Source: PA
Mellow Moyes close to management landmark
Everton manager David Moyes approaches his 599th match as a manager at Wigan believing he has gone soft in his old age.
Moyes, who will reach the big 600 in the Merseyside derby at Liverpool on February 6, has always had a reputation as a hard taskmaster, but reckons the current Everton squad get off lightly.
The 46-year-old Scot, who has guided Everton away from the relegation zone thanks to an eight-match unbeaten run, said: "Maybe I have changed a bit since I started out as a manager. I have matured and learned a lot, maybe I have gone a little bit soft compared to what I was like at Preston in my previous job.
"The players and staff there will probably tell you that I was a lot tougher and demanding when I was there."
He is certainly a lot calmer now, particularly as Everton have moved from 16th to ninth since that defeat at Liverpool at the end of November, and has "a lot more hair than some of my managerial colleagues".
He added: "I am a long way from the 1,000 club, 600 at the moment seems a very long time. But it is important to give young managers the chance to learn and to do the job well, and Everton have always been prepared to do that with me."
