DAVID MOYES has been doing so well at West Ham he has had old mentor Sir Alex Ferguson on the phone.
The man who made Moyes the Chosen One as his successor at Old Trafford cannot stop passing on advice to his protege, even as the Hammers prepare to play Manchester United today.
West Ham boss Moyes said: “He texted me two weeks ago after a game to say how well he thought the team was doing.
“Sir Alex was always very good to me. He was very good to me at Manchester United.
“He is thought of so highly and at that time to replace him was a great honour.”
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Moyes, 57, has made fools of those who labelled him a footballing dinosaur and is now trying to help West Ham muscle in on the big boys of the English game.
He has silenced his doubters who claimed he was past it after miserable spells at United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland.
Leading the Hammers up to fifth is proof there is life in the old dog yet, so what of those who accused him of being prehistoric in some of his methods?
Moyes said: “I feel more sad for the people who say that because it shows their lack of intellect.
“I shouldn’t even have to defend myself.
“Maybe on the field it’s not been as noticeable as it should be, but there are other circumstances for that too.
“The biggest proof I can give is I’ve had nearly 1,000 games as a manager which gives you an idea.
“To get that amount of games means you’re doing something right.
“Some of the occasions it has not been as good as I would like but I took on some difficult jobs.
“I went to Real Sociedad, I don’t know there are many other British managers who have been offered a job in one of the major leagues in one of the main countries.
“I came back and took the Sunderland job which, if you look at it, it was incredibly difficult.
“Sometimes you can try and do something but it doesn’t work.
“I’m in a really good place because I’ve got a brilliant bunch of lads.
“I’m really enjoying this period, I’m enjoying being at West Ham.
“Was I having to prove anything or show anything? Yes I was. I had to.
“The biggest thing was could I keep West Ham up again? That is a really difficult task.
“The position we were in and the way it was going, sometimes that gets forgotten about.
“I hope it is always forgotten about and that we’re never talking about relegation again.
“The fact of the matter is this club has been bobbing around and what I am trying to get is a vision that the club doesn’t end up that way again.
“I can’t do it in a short period but I think I can turn West Ham into something much more exciting, much more recognised and much higher up in the league.
“I would never regret taking the Manchester United job ever, but leaving Everton was an incredibly big decision.
“Sometimes only when you leave do you realise how good the Everton team were and how close they were.
“I never regret what I did because it was too big an honour. At that time I was being offered several big jobs in the UK and elsewhere and I just felt, at the time, maybe it was time to leave.
“But looking back there are lots of regrets as the team I left at Everton were so good.”
So what of United’s visit today, with third place up for grabs for West Ham with a win?
Moyes added: “Maybe United have not quite had the results but I think they’ll be challenging with three or four teams to win the Premier League this year, I really do.
“We are not at that level yet, but I’ll tell you what, it doesn’t mean to say we’re not going to play above our station.
“It doesn’t mean we’re not going to all those games thinking we can win them and take them on because we’ve got a lot of confidence at the moment.
“We have a lot of belief that we can go and win the games.”
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