David Moyes will walk back to the familiar surroundings of the Finch Farm training ground on Sunday morning with a smile on his face but also a sense of achievement, having twice previously believed he would return to Everton only for it not to happen.
There is no doubt that the 61-year-old holds Everton very close to his heart. The club means a lot to him after he laid a solid foundation for 11 years before leaving for the bright lights of Manchester United.
Ironically, at Old Trafford he caught the eye of the man who would make his return a reality much sooner than it ultimately did.
Farhad Moshiri, who would become owner of the club four years later, was invited to Old Trafford by his friend and then Everton chairman Bill Kenwright for a match that has gone down as a decisive day in Premier League folklore. Everton came back three times, which many believed effectively prevented United from winning the title that year.
Moshiri, watching from the stands, was amazed by the energy and passion Moyes radiated on the sidelines. He was impressed by Moyes' level of fight and determination despite the pressure his side were under.
Six years later, Roberto Martinez was fired by Everton and there was a choice for Moshiri and his chairman Bill Kenwright: Ronald Koeman or David Moyes.
I understand that Moshiri wanted to appoint the man he had been so impressed by years ago. Kenwright was nervous because there was some resistance from the fans. He felt the pressure would be too much and despite agreeing on Moyes, Kenwright and Moshiri decided at the last minute to go with Koeman.
A few years and managers later, Everton were looking for another man to take the club forward, despite many millions being spent and still poor results on the pitch.
Marco Silva, previously the popular choice, had had a string of poor results and the change was made. Once again Moyes was the man to take over. He flew to Europe to meet Moshiri and everyone agreed, so much so that on their return to the airport Kenwright shook Moyes' hand and said: “Welcome back to Everton.”
But within 24 hours Carlo Ancelotti had left Napoli, there was a call to Moshiri from an agent saying the Italian would be interested in joining Everton and this left both Moshiri and Kenwright confused.
How could they reject Ancelotti? It was awkward to say the least, but the decision was made to go with him. Moyes had impressed, shown he really wanted the job, and was hurt by the sudden change of heart.
I remember the look in his eyes when we spoke on a podcast a few years ago. He looked like a man who had been badly abandoned.
Fast forward – in fact, let's skip another three permanent Everton managers – to this week. Sean Dyche was relieved of his duties, the poor results this season were too much for the new owners and they had to take action.
Many believed that Graham Potter would be the man. He was Moshiri's choice if he had changed before the takeover. That didn't happen, but Moyes was someone the new owners had been watching from a distance.
They didn't want to be forced to make a change in their tenure so quickly. They had hoped to make it to the end of the season and have some time to make a full evaluation of the direction they wanted to take. After the match against Bournemouth it became clear that this would not be possible and that the change was necessary. to happen.
Moyes was their first choice. Changing managers mid-season and when your team is in a relegation fight carries huge risks and any arrangement had to be made with as little risk as possible. Moyes represents that.
He returns to familiar territory, to familiar faces, many still from when he left, none more so than captain Seamus Coleman, perhaps Moyes' most cautious signing in his previous spell. He will be a valuable link in the dressing room.
Against Aston Villa, whom he knows all too well, Moyes will walk into a manager's office at Goodison Park on Wednesday and into the dugout in front of 40,000 fans he knows as much as possible. He will know what they want, what they demand and will want to deliver it to them.
There are no guarantees in football, as Moyes himself found out in those two previous near misses. It won't be an easy ride, but there will be no one more determined, committed or passionate than him to try to bring stability to a club that has been going from one problem to another for far too long.
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