Will it be another unhappy return for David Moyes at Everton?

The Everton fans feelings towards David Moyes have eased somewhat since the summer of 2013. The Scotsman left the club with best wishes on his move to Manchester United. Everton fans hate it (as any fan does) when a player or manager moves on up, but he left on good terms as Evertonians could barely begrudge the man the opportunity to replace Sir Alex Ferguson.

What they did begrudge however, was the move to try and buy two of Everton’s best player for an insulting sum of money. In the end Fellaini went, and Baines stayed and Everton, as we always do, got a good deal.

It turned respect into resentment and Moyes became a walking joke at Old Trafford under a barrage of media pressure and memes. His tenure wasn’t a happy one and Everton were happy to oblige with that. At Old Trafford we did what we couldn’t do during Moyes’ time at the club and claim a victory. That victory was sealed by a player Everton will be facing on the weekend in Bryan Ovideo.

The reverse fixture was even sweeter for Evertonians as we claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory, in the concourse of the Gwladys Street at half-time “Stuck with Moyes, stuck with Moyes, Man United” rang out as Evertonians were joyous at his demise and Everton’s rise, as we’d finish the season in 5th place and above the 20 times champions.

That match sealed Moyes’ fate, it made it mathematically certain that they couldn’t finish in the Champions League places and Man United decided to become unstuck from him. A spell out of the spotlight and then an unsuccessful return to management with Real Sociedad followed, as did the ‘I have no idea what i’m doing’ memes.

His return to Premier League management echoed of his first appointment in the league with Everton. At Man United he was tasked with winning the league, at Sunderland he was tasked with staying in it, and he’s struggling. I am a firm believer in Moyes, his time at Preston and Everton clearly weren’t flukes and the management abilities are there. I feel that if Sunderland stick by him then they would be able to have a resurgence in the same manner that Everton did, and get out of the cycle of near relegations they have found themselves in.

That however depends on them staying in the league this season, which is looking increasingly perilous. They are at the bottom of the league and a lot of the teams just above them are starting to find form, Sunderland need to find form quickly otherwise they will find themselves in the Championship.

It’s at this stage of the season that Sunderland usually look to sack their manager and replace him with one who will go onto save them. Their board clearly aren’t shy of making that call and Moyes is surely not too far away from the same fate.

Moyes has come to Everton once before as the away manager, and it ended in him getting sacked. On his second return, he could end up receiving the same fate. It would be a cruel reminder to a man who wanted to leave for better things. “If people want to leave Everton then they can, but they need to remember it generally doesn’t work out for them” he once said, quite so Mr Moyes.