LONDON • It was supposed to be a return to his roots, taking comfort in what he was good at.

After 10 harrowing months at Manchester United and another 12 at Real Sociedad, David Moyes arrived at Sunderland last summer determined to reconstruct a failing club and rebuild his own reputation, to focus on the long term.

But like too many of his predecessors, he encountered quicksand foundations on Wearside and resigned on Monday after the club were relegated from the Premier League.

Sunderland were not another Everton, the club where Moyes spent 11 years eking out improvement on a tight budget.

The only thing that the Black Cats have built over a decade in the Premier League is a monument to their own ineptitude, one disastrous experiment followed by another, to the extent that they are now seeking their eighth full-time manager since 2011, after the stability promised by the Scot soon drifted into discontent.

Moyes had been Sunderland chairman Ellis Short's "No. 1 managerial target for the last five appointments", but the owner did not think enough of his new employee to inform him that he wished to sell the club.

Moyes felt that guarantees over player recruitment were not fulfilled and, after the second match of what proved to be a wretched season, he said that those fearing another tussle with relegation would "probably be right".

"I would like to thank Ellis Short and the board for giving me the opportunity to manage Sunderland and the fans for always being so passionately supportive of their club," Moyes said in a statement.

The past few weeks have been ragged, but just 10 months after it began, it was all over.

THE TIMES, LONDON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE