I remember posting that if we couldn’t buy any players then the time had come for Moyes to leave as things were looking undoubtedly stale.
But then we did. For the first time in 2 whole years!
To be precise, in the last 8 months we have bought:
Steven Pienaar
Nikica Jelavic
Darron Gibson
Francisco Junior
Kevin Mirallas
Steven Naismith
Bryan Oviedo
Matthew Kennedy
and hopefully Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe (on loan)
All for around £17m
Going out we have had of note:
Louis Saha
Diniyar Bilyatedinov
Jamie McFadden
Tim Cahill
Joseph Yobo
Jack Rodwell
and a bunch of youngsters and free agents
All for around £23 (perhaps more if Rodwell does well)
In my opinion, that’s some pretty darned good business. Apart from Cahill, whose influence was waning to say the least, we have not lost any first team regulars. It remains to be seen how good Rodwell might become but he certainly had shown relatively little improvement with us over the last 2 years. Best of luck to them all but no huge holes to fill in the first team, I think most would agree.
Moyes has, I believe, spent well. We now have a squad with depth and quality all over the park and in every position apart from possibly right back. I say depth although I do think that, over the course of the season, injuries as much as anything else will decide whether we can wage an effective fight for fourth. I suspect sadly that an injury to Jelavic, Fellaini or as was evident this weekend Gibson will severely limit our competitiveness.
But I do feel this is potentially the strongest squad we have had here in Moyes’s 10 years and certainly looks a whole lot better than the team and squad that were slumbering around the park 8 months ago. Of course there will still be disappointing days like Saturday, that’s football, but I reckon there will be a a few less this season.
So fingers crossed that we steer clear of too many injuries, that our Belgian trio click, that Hibbert scores, that Jelavic gets more goals than any Everton striker in the last decade, that Baines finally becomes England’s No 1 left back instead of Cheryl’s ex, and that we manage to beat off the wealthy rivals to a European spot whilst watching Liverpool sink without trace.
Reader Comments (44)
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2 Posted 05/09/2012 at 10:41:54
3 Posted 05/09/2012 at 10:48:11
As for the rest of the players that have left, we haven't missed any of them.
I think the issue now is how well Moyes utilises this squad over the course of the season. It has to be a really good season for me if we have any hope of keeping this squad together come the next couple of transfer windows. We have done very well Sam to get this particular squad together but it is only half the battle. Keeping it and getting it to move the club forward is the biggest piece of work.
4 Posted 05/09/2012 at 11:02:33
5 Posted 05/09/2012 at 11:38:15
6 Posted 05/09/2012 at 12:37:50
7 Posted 05/09/2012 at 14:21:28
8 Posted 05/09/2012 at 14:36:47
The Sisters of Shankly are already demanding a blue print from the yanks highlighting the way the club will be run and their long term plans and vision.
These yanks are a lot more hardnosed than the other 2 clowns they had and will not give 2 toots on a rag man's trumpet what any of their deluded, Satan following, goat shagging followers think.
Cue protests and burning of star spangled banners by mid October and I for one can hardly wait. I love a good comedy.
9 Posted 05/09/2012 at 15:17:02
10 Posted 05/09/2012 at 15:18:20
Paul Landon, I feel ill just reading your post.
Let's compare 2009 to 2012. At best we are just off that level (5th in the league and cup finalists). Three years later we haven't kicked on – just recovered from another mini lull. The board's sell-to-survive short term strategy is the reason EFC will never amount to anything better under their tenure.
11 Posted 05/09/2012 at 18:26:35
Well said. Let me go on record as expressing my thanks to Kenwright and the Board for allowing the manager to reinvest £17m of the £23m generated from player sales in that 8 month period. Long may their foresight and generosity continue.
(Editors: please apply sarcasm font to the above paragraph)
12 Posted 05/09/2012 at 18:43:06
Really, it's a bit rich to be THANKING Kenwright and the Board for selling players for £39m in the last 12 months and spending £17m to replace the players sold. What about the other £22m?
If the change in personnel turns out to be a success, Thank Moyes, for he will have identified them and coached the new players. Don't Thank our Board who won't put any money of their own in and are trying to either sell the Club for too much or are dancing to the tune of a piper who avoids paying Tax and owns half the High Street.
Some of you are so easily fooled, or more to the point just don't understand who is responsible for what. Bill Kenwright is as rersponsible for producing a successful team on the pitch as Steven Pienaar is for organising deliveries of warm Chang to Goodison or Tim Howard is for cutting the grass at Finch Farm.
13 Posted 05/09/2012 at 18:53:02
''If we manage to beat off our wealthy rivals, we might even make a bit of extra cash.........''
You bring another dimension to the term ''beat off''...
14 Posted 05/09/2012 at 18:59:54
THANKS BILL!!
You shifty, amateur, two-faced, lying, deceitful, self-serving, hopeless, unprincipled, bluffing, cunning, bent, slippery, tricky, untrustworthy shit-bag.
(happy Paul?)
15 Posted 05/09/2012 at 18:59:08
you are just being mischievous - about 4 days after someone on Blue Kipper did exactly the same.
16 Posted 05/09/2012 at 20:13:14
17 Posted 05/09/2012 at 21:01:52
Are you fucking for real?
18 Posted 05/09/2012 at 21:49:06
"Pity we didn't get shut of Moyes and install Clarke – that would have really ringed the changes and signaled the intent. I did say I'd give Moysie 10 games to prove me wrong and he has grown a set. The WBA game proved he is still tactically a clown."
What would you have done differently with the subs at your disposal and the benefit of hindsight and sage in the knowledge you can't be proved wrong?
That would have really appealed installing KKK's no.2... Dipshit!
19 Posted 05/09/2012 at 21:57:41
20 Posted 05/09/2012 at 22:05:22
Two years ago, the calls for Holloway & Martinez to replace the manager were frequent; Last season it was Rodgers & Lambert, and already the latest flavour-of-the-month that would apparently signal a greater intent than the 'clown,' that is David Moyes, is the Baggies boss.
Anto,
Steve Clarke is THREE games into his managerial career. I need to ask, what exactly are you basing your wish on..?
(By all accounts, he has a solid reputation as a coach, but seriously?)
21 Posted 06/09/2012 at 00:14:59
Well, on the up-side, no can deny Bill isn't versatile.
22 Posted 06/09/2012 at 00:18:05
Cold, Brother. Too true.
23 Posted 05/09/2012 at 12:37:50
24 Posted 06/09/2012 at 16:27:52
Also, you failed to answer what the definitive (& superior) managerial qualities Clarke has that you feel Moyes is lacking.
Finally: At what point did you decide that Clarke should replace Moyes: After our Man.Utd / Villa/ Orient victories..
..Or did you watch West.Brom's unbeaten start and thought that their rookie boss (THREE games into his managerial career, AND former Liverpool FC coach) is the right man to take over at Goodison?
25 Posted 07/09/2012 at 00:43:44
He helped Dalglish at Liverpool.
End of... your points over.
26 Posted 07/09/2012 at 00:48:44
Just need a bit of perspective... don't go ott about us finishing 4th after deadline day, and don't go on claims about Clarke replacing Moyes after one bad performance.
A bit of perspective, act too quickly sometimes
27 Posted 07/09/2012 at 13:27:04
What have we won lately?
28 Posted 07/09/2012 at 13:53:54
29 Posted 07/09/2012 at 14:02:18
Furthermore, with the additional 3 games management experience Clarke has accrued, the case is unanswerable and I think we should start tapping him up immediately in conjunction with a media whispering campaign to undermine Moyes and provoke his resignation.
I want Clarke by the end of next week ideally.
Tell you what, I've a better idea. Seeing as Clarke was only assistant to "The King", why don't we just employ the man who masterminded Liverpools success? I hear he's avaliable.
Or you could just cease this drivel and admit you're talking utter shite.
Failing that, just type "I really don't like Moyes".
It would be a lot swifter.
30 Posted 07/09/2012 at 15:03:48
We have the best manager for the club, nobody else could have done what this man has achieved with no money....
No money for Yakubu
No money for Fellaini
No money for Baines
No money for Johnson
No money for Beattie
No money for Bilyaletdinov
No money for Heitinga
No money for Distin
...........
Okay maybe Clarke is bad call... and DM is the master tactician afterall.
31 Posted 07/09/2012 at 19:20:22
Based on your lists above, I calculate the wage bill of the new players to be about £23 million and the wage bill of those that have left to be about £10 million. Therefore would it not be prudent to ensure that is in the bank at least the extra £13 million and secondly on the basis of your missing £22 million leaving approx £9million baring in mind the whole payment for Rodwell is about £5 million short at the moment, we are now looking hot £4 million, does the word cash flow or indeed profit offend certain supporters on this site?
Conspiracy theorists don't like the truth. There is no missing £22 million — just prudent use of the money simple as that.
32 Posted 08/09/2012 at 21:11:54
Steve McClaren & Alex McLeish also won the Mickey Mouse Cup.
That's it really...
33 Posted 09/09/2012 at 04:52:09
McLeish's Birmingham knocked us out of the FA Cup playing good football and then they got relegated after being decimated by injuries. He didn't do a bad job at Villa and was rebuilding on a limited budget; however, after one season, he is out on his ear.
When we finished 17th that time and skirted with relegation, we kept Moyes because it was mainly down to lack of fit players and bringing back the likes of Stubbs and Weir into the fold. He had a nice contract as well so was sitting pretty.
Moyes did his apprenticeship at Everton and it took him a good seven years of toil slowly fashioning his team and the way we play. Not always pretty on the eye, but we had good days thrashing Sunderland and beating the Shite 3-0.
Last season, it was patently obvious that Moyes had spat the dummy: the surrender at City, the capitulation to the Shite three times... "knife to a gunfight" comments and his dirty demeanour. I'd had enough, the football was awful, the favouritism, the club had hit rock bottom when we lost at home to bottom side Bolton and we were depending on our keeper for goals.
For me the turnaround was Donavon who in a short two month spell seemed to turn around our fortunes: out went Bily and in came Jelly although he was crocked and didn't play until well after the January window closed. A spirited home win over Spurs and good run in the cup and the football was special. We raced up the table to claim 7th.
Filled with optimism with some new additions to the squad, some youngsters showing promise and off to a great start to the season playing a depleted Man Utd and an Aston Villa side under a new manager shaping the way they will play this season. Back down to earth with a thud as we come a cropper at West Brom.
It's a blip, it's a one-off, we were unlucky, we had an off day at the office, even Moyes himself coming out and saying he went for the win being totally oblivious to the fact that his midfield had broken down with the Gibson injury.
Okay, execute Plan B and bring on Hibbert and push Neville into the midfield, then take off Naismith, who is providing the defensive cover for Hibbert, with Mirallas, and then replace Neville with Vic. C'mon it's been like this every season with weird and wonderful substitutions. Distin for Saha springs to mind.
The best defensive midfielder on the park, perhaps in the Premier League, is Fellaini and while he has the ability to go forward he can dominate and break up the play from defensive midfield. When Gibson went off, all we had was a lightweight Osman who played very well in the middle but had no support.
The next seven games are going to be the benchmark for rest of the season. We need to play with consistency and be up and around the top six places. Roll on the barcodes and back to winning ways. I'm not a big fan of David Moyes and that stems from the FA Cup Final, trying to defend a lead after only two minutes instead of having a go: it's all academic I know.
34 Posted 09/09/2012 at 16:33:02
Anto, you must be from Mars if you think MCleish "didn't do a bad job at Villa."
'Big Eck,' is statistically the worst manager in that club's entire history..!!!
They finished 2 points above relegation, set a club record of only 4 home wins in one season, and his win ration is 21%
Of course, he also relegated Birmingham.
Therefore to talk him up as a manager is frankly, insane.
You also assert that Moyes 'did his apprenticeship,' at Everton.
(So the four seasons at Preston North End were what, exactly?)
You also suggest that his first seven years at Goodison were 'toil.'
(Nb; Saving us from relegation, having two bad seasons, but also qualifying for the Uefa Cup 3 times & finishing 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th.)
Gotta say...you are all over the shop here.
35 Posted 10/09/2012 at 01:36:40
What I'm hoping and praying for is that DM continues with the philosophy of the last few months, the new brand of football, he remains positive and upbeat and that his last ten years of solid good work come to fruition with some silverware and Europe. Then we can all be happy Evertonians.
36 Posted 10/09/2012 at 19:04:26
A 'nothing argument,' is when you act as an apologist for Alex McCleish of all people; A man who committed the ultimate betrayal to Birmingham City fans.
A man you talked-up, whilst choosing to ignore the (quite important) statistical evidence that demonstrates his tenure at Villa as an abject failure.
37 Posted 11/09/2012 at 02:30:36
Kevin, I notice that you don't see Rodgers as a betrayer to the Swansea fans or Lambert for that matter? David Moyes's tenure at Everton was up last year so, unless we have turned the corner and the master tactician comes of age, I'm going to call it as I see it.
Did you watch the Fiorentina game?
Did you watch the Cup Final v Chelsea?
Did you watch the semi-final against a very ordinary Liverpool?
Did you watch the WBA game and did you ask yourself: "Is this just another game?"or when we are supposed to stand up and win these games — it never just happens.
Why didn't Spurs come in for him? — and do you really believe Man Utd will come calling when Ferguson goes? I cant see it.... At least Kenny Dalglish had the balls to go out and win the games.
38 Posted 11/09/2012 at 06:45:48
The last time they won the league, Henry V was on the throne... and since hired Gross, Santini, AVB, Jol and Ramos... Wow! Top notch! Yep, they are a real shrewd judge of manager; sack Harry Redknapp, who consistently got them in a top 4 league position, and hire AVB. Hmmm... I wonder what happens next?
39 Posted 11/09/2012 at 05:44:23
Moyes would have cost spurs at least £3 million to buy out his contract, added to what Redknapp got; AVB was a free agent.
Dalgliesh sent out teams to win? Funny, Liverpool's results really didn't show that generally, in fact they failed to win 24 of their league games. The cup win came at ridiculous cost bearing in mind the out going on players.
Earlier you pointed out than Chelsea's assistant became the club manager, but he had previous managerial experience, and inherited a squad of great strength.
When Rodgers and Lambert left their former teams, they didn't quit after relegating their teams only to join the local rivals in the league above! I can see how that grates. His stint at Villa took them from 38% wins under Houlier to 21%! Compare that to Moyes, who has a 41.9% win ratio, the best of any full-time manager since Colin Harvey (who inherited the best part of a Championship-winning team).
40 Posted 11/09/2012 at 07:34:47
We played as we did then because we had to; we play as we do now because we are able to. That is good management, is it really so difficult to understand?
41 Posted 11/09/2012 at 08:02:57
42 Posted 11/09/2012 at 10:20:19
Yes, Moyes has saved us from relegation, skirted with the drop himself, and after 10 years can rightly claim to be one of the league's best managers; his record speaks for itself and you don't get Manager of the Year awards for nothing.
He has a done a great job at Everton – don't get me wrong about that; he has come up short on a few occasions but, hey – you can't win 'em all.
This season, he has the tools at his disposal, a very good team of quality players assembled and some backup on the bench. The style of play is a revelation and all we need now is the luck and the run of the green that those across the park seem to have had in bucket loads.
The tide is turning at last and there will only be two teams on merseyside Everton and Everton
43 Posted 11/09/2012 at 11:14:50
I think you deliberately avoided the (screamingly obvious) reason as to why I labelled McCleish's departure to Villa as a betrayal to Brum fans.
If you still don't get it - then check your atlas. Or read what Jim Harrison wrote.
Criticize Moyes all you like. For the half-dozen bad performances you mention, there are in fact more good performances that I could throw back at you.
My initial premise was to question why you think Steve Clarke should have been offered the job at Everton. You have failed to supply a winning argument as to why that should have been the case.
44 Posted 12/09/2012 at 02:51:34
I don't really have an argument as to why anyone would be any better than the devil we know. Moyes is here and doing the job, it's just that I and a lot of Everton fans felt that Moyes had run his course and a change may be best for all involved.
Ten years is a good stint in charge and maybe Steve Clarke wouldn't have been my choice even though he is well credentialed and obviously knows a thing or two about football. Time will tell with WBA and Everton so it will be interesting to follow the fortunes of both managers. We do have the better team, better players... can Moyes coach them on to bigger things? Let's see, shall we.
I'm really pleased we still have Moyes this season. I just hope he maintains the standard of football on display and gets a decent run of luck and good fortune.
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1 Posted 05/09/2012 at 09:11:55
I think we should ask them to produce a T-shirt with "What a difference we have made" emblazoned across the front.
Great post; I think it would have been nice to at least thank Bill Kenwright and the board for what they have done and continue to do, or is that too much to ask?