David Moyes Returns to Deepdale with Everton for League Cup Clash
David Moyes heads back to Deepdale on Wednesday night with a Premier League club at his back and a League Cup tie to win – but his mind is already half in the past.
Everton’s 63-year-old manager returns to Preston North End in the Carabao Cup second round (20:00 BST), to a stadium where he built his reputation first as a defender, then as a rookie boss learning the hard way.
‘A brilliant job for me’
Moyes took his first step into management at Deepdale in January 1998 when he replaced Gary Peters. It was a modest job on paper, a world away from the glare of the top flight. For Moyes, it became the perfect proving ground.
"It was a brilliant job for me. I would be recommending it to all the young coaches," he said, reflecting on that period as he prepares to walk back out at the same ground with Everton.
He believes the pathway he chose still matters in an era when young managers can be fast-tracked into high-pressure roles before they are ready.
"You are better off to earning your stripes and finding a way through the leagues than being thrown in at a club where it is difficult at the start," he said.
That line sums up his philosophy: take the knocks, learn the trade, climb the ladder. Deepdale, for him, was the classroom.
Lessons over a cup of tea
Moyes’ memories of Preston are not just about promotions and touchline decisions. They are also about quiet Friday afternoons and one of English football’s greats.
He spoke with clear affection about Sir Tom Finney, the forward who scored 171 goals in 372 appearances for North End between 1946 and 1960 and remains the club’s defining figure.
"He used to come in and have a cup of tea with me on a Friday before a game in the early days," Moyes recalled. "He was legendary and he still is. He was the pillar of how I see Preston."
Those conversations drifted naturally towards the art of beating defenders – Finney’s trademark.
"The biggest thing I used to ask him about was him being renowned for beating players and he would say: 'Well, they would over-cover one side and I would just take them on the other side'."
Moyes never saw Finney play live. "Obviously I didn't see him play, I was too young, but I've seen a few clips and he was a big thing for Preston," he said.
On Wednesday, as Everton chase progress in the cup, Moyes walks back into a place where his own story truly began – and where the echoes of Sir Tom’s advice still linger in the manager’s mind.
