Mick Rathbone Rathbone then returned to Preston North End as physiotherapist. He spent six years at the club, during which time they progressed from Division Three (the fourth tier of English football) to the play-off for a place in the Premier League, latterly as part of David Moyes' backroom staff. When Moyes joined Everton as manager in March 2002, Rathbone followed a few months later after the clubs had agreed compensation. He spent nearly eight years at the club, becoming head of sports medicine, a post he left in May 2010 after what the "Liverpool Echo" described as "a tumultuous season of
David Moyes coming under increasing pressure due to a poor start to the season. On 23 July 2016, Sunderland confirmed the appointment of Moyes as new manager, replacing Sam Allardyce, thus returning to the Premier League for the first time since his sacking as United boss in April 2014. On 3 April 2017 it was revealed that Moyes had made a controversial remark after a post-match interview after Sunderland's goalless draw with Burnley on 18 March. After the interview with the BBC's Vicki Sparks, while the microphone was still audible, Moyes, said: "It was getting a wee bit naughty at the end