English Premer League boss David Moyes has revealed how his early days at Celtic helped shaped his future as a player and manager in football.
The 59-year-old Scotsman has had a long and illustrious career in the sport, with his best days coming as a manager.
Moyes has gone on to lead English Premier League clubs such as Everton, Manchester United, and West Ham, where he is currently in charge.
However, it all started for Moyes in football as a player at Celtic.
He would spend around three years at Parkhead before going on to play for a host of different clubs in England and Scotland.
His first steps into management would come in 1998 at Preston North End, which would kick-start his managerial career.
Moyes has had plenty of ups and downs in the management game, with the majority of his spells coming south of the border, alongside a short stay at Real Sociedad in Spain.
During his time at different clubs, the former Celtic man has come up against the Hoops in a series of friendly fixtures. The most recent coming in Ange Postecoglou’s first summer in charge of the club.
Speaking in a recent interview, Moyes took the time to reflect on his 43-year career as a player and manager, which all started in his hometown of Glasgow.
The West Ham manager was very complimentary of his short stay at Celtic Park, admitting that the club’s winning mentality helped set him up for a future in the sport.
Reflecting on his early days in football, Moyes said on the Diary of a CEO podcast: “The fundamentals were that I learned so much (as a player).
“But my early days, when I started at Celtic was probably engraved in me more than anything because Celtic has an incredible tradition of winning. Obviously, Celtic had to win with style as well.
“Celtic were the biggest club, with Rangers, in Glasgow and in Scotland, I should say. And because of that, Celtic had to win; it was always so important.
“I could see, there was the first team, there was the reserves, there was the youth team. And all the managers were under pressure to win.
“Then, if you did win, it was well, what was the score? You won 1-0? That’s not good enough, you need to win 3 or 4-0; you need to win by more goals.
“And how did you play? Well, we scored an own goal, or it was a scrappy goal. That’s not good enough, you have to win with style.
“So I think my early days, I was brought up with brilliant footballers. People who showed me, I don’t know if you want to call it a philosophy because philosophy might be much deeper and might offer much more, but it gave me something where I had to say, well, I have to win. I have to find a way of winning.
“If I can win with style, that’s even better. But more importantly, I have to find a way of winning. And I picked that up probably from my early days at Celtic.”
Moyes credits early Celtic days as important learning curve for future in football.
Although Moyes is remembered for other things than his short stay at Celtic Park, the English Premier League boss clearly learned some important lessons at the Hoops.
Coming through the club’s academy system is an important lesson for any young player, but particularly at a club like Celtic.
As Moyes mentions, right from the off at Parkhead, there is a demand and expectation for results, which can help shape players for the future.
He might not have achieved much on the trophy front as a manager. But having spent the vast majority of his time in the English Premier League, it would be fair to say Moyes has been a successful boss.
On multiple occasions, the Scotsman has been linked with a move into the managerial hot seat at Celtic, most recently in 2021 after the exit of Neil Lennon.
However, that has never come to fruition, and he is yet to make a return to where it all started in football.
Who knows, maybe that will come one day for David Moyes and the Hoops, should both parties’ managerial situations match up.
But for now, the ex-Everton and Manchester United boss has a job to focus on, with pressure building at West Ham, who are sitting 18th in the top-flight of English football.
In other news, “It was pretty wild”; Celtic captain Callum McGregor reflects on the difficult Hampden conditions.
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