David Moyes offers Newcastle theory on issue which blighted Sunderland spell

David Moyes has said that his time at Sunderland AFC was cursed by not being able to attract top players to the North East.

Joining Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football on Wednesday, Moyes was probed on his time at the Stadium of Light, where he suffered his one and only career relegation. He argued a contributing factor was the geography, despite rivals Newcastle United overcoming that in recent seasons.

When he was asked by Magpies icon Shearer: "What was it like there?" Moyes responded: "In that period when I cam back, I was very close to going back to Everton. It didn't quite happen. I met Everton, I'd spoke with Celtic as well at the time and when both of them went away for different reasons Sunderland were there.

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"I knew [former CEO] Martin Bain really well from his Scottish connections and the Sunderland job was up. Big Sam had just got the England job and I thought 'well, why would I not go and do the job?'

"Sunderland's a great club, a really good club but - and Alan will know this - I don't know if you can attract all of the players to the North East." Alan responded: "It's tough."

Before Moyes theorised: "And Newcastle now are attracting some great players up there but maybe that's because if you pay well enough you get them. That's it. But Sunderland at the time, we were having to have a maybe not quite the top level player, and it took its course in the end."

Newcastle have done well to attract the likes of midfield maestro Bruno Guimaraes, Swedish striker Alexander Isak and reliable England full-back Kieran Trippier to St James' Park, largely thanks to a significant influx of cash from the Saudi Public Investment Fund takeover in 2021.

Moyes would ultimately resign as Sunderland boss in May 2017 after a 5-1 thumping from Stamford Bridge would see the Black Cats relegated rock-bottom of the league on a mere 24 points. In his tenure with the club, Moyes would achieve just eight wins, seven draws and 28 bitter defeats.

He would go on to manage West Ham United for a season after walking away from the North East, guiding the club away from relegation to a respectable 13th-place finish with 42 points in his six-month contract. While he would depart the club afterwards, he would return in 2019, managing the side until the end of last season.