VIEW FROM THE BLUE

The “Moyessiah” After All?

By Lyndon Lloyd :  19/12/2007 :  Comments (54) :

It won't come as a surprise to many who regularly read these pages but there have been occasions during David Moyes's tenure where I have wondered whether he had what it takes as a manager to lead this club back to a position of regularly challenging for honours and tackling the dominance of the so-called "big four".

And in the aftermath of February's home defeat to Tottenham in which a horribly one-dimensional performance was compounded by negative tactics and the cession of a late winner to Jermain Jenas, I had more or less resigned myself to the fact that Mr Moyes had hit a glass ceiling and that after five years in the job, he'd probably taken Everton as far as he could.

Coming to that conclusion wasn't really a stretch. The squad at his disposal was almost entirely his own, consisted of some terrific players ? Mikel Arteta, Joseph Yobo, Joleon Lescott, Manual Fernandes and Andy Johnson to name five ? yet the standard of football they were playing was largely awful, the manager's tactics and substitution policy were baffling to say the least, and his conservatism in the transfer market just as frustrating.

On top of questionable deals to bring in the likes of James Beattie, Per Kroldrup and Andy van der Meyde, there was a feeling that Moyes was putting too much faith in the small squad he had and wasn't willing to bolster the team sufficiently in key areas to allow the club to push on and secure qualification for Europe.

Moyes's achievements earlier in his tenure as Everton manager gave fuel to both sides of the debate surrounding his suitability and ability to lead the club "back to the big time." His unflinching backers pointed to the enormous impact he had on the club when he joined in March 2002, the successes he'd had in the transfer market, and, of course the fact that he guided the Blues to a fourth-place finish in 2004/05.

His critics, meanwhile, highlighted those same achievements, asked why he didn't seem able to build upon them and wondered why if so many ordinary fans could pin-point the team's deficiencies couldn't the manager?

Performances like the reverse fixture against Spurs at White Hart Lane in August last year where, despite being down to 10 men, the Blues passed-and-moved their way to a handsome 2-0 win, the 3-0 demolition of Liverpool the match after that, and the comprehensive defeat of Newcastle United by the same scoreline later in the campaign all provided conclusive proof that Moyes's team could play football with the ball on the deck and efficiently put good teams to the sword. And yet there were too many occasions when his charges displayed an almost total lack of imagination and hoof-ball was the prevailing tactic.

Opinion on this website seemed to devolve into four camps: the "In Moyes We Trust Brigage", those who were congisant of the team's poor form but confident in his abilty to eventually turn things around; the "Moyes Apologists", those who were quite happy to accept mediocrity and banality on the pitch as long as it meant the club weren't battling against relegation; the "Moyes Sceptics", who were increasingly doubtful that he would be able to bring either attractive football and success to Everton on a consistent basis but were frustrated by the lack of real managerial alternatives; and, finally, the "Moyes Out" camp who felt that the time had come to cut him loose and try someone new.

That Tottenham defeat, in which the Goodison faithful in attendance that night let him know of their displeasure in no uncertain terms, turned out to be something of a watershed in the Moyes era, though. The Blues responded to that defeat with a seven-match unbeaten run ? including a 1-0 victory over Arsenal ? that went a long way to securing a top-six finish and entry into Europe via the League for the second time in three seasons.

Not only that, but the quality of their football was markedly improved, helped by the presence of Fernandes in midfield, and there was a real sense that the Blues were back on track under Moyes. He had certainly restored my faith in him ? for the first time under his stewardship, Everton had finished a season strongly and if there was evidence that he was adapting to supporters' expectations and learning from mistakes made, then he deserved further support.

Perhaps nothing illustrated the shift in my view of him more than when strong rumours began circulating late in the summer that Moyes had resigned due to frustration at the lack of transfer funds made available to him by the Board as he tried to strengthen his squad ahead of another European campaign.

MIndful of the manner in which Everton had bombed out of the Champions League and then the Uefa Cup at their respective first hurdles n 2005, not to mention the criticism he'd attracted for not landing a profilic goalscorer in the preceding transfer window and relying solely on the struggling James Beattie as a lone striker, Moyes was keen to sign personnel to cover key positions this time around. When the club entered August having signed only Phil Jagielka from Sheffield United, the fans became restless and the manager apparently had a showdown with the club hierarchy demanding financial support for his plans.

Whether or not Moyes threatened to quit, few really know for sure, but the combination of the impending closure of the transfer window and the manager's own fragile emotional state following the death of his mother led me to believe that anything was possible and I was genuinely horror-stricken at the thought of losing him. At a time when the Kirkby debate was raging and, to these eyes being handled spectacularly badly by the Board, Moyes seemed like the only sane voice with any influence at the club.

Of course, thanks to new director Robert Earl underwiting a £25m mortgage and helping fund the acquisition of Yakubu from Middlesbrough for £11.25m, the Blues were able to go into September having finally signed a goalscorer capable of knocking in something approaching 20 goals a season. Yes, there was a fair measure of frustration at the Fernandes affair (in which the Portuguese midfielder and Benfica effected a stunning volte face that saw him sign for Valencia instead of Everton) and the apparent lack of urgency in securing a replacement of comparable ability before the deadline, but Yakubu was seen by many as the answer to many of the team's problems.

By this stage, Everton made a solid start to the new season, albeit one that betrayed the schizophrenia that has characterised Moyes's side over the past two or three seasons. Again, Tottenham were swept away on their own turf by the Blues' free-flowing football but that result was followed by two comparatively disappointing displays in the 1-1 draw with Blackburn ? in itself a decent result but Moyes's side were below par ? and a limp 1-0 defeat at Reading in which the team barely seemed able to keep the ball let alone do anything positive with it.

Worse, despite scoring on his debut, Yakubu soon had Moyes's staunchest critics proclaiming another transfer blunder as he exhibited a lack of fitness and, apparently, a questionable work ethic. Disappointing results against Manchester United, Metalist Kharkiv and Aston Villa meant that the knives were out again from some quarters while others bemoaned both the lack of a top-class central midfield general and the continued deployment of the clearly inadequate Neville in that position.

Even at the time the criticism of the Yakubu signing seemed ridiculous ? not only did the player need time to adjust to a new team, his goalscoring record, second in the Premier League era only to Thierry Henry, was beyond question. Even if he wasn't the hardest working player on the pitch, he was not signed to be another workaholic like Andy Johnson ? he was signed to stick the ball in the net. Of course, as we've now all seen, the Nigerian's improved fitness and acceptance of Moyes's emphasis on teamwork is reaping rich dividends.

While Steven Pienaar, the other key acquisition of the summer, began to find his feet and the team matured rapidly over the two legs against Metalist in the Uefa Cup, it took another watershed moment to really kickstart Everton's season and spark the best run of form since Moyes took the reins in March 2002. The travesty of the "Clattenburg Derby", as it will probably forever be known, stung bitterly and helped engender the type of backs-to-the-wall, us-against-them mentality that carried the Blues to fourth place in 2005.

That side, of course, was famous for battling to a slew of 1-0 wins on the back of a dogged spirit and tight organisation that compensated for a lack of genuine quality throughout the team. The current team, enjoying a 12-match unbeaten run, has that same team ethic and indomitable attitude but is also playing the finest brand of football seen at Goodison since the golden age of the 1980s and has racked up a +15 goal difference thus far ? the team of 2004/05 raised eyebrows by finishing in the top four with a negative goal difference!

It's worth pausing to acknowledge that of those 12 games without defeat in all competitions, Everton have won ten! Temper that with the fact that they have failed to beat any of the "big four" so for this season if you like, but it's still a startling statistic for a team that has long been prone to inconcsistency, and it encompasses three impressive wins in Europe, a 7-1 mauling of Sunderland, two victories over big-spending West Ham and qualfication for the League Cup semi-finals.

And, again, it's been achieved with no small measure of style, panache and eye-catching football, something that some felt they would never regularly see under David Moyes. Between Pienaar, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman and Mikel Arteta, the Blues have one of the most dynamic ? and underrated ? midfields in the division and with every game they seem to get better and more instincitive in their use of the ball.

In addition to Yakubu's increasing effectiveness and the pressure that Pienaar takes off Arteta's shoulders, one of the keys to the recent success has been the presence of Tim Cahill and the renewed effectiveness of the 4-1-4-1 formation. It can't be a coincidence that the Australian's return from a lengthy absence came at the start of this recent magnificent run. His goals and box-to-box presence were a big feature of the 2004/05 season and he is again making that five-man midfield system work by pulling defences out of shape and providing an aerial threat from set-pieces, giving more space for the striker and the flair players to work their magic.

Of course, while the players make it all happen on the pitch the credit must go to Moyes for putting it all together and working at getting the players at his disposal to play to their full potential. If the manager gets the stick when things are going badly, he more than deserves the plaudits for this wonderful spell we're all enjoying.

Naturally, and he is the first to admit it, Moyes hasn't won anything yet and his quest to land the Blues' first trophy of the new century has been made all the more difficult not only by the huge financial resources available to the big-money four but aso the significant investment poured into the likes of Portsmouth, Manchester City and Newcastle United. Despite being unbeaten in seven in the league, the Blues only just returned to the top six in the Premier League this past weekend with victory at Upton Park. And with Manchester United and Arsenal to play before the end of the year, there is always the danger that they could lose touch with the top four places if they aren't able to take their season to the next level and start beating teams of that ilk.

And if there is one outstanding gripe about our esteemed manager, it's his transfer policy which, for me, has lacked urgency and decisiveness in recent seasons. I said at the time ? and I believe my feelings were fully vindicated by what followed ? that the failure to sign an out-and-out goalscorer to compliment or provide competition for James Beattie in the summer of 2005 was a massive oversight.

Similarly, the lack of a dominant attacking central midfield force has never really been addressed by Moyes and, along with another striker, should have been the priority this past summer. Now, admittedly, the funds haven't always been there and then when they were the Fernandes affair was unexpected, cruel, and largely beyond Moyes's control, but he has an opportunity to remedy the situation this January.

If the injury to Leon Osman and imending departure of Steven Pienaar for the African Nations Cup show anything, it's that there is little or no depth below the core midfield unit on which the recent rich vein of form has been founded. Yes, there are "filler" options like Neville, McFadden and Jagielka ? though the latter is needed in defence ? but none of the three are a straight replacement. Thomas Gravesen, meanwhile, seems to have some serious fitness concerns of his own, his almost complete absence from action since joining on loan from Celtic prompting rumours that his legs "have gone". We might find out on Thursday against Alkmaar where he's been tipped to make his first start for Everton this season.

While Moyes's rhetoric concerning his plans for the upcoming transfer window started out in a promising manner, they have been ratcheted down a few notches within the past fortnight and, worryingly for those pining for a big-name midfield acquisition to give a real shot in the arm for our hopes in the second half of the season, now seem to center on one loan signing.

Depending, of course, on the calibre of the player in question, that would be disappointing. Realistically, we need at least two first-class players to add to the likes of Arteta, Osman, Pienaar and Cahill, and better options at right back ? arguably the last weak link in an otherwise very strong side ? while the search for a long-term replacement for Lee Carsley should really start now. He has been such a valuable presence in front of the back line and finding his successor may turn out to be one of Moyes's most important tasks.

No one knows what he's really planning, of course, but he has been pretty true to his word recently which means that we are unlikely to see much action in the transfer market next month, unless Osman's injury or a bid for James McFadden that can't be refused forces a re-think. Moyes's past record shows that he has a keen eye for spotting affordable talent out of which he can get the most bang for his buck and it's encouraging to hear him say that he is now shopping in a different market given the team's progression to the European stage. His choice of player is less of a concern now than his apparent lack of urgency in bringing them on board.

All in all, if the past couple of months have shown us anything it's that David Moyes has perhaps for the time being banished most doubts that he is the right man for the Everton job. Not only is he delivering both the results and the playing style expected at Goodison Park but has shown that he is wlling and able to adapt not only to those expectations but also from game to game and season to season. You only have to look at the patience his team exhibited and the manner in which they slowed the game down against Zenit St Petersburg to see how much both players and manager had learned not ony from the nightmare of 2005 but also from the Kharkiv games just a few weeks previously.

Furthermore, Everton's experience compared to the revolving door at St James Park and the lack of managerial stability at White Hart Lane provide clear examples of what continuity in the hot seat ? or the lack thereof ? can do to a team. Moyes is Everton's longest-serving manager since Howard Kendall (mk I) and it shows in his record which is now the club's best of the Premier League era.

Bill Kenwright clearly gave no thought to going back on the best move of his chairmanship and replacing Moyes so I'm not surprised to still be talking about him as Everton manager. What I didn't expect was to be talking in such glowing terms and so soon after the low-point of 22nd February. It speaks volumes of how far he has come that people are comparing the current feeling around the side to 1984 when the Blues were on cusp of brilliance. Long may that feeling continue and if it brings half the trophy haul managed by the team of the mid-80s... well, I think we'd be over the moon!

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