David Moyes swaps dugout for delivery driving

Former Shrewsbury defender Moyes found positive use of free time at his Lytham home in Lancashire, spending four days behind the wheel dishing out essential food to those in need after spotting a notice requesting volunteers.

The Scot, who has agreed to a 30 per cent pay cut, enjoyed his brief change of career and admitted to receiving some stick from old friends, as well as an unexpected tip on the side from a none-the-wiser elderly customer.

“I volunteered to do it as my wife was away at the time and I was on my own. So I became a fruit and veg driver," said former Gay Meadow defender Moyes, who made almost 100 league appearances in three seasons for Shrewsury between 1987 and 1990, in an interview with The Guardian.

“It was beautiful big boxes of fruit and veg, really colourful. I was enjoying it, going back to the shop to get another lot and then filling the car up.

"Two of my pals who I go out for drinks with now and again were giving me dog’s abuse and WhatsApping me saying: ‘Have you delivered your fruit and veg yet?’ I ended up having to deliver two big boxes to my pals.”

He even received an unexpected bonus: “I think it was £16.80, one box of fruit and veg. She gave me a £20 note and said: ‘Here son, just keep the change.’ It was an older lady. The tip!”

The former Everton chief was famously downed by his former club inspired by Nigel Jemson in an FA Cup third round tie in 2003 before squeezing through a replay against Shrewsbury in the 2017/18 campaign.

He had to turn his hand to cooking with wife Pamela away from the house, but Moyes, 56, felt more at home raising the spirits of vulnerable West Ham supporters during the health pandemic.

“My wife was away so it was me who had to do the cooking. If the wife had been here, she would have told me I was doing it wrong. Trial and error," he added.

“My wife is in the background now, giving me all sorts of signs. Overall, my cooking is just about average at best. I’ve been putting salmon in the oven and been cooking haddock and monkfish and all sorts of different things. I’ve been at the fish shop quite a bit. I wouldn’t say I was a dab hand. But it’s edible.”

On a conversation with an elderly fan, the former Manchester United boss said: “Iris was an older lady who lives on her own. She was great.

"She has one or two other problems to deal with regarding her other medications but she was really good, telling me about the support she has been getting from other people at West Ham.

"They have been phoning her, sending her letters. We have said that when the football starts up again we’ll pick her up in a taxi, bring her to a game and take her back as well."

Moyes confesses to missing the day-to-day work of a football manager but is keeping in touch by watching footage of games and clips of transfer targets.

As an untried manager he made his first steps in the industry at struggling Division Two Preston in the late 1990s and Moyes is acutely aware of the danger the break to football could present to lower league clubs.

"We hope football will have a little reset. I hope we’ll all look back and think ‘maybe we were indulging too much.’" Moyes said.

"The people who run football clubs have got to say ‘have we always been doing the right things? If anything like this happened again in the future, would we be able to get through it?’

"Maybe we have to look at the prices paid for players. We might need to look at the wages. We might need to look at what’s been paid to agents. We might need to look at all different aspects of the industry. We’ve still got a long way to go to make sure we get out of this situation we’re in. How we come out of it, I’m not sure. We have to make sure that all football clubs are saved.”