Sporting Life sporlife

Moyes Won't Return Favour

Sat 15 Mar, 02:09 PM


Everton manager David Moyes owes Fulham counterpart Roy Hodgson a debt of gratitude but insists Sunday is not the time for it to be repaid.

Hodgson, as then manager of Italian club Udinese, proved to be a great help to Moyes when he was taking his UEFA Pro Licence several years ago.

It is something the Toffees boss remembers still but there will be pleasantries exchanged and nothing else when the pair meet at Craven Cottage.

Fulham are in dire straits in 19th in the Barclays Premier League, effectively seven points from safety because of their inferior goal difference but Moyes has issues of his own as he pushes Liverpool for the fourth Champions League place.

And that means past favours will be forgotten for 90 minutes down by the Thames.

"Roy helped me when I was doing my pro licence four or five years ago when he was manager at Udinese," explained Moyes.

"You have to do a foreign visit as part of it and I was over there with Roy and him and his wife looked after me really well.

"Udinese did as well and so I know Roy quite well.

"I wish him success and I hope he does well at Fulham but not until after my game that is for sure."

Hodgson fits the type of model Moyes would like to see in more English bosses.

Having begun his career with Bristol City he moved abroad to manage Inter Milan (twice), Udinese, Finland, Viking Stavanger and the United Arab Emirates.

"He has been one of the coaches from these shores who has done well. He's been at Inter Milan," said Moyes, who is celebrating his sixth anniversary at the club.

"It is something I harp on quite a lot about. I am more than happy for managers from other countries to come into ours but I think it has to be reciprocated and I would like to see more British managers manage in Europe.

"We see very few British managers getting jobs abroad. The imbalance is incorrect.

"Hopefully in the future that will happen and it will be spread more evenly about.

"With English teams doing well in the Champions League I think opportunities for British managers will come from sides abroad."

Former Fulham boss Chris Coleman was the last British manager to try his hand abroad but his spell at Real Sociedad came to an abrupt end halfway through this season after interference from the boardroom.

Moyes believes the structure of the English top flight actually hinders home-grown managers from spreading their wings on the continent.

"What happens here is you get very little chance to win trophies in this country because of the standard of the Premier League," he added.

"Maybe clubs abroad are looking at CVs to see what managers have won a couple of cups and that is very difficult in this country.

"We maybe look abroad at Spain and Portugal for managers that have been successful and bring them across here to manage the top clubs.

"But we need to get some managers who are out of work across there because I think in the end it would help the British game.

"Those managers would go out and pick up some ideas and an understanding of another country and possibly take some players with them when they went out there."

Moyes' immediate concern, however, is the fitness of key midfielder Tim Cahill, who missed the midweek UEFA Cup exit to Fiorentina with hip and foot injuries and remains a doubt for Craven Cottage.

"I am going to wait until the last minute to see if we can get him fit," said the Everton boss.

"We hope he can make it but he missed the game in midweek and without Manuel Fernandes we are a bit short in midfield now."

More news from SportingLife.com