The Rob Fox Column
Columnist: Rob Fox

The Apologist
29 September 2005

From the off, I’ll nail my colours to the mast.  I am still 91% in support of the theory that it would be futile, if not ‘stupid’ to think about sacking David Moyes right now.  According to some, that makes me an apologist; if that’s the case then so be it.  Last season I was one of the vast majority of Evertonians who thought David Moyes was an outstanding young manager and the best thing to happen to this club since Kevin Brock’s backpass.

Now I seem to be one of the minority who still believes that to be the case.  Seemingly a few shots across the bows and it’s time to panic, throw the captain of the ship overboard and let somebody else take the wheel.  And yes, I have been watching us since Gravesen left; and no, I wouldn’t class myself as stupid.  But then neither would those Evertonians who think Moyes’s time is up, despite what Keith Wyness thinks.

A lot has been said and written about our current predicament, the reasons for it and possible solutions.  In reality all that really matter are the answers to two questions:  Can David Moyes get us out of this mess and take us forward?  Secondly, who else could we get to do a better job?

Reading most views on internet forums, there seems to be a growing tide of opinion that Moyes has been found out and should be replaced.  In the midst of this, many Blues who have previously been staunch supporters of the manager but who are worried by results, point out the folly of replacing the manager as he has spent a lot of money recently and a new manager would want to build his own squad, taking us back to square one yet again.

That’s a salient point, but such logical thinking generally has little bearing on what happens at football clubs.  The general approach is to sack now, think later.  The fact that so many Blues are reluctant to actually swing the axe suggests that, despite the statistical evidence of 20 defeats in 30 games, many Evertonians deep down still believe in Moyes’s abilities.

It would seem that Keith Wyness thinks along the same lines.  Whilst I can understand loyal Evertonians who have lost faith in Moyes being angered by Wyness’s comments, I personally hope he meant every word he said — for one simple reason.  If he genuinely believes his vehement condemnation of those ‘short-sighted’ Moyes bashers, then at least it seems Moyes will be given time to turn it around.

At present, many Blues are, once again, in open dispute.  Personally, I can fully understand why some Blues want Moyes out.  Evertonians are notoriously passionate and that passion is displayed differently depending on your own viewpoint on major issues.  The bald, statistical facts are pretty overwhelming.  In the end, it comes down to your own perspective on what can be reasonably expected of our manager.

I don’t really like football any more.  There are more aspects that I hate than I like, the root cause of which is greed.  I am a fairly principled person and, like many working class people, have a healthy distaste for corporate exploitation of ordinary people.  Nevertheless, if Roman Abramovich owned Everton, I wouldn’t really give a shit about any of that.  I’d pretend to be morally outraged, but in reality I’d be too busy enjoying our revenge on all the teams who have rubbed our noses in the ground for the last 20 years.

I admit I’m jealous.  I hate the Champions League more than ever this season and avoid it even more than ever before.  I look at the odd result, but that has brought little satisfaction.  I suspect a lot of Evertonians are in the same boat.  We are often accused of being bitter and deluded but my own day of realisation came in, if I remember rightly, October 1990.  If I say it was Beagrie’s debut that should bring the memories back.  It was the day I realised we were finished as a major force in football.  It was the day I realised we weren’t ‘2 or 3 players away’ from being contenders again.

Since then, it has been tough being an Evertonian, but our brushes with relegation have made me realise how much Everton means to me.  For a whole generation of Blues, struggle is all they have ever known.  Joe Royle gave me hope that we could be a top 6 club again and maybe win the odd cup.  David Moyes gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, we could somehow achieve the impossible and regain our place at the pinnacle of football again.

He made me, and a lot of other Evertonians, believe again.

In reality, I think that is why our current situation hurts so much, and why so many Evertonians are panicking.  If he can’t do it, who can? David Moyes has done a lot to stabilise this club.  It was pointed out in the ToffeeWeb mailbag recently that both David Moyes and Walter Smith had both spent around £40M on players.  It was pointed out that Moyes had only recouped £26M whilst the Blessed Walter had recouped £56M by selling the family silver.

I think this was meant to show Walter in a favourable light, but to me it shows how statistics can be manipulated.  The fact that Walter was able to bring in so much money in transfer fees would indicate that he had some good players passing through. These figures would seem to indicate that David Moyes, meanwhile — taking into account we have so far received £20M for Wayne Rooney — was left with a squad worth £6M in total, plus David Weir.  Thanks, Walter!

Joe Royle oversaw a brief upturn in our fortunes — a top-6 finish and the FA Cup — 0and lasted 2½ years. Like Moyes, he also took us into Europe.  Walter Smith, meanwhile, convinced us that our financial restraints made survival a success.  He lasted 4 years, with barely a vocal murmur of discontent.  Peter Johnson took all his flak.

Again, when comparing points per games as some have done, it is necessary to assess what each manager inherited.  Whilst Colin Harvey, for example, inherited a Championship winning side, David Moyes inherited an almighty mess.  Rewind your memory to Ipswich and Tranmere at home and Smith’s last game against Middlesbrough if you’ve forgotten how bad things were.  You may question Moyes’s formations, but at least you know what they are.

Now David Moyes, 3½ years since inheriting Walter’s Wonders, finds himself under enormous pressure and more vilified by some than Smith ever was.  That’s his reward for raising expectations by actually achieving relative success.  He has taken us a long way in a short time.  If we finish, say 12^th this season, Moyes will be branded a failure.  When Smith achieved this he was lauded.  That’s what happens when you keep expectations low.

The bulk of Moyes’s spending as Everton manager was this summer, and few of these players have actually figured yet.  That alone is surely reason to give him time out of common sense.  If he did go, who would replace him?  Harry Redknapp?  The likes of Alan Curbishley and Sam Allardyce — assuming they would be tempted to leave ‘safe’ jobs for us —  have both taken time to achieve relative success at smaller clubs with lower expectations and have both endured periods similar to that which Moyes is going through at present.  Charlton fans called for Curbishley’s head last season.  "Ungrateful bastards," we all called them.  I wonder what neutrals would make of our messageboards at the moment?

Similarly, there is no evidence to suggest that the likes of Paul Jewell and Alan Pardew — both good managers who happen to be flavour of the month at the moment — would fare any better at a club with our expectation level.  They may not even fancy it.  Jewell was sacked at his only ‘big club’, Sheffield Wednesday.  Something to do with the weight of expectation at the club apparently.

These are strange times in football.  Manchester United fans are calling for Alex Ferguson’s head due to his persistence with a lone striker.  The kopites are struggling to score goals whilst Michael Owen is starting to bang them in for the barcodes.  Benitez should just have paid the going rate….

If we believe what we are told, just £2M more would have secured Dirk Kuyt.  That’s all it would have took, and I doubt we’d be bottom now.  We’d have 3, maybe 4 goals, surely.  Dithering Dave... Maybe it’s just me, but didn’t Spurs offer that extra £2M?  Didn’t Kuyt stay where he was?  Paper talk?  Who knows... not me, and if you’re truthful, probably not you either!

On Monday, I read a match report by Alan Nixon.  Yes, the same Alan Nixon exposed on this very site as having his fingers in a few pies.  He doesn’t seem to like David Moyes very much and was counting the games until his sacking with relish.  Then, presumably, we can bring in somebody who will ‘pay the going rate’, including agent’s last minute ‘extras’.

To me, that’s the crux.  As Colm Kavanagh said, Football is ‘Fooked’.  In David Moyes we seem to have a man of integrity who puts the welfare of the club first.  That seems to be a rarity in itself.  For the first time in many years, this summer we had a manager spending money we could afford — assuming Keith Wyness was telling the truth.  That is largely down to David Moyes ‘dithering’ over the last few seasons.  It seems some Blues would rather have a manager who spends first and thinks later.

Some Evertonians are convinced that sacking David Moyes is the answer to all our problems.  As far as I can see, it could only be the beginning of them.  I could go on, but for now I won’t.  I’m trying to cut down on the rambling – even my psychiatrist falls asleep.  I can think of a lot more reasons why David Moyes should not be sacked, but I’ll save them for next time, if anyone’s still reading the ravings of an apologist.

IMWT?  I still do, even if you lot don’t.  But that’s life, and at the end of the day we all write and say what we think because we care about our club.  Whatever your view, the team needs our support just now and it certainly got it at the Wigan game... at least until they scored.  After that, it became very educational in the Street End.  A newcomer would have been amazed to learn the range of nationalities of all the ‘twats’ who seem to play for our beloved team.

Rob Fox

©2005 ToffeeWeb