David Moyes: Real Sociedad president blames 'cultural difference' for ex-Manchester United manager's failure in Spain

Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay says the cultural divide between David Moyes and his players was a contributory factor to the Scot's sacking. Moyes, 52, was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Basque side earlier in the week.

The sacking came after a limp defeat to bottom side Las Palmas left the club just outside the relegation zone. Sociedad was the Scot's first job since his ill-fated reign as manager of Manchester United, which ended in April 2014 after only 10 months.

He was appointed as Sociedad head coach in November 2014 and led the club to a 12th placed finish in La Liga last season. "I'm not disappointed with David Moyes," Aperribay was quoted as saying by the Mirror.

"Moyes has exceeded my expectations in terms of hard work and integrity. That David Moyes didn't achieve results is not only his fault.

"Perhaps Moyes didn't succeed here because of the cultural difference with the players. This was reflected in the bad results."

Mounting pressure

Moyes had come under pressure from fans and former players at Sociedad after a string of defeats, with a section of the club's support chanting for him to resign during the defeat against Atletico Madrid in October. The Scot vowed to turn around the wretched run of form but the defeat at Las Palmas - the club's sixth La Liga loss in 11 matches - proved to be the last straw.

Aperribay defended his decision to hire Moyes and insisted that the compensation paid out to him was not substantial. "Hiring him wasn't a gamble by me, it was a decision taken by everyone," he said. "What Moyes will earn from his sacking is in relation to his salary, or maybe even a little bit less."

The Sociedad president also rubbished reports that Moyes had lost control of the dressing room. "I have a very close relationship with the players and I can say that none of them have ever come to me to talk about any manager, including David Moyes," Aperribay was quoted as saying by Marca.