Inertia is defined as: a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.
When The Friedkin Group purchased Everton in December 2024, there was a feeling that they had to act. Sean Dyche was not just on thin ice — he had all but given up the ghost.
There was talk, though, that TFG were hoping to see it out until the end of the season, when Dyche would be out of contract. However, inevitably, so it came to pass that TFG could not not act, and on January 9, 2025, Dyche was dismissed.
And TFG’s first meaningful on-field action point was followed by the reappointment of David Moyes, on January 11.
A year on from Moyes returning for his second spell, the Scot has taken Everton from relegation battlers to safety in mid-table. The Toffees are 14 points clear of the bottom three with 17 Premier League matches remaining, and still within touching distance of the European places.
Last season, Moyes accumulated 31 points to guide Everton well clear of danger, and he has overseen the move from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
He has also had to oversee a squad rebuild, while there has been a restructure off the pitch, too, under the leadership of CEO Angus Kinnear. Moyes, along with Kinnear, heads up a new-look recruitment committee, with Everton having moved away from the director of football model.
And Everton, without being particularly brilliant, and despite missing key players, managed to end 2025 on a high note, beating Nottingham Forest to move into the top eight and head into the New Year with plenty of optimism.
Yet 10 days is a long time in football, and Everton have since lost to Brentford and drawn with lowly Wolves in the league, and on Saturday they crashed out of the FA Cup, going down on penalties to Sunderland.
In a little over a week, Everton’s season has threatened to peter out.
There have been elements of Moyes’ performance that have left a lot to be desired, and in the last two league matches particularly, he has let himself down.
The brilliant Michael Greenall (@greenallefc on X), tweeted this graphic after the Wolves game, detailing how Everton’s underlying metrics had begun to trail off in the wrong direction — essentially, Everton have started creating fewer chances and conceding more chances.
That dip has coincided with Everton’s squad being stretched to near breaking point, and they should improve when Iliman Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye, Jarrad Branthwaite and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall return.
But the trend is worrying, and shows that Moyes has work to do.
This poor run to start 2026 has not helped his case. He has 18 months left on his deal, and while anybody suggesting Moyes should be dismissed now should probably get a sense of perspective, there may well have to be a discussion in the summer.
He has taken 60 points across 40 league games, which is an admirable total. However, his handling of young players can be called into question, even if some of those young players — and Tyler Dibling is the obvious one here — are hardly covering themselves in glory, either.
But what is most frustrating to this writer is the sense of inertia that has gripped Everton in the past few weeks.
Kinnear, Moyes and the recruitment team were well aware of how the squad would have to deal without Ndiaye and Gueye for the best part of a month. They were well aware that Dewsbury-Hall had been pushed to the limit and then could not be rushed back from a hamstring injury. They were well aware of the defences in the full-back and centre-forward positions.
And while the January transfer window is notoriously difficult, should it be so difficult that the club could not have had a signing or two lined up for early in the month?
Nobody is expecting huge investment this month, but there are deals there to be done and that could have been done to improve this team. If Moyes is being stubborn, then that is where strong leadership comes in. If Moyes is not being stubborn, then are Everton’s recruitment team really incapable of sourcing a full-back who can improve on the Toffees’ current options, for example?
It is this sense of inertia, more than anything, that is a worry. And in this writer’s view, it could well have cost Everton their hopes for the season.
Europe is still not out of the question, but there are so many teams in the mix that, on paper at least, look better suited when it comes to squad depth. Everton’s trophy drought, meanwhile, will roll into its 32nd year.
A year on from Moyes returning, Everton are in a stronger position, both on and off the pitch. That shouldn’t be forgotten.
But as he and the club head into the second year of his second spell, then it is time to start being bold and decisive. If not, there is a risk of stagnation.