David Moyes sacked by Real Sociedad after a year in charge

• Basque country club embroiled in relegation battle
• Moyes took charge for 38 games but won only 11

Posted Tuesday, November 10, 2015 by theguardian.com

David Moyes sacked by Real Sociedad after a year in charge
David Moyes found life in the spotlight at Real Sociedad difficult.

David Moyes has been sacked as manager of Real Sociedad almost exactly a year after taking over at the Spanish club, with the team clear of the relegation zone only on goal difference.

The decision was taken following a 2-0 defeat at second-bottom Las Palmas on Friday night that left them with two wins in their first 11 games of the season. The former Everton and Manchester United manager’s assistant, Billy McKinlay, will leave with him. The former Celta and Barcelona B manager Eusebio Sacristán has been confirmed as his replacement.

The club’s president, Jokin Aperribay, informed Moyes on Monday after he returned from the UK, where he had spent the weekend. The 52-year-old was due to fly back on Sunday but his flight from Manchester to Bilbao was cancelled and rescheduled for the following day. He arrived in San Sebastián and returned to the Maria Cristina hotel, which has been his home for the last year, but he did not make any comment.

Real Sociedad brought Moyes to the club a year ago after they had won only twice in the opening 11 games. Aperribay had been determined to bring him in, even after Moyes had said no on more than one occasion. With the former West Bromwich manager Pepe Mel set to take the position, Moyes finally agreed. Being British was part of his appeal but a year on that same quality has lost its attraction.

Speaking to his players through an interpreter, Moyes has on occasion appeared isolated but initially his arrival had the desired effect on the pitch, where the side played with greater pace and intensity. He pulled Real Sociedad out of trouble last season and comfortably avoided relegation, finishing 12th, 11 points above the drop. This was expected to be the season they progressed, perhaps even competing for Europe, although Moyes believed the quality of the squad was not that high and that expectations were unrealistic.

In the summer he rejected offers from Premier League clubs to continue at Real Sociedad, amid fears in the city that he might choose to depart. At that stage he enjoyed significant support from fans and la Real signed Asier Illarramendi, Jonathas, Bruma and Diego Reyes, but they did miss out on Moyes’s target, Burnley’s Danny Ings, and that initial optimism slipped away.

Two wins this season, and those against the bottom two, had left him in a precarious position and the club under pressure. Defeat at Las Palmas was the final straw, not just because of the result but because the players seemed unable or unwilling to react. Aperribay maintained a close relationship with Moyes and was his greatest supporter at the club, defending him when others on the board had doubts, but in the end his hand was forced. In his 38 games in charge, the equivalent of a full league season, Real Sociedad picked up 46 points under Moyes.

"Real Sociedad would like to thank David Moyes and Billy McKinlay for the professional conduct, commitment and dedication which they showed during their roles in the running of the first team," a statement said.