Moyes says – David Moyes hailed Seamus Coleman as the “glue” who held Everton together for 17 years, saying the club may have faced relegation without his character and leadership. Moyes also pointed to Coleman’s influence in Everton’s toughest periods and added that Colem
David Moyes insists Seamus Coleman was more than a steady presence at Everton, arguing the club’s survival instincts may have depended on the departing captain.
Coleman, who announced on Friday that he will leave Everton at the end of this season, has not officially retired and is weighing his next move. Moyes, the manager who was at the club when Coleman was signed, described the Irish full back as the “glue” that kept the squad together across 17 years.
Asked whether Everton could have been relegated without Coleman. Moyes struck at the heart of the pressure that has followed Everton through points setbacks and fractured relationships.. He said: “If everything what I’m hearing is true – I wasn’t here at the time but I was still getting some bits and pieces from behind the scenes – then it wouldn’t have been to do with Seamus directly.”
But Moyes added that Coleman’s role was crucial in maintaining unity when results were dragging the club down.. “But to hold together the players when they were probably getting beaten up by losing points. not winning and when I think there was a real split between the supporters and the players. I think the only person that supporters would have really listened to was Seamus Coleman.”
For Moyes, the influence wasn’t just about talent or reliability on the pitch. “He was the one who fronted it up, who went out when it was required and who tried to do everything he could to keep it going. He was the glue who just about kept it together at that time.”
Even as his role has been affected by injury, Coleman’s standing inside the dressing room has remained central. Moyes said Coleman’s playing time has been limited across the last two seasons due to injuries, but insisted he has still been “incredible around the dressing room.”
When asked for one standout trait. Moyes instead listed several. naming “his character. humility… that’s two… his honest endeavour. his honest opinion. his commitment.” He also acknowledged that he was not at Everton during certain “darker days. ” including points deductions. but said Coleman nevertheless tried to keep things moving.
The Everton manager also revealed how seriously the club has tried to keep Coleman in the football system. “We’ve offered Seamus every job there is from groundsman to assistant! You name it, he’s had every opportunity.”
The sticking point, Moyes said, is Coleman’s desire to keep playing. “But the thing I admire about Seamus is that he wants to keep playing and he wants to keep playing for his country.”
With the season nearing its end, Everton now turn their attention to Sunday’s trip to face Moyes’s former club Sunderland. Midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye remains on the sidelines as the build-up continues.
David Moyes Seamus Coleman Everton Sunderland Irish captain points deductions relegation fears Idrissa Gana Gueye