10 Spanish Phrases David Moyes Needs to Learn
Nearly seven months on from his unceremonious exit from Manchester United, David Moyes has found gainful employment once again. The Scottish manager has officially been announced as the new manager of Real Sociedad on an 18-month contract (as per the BBC).
As Moyesy prepares to trade the bitter and pies of the north-west for the Kalimotxos and Pintxos of Spain's Basque region, he may need a few phrases to get him through his first few press conferences and matches.
B/R has duly obliged, providing Mr. Moyes with some very useful phrases to help him make his point clear in the coming weeks and months.
And, of course, if these phrases fail, he could just make himself understood by talking very loudly and slowly in English, like most Brits who go to Spain choose to do.
(Spanish translations provided by B/R's Vanessa Casal-Onate. Additional Basque translations are from Google Translate so will ultimately be about as successful as David Moyes in a Manchester United tracksuit.)
"I Need Money to Buy Marouane Fellaini"
In Basque: "Dirua behar dut Marouane Fellaini erosteko"
Wherever Moyes goes, Fellaini will follow. Hopefully, the Txuri-urdin have around £27.5 million to spare for a player who probably won't fit into their system and who will suffer a dramatic lapse in form.
"Have Any of You Criticised Me in Your Autobiographies?"
In Basque: "Duzun edozein kritikatu niri zure biografian ditu?"
When Wayne Rooney was unable to negotiate a move away from Old Trafford in the summer of 2013, there came the crushing realisation that he would be reunited with his former manager, David Moyes—the manager who sued him for controversial comments made in his autobiography.
That must have been a little awkward, so he can save some blushes on his first day at training with this phrase.
"You Want Better Than Europa League? Sorry, That's Not My Bag, Baby."
In Basque: "Europa League baino hobeto nahi duzu? Barkatu, ez da hori nire poltsa, haurra."
At Everton, David Moyes showed he is a master of navigating a team with a modest budget towards the upper echelons of the table. This sounds ideal for Sociedad, but the Scot might just fall agonisingly short of Champions League football. Every single season.
"I Thought We Played Very Well"
In Basque: "Benetan jokatu dugu ondo pentsatu nuen"
Whenever Manchester United suffered an unexpected and unprecedented defeat last season, Moyes was always prepared with a post-match excuse.
In some cases, he appeared to have been watching a completely different game, such as the time he said "I thought we played very well" after a shoddy 2-0 defeat to Everton.
"Do You Need a Scapegoat?"
In Basque: "Ez Scapegoat bat behar duzu?"
With six losses in 11 league games so far, Real Sociedad are falling slightly behind the standard that earned them Europa League football this season and a Champions League place in the last campaign.
If the Basque side are looking for a scapegoat, they have a man with plenty of experience.
"Do I Want Zaha? I'd Rather Have Alex Ferguson Stand Behind Me at Every Game."
In Basque: "Ez dut nahi Zaha? Nahiago dut Alex Ferguson nire atzean stand joko guztietan."
Despite being a prodigious talent who almost single-handedly brought Crystal Palace into the Premier League, Wilfried Zaha wasn't fancied by Moyes. He made one start in a League game before being shipped off to Cardiff on loan.
The Scot would probably sooner have his United predecessor standing behind him in judgement at every game in Spain—just like he did in England—than bring in Wilf.
"Even Though He Is Not Here, Our Loss Today Was Shinji Kagawa's Fault"
In Basque: "Eta ez baldin bada ere, hemen, gure galera gaur Shinji Kagawa errua izan zen"
Shinji Kagawa was given more of a run-out than Zaha under Moyes, but the Japanese midfielder is the first to admit that he wasn't his favourite player.
Moyes never really trusted Kagawa, so he'll probably be a useful source of blame if things start going wrong in Spain.
"I'm Here to Break Records...but Not Good Ones."
In Basque: "Hemen nago erregistro apurtzen...baina ez onak."
Just like his predecessor, Fergie, David Moyes was a record-breaking leader at Old Trafford.
Except his records were unwanted ones, such as earning United's lowest-ever Premier League points tally, the worst home form in over a decade and the masterminding of the first season in which Everton and Liverpool have done the double over the Red Devils (as per Goal.com).
"Everybody, Say Goodbye to Your Backroom Staff and Hello to Phil Neville"
In Basque: "Denek, esan agur zure backroom langileek eta kaixo Phil Neville behar da"
When a new manager joins a club, it is customary for him to bring his own trusted backroom staff with him rather than using the team who served the previous incumbent. Moyes did exactly this by bringing in Steve Round, Jimmy Lumsden and Phil Neville while dispensing with the likes of Mike Phelan and Rene Meulensteen.
This restructuring apparently came against Ferguson's advice and is cited as one of the reasons his regime was unsuccessful.
According to Colin Harvey of the Daily Star, Neville has already been tipped to join his staff once again.
"Can Someone Take Down That 'Chosen One' Banner, Please?"
In Basque: "Norbaitek hartu ahal behera 'Hautatutako' pankarta, mesedez?"
A parody of the doomed "Chosen One" banner is inevitable, whether it is hung in the stands or flown over by a drone belonging to an Irish bookmaker. Mr. Moyes will probably not see the funny side.
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