Former Everton defender Joleon Lescott has revealed that David Moyes admitted he struggled to build personal relationships with players during his first spell in charge, but has evolved to become a better manager. Lescott, who played under Moyes at Goodison Park between 2006 and 2009, shared the insight while speaking exclusively to Betway after appearing as a guest on Head2Head From The Clubhouse.
Moyes' evolution as a manager
Moyes was the youngest manager in the Premier League when he arrived at Everton in 2002 as a 38-year-old, but at 63 he now finds himself as the division's elder statesman. Lescott said the Glaswegian has had to adapt to dealing with a different generation of players.
"David Moyes is massive for Everton, and when the new ownership took over at Everton, he was the obvious appointment to repair relationships between the club and the fans," Lescott said. "It's fitting that he's going to be the man to overtake Harry Catterick's record, and I'm sure that's a huge honour for him.
"When you think about Everton in the modern day, you think of David Moyes, and you can't understate what he's done for the club during his time there."
Building relationships with players
Lescott added that Moyes' passion for the club is what makes him great, but the manager admitted he has had to change his approach. "I think what makes David so great is his passion and how much he cares about Everton," he said. "He cares about winning first and foremost, but I spoke to him recently, and he said he's really had to evolve as a manager in recent years because he struggled during his first period to really build those personal relationships with the players.
"He talked about how important that it is now for any modern manager to be able to have those solid relationships with your players, and no doubt that's made him an even better manager because his understanding of the game tactically is second to none."
Lescott's gratitude to Everton and coaching staff
Lescott joined Everton from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2006 after Moyes scouted him on 24 occasions. Despite having no Premier League experience, he made 143 appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals in three seasons. Just over a year after his move, he won the first of his 26 England caps as a half-time substitute in a 3-0 win over Estonia on October 13, 2007.
Reflecting on his development, the 44-year-old said: "There's no doubt that he helped me progress into the player I became during my time at the club, and he rightly gets credit for recognising the promise I had, but it would be wrong to say it was just him. Alan Irvine was really good with me at that time, as was Steve Round, and I'd have to give them a lot of credit for the time they put in with me on the training ground. Everything has always been about the team though with David Moyes, and my personal development would be second to the needs of the team, and I completely respected that."
Despite leaving the club in acrimonious circumstances in 2009, when Moyes refused his request to be left out of the squad for the first home game of the 2009/10 season before a 6-1 defeat to Arsenal and a £22million transfer to Manchester City, Lescott looks back fondly. "I absolutely loved my time at Everton, and I'm so thankful to the club for giving me my first proper taste of Premier League football," he said. "The passion that everybody around the place has for the club hits you straight away, whether it's the backroom staff or the supporters. Of course that comes with pressure, but I absolutely loved what it meant to anybody, and it was just the perfect place for me at that time to develop as a footballer."
