sport news David Moyes is on the brink of joining West Ham royalty trends now
From Danish backwaters and the Romanian capital in autumn, through the lowlands of Belgium and the Netherlands and the glistening isle of Cyprus in spring to an airless room in the back of a modest stadium in Prague.
An odyssey of 14 games, 13 won and one drawn, across nearly 10 months, culminates in the Czech capital against Fiorentina. It is the end of an adventure and maybe with it the end of an era for West Ham. For manager David Moyes, it is the chance to fulfil an ambition and scale a peak.
‘I’ve had a really good career,’ said the Scot on Tuesday night. ‘Coaching since I was 34 or 35, over a thousand games in football and maybe 600 in the Premier League. I’ve been in some finals and had some promotions, but this is the biggest moment.
‘It is for any coach, new or old. To coach in a European final is one of the pinnacles. It is slightly surreal because I’ve watched a lot of football, all the big games and was part of UEFA’s technical committee.
‘But to turn up as a manager and have your own dressing room, to know your team are performing here, is a big thrill for me. I really hope I can take it to the next level, which is winning, but I’m up against a really good opponent. I know it’ll be a tough game.’
David Moyes is aiming to be the first British manager to win a European trophy since 2008
Sir Alex Ferguson was the last Brit to win in Europe, leading Man United to glory in 2008
Beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday and Moyes will be the first British manager to win a European trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United won the Champions League in 2008.
He would take a place in the pantheon of great Glaswegians to achieve success in European competition that includes Ferguson, Jock Stein, Sir Matt Busby and Bill Shankly.
Moyes was born into a Celtic family only four years before Stein led them to glory, the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967 with players drawn almost entirely from the city’s east end.
The West Ham boss would have been acutely aware of what all that stood for, long before he signed at Parkhead from Drumchapel Amateurs aged 17. On Tuesday night, though, he was reluctant to accept victory here might bestow upon him any kind of legendary status.
‘I don’t think of myself as any different to anyone else in this room,’ said the 60-year-old. ‘I’m privileged to have the opportunity to go this far in my career and be on a stage like this.
‘I don’t think of myself as being a legend or words like
