David Moyes has built himself quite a reputation during his nine years at Everton, but for some time people have been questioning whether he has taken them as far as he can. Here to ask whether he has finally outgrown his time on Merseyside is David Chalmers. You can find more of David’s work on his blog, The Corner Flag, or by following him on twitter @DavidJChalmers
David William Moyes was appointed as the manager of Everton Football Club on the 14th March 2002. 9 years, 7 months, 7 days have passed since that date and I’m going to discuss whether Moyes has outgrown the club or whether he has missed his chance to leave Merseyside.
So far, in the 2011/2012 Premier League season, Moyes has guided the Blues to 10 points in eight games; that being made up of three wins and a draw. Those wins came in the form of a 1-0 result at Blackburn, with the now transferred Mikel Arteta securing the points with a penalty in the 92nd minute; a 3-1 home win over Wigan thanks to two goals in the last 10 minutes and most recently, the 3-1 win at Craven Cottage as 90th minute goals from Louis Saha and Jack Rodwell secured their second away win of the season thus far.
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With a minus two goal difference accompanying the club alongside their 13th position in the league, the gaffer will no doubt see room for improvement.
The Daily Mail ran a story in April claiming that club chairman Bill Kenwright was looking to curb the club’s debts of over £45m and that this was set to see Moyes leave in disappointment over his squad being dismantled before his very eyes and not even having the opportunity to invest any funds into an already trim squad.
Moyes’ loyalty to Goodison Park saw him stay at the club, even with the lure of the vacant Aston Villa job that eventually went to fellow Scotsman Alex McLeish. He also stayed at the club when the manager’s job at former club Celtic became available in the summer of 2009 and again 12 months later.
Prior to the aforementioned Daily Mail article, Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Daily Post ran a story, backed with quotes unlike the Mail’s article, revealing how Moyes himself said he is “…driven to succeed…” and that “No-one has come close to dragging me away.”
Let’s take a look at Moyes’ timeline since his appointment:
In nine full seasons at the helm, Moyes has steered Everton into Europe thrice; that being the seasons of 2007/08, 2008/09, and 2009/10. Perhaps Moyes best season in charge would be the year of 2004/05 where he guided the club into the Champions League Qualifying stages for the first time; however ultimately they neither participated in the competition, nor the UEFA Cup after being eliminated from both before the group stages had even begun.
On average, 15 wins per season is a decent record, in a season played of 38 games that is a 39% win percentage (remember, this is on average) which when put in that way sounds fairly disappointing. Perhaps looking at the final league positions is more reflective of Moyes’ success?
A league position of 8th is the average during Moyes’ tenure; which is a much more positive figure than merely a 39% win percentage, no?
It’s clear to see from the timeline that after an initial rocky period, the ship has been steadied and by and large his time at the club would be deemed a success, not from only those at the club, but from those outwith.
Moyes’ reputation within the game is surpassed by almost none. Perhaps Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Kenny Dalglish can lay claim to having bigger reputations; while ‘Arry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson have carved great names for themselves also. As it currently stands he is the third longest-serving manager in the league and people find this surprising.
It can be said that the reason Moyes is not at a ‘bigger’ club than Everton, is that he, the captain of the ship, represents exactly what we all see when we watch his plans put into action. Everton are robust; Everton are reliable; Everton are steady; but Everton are ‘just there’.
No club ‘makes up the numbers’ in the Premier League and I’ve shown how well they have performed under Moyes, but you might say that they are in stark contrast to a club like West Bromwich Albion. The tag ‘yoyo’ club has been applied to West Brom’ many a time considering their often intermittent relegation and promotion to and from the Premier League. Everton on the other hand, have finished in roughly the same position for the last five years.
Moyes reflects the constant presence that is Everton Football Club and his hard-working mentality has become almost uniform at Goodison Park; so much so it is almost ironic that Dirk Kuyt plays for ‘the red side’.
As successful as Moyes’ has been, is there perhaps a reason that he hasn’t moved on, or is his loyalty too stubborn?
There’s no obvious failures of Moyes’ tenure; the inconsistency of yester years has been replaced by a now ever-presence in the European league positions or just below. Shrewd bargain basement signings such as Tim Cahill, Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta have accompanied the profitable sales of Wayne Rooney, and, well, Mikel Arteta…
In the glamorous world of the Premier League, Everton are a brand that is atypical to what the new wave of foreign owners see as the future. Largely un-excitable, Everton’s ethos of building on solid foundations defies the entertainment that is now expected of the self-branded ‘world’s greatest league’ and this could be the key reason why no one other than Aston Villa has taken a punt on Moyes.
One who many consider to be the greatest manager of all time believes that Moyes could do a good job in succeeding himself; I am of course speaking of Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United manager position.
Martin O’Neill has always been deemed as the natural successor the the Old Trafford throne, but after leaving Aston Villa, and in contrast to David Moyes’ sustainability with Everton, it is now the Scot who is in pole position to take over from his fellow countryman whenever he decides to call it a day.
Quotes from the United boss in The Sun appeared in 2009, claiming that Sir Alex said “David hasn’t got the credit he deserves.
“When you take everything into consideration, he’s done an incredible job at Everton.
“He has not had the resources of other clubs but got all his younger players on long contracts and built around them with the likes of Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill and Joleon Lescott.
“The signings he has made have been terrific and it means he has continuity for years.”
I would argue those quotes aren’t exactly a direct reference from Fergie to Moyes but it is an endorsement of the work Moyes has done and the respect he has from his peers.
Everton are a selling club and one that with each new season, a blurrier future is just on the horizon. Wealthy new owners might breed new life into Goodison Park and with Moyes doing a brilliant job on a shoe-string budget; you never know where he could take them with big financial backing.
As it stands, however, Moyes has Everton punching above their weight and I think if he can guide the Blues to another good league position this year, then he might just get a chance should the cries of the Arsenal fans be met with the sacking of Arsene Wenger. Moyes may even be waiting specifically for the United job, because let’s face it; he’s not going to be relieved of his duties at Everton any time soon is he?
Graphics by David Chalmers.
