David Moyes has achieved "legendary" status at Everton a long time ago and brings out the best in those around him, according to former striker Jermaine Beckford. Moyes has equalled Harry Catterick's haul of 592 matches, previously the most of any Blues boss, and is set to go ahead in his own right when his side play their next fixture at Brentford on Monday, November 23. The Glaswegian has achieved the feat over two separate spells, having first arrived at Goodison Park in 2002.
Beckford hails Moyes' impact
Speaking courtesy of Freebets, home of the best uk betting sites, the 42-year-old told the ECHO: "It's incredible and it speaks volumes of the man himself as well. He's a tough guy and he demands 100% all the time."
"That's because he's not had it easy. He sees the possibility of where we could end up and the perspective of the harder you work, the luckier you get. Everton is one of those football clubs where it's always been a competition between us and the neighbours, and the money has always been over that side. So, we've had to shop in a different supermarket and make what we have work harder for us."
"There's an appreciation there and David Moyes does unbelievably well to bring out the best in not just himself but everybody around him. He pushes you to levels that you didn't realise you could reach and he stretches your boundaries as well when it comes to the realms of possibility."
Turning players into legends
Beckford added: "We've seen that with some of the unbelievable players that have played for the club and what they've been able to achieve. He turns players into legends and that pushes his legendary status even further up. You know, in my opinion, he reached that status a long, long time ago at Everton. All he's doing now is just reassuring himself of how great he is and while he doesn't believe his own hype, he's an unbelievable coach."
Beckford was a prolific lower division striker with Leeds United, recording goal returns of 20, 34 and 30 in his final three seasons at Elland Road before Moyes took a punt on him on a Bosman-style free transfer in the summer of 2010 when his contract expired at the Yorkshire club. Although the Ealing-born player only had one full season on Merseyside, among his 10 goals were a derby strike against Liverpool at Anfield and a spectacular solo effort to beat Chelsea, the club he'd played for as a youngster, on a day that Carlo Ancelotti was sacked as visiting manager before departing Goodison Park.
Learning discipline and teamwork
Reflecting on his time working under Moyes, Beckford explained how the manager made him a better all-round player. He said: "It was tough man! He shouted at me a lot, he made me realise football is not just about me. It's not about being selfish. It's not about only me scoring goals, it's a bigger picture. We defend as a team. We attack as a team."
"If you're not doing your work defensively, as a number nine, you're leaving one of your other players exposed. So it's about hard graft, picking up your fitness levels and trusting your team-mates. Sometimes as a forward, you get frustrated at not being involved in the game. and you'll start drifting closer towards the centre circle or dropping deeper into your own half. But what that does is it takes away from the attacking side of your teamwork."
"He taught me on a personal level how to be far more disciplined and not drift in and out of games and how to stay focussed while you're in the game, even when things aren't necessarily going your way or you're not seemingly involved in the game per se. He taught me how to stay switched on in those moments where the game is going on and I've not touched the ball for 10, 12, 15 minutes. But you've got to be ready because when that opportunity arises, bang, you've got to be lively and on point."
Adapting to modern football
Moyes has gone from being the youngest manager in the Premier League, having first arrived at Everton as a 38-year-old, to now being the division's elder statesman at 63. Beckford acknowledges the only way to stay at the top for so long is to adapt to the way football has evolved over that period.
He said: "When David Moyes first came in, formations were set 4-4-2. You had the big guy and the small guy up top, you had the big physical guys in midfield, the solid groups at the back. He's gone from that to 4-5-1, 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 and he's still here, still learning, still growing. It's not been easy for him, and he's had moments where he's found it a little bit challenging, but he's stuck with whatever he's known."
"He's altered the style of play every now and then but there's one thing that he doesn't give up on and that's the hard graft. The type of players he brings in are tough, physical players but they've got a little bit of magic sprinkled on them as well. The only way for a manager to be able to have as much longevity as he has is to be able to be able to change with the times and that's exactly what he's done."
