telling me exactly what they want. They're
telling me they want to work hard, be organised and be disciplined. I hope
once I've done that they won't be complaining!"

Moyes first test at the club's latest manager - the fourth in seven years
under the current administration - comes this weekend against Watford this
Sunday at Vicarage Road.

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Will the real David Moyes please step forward?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 14th November 2017
By: Paul Walker

I know David Moyes is a good manager. I've seen it with my own eyes, week
after week. This guy knows what he is doing.

Trouble is that was a while ago. That old angry red hair has been replaced
by white--not surprising with what he has been through with Manchester
United and Sunderland-- and the doubts over whether he can still hack it at
the top have been well voiced by many.

The dust has settled now on Slaven Bilic's sad demise and Moyes finding
himself rescued from the ashes of Sunderland's shambolic relegation to be
put in charge of West Ham, and charged with making sure that doesn't happen
to us. We are all going to see how he starts at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

So far he has been spot on. He's made all the right noises, made our
slackers run around a bit more, and brought in an experienced backroom team.
Now the matches start and regardless of your view about the man, surely we
all want him to succeed because if that happens, so do the Irons.

Now's the point where I have to declare an interest. For the final ten years
of my working life I met Moyes two/three/four times a week depending on how
often Everton played. I feel that maybe, amongst our 50,000 plus fans, that
I have had a unique insight into our new manager.

I am not daft enough to suggest we were friends, or even acquaintances.
Managers switch into media mode very quickly when they have to go through
the sometimes tiring, tedious interview rituals that go with their job.
Radio, TV, national papers, locals, agencies, Sunday papers, they all have
their own press conferences these days and the poor manager finds himself
answering the same questions all morning.

I doubt he remembers my name, or face, despite folk claiming I have an
unforgettable mug more fitting to radio. I was just one of a group of people
who stood in front of him every week for ten years holding a hand mike and
hanging on his every word.

And I know what I know. This guy may have slipped from a pedestal of late
following his very public humiliation and career shredding experiences at
Old Trafford, and then with the basket case that was Sunderland, where he
found he didn't have any money and had to keep his predecessors backroom
staff. Never gong to work, that.

But at Everton, in his pomp, he was exceptional. The perfect template for
West Ham, whose owners have long coveted such a manager. One who could work
on a shoestring, one who can find journeymen players and turn them into
stars, one who could forge a tremendous team-spirit. One who didn't lose
much.

Moyes stood up to the intense pressure of being across Stanley Park from a
rather patronising, arrogant Liverpool who, while he looked on from
Goodison, won two European trophies and every trophy available apart from
the league title under first Gerard Houllier and then Rafa Benitez.

Moyes had none of their riches, but in the end he matched them in league
performances, took Everton into the Champions League and turned Goodison
Park into a bear pit, where angels and Arsenal feared to tread.

I mention Arsenal because Arsene Wenger once told the Liverpool press crew
that he knew he had a problem when he listening to his players discussion
what evils Everton would inflict upon them as they sat on the team coach
heading for the match.

That's how many teams felt facing Moyes' Everton. They were scared stiff
because they knew they were in for a kicking, and that was only from a
ferocious crowd! Every one of the big clubs struggled against Moyes
teams--Manchester United, Chelsea, the lot.

Oh that the 54 year-old Glaswegian could produce that sort of team for us at
the London Stadium. I want to believe that he can, because I won't forget
just how good he was in that decade at Everton. He had brushes with
relegation but in the end was a consistent top six/seven club with resources
that should not have made that possible.

Then he was clear-eyed, confident, utterly sure of himself and he instilled
those virtues into a his teams. I never once saw self doubt in his eyes. And
that is what Alex Ferguson liked. He wanted Moyes as his assistant while he
was at Preston, but Everton was a bigger job in Moyes view.

From then on everyone in north west football and beyond knew that Moyes
would be the 'chosen one' to take over from Fergie. How all that went so
badly wrong has been dissected at length these past weeks.

My view is that he was left with an aging team, and Fergie's backroom staff
that he eliminated too quickly for any steady transition. Then he ran into
multi-millionaire footballers who didn't like their little groups and
cliques being disrupted by a man with no top level CV as a player. Show us
your medals... yeah, right.

People I have spoken to at Old Trafford suggest he ran into a wall of
indifference from players who had seen things run their way for too long.
And he found that you can make the odd daft remark or decision at Goodison,
but not at Old Trafford where your every word and decision is minutely
examined.

He wilted under that pressure, should never have gone off to Real Sociedad
with all the obvious language problems and then should equally never have
set foot in Sunderland. Those decisions, with his desperation to get back
into the big time, and quickly, have been obviously wrong and left his stock
severely tarnished.

So now he has landed in east London at a club in need of just the attributes
that made him so successful at Everton. And he knows he has six months to
save us and save his own career, because another relegation would probably
end any thoughts he had of managing in the Premier League.

It seems, too, that as many as ten managers rejected West Ham before David
Sullivan and David Gold turned to a man they would have loved to have as
manager a few years ago.

Ah yes, our wonderful leaders. Finally sacking Bilic and then telling him he
was 'worn out and lost interest in the job.' What a sour way to let a man go
who was respected by fans who never turned on him.

Maybe our owners should look at their own style of management; Bilic was
under intense pressure for a year, constantly two matches from the axe and
forever finding himself discussed on social media or in the tabloids by
Bermuda triangle ownership, where dreams and money seem to just disappear.

Can you wonder he was worn out? Interesting now is that many more people are
taking up a theme I have long suggested, that our owners do not do social
media, write for newspapers or even do big interviews. How long is it going
to be before it sinks in? Even big Sam recently claimed that he tore his
hair out at the constant stream of stuff coming from the boardroom that
found its way into the papers.

I must admit to being really upset when news finally hit my phone as I
walked through the Cristiano Ronaldo airport in Madeira. They've even got a
statue of their most famous son on the key side at Funchal.

This past week on holiday I have carefully not got involved in the debate,
wanting to see what Moyes did rather than rattle on about the perceptions of
his character and management style like the rest of the twitter
non-intelligencia.

Even though I expected Bilic to go after the Liverpool debacle, when it
happened it felt a bit like the axing of John Lyall or the departure of
Billy Bonds. Another piece of our club had gone. There has been so much of
our legacy and history destroyed by the move from the Boleyn, so much of
what we loved about the club gone. This was just another hammer blow.

But the king is dead, long life the king. And Moyes has surrounded himself
with a very decent backroom staff, almost an Everton all our yesterdays.
With Chris Woods, Moyes' goalkeeping coach at Goodison, the only one of
Bilic's staff kept on, there was a quick arrival too of Alan Irvine.

That's another guy I have witnessed working for many years. A great support
for Moyes, a man who has been in charge of Everton and Newcastle's Academy
and someone who has coached and managed at a decent level. It's particularly
interesting that he has done so well with young players. Nobody at West Ham
in the youth and under 23 set-up will now not be closely monitored.

Moyes has also found his Everton chief scout, Tony Henry, working for the
club as Sullivan's right-hand man, a situation that Allardyce did not
appreciate and seemingly neither did Slav. Now, though, that triangle of
friction--Sullivan, Henry and Bilic is no more. Things should run a lot
smother now!

Stuart Pearce, too, is someone I have felt still has much to offer. Good
enough to manage England's under 21s as well as Manchester City. He was a
fearsome player with a soft spot for us as a former Hammer of the Year. I
doubt he will stand for any slacking now.

Then there's Billy McKinley, who is a rarity. He's a Scot who has actually
played in a World Cup Finals, and they are thin on the ground. It was in
France '98 and he was in the side who lost to Brazil. He was also in the
UEFA finals squad in Portugal two years earlier.

As Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill's assistant more recently, he
has had a major input into their recent impressive improvement. And there's
also been several, varied, club football coaching jobs.

So Moyes has surrounded himself with a very experienced backroom - and he's
going to need one.

But it all comes down, in the end, to results. And we certainly need an
upturn in fortune and form. And that is where Moyes will be judged. He has
to hit the ground running, win at Watford and then make sure of a win at
home to Leicester the following Friday. The old David Moyes would have no
problems with that, I hope the newer Moyes is equally sound.

So, will the real David Moyes step forward. The man I watched operate for a
decade on Merseyside with such clear-eyed determination. And so much
success. Welcome to the Sullivan house of cards; best of luck pal, you'll
need it.


Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.

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HAMMERS WEMBLEY TRIP AT RISK
By Sean Whetstone 14 Nov 2017 at 19:58
WTID

West Ham's away trip to Wembley on New Year's Eve to face Spurs is at risk!
We have learned today that London Underground want the game postponed
because of the unavailability of drivers. And we understand that TFL would
like a permanent ban on all future Premier League matches in the capital on
New Year's Eve. Tickets have yet to go on sale and the fixture remains in
limbo awaiting final approval from Wembley's Safety Advisory Board. We
understand London Underground are refusing to budge from current position
despite the fixture having Premier League and police approval. However, they
have a history of brinkmanship on these issues but generally reach a
compromise at the eleventh hour. Meeting are continuing in a bid to solve
the problem.
A source close to West Ham indicated any issues would be dealt by the Spurs
end rather than ours saying: "The game has been confirmed by the Premier
League although there were intense discussions with various parties before
it was confirmed. However, The police have also confirmed. Spurs would have
to sort out any issues if they are subsequently raised."

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MOYES FIRST GAME AND WILL HE BE A SUCCESS?
By Tony Hanna 14 Nov 2017 at 08:00
WTID

Well, this week we begin another era of West Ham United football club's
history. David Moyes first game in charge away to Watford will be an
interesting and very much anticipated affair. The two week period following
the loss to Liverpool has given the new manager some extra time to settle in
and start working with what is a somewhat depleted squad due to the
International break. News coming out of Rush Green suggests the training has
been a lot tougher and more intense than under Bilic's reign and that the
players are enjoying the extra work. If this is the case it will be
interesting to see how many of the players currently away on International
duty will make the first team this weekend given the limited time spent with
the new regime? If as reported, Moyes has been working hard with the small
group left at home, and they have taken to the new intensity and responded
well to all that has been asked of them, it may be a hard call for any of
them to be excluded from Moyes first team selection on Sunday? Guess that is
why he is paid the big bucks though? Tough decisions already. Since Moyes
appointment he has brought in Alan Irvine and Stuart Pearce to join Chris
Woods as his assistants and in the last 24 hours has secured the services of
Billy McKinlay who has quit his caretaker manager role at Sunderland. It is
often muted that when a team sack their manager they more often than not win
their next game under the new manager. Here's fingers crossed that we can
keep the tradition going.

The reaction to David Moyes appointment on social media and fan site blogs
was shall we say mixed at best. "Only option" and "cheap option" were some
of the more regularly used phrases from fans expecting an appointment of
perceived much greater current status. We will take the Moyes of Preston and
Everton but you can keep the Moyes of his last three jobs pretty much summed
up a lot of fans feelings. And it is that uncertainty of "which Moyes will
we get" that disappoints some fans whilst a Silva, a Dyche or a Wagner would
have them dancing in the streets. In the real World though, success is not
guaranteed by any of those four names. If it was that easy you would not be
seeing the constant hiring and firing of football managers where the average
longevity in England in the same job is a little over a year. The Moyes of
Everton was a great success and I think most would agree that the job at
Manchester United was a dead set poison chalice. His results in Spain at
Real Sociedad were mixed and make of what you will on his time at
Sunderland.

Some fans welcomed the appointment, some just wanted Bilic gone, some didn't
want Bilic out and some just didn't want Moyes. A week later and there has
been a mellowing from most of those aligned to the latter scenarios. He has
said all the right things in his press interviews and he has been open and
honest about how he perceives this job. This is his last chance saloon
because if he fails here you would have to think that he will never get
another top flight job? He desperately wants another crack at the highest
level and West Ham have given it to him. I read somewhere recently that he
would have probably done the job for free. I wouldn't go that far, but there
again? Moyes is doing this job for himself as much as anything else, even
more so than most other managers, and this is why we won't get that
attachment to the club that provided the great love affair with Slaven
Bilic. He has no prior attachment or love of West Ham and whilst that may
seem cold it could also be a good thing. Moyes desperately wants to succeed
and he will want everything from his players with no excuses. "There will be
no favours. If they don't do the running, they're not playing".

It seems even more apparent now that some players have not been putting in a
decent shift. No Einstein stuff there but it will be interesting to see how
much the yards run, the sprints and the pressing improves? One player who
has shone in recent times is Andre Ayew, scoring goals and visibly putting
in the effort. For me I would like to see him start against Watford whilst
the likes of Antonio and Arnautovic should have to work their socks off to
regain their places. I may be being hard on Antonio who may have been
playing injured recently (indeed it looks like he will miss this weekend's
game due to injury), but his body language and facial expressions on the
touchline when he was coming on as a substitute against Crystal Palace
recently, lead me to think that he wasn't that interested at all? Perhaps it
was this lackadaisical mentality that led to his brain snap in the final
seconds of that match? If the Ogbonna tweet "liking" a fans Bilic out
comment is "fair dinkum" as we say in Australia, then you have to question
his motives too and it will also be interesting to see if Sakho all of a
sudden becomes like a new signing for Moyes? The likes of Carroll, Kouyate,
Cresswell, Obiang, Hernandes and Fonte (who is now a long term injury) have
all had very mixed performances this season. That may just be down to
playing in a side where their team mates have been letting them down as much
as a lack of their own motivation or a problem with Bilic? Whatever, it is
now down to David Moyes to get this side up and running and playing like a
unit again. It will be a huge task for him and I wish him all the best of
luck. We are due some.

Anyway, on to the fun bit. How do YOU think a Moyes West Ham will perform
this season? The best indicator will be our finishing position in the
Premier League table come the end of the season? For me, I am going to be as
optimistic as I can possibly be by predicting 14th. Post your final placing
prediction on the comments section and I will take a look back at the end of
the season and in my Tuesday article on the 15th May 2018 I will report back
on how we all went. Sorry, no prizes but perhaps an accolade or two for the
most accurate.

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West Ham slammed as a 'soap opera" by Sporting chief ready to discuss new
William Carvalho bid
He is willing to return to the negotiation table
Football London
ByGreg Johnson
UPDATED18:16, 14 NOV 2017

Bruno de Carvalho, president of Sporting Clube de Portugal, has compared
West Ham to a soap opera due to how they conduct their business behind the
scenes.
A war of words broke out between the two clubs after negotiations broke down
over a deal to bring midfielder William Carvalho to London Stadium in the
summer.
West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan were labelled "the dildo
brothers" by their Lisbon-based counterpart and Sporting director Nuno
Saraiva called Sullivan a "liar" and a "parasite" in an inflammatory post on
Facebook. Relations soured after the Irons claimed that the transfer fell
through on deadline day as Carvalho ran out of time to complete a medical.
That account of what took place in the final hours of the transfer window
was rejected by Sporting CP's directors and Saraiva even accused the Hammers
of wasting everyone's time by never submitting an official bid for the
player. He challenged Sullivan to produce proof that an offer had been made,
with the West Ham owner threatening legal action. A set of emails was later
leaked to the press that allegedly proved that a bid had been submitted, a
series of events that amounted to a "soap" according to Sporting CP
president De Carvalho. "There was this soap regarding West Ham," he said in
an interview with IBTimes. However, he remains open to the idea of returning
to the negotiation table and doing business with the Irons again in the
future. "It is not good for anybody because the fans deserve better, the
truth, our respect," he added. "The fans are the most important thing at the
club. "So if we finish what was a strange soap, let's see. But I don't know
if they will finish, because it was very, very strange." Despite two
deadline day transfers between the club and a Premier League side running
into trouble after Adrien Silva missed the deadline for registration after a
deal was agreed with Leicester City for the midfielder, De Carvalho admitted
he still had a good impression of English sides.

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Scouting system that reveals David Moyes' mind
In an exclusive extract from his new book Michael Calvin is allowed behind
the scenes at Everton to see how the man who is now Manchester United's
manager works
Michael Calvin @CalvinBook Saturday 10 August 2013 23:00 BST0 comments
The Independent Sport

"Like his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson he wields power decisively but
sensitively. He is comfortable with ultimate responsibility – indeed he
demands it" Getty
David Moyes is not a man to cross on a moment's whim. He has a finely
developed sense of respect. His trust, once earned, is of immeasurable
importance. His professionalism is unimpeachable. His eye for detail is
acute. His work ethic is prodigious and his wrath is best avoided.

Had he walked into Finch Farm training complex that bleak, wet Wednesday
morning, he would have been distinctly unimpressed. It was bad enough that a
stranger should saunter through the heavy door, marked "with permission
only", which led to a sequence of four offices which symbolised the
continuity of Everton's decade under the Scot's control. To allow someone of
my calling into the nerve centre of a club which consistently overachieves
in the face of financial restraint was positively heretical.

My guide, James Smith, revealed the compelling simplicity of a system which
many seek to emulate. Appropriately, given the nature of my visit, Moyes was
on a scouting mission in Europe. Thankfully, given my vulnerability, Duncan
Ferguson, who has previous in dealing with unwanted intruders, was unaware
of my presence. He was flicking yellow-flighted darts into a royal blue
board in the players' dining room around the corner.

Smith, Everton's head of technical scouting, was free to reveal the science
behind the School of Science. Smith has worked for Moyes since 2003. A
sports science graduate from South Bank University in London who coached in
the United States and worked his way up from Coventry City's Community
Scheme, he was among the first wave of performance analysts who seeped into
professional football in the early years of the last decade.

He was promoted after five years, when Moyes had the foresight to recognise
the value of an integrated approach to recruitment, which embraced
technology and made a virtue out of necessity.

"I think he was the only manager outside the Premier League to use
performance analysis software when he was at Preston," Smith recalled. "It's
not unlike him to want to have the best things and to be ahead of the game.
Managers don't let people in very easily – so much of the job is about
relationships and confidentiality, because you are working very closely with
them. He was not looking to overhaul recruitment exactly, but drag it
forward a bit. He wanted someone with more of an academic background as we
stepped things up."

Smith operates from the recruitment room. Its contents are cherished and
highly classified. They represent Everton's most valuable intellectual
property. Moyes' entire transfer strategy is mapped out on a succession of
whiteboards which cover all four walls. This is the visualisation of a
principle, the distillation of a philosophy. It underlines the collegiate
nature of his approach and the clinical brilliance of his management skills.

Everything is self-contained, yet inter-reliant. Smith has 5,000 reports
stored online, on around 1,000 potential targets. They conform to a
blueprint, which matches the club's culture, aspirations and financial
status. A series of internal scouting conferences analyse trends and
standardise reporting mechanisms.

Each scout must assess every player under the age of 24 at his match, and
grade them on specific aspects of performance. Moyes has produced what he
calls "an MOT Test", where players are judged against a checklist of up to
12 criteria for each position.

The optimal aim is to have up to 50 reports on a primary transfer target,
written by between 10 and 12 scouts. The manager's commitment inspires
loyalty and, it must be said, a little awe. Steve Brown, who took Smith's
role as principal performance analyst, hails Moyes' "brilliance" in devising
specific tactical strategies. The same qualities which make him a leading
coach – according to Brown, "he's so detailed, thorough and methodical in
his work" – make him a good judge of a player. The complementary disciplines
coalesce in the preparation of a two-tiered game plan, which draws on detail
contained in Everton's opposition scouting reports.

Steve Round, Moyes' assistant, has an integral role in its compilation with
the manager. The main strategy, which takes several hours to create, is
distilled into a shorter, more accessible version for the players, featuring
team shape, set-piece analysis and opposition goals. Round enters the
transfer process after first-team coach Jimmy Lumsden has followed up leads
sourced by the scouts, and sanctioned by chief scout Robbie Cooke. Again,
the principle of collective responsibility applies.

Smith admitted: "When I started at the club, I didn't know much about it
all, so I've learned from the manager, from Steve and the other staff. In
the first job, I was doing all the pre- and post-match video work, so I
spent a lot of time listening and showing them stuff, talking about stuff.
Doing all the team meetings, travelling abroad, was a massive chance to
learn from David.

"So I've got an idea of players from him. I kind of know what he's looking
for, what he's thinking. I'm thinking out loud now, but my role is knitting
it together, being a kind of a link between the manager and the scouts.

"Everything is fed back into the recruitment room. Anyone can just pop his
head in at any time. It enables the manager to keep absolutely on top of
what's going on. That's a lot of what I think David Moyes' success is
probably about: keeping on top of everything and checking, making sure
you're on it and it's not just drifting."

The secret room is unprepossessing, long and thin. It has the feel of a
teacher's study at a busy comprehensive. It is a mine of information, a
tantalising glimpse of what might be, expressed in marker pens of different
hues.

The whiteboards on the walls have a logical sequence. To understand where
Everton are in the recruitment process, they must be read from left to
right. The first board features the most promising new foreign players,
highlighted by the system. They are the pick of the 1,000 or so players
under review, and are deemed realistic recruits. Annotated beneath
individual positions, they span Europe and South America. Trends are
highlighted: right-backs, for instance, are in extremely short supply.

The next whiteboard contains live targets, who are monitored constantly.
Their ages are written in red, on a yellow square. Those names in blue are
potential free transfers, coming to the end of their contracts. Those in
green are potential loanees. Those in red carry a price. There is an
additional section, in the bottom left-hand corner, featuring three
goalkeepers, who are seen as emergency loanees if required.

Some managers preach loyalty; Moyes practises it. The next whiteboard is a
statement of faith in those closest to him. It features favoured Premier
League players, personal choices who are not on any other list. They must be
26 or under, playing for a club outside the top six, and be regarded as
realistic potential recruits.

They have been voted for by Moyes, and his senior staff. Four players, out
of the 20 or so featured, are unanimous selections. That gives everyone food
for thought. Time moves with terrifying speed in football: the next wall
condenses the next three seasons into the five seconds or so it takes to
scan a succession of teams, in Everton's favoured formation.

This is why the secret room is off limits to players. It is, in essence, a
Moyes mind map. The whiteboard contains a list of all first-team squad
players, with their ages, contract details and appearance records.

It starts with Moyes' idea of his best current starting 11, and what it will
be, up until 2014. This offers an insight into which regulars he suspects
will fade away, and who he hopes will emerge from the supporting cast. It is
an imprecise science because of the unpredictability of fate but the gaps,
when they appear, are ominous. This is a visual tool for the black art of
management, moving a player on when his use has been exhausted but his
resale potential is still significant.

Moyes does not share the elitist view that the quality of players from the
Football League has declined so markedly that it is negligible. His
personality was shaped in the lower leagues and he retains faith in their
ability to nurture raw talent. The next whiteboard is smaller, and contains
no player over the age of 23. The most promising Championship, League One
and Two players are highlighted in blue, red and green respectively.

The last major whiteboard, the transfer window list, is in many ways the
most important. This contains the names of players Everton are actively
seeking to sign. This is the scruffiest section, because so many names have
been scrubbed off, or re-entered, during the courtship rituals involving
players, clubs, agents and assorted hangers-on. The human element will
always be paramount. Peer recognition is pivotal. Moyes' brains trust uses
individual contacts, including players, coaches and managers. Agents are
regarded as most useful in South America where the web of third-party
ownership can ensnare the unwise or the unwary.

Smith reflected: "The world is changing. In the old days it seemed as if
they did everything off the back of a fag packet. The old school scout would
go to a game and just have a general look, unless there was a specific
player. He'd then speak to the chief scout on the phone and tell him what he
thought, so basically everything was stored in people's heads.

"Well, they thought it was. It wasn't really, because you can't store it all
in your head, can you? That's why reports have become so fundamental. It's
about intellectual property rights. That information belongs to Everton
because it was gained by people being paid by Everton, working for Everton.
The old-school way, with the chief scout having it all in his head, gave no
continuity. If he gets run over by a bus he takes all the knowledge with
him. I know I'm laughing at that thought, but we had a similar problem in
the academy several years ago. The head of recruitment left and there was
nothing. We didn't even have the telephone numbers of the scouts! It was as
if he'd never been here. An owner, or a CEO these days wouldn't tolerate
that, if he's got anything about him."

Some things never change. Great clubs are shaped in the image of their great
managers. It is too simplistic to view Moyes as merely an autocrat, with the
inflexibility that implies. Like his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson, he wields
power decisively, but sensitively. He is comfortable with ultimate
responsibility – indeed he demands it – but the democratic nature of
Everton's recruitment policy informs us of the man, and the club he has
created.

Michael Calvin's 'The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football's True
Talent Spotters' is published by Century at £14.99. Available at all good
book shops and online

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