Column

Moyes?s Summer Showdown with Bill

James Brand 18/03/2008 22comments  |  Jump to last

There is no denying the fact that during Moyes?s tenure there have been ups and downs. Some criticism of late is perhaps harsh and unwarranted as probably the concensus of genuine fans who know a thing or two about football will readily admit that generally speaking, Moyes has done a pretty good job.

We have by a long shot, the best squad since the 80s. A squad that?s performing so well, that we?re left asking ?Wayne who?? Selling the local lad who was going to transform the fortunes of the club surely spelled instant doom for both club and manager, but a 4th placed finish the following season put the whole thing into perspective. Moyes?s squads are not built upon names or egos. Even the most gifted and skilful players have to have the right work ethic or sometimes have it instilled in them (the Yak!).

Who would have ever thought at the time that a couple of years down the line, the whole Rooney saga would almost be unmentioned due to the success the club has enjoyed since his departure? I?ll not go as far as to say it all worked out for the good, but did we ever imagine it turning out like this for us!?!

Moyes has done it all on a shoestring. OK £13M for the Yak, £8.5M for Johnson, £5M for Baines, £5M for Lescott is not a shoestring, but in today?s footballing climate it is. Other teams like City, Villa, Spurs, Newcastle, West Ham and even Pompey are set to spend a lot more money than us as most of them have done, season after season.

We?re quite well aware of the lack of funding available to Moyes due to the lack of investment. Why Man City, West Ham, Villa and not us? Surely our league position quantifies a worthy investment?

  • Man City got the investment as they were a safe bet with a new stadium
  • West Ham thought they?d be getting the Olympic stadium but all that?s fallen through
  • Villa got the investment because they are the biggest club in the second biggest city in Britain
Everton won?t get that kind of investment because:
  • Existing debts!
  • We NEED a new stadium
  • Not many investors want to be associated with ?the number two? or the poor mans version
Shoot me down in flames guys but I?m a realist? Liverpool are a bigger club than us with a much bigger worldwide following. (sorry guys, its true!!!)

One look at Everton and anyone with one business brain cell would be running a million miles away. One source tells me that Bill Kenwright tried to pitch his investment plan on the BBC?s Dragon?s Den. They didn?t show it on TV because the episode was too long?it took half an hour for Peter Jones et al to dry their tears from laughter!

I think this is the major issue behind Moyes not having signed a new deal. Yes he passed it off by saying he didn?t want the ?distraction? ahead of the game.

Question: If he thought renewing contracts ahead of a game was a distraction and needed to wait until the end of the season, why did they tie Lescott down to a new contract on the very day of the Uefa Cup game?! Contradictory? Indeed. Moyes is heading for showdown talks with Bill and Co. And let?s be fair to the bloke, rightly so!

He?s a young ambitious manager and I think he will wait to see what he has by way of funding in the summer that will determine whether he will sign the new contract. He will put it to the board that he has taken EFC as far as he can on a thin budget and he wants to make the next step up. If they want to dig deep and support his ambitions, he?ll stay. If they don?t, then I think we stand to lose the best British manager there is. He surely must be fed up of producing results with little funding.

The Board must absolutely love him! They don?t have to invest too much, he gets the results and thus keeps the pressure off them?

I absolutely hope that he will prove me wrong next week and just sign on the dotted line, but call me a pessimist or a conspiracy theorist (but you do know we never landed on the moon!)? I?m worried!

Reader Comments

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Antony Matthews
1   Posted 18/03/2008 at 18:52:37

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Ok James, so where will David Moyes go? North of the border? Thats his only chance of success cos he aint gonna manage another Premier League team. Newcastle? No chance! He?s stuck at Everton because
A - He?s a Evertonian
B- Success is round the corner
C- He would be a hero if we ever won anything.
Alan Ryder
2   Posted 18/03/2008 at 19:12:50

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You’re a pessimist & conspiracy theorist!

I am sure Davie is anxious about the funding but I believe he wouldn’t walk out on the players at this stage so soon after getting their commitment to extend their stays.

He is waiting for movement on the Kirkby project and if this stumbles he will be looking at Bill for the alternatives.

Be blue but not down!.
Alan Clarke
3   Posted 18/03/2008 at 19:20:13

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James, it’s absolute rubbish that someone won’t invest in us because we’re the poor man’s version. I do think that we are more viable as an investment if we have a new stadium but do you think that Kenwright has had absolutely no good offers for our club? It’s naive to think that. There are investors out there but Kenwright won’t relinquish control until the club is worth more and that will be when he’s moved us to Kirkby. Moyes won’t go anywhere and next summer will be the same as any other I bet you!
Sid Logan
4   Posted 18/03/2008 at 20:27:34

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I think there may well be something in what James is saying. As for where DM will go (and this may be a justifiable bluff on his part) hasn’t anyone read his comments saying that more foreign clubs should consider taking British managers? What reason has he got for pushing this view at this moment in time. BK beware!!
Glen Strachan
5   Posted 18/03/2008 at 20:16:41

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Very hard to imagine Moyes walking out of Goodison although I agree that he might take such a stance to put another few thousand quid onto his next contract.

Where would he go ?

Antony suggests north of the border but right now that is difficult to imagine and while Gordon Strachan has never been the most popular figure at Celtic - mostly going back to his playing association with Alex Ferguson - there would surely be a riot at Ibrox if the successful Walter Smith was dumped to bring in Moyes.

It is also worth remembering that nobody in Scotland has anything like the SKY TV riches that all of the Premier sides have so not only would Moyes be an unlikely choice but he would need to swallow a large pay cut.

You also mention Moyes being a hero if we ever won something but Moyes is well aware that he is idolised by many fans after a six-year spell when nothing has been won.

Of course we have to talk about the possibility of ?breaking into the top four? and right now it is more than my traditional prejudice that suggests Liverpool are well behind the other three sides up there.

Seriously folks, how much time and money would it take to bring Everton level with Liverpool let alone ahead?

Remember Liverpool?s position is about to be enhanced by their soon to be treasured status as not only the biggest, most famous, richest club, bearing the city name but in a few short years they will be the sole representatives of this great city when we move out.

David Moyes suggested in a newspaper interview last week that it might take another five years to catch up! Was that just David being optimistic?

I suspect if we pull fifth place this year and place that with a semi-final spot in the Carling Cup together with a last 16 berth in the Uefa Cup, Moyes could well have taken Everton as far up as our present circumstances permit but the real task? That would be snagging 5th place again next season together with any kind of domestic Cup run.

That will not be easy , even if we do not have to sell any of our better players over the Summer.

One way or another, it should be a very interesting year ahead!
Davey Militwitch
6   Posted 18/03/2008 at 21:22:49

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David Moyes would have to be dragged out of Goodison Park. He is a true blue, I believe that he wants to build an empire, creat his own legacy with nobody else but us. On one condition of course, and that is as long as the board match his own ambitions. The only worry I have regarding Moyes is that he is probably our biggest asset, and his achievements will not have gone un-noticed by any top team in the division. If our board do not match his ambition and another team comes in who do, then we may find ourselves once again staring down a barrel. However the way that he has moved to sign all of the key players on long term deals tells me that he is looking to build for the future, his legacy.
For me it is time that the board stood up to be counted, and we must strengthen the quality of our side in the summer. We should be able to attract higher profile players if we secure Champions league footy so we are so close to success I can almost taste it.
We just need Moyes at the helm.
Cian Long
7   Posted 18/03/2008 at 21:33:03

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Christ man, Everton have a huge fan base, may not be as big as the shite but that isn't a valid reason. We've a lot going for us, a lot: Moyes, Finch Farm, Robert Earl, fan base.... We will be bought out, it's only a matter of time, there is money to be made at Everton with Moyes at the club. It only stands to reason.
James Keating
8   Posted 18/03/2008 at 19:59:12

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I?ll give it another 2 years and Moyes will probably leave Everton to join another club. I don?t think I?m being pessismistic ? I honestly do believe this will happen.

As Alan Clarke says this summer will be no different from any other at Everton with Moyes wheeling and dealing and looking around for the best possible bargains in the transfer market. But this will not happen every summer and Moyes will demand at some point serious money and serious intent from his board.

But the fact of the matter is he will not get what he is looking for and I think he will go. Kenwright is never in a million years gonna be able to come up with Investment or serious amounts of money for team building and at some point Moyes will demand a straight answer out of him regarding this matter and this is when their relationship would have run it?s course.

Moyes is a man who is hungry for sucess and contrary to what some Evertonians think sucess is not just around the corner for Everton there is still some way to go. Progress is happening at Everton but it is happening too slow in my opinion.

For some apparent reason because Bill Kenwright is an Evertonian some fans (quite a lot really) seem to be content to accept his failings and his inability to provide a potential outstanding manager with limited support in a competative transfer market.

Moyes won?t put up with this for much longer.
Dick Fearon
9   Posted 18/03/2008 at 22:31:02

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Does David include himself when he often says that British managers should have experience with foreign clubs.
My guess is he will try that route before taking over from SAF.
I hope he sticks with us for a good few years yet.
Paul Niklas
10   Posted 18/03/2008 at 23:12:25

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As much as it pains me to say it.

Ask any Man U fan and they firmly believe its nailed on he will be their next manager.

They normally get what they want.

David Gill " We were going to take Rooney in the summer but the bid from Newcastle forced us to take him now."

HOW FUCKING ARROGANT IS THAT.

Nothing we can do accept it.

Brian Garside
11   Posted 18/03/2008 at 23:31:29

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If Stallone is such a big fan as BK claims he is ,then why not mug him for a few mill?
I´d go and see the film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Antony Matthews
12   Posted 18/03/2008 at 23:35:31

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Well Paul, if Moyes takes over at Man U then Rooney needs to start looking for a new club !
Tony Williams
13   Posted 19/03/2008 at 00:55:38

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I don?t know where this point about Bill matching Moyes?s ambitions and a showdown comes from. We have broken our transfer record three seasons on the bounce, this season by a long way.

I feel that due to Moyes?s nature he would want to stay and actually win something and we can be sure that the players want it. Arteta calls him "special" but in a good way I hope.
Phil Belllis
14   Posted 19/03/2008 at 01:05:25

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James Brand..Consider youself fuckin cremated, son, at your own request.

"Liverpool are a bigger club than us (I?m a realist)"
Well. I?m not...I?m an Evertonian..an idealist; our bastard offspring are, and ever will be to me, a 2nd Division team (blinkers inluded in pack). I don?t care how many shirt-buyers they have in Indonesia.
How many of their ?fans? know who the manager was before Shankly? Yea, right...before my time et al; but MY lads can name the 1906 and 1933 Cup Final team, and the scorers. Those who know etc...
Mrs Bellis
15   Posted 19/03/2008 at 01:24:22

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Sorry boys and girls...I’ve sent him to bed; he’s been in Wetherspoons on the Coors and acts a bit like Fr Jack afterwards. Mind you, he’s honest and means well and out of the mouths of babes and drunks....
Eric Myles
16   Posted 19/03/2008 at 02:07:57

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If a European club will take Chris Coleman after his ’successes’ with Fulham then I’m sure someone will be intersted in Moyes.
Ciaran Duff
17   Posted 19/03/2008 at 02:41:59

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We have to accept that in terms of fan base and money etc that EFC are way behind the Sky4 and even Spurs & Newcastle. There is no silver bullet to fix this, it will be a long hard slog with ups & downs, requires clever mgt and maximising the use of our resources. Its David (M) versus Goliath stuff! As far as I can see from 12000 miles away, we seem to be doing that. Slowly but surely we are moving forward both on and off the park. The training facilities, better sponsorship and ground move (even if you disagree with Kirkby) are all signs to me that the club are trying to move forward. For me, DM is a key part of that. The squad and performance have improved immensely in his time and, not co-incidentally, the off field stuff has improved since he’s been here. He also seems to have the patience and determination to follow long term plans. I’m guessing and hoping that he will want to see his groundwork come to fruition. As for BK, I don’t know much about him but he seems to work well with DM and the club has been pretty stable in the last few years. I’d rather be run by a real fan (for all his faults) with a long term goal than go for some short term cash rich sugar daddy. In the age of the internet I think we have all become addicted to instant success and results but sometimes good things come to those who wait.
Neil Pearse
18   Posted 19/03/2008 at 08:44:20

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Where would Moyes go? Sorry, but the answer is obvious and always has been: Manchester United. They have been practically grooming him as Ferguson’s successor.
Ajay Gopal
19   Posted 19/03/2008 at 09:08:39

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I don’t think David Moyes is going anywhere. He knows it deep down that his best chance of achieving anything in football is with EFC. Nowehere else, would he have got the opportunity to build over a period of 6 years.
He is a smart man and he knows what happened to Sam Allardyce this season, Martin Jol (in spite of 2 back to back 5th place finishes) -- the list is endless.
As for Man U, he will never go there. He knows those are ENORMOUS shoes to fill, and in this age, everybody expects instant results (especially a club as big as Man U).

Don’t worry folks, he will be here as long as BK wants him.
(of course, like somebody already pointed out, he will twist BK’s arm for a few million more, that’s it).
Jay Harris
20   Posted 19/03/2008 at 13:24:45

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I think DM is a very principled man and is well respected within the game and knows he wouldn't be short of offers of employment.

It was rumoured and I stress rumoured that he threatened to go last year unless given funds to improve the squad hence the last minute scramble to sign Yak and Fernandes until the lying "Magician" delayed enough so he could put the rabbit back in the hat.

As for somebody that said we?ve broken OUR transfer record each season... SO WHAT!!
Other top teams are going out spending fortunes because they?ve realised the amount of money that's now in the game.

Moyes inherited an old and poor squad and has gradually totally changed it but he needs to add one or two high quality players and I believe if he doesn't get the backing he will be off.
James Brand
21   Posted 19/03/2008 at 19:15:21

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Ok guys. Just to qualify my stance as a true blue:
? I?ve been an Everton fan all of my life (3rd generation and my 2 year old son is 4th generation having been to several games already this season despite living under the shadows of Chelsea FC)
? That?s right?I?ve held a season ticket since I was 5 (I?m now 25) and make the journey from London fortnightly
? My father played for Everton
? My grandfather was at the ?Dixie Dean hat-trick? game
? Every member of my family, aunt, uncle, cousin?EVERYONE is a Blue

So don?t question my allegiance to Everton FC when I state the FACT that Liverpool Football Club are globally, a bigger club than Everton (I didn?t say better!)

OK, most of their fans in Indonesia don?t know their history for the Reds, but:

A. Is that what football is about these days?
B. This article is about investment (not blues vs reds!)

Where will Moyes go? I don?t know?ask him.

DM an Evertonian!?! Please?leave it out mate. He?s as much an Evertonian as I am a Gers fan. I have an ?affinity? for the Gers (grew up during the 9 in a row and they play in blue) but am I classed as a Gers fan??? NO WAY!

DM loves Everton and owes us a lot but you?re the one who is naïve to think that he wouldn?t leave if the right job came up for him (you were probably one of the ones that swore that Tommy G was an Evertonian and wouldn?t leave us for Real Madrid??he?d rather stay and be a legend??yeah right! See how that one worked out for you?

James Keating summed the whole article up perfectly ?Moyes won?t put up with this much longer!? Let?s hope it?s not this season?

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to Mrs Bellis for ?striking a raw nerve? of her husbands.

I drink in the Springfield on County Road should anyone wish to continue this over a pint!
Ryan Jones
22   Posted 19/03/2008 at 14:23:46

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Having not witnessed the side of the 80s, this is the best Everton side I have seen grace Goodison, built by a man who I believe we are truly blessed to have manage our team. While most other teams look to giving the role to a forgien manager, we looked at giving the job to a lower-league manager who had done well but not achieved 'greatness' in anyway.

My question is though, where could Moyes go to from here? There seems to be a feeling he may leave to a club he will get more 'finanical' backing. But who? I cannot see any club who could be more suited to Moyes than Everton. In the EPL the top 3? Chelsea would look to a forgien manager in the Mourhino ilk, anything other than this and fans would not be happy. Arsenal again have too many forgieners in their ranks and would not look to employ a British manager. Man Utd... although I believe Moyes would do well there, I think that they would look to a person with previous Man Utd connections. I think their fans would call out for Keane, Bruce or Hughes. Although Moyes would be a good choice for them, these three stand out as higher in the pecking order.

If you think Moyes would go to Liverpool, you deserve shooting. As for the other PL teams, most look to forgeiners and I could not see a team which Moyes would have a better chance of success at than Everton. he would need a similar building process achieved already at Everton, and he is wise enough to know very few teams offer the time Everton have given him to get it right on the pitch.

So why do people worry about him leaving? Have I missed something obvious about Moyes's next destination? I believe he is our most valueable assest and he is here for the long haul.



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