Fans Comment
Rob Fox

David Moyes and the art of football management
19 August 2004

Part 3 — Season 2003-04                         Part One                   Part Two

Close Season

Some of the optimism following that impressive 7th place finish was eroded by a frustrating summer.  It all started off well, with the scaremongers being defied as we finalised the permanent transfer of Joseph Yobo for a total fee of £4.5M.  Given his outstanding ability, allied to his age, this was a snip.  With other loan signings Weifeng, Baardsen, McBride, Said and Rodrigo all released, it was clear that Moyes would only sign players that were likely to represent value for money.  This was highlighted by Moyes's refusal to pay over the odds for Li Tie, eventually securing him at a cut price fee.  The hallmarks of Moyes transfer dealings are a refusal to pay over the odds and a reluctance to offer overlong contracts. 

Given that Paul Gregg has recently, and frighteningly, admitted that many players were given long term contracts without anyone working out how much the players would cost the club over the length of their contract, this is something of a relief.  Yobo was signed on a 4-year deal on reasonable wages; Tie on a 3-year deal also on reasonable wages.  It is highly unlikely that the club will lose money on these players; more likely, we will make money, particularly in the case of Yobo.  All of these factors are clearly a consideration in Moyes's thinking when signing players.  He quite simply won't be held to ransom.

Having secured Wright and Yobo, and with the emergence of Rooney, the spine of Everton looked good for the future.  Long term, we would need a new centre half, but Midfield was clearly our weakest area.  Most teams could outplay us in there.  We lacked the ability to really impose ourselves and control a game, or to keep possession comfortably.  At home, we could usually get away with it, but away from home it was often a different story.  The fact that Yobo, at centre half, looked more comfortable and composed on the ball than all the midfielders put together was cause for concern.

Towards the end of the season, Moyes and his coaching staff held a meeting to discuss which players should be kept, which areas we should strengthen and who should be our targets.  Given our budget, many First Division players were discussed.  Again, Moyes was thorough in his planning and could go to the Board with a clear idea of how he wanted to proceed.

Moyes decided our priority was a Central Midfielder.  In truth, we could have done with signing players right across the midfield, but it was a case of finding the lynchpin.  First name in the hat was David Dunn.  We were strongly linked but never made a bid.  According to reports at the time, Moyes spoke to a lot of people regarding Dunn to find out what sort of lad he was.  By all accounts, Moyes decided not to make a move, instead turning his attentions to Sean Davis. 

Moyes was dogged in his determination top sign Davis.  Having already spent most of his meagre funds securing Yobo, he was willing to spend the rest on the young Fulham midfielder.  Moyes's persistence paid off, and the next key piece of the jigsaw was set to be in place, until an untimely injury scuppered the deal.  Given our record of signing injured players, this was understandable.  Moyes then decided to switch targets and we made one of our frequent unlikely and unsuccessful bids in trying to hijack Barry Ferguson's move to Blackburn.

With the new season looming, we still needing strengthening if we were to improve on last season.  The main frustration will have been our inability to offload the players who were clearly surplus to requirements such as Gemmill, Alexandersson and Gerrard.  Moyes is on record as saying he made a mistake in pursuing Davis so single-mindedly for so long.  I am not so sure it was, as he would have been the ideal signing. 

The bottom line is that Moyes knew he would only have a small budget each summer, so he had to prioritise.  If this deal had come off, it would have given the weakest area of the team a major boost.  When the deal collapsed, there were no other suitable candidates who were available given our budget, leaving Moyes with the dilemma of holding onto his cash or strengthening other areas.  With the transfer window still open, Moyes understandably decided to see how the season began.  Easy to say with hindsight, but I was always worried about this season, as most players now knew whether they had a future under Moyes.

It was inevitable, given the lack of interest in Smith's players, Moyes would have a number of dissatisfied players who would lack motivation and may be a cause of trouble.  The irony was that it was generally players who played regularly who were at the centre of disputes.  It has been suggested by some that Moyes told several of the older players, presumably Stubbs, Weir, Campbell etc at this point that this would be their final contract with no chance of an extension. 

This would seem to be a mistake; Moyes's honesty had seemingly backfired.  Lessons to be learnt perhaps?  Being honest isn't always the best policy in football.  Having said that, the players can't really complain about being told where they stand, so who is really to blame if the players' attitudes, whilst still on good money, have changed since then?

The Season Starts

Everton began the season reasonably well, including a 3-1 win over Fulham, but to me this game highlighted both our strengths and weaknesses.  The first half was excellent, Everton destroying Fulham with pace and power.  The second half highlighted our main weakness; an inability to keep hold of the ball comfortably.  In the event, Fulham were able to play the ball around for long periods and although the result was never in real doubt it was still uncomfortable to watch. 

This was not a new problem, and cannot be blamed solely on us taking the foot off the gas.  Any doubts we were going to be in for anything other than a tough season were destroyed by an embarrassing Derby day capitulation, Everton squandering early chances then being forced onto the back foot as Liverpool took control of possession for long periods.  We had allowed them a foothold and from thereon they dominated, a couple of rare moments of genuine class from Owen and Murphy winning the game.  Teams had begun to match our workrate, and then play better football.

So rather than wait until January for Davis, Moyes opted to use his budget in a flurry of deadline-day activity.  Hence the last-minute arrivals of Kevin Kilbane, James McFadden, Nigel Martyn and Francis Jeffers on loan.  The only exit was Mark Pembridge.

Whilst giving the squad a timely boost, it did smack of desperation rather than careful planning.  In mitigation, all of these players had been repeatedly linked with Everton, and give us an insight into how David Moyes approaches the transfer market.  The evidence is that Moyes enquires about a number of players but then has to prioritise, keeping deals on the back burner.  If he had a sizeable budget he wouldn't have to do this.  Say, for example, Moyes had £15M to spend. He could have brought in other signings whilst waiting for Davis, and could then have afforded to wait until January as he would have still been able to freshen up the squad. 

Having a decent budget also provides more flexibility in allowing players to leave as you know you will be able to bring in replacements.  In the case of Mark Pembridge for example, Moyes will have had to be certain of a replacement before being able to sell Pembridge.  Taken individually, Martyn and Kilbane have both proved to be excellent value-for-money signings.  McFadden was worth the risk at £1.25M; even if he doesn't progress as hoped, this is not a huge outlay, and his age would mean he will still have a reasonable sell-on value. 

In the case of Jeffers, Moyes clearly had his doubts, hence the loan deal but, given his ability, it was well worth the low-risk gamble.  I believe if Moyes hadn't needed the funds, he would have kept Pembridge for another year, but our budget dictated he couldn't afford the luxury.  In the event trading Pembridge for Kilbane, with little difference in fee again represents good value for money for Everton.

So, things hadn't gone exactly to plan but we had still strengthened in several areas, again for a relatively small outlay.  Now, what effect would the new signings have on a squad that so far looked unlikely to repeat the form of the previous season?

Basically, it soon became clear that the Derby defeat wasn't a blip.  On the surface, the team didn't appear to be doing too much different, but clearly things weren't as they should be.  The pattern of the season was generally a good win, a few mediocre results, then a bad loss.  Performances were generally mediocre, rarely rising above average, and on occasions downright shocking.  Most supporters were agreed that many of the problems lay in midfield. 

Others noted a marked lack of consistency within performances, whilst some pointed to the at times ridiculous profligacy in front of goal.  The general consensus was that many games were just as tight as last year, but this year we just weren't quite as strong overall. This was to be expected, as we were no longer an unknown quantity, we hadn't really strengthened in key areas and Wayne Rooney was a marked man.

The first real sign of worry for most supporters came when we slipped into the bottom three after a dismal defeat away at Blackburn.  It was around this time that the first stories of dressing room discontent began to come to light.  For now, I will concentrate on what we saw on the pitch and deal with all the rumoured problems later. 

In this particular game, injuries gave Peter Clarke his first start under Moyes, and he was given a chasing early on, being at least partly responsible for us being 2-0 down after 20 minutes.  Anyone can get out-jumped, but he looked out of his depth.  Almost unnoticed, he improved and we gave a better account of ourselves in chasing the game, but we were still short of what was required.  It could be argued that a young player like Clarke needs a few games to settle in, but the truth is he is unlikely to ever be truly top class.  Also, he was never going to displace Yobo, and a backline of Yobo and Clarke would lack crucial experience.  Say what you like about Stubbs and Weir but their experience has been crucial at times.

In truth, I don't see a lot of point in tracing a graph of the season as by now the pattern was set and didn't really change.  The key points are as follows.

Nigel Martyn was excellent in goal, the defence were fairly solid but prone to individual lapses.  Only Yobo looked the part, Hibbert lacked confidence, as did Naysmith at times, Stubbs and Weir looked their age, and Pistone was, well, Pistone.  The midfield's shortcomings were woefully exposed.  This season we generally played everybody in position, as Moyes was clearly trying to settle things down.  Hence Kilbane did a decent job on the left combining industry and creativity.  The right side was a problem, Watson missing a good part of the season and looking unfit when employed there, McFadden looking unconvincing.  Centrally, Gravesen was his usual inconsistent self, but still the man most likely, while Linderoth was neat and tidy, but offered very little going forward.  Nyarko drifted in and out, whilst Carsley was unwilling or unable to take any responsibility. 

The fact that Kilbane was easily our most consistently effectively midfielder — considering he was decent rather than excellent — highlights the problems in our midfield.  In attack, we were pretty toothless.  Campbell looked every day of 34 whilst Ferguson was a general threat when available but still not specifically potent in front of goal.  Radzinksi was full of running but generally Barlowesque in front of goal; Jeffers looked the part at times but just couldn't break his duck.  I still believe a few early goals could have seen things map out very differently.  Only Rooney looked anything like a top-class Premiership striker, and even that was sporadic.

In general, at home we usually enjoyed fairly sustained spells of pressure without taking advantage of our supremacy due to poor finishing, paying the inevitable price at times.  Away from home, our inability to gain a foothold in games was our undoing.  Basically poor finishing, an uninspired midfield, and an ageing, error-prone defence were our undoing.  The away game at Southampton, where we pulverised a pathetic, managerless home side, summed us up.  At 3-1 down, they basically punted the ball up to Beattie and we capitulated.

Basically, we were poor.  Martyn and Yobo were consistently top class.  Kilbane gave his all and was consistently good, but truthfully not quite top class, and Rooney was inspired at times.  Other than that, Gravesen and Radzinski showed ability, but woefully inconsistently, whilst at times Ferguson briefly threatened to show his top form.  Meanwhile Hibbert, Stubbs, Campbell and Weir struggled with age or inexperience.  Pistone, Carsley, Watson and Nyarko as senior players were, shall we say disappointing.  Pistone and Carsley reverted to type, Watson never looked fully fit, and Nyarko was, well, Nyarko.  Basically, the Moyes signings, Jeffers apart, held things together; the Smith inheritance weren't good enough.  Truthfully, it is hard to see much Moyes could have done differently.  His options have been severely limited.

The main criticisms I have heard have regarded Hibbert, Stubbs, the midfield and McFadden.  Hibbert did struggle — a natural occurrence in a young player's second season — and a section of the supporters got on his back, further damaging his confidence.  Moyes has been criticised for his loss of form, for playing him too much, and for dropping him!  Given his only realistic other option was to play Pistone, he had very few options.  Frankly, neither set the world alight.  Stubbs struggled at times, but Moyes's options were again limited.  Unsworth, surprisingly, did very well at centre-back when called on.  In truth, the only defenders who shone were Yobo and Martyn...  Who signed them?

In midfield, we looked more balanced with Linderoth and Gravesen as we had a better balance in defence and attack, but individually they were not consistent enough.  Some supporters were critical that Linderoth was always first to be sacrificed, some that he played at all!  Others complained Gravesen was never taken off.  But what other options were there to improve things?  Gravesen may be inconsistent but he can be a match-winner.  Can the same be said of Carsley or Nyarko?  Kilbane, another Moyes signing, was our most consistent midfielder and kept his place. 

People clamoured for Osman, who is very neat and tidy, energetic and creative.  However he is a long way from being a dominant midfielder, and let's not forget we lost all the games he played in.  Maybe he could have been used from the bench more, but I can understand why he wasn't. 

The other source of criticism was McFadden.  Again he is not yet a convincing Premiership player.   His first touch is appalling at times; in truth, he became a liability in the second half against Spurs for this reason: he drifts in and out of games, often lacks awareness of his team-mates' positioning, and was understandably anxious in front of goal.  Again, I think Moyes was right to ease him in gradually.  Personally, I think McFadden has tremendous potential, seems to have a good attitude, but still has a lot to learn at Premiership level.  That includes as a striker as well.

Now, reluctantly to the rumours.  First off, disagreements with players over training and various other matters.  The main protagonists seem to have been Ferguson, Campbell, Stubbs, Weir, Pistone and Jeffers.  I don't really like speculating but let's look at the issues one by one.

The most reliable reports I have heard regarding behind the scenes problems are as follows.  I cannot vouch for the truth of them, but it would be wrong to ignore them as there have clearly been some problems.  I first heard of a problem with Ferguson during one of his lay offs.  Moyes and Kenwright reportedly questioned his ability to fully recover and suggested cashing in on his insurance  Ferguson apparently reacted angrily.  I first heard of this during the 2002-03 season when things were generally running smoothly.

There was of course the bust up between Moyes and Ferguson last season which resulted in Moyes suspending Ferguson for 10 days, prolonging the suspension to clearly establish his authority.  Again in the close season, the Club offered Ferguson a pay off worth roughly 25% of his annual salary.  Ferguson refused, but reportedly refused the Captaincy in protest. 

It's fairly clear there has been a rift between Ferguson and Moyes for sometime.  I think to try to get at the truth we need to look more closely at Ferguson's character.  Nearly every manager has questioned his hunger and enjoyment; he is notoriously hard to motivate, and does have a penchant for performing better in certain games.  Many people have also questioned the legitimacy of some of his injuries, but nobody has been able to categorically say he is a fraud.  Personally, I doubt he is, and I can understand his frustration if his integrity is being questioned.  However, I would hardly imagine him to be the type to readily admit his faults either.

To contrast, I would suggest Smith was the parochial type of figure for Ferguson, cajoling him to get the best out of him.  I suspect this doesn't cut much ice with Moyes.  For supporters, Moyes's honesty has earned our respect, but for some players seemingly this honesty was not appreciated.  In the case of Ferguson, he is clearly the type to stand his ground if he feels hard done-by.  The problem is people's own perception of what constitutes being hard done by is inevitably infected with their own frailties.  The fact that Duncan Ferguson is on a wage the club can ill afford is not Duncan's or Moyes's fault, but Moyes is stuck with the consequences and has every right — in fact I would argue has the responsibility — to insist on value for money.

Some people say Moyes's failure to massage fragile egos shows inexperience and lack of man-management skills.  I would in turn suggest Moyes has simply stated his agenda; if the players don't fit the bill they will be replaced.  The problem is he has been unable to replace such players, through absolutely no fault of his own.  If the older players can't keep up in training — if the likes of Pistone lack the necessary drive to live up to Moyes's and Irvine's demands — Moyes is unlikely to bend.  Let's just say if Moyes was out of order in his treatment of his players, I believe The PFA would have become involved as they were reportedly approached by some senior players.  Regarding the claim that players were over-trained, hence tired in games, this could only apply to certain players.  Maybe they just weren't up to the job anymore; in some cases maybe they never were.

Instead, I would suspect Moyes will simply invest his time and energy into the players he does have faith in and wants to build a team around, while waiting for the rest to go.  His patience with Gravesen, and Rooney for that matter, is testament to this.  He is patient and determined enough to see this through.  He is also honest to admit his mistakes and is clearly a reflective and forward-thinking type of manager.

The case of Jeffers was slightly different.  Moyes obviously had reservations hence the loan deal.  I believe Jeffers looked a better all-round player than before, and seemed to have a point to prove, but looked very rusty in front of goal.  He seemed full of pent up frustration, which came to a head when Moyes made a last minute decision to play a fully fit McFadden ahead of him against Spurs.  Moyes must have known Jeffers would have been upset and likely to react.  However, he put Everton first and chose a team to win the game, not please certain people.  Not all previous Everton managers have taken this approach.  How many times in the past have senior players got their places, deserved or not?

The point I would make is this.  Moyes has very little leeway.  He is forced to work with a number of players he would rather not have to.  He is also unable to bring in the players he would like.  I doubt Kilbane would have been his first choice at left midfield but he got the very best value he could.  In dealing with players he doesn't rate, Moyes can take the short-term approach and bow down to accommodate such players at the risk of undermining his credibility with others.  Or he can take the long term view, stick to his principles, be patient and wait for these players to go.

Let's list the players he has reportedly fallen out with.  The ones in bold are the ones he definitely has, or if not him then Irvine.
Ferguson, Campbell, Stubbs, Weir, Pistone, Jeffers, Unsworth, Radzinski, Rooney.

Once we were virtually assured safety, was it Moyes or the players who showed so little pride in the last few games? The evidence was there for all to see.  Rooney apart, let's be brutally honest, none of these would be in any manager's long-term plans.

I would expect Moyes sees Wright, Yobo, Gravesen and Rooney as his kingpins for the future.  Personally, I think rumours of great rifts between Moyes and Rooney are exaggerated.  If Rooney, as reported by some, has become intolerably arrogant, or is influenced by the likes of Ferguson and Stubbs, then frankly these are issues for Rooney to deal with.  It's called growing up. 

Kilbane and Martyn are for the here and now.  McFadden, Hibbert, Turner, Fox, Gerrard and Vidarsson are all young players brought in with a good chance of becoming key players.  As for Clarke and Chadwick, decent players, but it is up to them to make the step up.  The clear message to the young players is that he is looking for top-class for the future, not mediocre.  Clarke must aspire to be a Yobo, not an Unsworth.  All of this highlights Moyes's long-term thinking.  He has shown he has the guts, determination and clarity of mind to see the job through. In the last few games of last season certain players demonstrated a clear lack of these qualities.

Close Season 2004

Two issues have overshadowed this Summer.  Rooney, and the lack of funds which have resulted in a Boardroom power struggle.  This has left Moyes in a very difficult situation.  First of all, I will make it clear that a manager who was riddled with self doubt or lacked steel would have resigned.  Moyes could have resigned, rescued his reputation, and walked into another job.  He hasn't, maybe because Everton is now in his blood or maybe he is a bloody minded, determined man.  I suspect a combination of the two.

Whilst all around have panicked, us included, Moyes has remained steadfast and resilient.  He is also still talking sense.  Gemmill, Alexandersson, Gerrard and Simonsen have gone without anyone noticing really.  Unsworth and Radzinski have left feeling unloved because they weren't offered 3-year contracts initially.  Once again, despite stinging criticism from Radzinski in particular, Moyes kept his nerve and refused to make short-term decisions that would cause long-term problems. 

Moyes has had no budget to speak of this summer, despite trimming the wage bill.  The Dithering Dave name has reared its head, this facet of his make up being brought to public attention by Radzinski.  At least he didn't have to go on strike this time, as Moyes managed to get a decent fee for him.

To look at this objectively, I will make a comparison. Steve McLaren is receiving plaudits left, right and centre for spending huge amounts of money in making Middlesbrough mid-table, and winning a Cup the big clubs aren't interested in.  Nobody has commented that he has allowed £8M Maccarone out on loan as nobody will buy him, and two £3M signings (Ricketts and Greening) have been sold at a total loss of £4.5M.  I won't even mention the money the likes of Houillier, Ferguson (Poborsky, Cruyff, Forlan) and O'leary (Seth Johnson!) have spent, and the money they have squandered over the years.

If Moyes made these kind of mistakes, as all of his predecessors have, he would lose his job.  Every penny he spends has to provide value for money — not just in his transfer fee, but also wages.  I find it shocking but not surprising that Paul Gregg should admit that under previous managers players were signed without ANYBODY calculating the cost over the terms of the contract!  Moyes was concerned that Unsworth and Radzinski would not provide this value for money for 3 years.  It could well be pointed out that Moyes then backtracked and belatedly did offer these players the contracts they wanted. 

I would argue that, at the end of the season, Kenwright is on record as saying that transfer funds would be made available.  They haven't been and Moyes has consequently been faced with the problem of selling to buy.  It is not ideal that Unsworth, Radzinski, Linderoth have all left without being replaced, but Moyes cannot be blamed for that.  The signings of Vidarsson and Bent are obviously good value for money; Cahill I have only seen in flashes — but what I have seen looks good.  Again, he is not Moyes's first choice but he has ensured that we have got value for money and not paid over the odds.  The current situation whereby Kenwright has reportedly been willing to offer £3.2M for Carrick but Moyes has refused to go above £2.6M show his determination and patience.  Incidentally, every word spoken by both signings have shown an excellent attitude; Vidarsson is very highly rated and highlights Moyes's forward thinking.

As for the players we have missed out on?  Well, again Moyes had been single-minded in waiting for the right player at the right price.  By all accounts, he has approached players, then not been sufficiently impressed by their attitude in talks to take things any further.  He can hardly be blamed for players like van Bommell not being impressed by the 17th best team in England.  Maybe if he had spoken to Moyes he may have changed his impressions.

Furthermore, Moyes has remained dignified regarding the behind-the-scenes wrangling, but has never failed to speak his mind, and give us, the supporters, the belief that at least one person at Goodison Park is fighting for our corner.  He is clearly more concerned with doing his job properly than appeasing anybody.

Conclusions

At the start of this feature, I highlighted nine key areas for a football manager to score in.  I firmly believe that Moyes scores highly in most of these areas, if not all.  Given time, and support, I am convinced he will prove to be an outstanding manager, and that — contrary to the beliefs of some — the mistakes he has made are fewer than it would seem, and are unlikely to be repeated.

To anyone who disagrees, feel free to plough through all of this, pick my arguments to pieces and write about the track record of a better candidate for the job of Everton manager.  Personally, I think you'd be hard pushed, although I like the look of that Mourhino, now... what's his track record like?  Wonder if it's all been plain sailing for him, or has he had some challenges to overcome?

After our opening game, I feel it vindicates my beliefs.  Once again we tried to match Arsenal, the only players who looked up to it were Martyn, Yobo, Hibbert, Kilbane and Bent.  Stubbs and Campbell are victims of age; others (Ferguson included) are simply not up to it.  Marcus Bent, at £450k, showed strength, mobility, intelligence, and the confidence to take responsibility and keep possession of the ball.  He also seems man enough to have his say, despite being the new boy.  Goodison Park is no place for mice, and Moyes knows that.

On a final note, the only reason I feel anything other than totally despondent at the moment is the fact that David Moyes is our manager.

Rob Fox

Reader Responses

I just want to thank Mr Rob Fox for a wonderfully written three part series regarding David M and football management. The way you logically express your ideas are a breath of fresh air, fantastic reading. I am a Wavertree boy originaly, now living in Auckland NZ and my spare time is spent looking at Everton related sites and message boards praying for positive news. I just want to thank you for such an intelligent piece of writing. Nice one and more of the same please.
David McMahon

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