David Moyes has been a favourite among fans for the Aston Villa job from the moment Martin O’Neill quit. Long before that in many cases truth be told.

He’s also been a hot favourite with the bookies; they even had to close the book on him at one point last year. That was after Bob Bradley had been the favourite for a spell as I recall. You know, just sayin’.

That episode at least forced Moyes to address rumours and he was pretty concise:

1. David Moyes – Aug 11th 2010
I am loyal to Everton, I’ve always said that. It is a really good club and this year we have a really good team and we have a good chance of doing well.

The season was literally just about to kick off, he wasn’t likely to say anything else. So attention turned elsewhere, reluctantly, and eventually Gerard Houllier’s name cropped up. Within days he was confirmed as the new manager.

January

But by January life wasn’t exactly rainbows and lollipops for either manager; fans were calling for Houllier’s head, rumours circulated that Moyes would quit struggling Everton. Inevitably two was added to two and chatter linked Moyes to Villa, but he again poured cold water on the rumours:

2. David Moyes – Jan 5th 2011
I wouldn’t walk away. I have been here eight years and made Europe four or five times. We’ve had dodgy spells and come through so you hope everyone keeps believing.

Nobody knows how bad I feel the team is not in the position I think it should be. Nobody is putting in more hours than me. All I can do is keep putting all my energies into getting us away from this position.

As we know, if it were a question of Randy Lerner backing or sacking Houllier in January, he most certainly backed him. And then some! It paid off too.

April

Events took another twist in April though when Houllier was admitted to hospital suffering chest pains which would later be confirmed as a dissection of the descending aorta; very similar to problem that almost killed him when he was at Liverpool.

Speculation about his future flowed around the internet in typically classy fashion and David Moyes was once again linked. An old hat by now, he swatted the rumours away with 25 words:

3. David Moyes – April 29th 2011
It is nothing to do with me. I am at a great club and have got a great job. I don’t know what to say.

That didn’t even register though and he remained the favourite among the fans and with the bookmakers. Well, they know how to make a quid or two; the house always wins.

June

And then today, for reasons unknown, he’s again addressed persistent rumours in a dismissive way:

4. David Moyes – June 1st 2011
I want to have a club, though, where I can give the supporters something, I really do. I want a good fresh challenge when we come back next summer and hopefully that will be the case.

It may just be me, but this is actually the weakest of denials, but it’s effectively also the fourth. I’m not sure what he said immediately before this quote, but all the outlets are using the preceding quote from April 29th. The use of the word ‘though’ within the first sentence suggests there was something said relating to this quote, but it’s been omitted for some reason.

You’re now wearing your tinfoil hat, aren’t you?

Nevertheless, despite the contents of the article not really matching the headline – just for a change – this final quote was below a heading that read “Everton FC manager David Moyes not interested in Aston Villa job” so this time the message is being received.

Well, to a point. It’s interesting what you can achieve with a headline. Put that same quote under the headline of “Moyes refuses to commit future to Everton” – something we Villa fans should be pretty familiar with – and you’d soon work up a foamy rumour-lather.

However, I’m not trying to make a case that David Moyes is in the running for the Aston Villa job, I just find it amusing that he’s persistently been the favourite, but is the only one who’s even been close to ruling himself out.

I’ll save my personal view on Moyes for another post, but for now let’s just say that I’m not exactly in the David Moyes appreciation cult. I’m not anti-Moyes in any sense, I just don’t see him walking on water any time soon. In any case, until we’re officially told differently, Gerard Houllier is still the manager of Aston Villa.

A whisper on the street claims that confirmation is delayed by “negotiations” over Houllier’s compensation. If so, I don’t sense much mutuality in the decision to call it a day, but we covered that yesterday.