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.
Reader Comments (21)
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2 Posted 11/01/2026 at 15:51:33
3 Posted 11/01/2026 at 15:56:52
4 Posted 11/01/2026 at 16:04:07
Fast passing and moving.A basic tactic but one we don't use a lot
5 Posted 11/01/2026 at 16:09:49
Strange that! Must be the manager's fault.
6 Posted 11/01/2026 at 16:23:49
7 Posted 11/01/2026 at 16:25:53
When DH moved in to the 8 position, I thought some of the teams link play was the best I'd seen us for some time. Although limited only by our strike force
People don't seem to be looking at how thin this squad really is, but expecting miracles.
Without our key missing players, the fact is were not to different to the bottom three.
8 Posted 11/01/2026 at 16:44:59
He's a fucking dinosaur,never playa young players,always gives us Blues excuses, fucking lied to us about Aznou...his subs!... game management is dog shit his away record at top away ground is piss poor...& we all know it!!
I simply never liked him...11 years without a Cup?...He is a multi millionaire out of our club!!
GET RID.
9 Posted 11/01/2026 at 16:48:27
He is the fucking master of deflecting the truth too!
10 Posted 11/01/2026 at 16:51:54
11 Posted 11/01/2026 at 17:05:47
The squad is very thin, I think that’s very easy to see Paul C, but it’s the way the squad is used that doesn’t really fill me with any confidence, and this lack of confidence probably applies to quite a few of the players in his squad?
I expect us to finish the season strongly once we get everyone back fit, but I’m just as uncertain about TSF, (THE SILENT FRIEDKIN’S) as I am about David Moyes, has another trophy less year passes us by.
12 Posted 11/01/2026 at 17:26:55
A new stadium needs new ideas and D.Moyes appears to be to one minded to provide them.
13 Posted 11/01/2026 at 17:34:04
14 Posted 11/01/2026 at 17:36:14
Ferguson, Carlo, Benitez, Lampard, Dyche, Moyes since, we realise that we now nerd another manager.
With missing key players, the wisdom is we need a new manager.
Get him gone. Get a new manager in, and we can look forward to a European tour with loads of cups on the way. It's a squad of world beaters no doubt.
Glad we learnt from Marco...
15 Posted 11/01/2026 at 17:44:18
Moyes hitting his real first bad spell now 2nd time round. The injuries and suspensions coming while afcon and the busy Xmas are going to hit performance of such a thin squad.
You don't build a squad in 1 transfer window, or 2 for that matter. The massive turn around in players at the end of last season was always going to be a challenge.
The 2 big buys haven't worked out yet in Barry & Dibbling but that's football isn't it, then you have KDH whose probably exceeded expectations.
Managers lose games, some on TW go on like Moyes inherited the city squad and has us mid table!! We've been shopping in bargain basements for 2-3 years and the squad players reflect that.
I didn't want Moyes back, not because I didn't think he'd do a good job, but because he won't get the same time from fans, to build a side because of his previous with the club.
If we are still playing as bad as against Brentford, wolves or Sunderland when we have KDH, gana, Alcaraz & Branthwaite on the pitch I'd be worried.
16 Posted 11/01/2026 at 17:53:57
Ultimately he averages out with a win record of 40% for his whole managerial career. Steady but unspectactular. You'll rarely, if ever, win something.
We shouldn't expect anything else from him.
17 Posted 11/01/2026 at 18:12:46
We aren’t going to get champions league or get relegated. It does get boring and the inconsistency is infuriating.
But compared to the last few seasons of constant relegation battles this is progress, genuinely.
We need more than 1.5 transfer windows to take us forward and hopefully players in key positions remaining available and performing to their potential.
This season has so far played out exactly as I predicted it would. Just hoping we can add some more quality this month, we desperately need it.
18 Posted 11/01/2026 at 18:35:08
19 Posted 11/01/2026 at 19:04:12
I want winning football.
Who arsed if your score 4 but conceaded 5??
Your not getting tarks, myko mcneil, beto or Patterson playing in a team that's playing glorious football, that's were the squads at, years of under investment has left us with a rag tag bunch of squad "Bodies " Once you need to start using them the performance levels drop dramatically.
You get what you pay for is the saying well 25 -27m for a striker these days is not big
We paid more for Michael keane !!!!!
20 Posted 11/01/2026 at 19:35:05
A honeymoon period lasts about 12 months then a plateau then the sack, all in the space of about 18 months.
I don't think tfg will be much different to Moshiri or any other owners in the prem. The Barry and Dibling signings are looking like sackable offences.
If Barry had scored 10 goals by now we would be very close to the top 5.
Dibling is a concern for me, for a young lad his body language is terrible. He looks a shadow of the player Southampton had.
Moyes has done well overall, steadying the ship. The formation is very similar to what we had with Dyche only we have a couple of better players available.
21 Posted 11/01/2026 at 20:12:21
Sure weve had it before.
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1 Posted 11/01/2026 at 15:45:52
The football is still terrible to watch, we are out of every domestic competition and pose very little threat to any of the top teams.
In fact we pose very little threat to the mid table teams, Spurs, Brentford, Sunderland, Wolves have all but played us off the park and at home to boot.
Moyes may last to the end of the season but that should be the last we see of him imo, I (personally) could not stand another season of his inept tactics and wasted opportunities to carry us forward.