David Moyes eyes Europe return before the first anniversary of his return, appreciates fans’ support

Approaching the anniversary of his return to the club this weekend, David Moyes feels “the year has looked like progression” and eyes a European return.

Moyes, who had previously managed the Toffees for over a decade between 2002 and 2013, made his return to the club to replace Sean Dyche last January. Everton were just one point above the relegation zone back then and in dire need of change after the turbulence of recent seasons. They had collected just 17 points from their first 19 matches, but under Moyes, the club went on to finish a comfortable 13th after collecting 31 points in the remainder of the campaign.

Since then, they’ve moved to their new waterfront home and are currently in 12th place, six points away from the top four. It’s been a difficult week for the club following a 4-2 loss against Brentford and a disappointing 1-1 draw with basement side Wolves, both at home. 

The game against Wolves saw Michael Keane and Jack Grealish sent off, with the former decision still drawing the ire of the Everton boss, who called it “embarrassing” in the pre-match press conference before beginning their FA Cup campaign against Sunderland.

However, the Everton boss remains optimistic about progress, despite struggling for form and missing several key players lately.

 “I hope that the year has looked like a progression,” says Moyes. “From avoiding relegation, moving to the stadium, winning big games. We started this season really well. We have been able to move into the middle batch at the moment. My dream is that we can be close enough at the end to challenge for a European spot.”

“Look, it’s been a brilliant, brilliant year for me, you’ve got to say, I love the year coming back. I was anxious at the start because I was wondering: ‘How is this going to go?’

“We actually lost 1-0 to Aston Villa in the opening game and I’m saying, my goodness, we’ve got to go, but I think since then it’s been great. I think the support personally I’ve had from the support with me coming back has been so good.

“It’s helped me, but I think also I’ve come back with probably a bit more experience, but also with the knowledge that I’ve still got an idea what Everton was. I don’t think it was what I left, or what we left, and I kept getting told by different people, 'it’s not the same Everton and you’re not coming back to the same football club'.

“So, my hope was to try and get it back on the road of the old Everton and maybe this year you would say we’re getting back onto the road where we need to be.

Since Moyes returned for his second spell, only eight teams have won more Premier League points than the Blues. They had climbed to fifth in the league standings following the win over Nottingham Forest on December 6, their fourth win in five games. 

However, there have been several setbacks since. Everton have lost Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to injury and are without Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye, who have left for AFCON. Since then, they’ve won only against Forest at City Ground and have drawn with Burnley and Wolves while losing to Chelsea, Arsenal and Brentford.

Moyes, however, appreciates the support of the club’s fans, who have stuck by their team through thick and thin, especially after the topsy-turvy campaigns during the late stage of the Farhad Moshiri era.

“If ever I’d had seen it, it would be West Ham, where we win a European trophy, and we finish in sixth, seventh, and a year where we finished 14th, and that would be it. So, supporters, I’m saying, is you’ve got to be careful where you go and what do you think is going to happen.

“You support your club when they’re at the bottom. They’ve got amazing support, I remember when I wasn’t here, I was watching Everton and the support they had against Crystal Palace when they had to stay up, in games like that.

“So, you support the team whatever position you’re in. But also you’ve got to remember if you’re looking for things too quick, it’s just not the business now where everything’s going to go absolutely great.

“We’ve had some brilliant results. Our away results probably in the last 12 months have been amazing.

“So, the away support are probably seeing even better than some of the home support. So, I generally think that football is a little bit like that at the moment, you can lose a couple of games and it can change very quickly.

“But I’ve got to say, it’s been great coming back and it’s been terrific, the reception I’ve had. I think basically, the people in the know would say, we’re getting the club back in shape, getting it going, and in the main, done a pretty good job.”

 

---

Reader Comments (12)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

How to get rid of these ads and support TW