David Moyes gets first taste of life under scrutiny

David Moyes spoke of the "inner -devilment" driving him on, a quality that gives him a chance of succeeding at Manchester United. He -emphasised that his Everton team had become more expansive, another trait that should accelerate his acceptance at Old Trafford. So will Moyes's assertion that he has always sought to give youth a chance.

Moyes has two games remaining, against West Ham United at an -emotional Goodison Park tomorrow and then at Chelsea next weekend. There was a hint of grieving as he talked of his sadness at leaving Goodi-son but the moving-on process was clearly under way. During a half-hour discourse after training at Finch Farm yesterday, Moyes occasionally referred to Everton as "they" rather than "we".

All eyes were on him, looking for confirmation that he is indeed a man of substance capable of acclimatising to the Everest challenge of managing Manchester United. Moyes was controlled, calm but clearly very aware of the life-changing decision he had just made, a choice affected his whole family as well as him. The spotlight burns now.

He was polite, eloquent, frank, dealing at length with a clamorous media which had squeezed into the Finch Farm media room. Outside the gates, satellite trucks straddled grass verges usually only the preserve of lost ramblers. It was a taste of the life that Moyes will soon lead, the intense interest in Manchester United, a club with a global pull and agenda.

Moyes requested there be no questions about United. There were certainly no direct enquiries about Wayne Rooney or whether he would replace Patrice Evra with Leighton Baines, but with subtle prompting Moyes actually revealed plenty about what United fans could expect. A manager with hunger, a team with an attractive style, a continued faith in youthful talents.

Above him was the Everton motto, Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, helpfully translated into Nothing But The Best. That is what the 50-year-old craves.

"I might have got mellower which might be a bad thing,'' he reflected of his 11 years at Everton. "When you are young, you're intense. I've not lost the intensity but maybe I use it in the right ways.

"With experience and the comfort which I've felt in my job - I never felt threatened because I had good players and a stable board - that has helped me mature and develop. But I hope I've not lost the inner -devilment which I think I still have within me."

Such an attribute is most famously within the man he follows, Sir Alex Ferguson. "I grew up looking at Jock Stein and Sir Alex Ferguson,'' the Scot continued. "He [Ferguson] has always been someone I admired and then, as the years have gone by, competed against, which was daunting enough over the years. Everybody has great admiration for him.

"I don't think any body ever thought that this day would come when he would retire. He is superhuman. He will be sorely missed - and by a lot of managers. He would always speak to them, have a quiet word with anybody who was out of work or going into a job."

Attack-minded principles shaped Ferguson's game-plans and Moyes argued that Everton have developed under him. "I hope the characteristics have changed. What good managers do is you work and prepare, you find a way of winning. Style is important. You might have a good style but if you don't win then you probably find yourself out of work. So you have to win.

"With that comes development, confidence and the opportunity to bring in better players, play in a better style. Everton from the early years are completely changed to the Everton teams of now. I hope the style has evolved and we are playing a brand which most people enjoy."

More expansive? "It is that.'' But what of the absence of a trophy -during his Everton tenure? "You've got to remember that the 10 years before I came here that Everton won only one trophy [the FA Cup in 1995]. You are not talking about a club with trophy-winning managers then.

"When I took over we were bobbing along not far off the bottom of the Premier League. Now, it is a club that, on Sunday, will still be competing to be in Europe. Everton are regularly competing for fifth, sixth, seventh. We've tried to hang in with Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea this season.

"It's tough every year for Everton to compete right at the top end. But they've brought in a couple of young players, develop them, make them better. We've really brought the -players through the Academy. That's fundamental. A lot of young players get a game at Everton."

On arriving in 2002, Moyes described Everton as the "People's Club", a hugely popular comment. "People thought I must have sat up all night, writing poetry, thinking of it, but it was nothing like that. It was from the heart. If ever there was a true statement, it was that one.

"Hopefully on Sunday the fans will react in the same way they did when I first stepped through the door. You can never tell with fans. They support their team and I would understand it if they weren't happy.

"It's a difficult time for me and my family. My family come to all the games. It's going to be hard for us. I enjoy Goodison. It is an old lady of a football stadium, which can be raucous on its day.

"It's been such a big part of my life. The 11 years have not disappointed. Everton will always be very close to me. I always hoped that when I left Everton I'd be able to walk back through the front door - and shake people by the hand." He will.

Moyes engenders respect.