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We've come a long way, Baby
Moyes the Master: There are no more ways to describe his impact at Goodison
Cast your mind back a year. It shouldn't be too difficult if, like me, you're still bewildered by the facts:
Yes, Europe. How ridiculous a notion that was a year ago when, in the depths of despair, we welcomed the unknown quantity that was David Moyes to the Everton nightmare — wondering if we were merely getting him bedded in in time to mount a challenge to return to the Premiership from the Nationwide First Division at the first time of asking in 2002-03...
And yet, here we are with the manager still not ruling out winning the Premiership outright — while nice to hear, he surely can't believe we'll finish higher than either Arsenal or United — and the fans dreaming of maybe sneaking into the Champions League instead of the Uefa Cup. There are no more ways left to describe the transformation Everton have undergone under Moyes with next to no budget and essentially the same squad he inherited from Smith. I always maintained that the team under Smith was capable of far more than they ever achieved under the previous manager, but I would ever have been as bold to suggest that they'd be gunning for Europe just a year after looking destined for relegation.
There is, however, that nagging doubt which comes from having followed Everton through their recent downs and infrequent ups; that battle-hardened voice in your head which preaches caution as our fantasies of lording it up with the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid in the world's most lucrative football tournament appear to be getting closer to reality.
That little voice was probably smugly planting seeds of doubt in your head at around 2pm on Saturday as Moyes's men threw everything but the kitchen sink at Southampton's goal but couldn't find a way past Antti Niemi or their own wastefulness in front of goal. But, within a quarter of an hour, you were dancing around like a lunatic. Another grandstand finish, another three points in the bag, and the little voice in your head was about to be drowned out by celebratory drinks at the pub! Such is life under David Moyes's tenure. You keep expecting the collapse to come — and the winless streak at the turn of the year coupled with the FA Cup defeat at Shrewsbury may have been as close we'll get — but it never comes.
With 10 games left, there is everything to play for. The best part is that the Blues have the points in the bag to be sitting in the top five (joint-fourth on points!) and the momentum of four wins in five as we head down the final straight. Moyes and his men know that they only have to keep up their current form in order to be mixing it up on the Continent come September.
While nothing is guaranteed, it's also heartening to look at the table to see who is in a position to displace us from a Uefa Cup spot.
Charlton are on a fantastic run at the moment and while common sense says that their winning streak has to come to an end shortly, they are remarkably similar to Everton so as the finish line draws closer, they may only get stronger.
Liverpool, while entertainingly erratic, certainly have the talent to put a run together that could propel them back into the top clutch of teams but, so far, they aren't showing any signs of doing so. Tottenham remain a threat, particularly if they win their game in hand and draw within three points of us. Beyond them, it's hard see unpredictable Blackburn or Southampton (who seem to be burning out after a wonderful sequence of results) making up the gap of eight and nine points respectively unless Everton really do undergo a collapse.
Looking upwards (and, again, assuming we can maintain current form), it is shaping up to be a tussle between ourselves and Chelsea for fourth place and the final Champions League slot. Newcastle look too strong to catch — although they do have the propensity to self-destruct when you least expect it — while United and Arsenal probably have too many points on us.
Tomasz Radzinski: A regular goalscorer will be key for the run-in
The crux of the whole matter is the fact that, in their final 10 games, Everton have to play all four of the teams above them (two at home, two away) — as well as the Goodison derby in April. The whole drive for Europe will likely be won and lost on those five matches, which means the destiny of Moyes's boys is in their own hands. The fact that he has a healthy squad, a striker scoring regular goals in Tomasz Radzinski, and the added bonus of players like Rooney, Hibbert, Rodrigo, Chadwick and Ferguson all back in contention (or close to it) only heightens optimism for the three months ahead.
It's almost fitting that the match that brings Moyes to his first anniversary in charge at Goodison — where he will start a run-in to a Premiership just as important as last year's — is a trip to The Riverside where Everton crumbled to a 3-0 defeat that heralded the end of the Walter Smith era and set in motion Moyes's assumption of the hotseat. A win at Middlesbrough would be as symbolic to the turnaround Moyes has effected at Everton as it will be vital to his team's challenge for Europe.
We've come a long way, Baby.
Lyndon Lloyd ©2003 ToffeeWeb