MADRID // David Moyes was sacked by Real Sociedad on Monday after a turbulent year in charge during which he failed to turn around the Basque side’s fortunes.
“Real Sociedad have decided to cancel the contract of first-team coach David Moyes,” a club statement said. “The club wish to thank him ... for all he brought to the club, his professionalism and his dedication in carrying out his duties.”
Moyes, whose contract was set to expire in June 2016, won 12 games out of 38 to guide La Real to a 12th-place finish in the 2014/15 campaign.
Spanish press reports indicate that former Barcelona reserve team coach Eusebio Sacristan is favourite to succeed Moyes.
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Moyes took charge of the San Sebastian outfit last November, just seven months after being fired by Manchester United after overseeing a disastrous debut campaign following the retirement of Alex Ferguson, as United finished outside the top four in the Premier League for the first time in 24 years.
However, Friday’s 2-0 defeat at newly promoted Las Palmas left Sociedad above the relegation zone only on goal difference with just nine points from their first 11 games, exactly the same situation they were in when Moyes was hired 364 days previously.
Moyes’s contract was due to run until the end of the season, but, despite being a favourite of president Jokin Aperribay, the pressure from fans and local media was too much to bear for those in charge of the club.
Moyes was criticised for his failure to adopt to the Spanish style of play and master the language.
The 52-year-old Scot regularly complained about the way games are refereed in Spain during press conferences he always gave in English.
There had been moments of promise early in Moyes’s reign as he dragged an underperforming squad away from the relegation zone.
A 1-0 win over a Barcelona that would go on to win the Spanish league-and-cup double, as well as the Uefa Champions League a few months later in January was undoubtedly the highlight.
Yet, a season that began with plenty of optimism after the return of midfielder Asier Illarramendi to the club from Real Madrid for €17.5 million (Dh69.1m) has been a huge disappointment.
Moyes’s men managed just two victories, against the league’s bottom two sides, Granada and Levante, and with the daunting task of Sevilla and Barcelona to come after the international break, a change at the helm became inevitable.
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