Moyes is Manager of the Month

To think there are people on here who still want him out. Compare our first 15 to the 15 below from Smith's last game in charge. The man has worked miracles.

Simonsen, Pistone, Stubbs, Weir, Unsworth, Clarke, Gascoigne, Gemmill (Blomqvist 73), Linderoth (Alexandersson 45), Radzinski, Moore (Chadwick 45). Subs Not Used: Gerrard, Cleland.

Hopefully it won't be the kiss of death..!!

Guess what, views can change according to results. It is 100% credible and understandable for Mr A.B. to slam the gaffer when he gets it wrong week-in-and-week-out (that would be the 1st half of last season) and for the same Mr. A.B. to heap praise on said gaffer when he gets it right week-in-and-week-out. It's hardly rocket science is it? Unless, needless to say, we should all have concrete unchanging opinions regardless of events on the pitch and sidelines. Get off ya little high horse and stop stirring things, okay?

There's criticising a manager and there's calling for his dismissal. Criticism is natural and absolutely warranted. Those people wanting Moyes' head on a stick this time last year deserve to have it thrown in their faces. We were terrible, everyone knows that, the difference is that some people still recognised the manager's ability.

James Martin, I called for Moyes to resign and I make absolutely no apology for it. Also, I am enjoying the football now totally free of guilt. He dithered over a lucrative contract and produced some truly dreadful dirge after he signed it.

Now, you talk of ten years patience being rewarded, what sanctimonious nonsense. David Moyes has, deservedly, won manager of the month. Not a trophy. Save the crowing till next May. If by that time we have continued to play good football and/or won a trophy I might consider a helping of humble pie.

Brilliant Post, correct in every way

For most of the last 10 years I can’t remember many periods when I was wowed by Moyes, or our performance but understood the realities of where we were, took my hat off to how he’d bought and sold and generally supported him. 10 years remember.

What got to me in the end was the football we were playing (still playing), the fact we’d never bought a right winger in a decade, were playing 4-5-1 at home against the likes of Wigan and were gradually, bit by bit, getting worse. You could even see it in Moyes whole demeanour that as a team we were starting to really go down the pan, the stuff we were being dished up was beyond dire and rightly or wrongly I’d had enough and thought it was finally time for a change. Never had that feeling…?

At that point you were no doubt sat saying to anyone who would listen “Don’t worry lads, after Xmas we’re going to sign an international 20 goal a season striker, Fellaini’s going to really prove he’s world class and Darron Gibson’s going to go out on the tiles with Rooney, get booted out by Fergie, we’re going to pick him up for £500k and he’s going to be the glue that turns our season around. On top of that we’re going to start playing football that’s UNRECOGNISABLE to anything we’ve seen for the last decade and be firmly at the top end of the table, no problem…..”

Where did you get you’re Degree in Hindsight from…..?

As Phil Q says, you either believe he is the right man for the job or not. You shouldn't be swayed by a few results. But then again supporters are a fickle bunch aren't we?

On another note Chelsea have played 451 every game this season and are top of the league, we've also played it and are playing some of our best football, yet still people use it as a stick to beat Moyes and then have the temerity to accuse him of tactical naivety, baffling.

I am sure you will tell me he earns 3m a season, but any professional who had ploughed in 9 years of effort would be pissed off with the above hand dealt. To his credit he got shot of Saha and billy, brought in Donovan, Gibson, pienaar and jelavic and hasn't looked back.

The sales of Cahill and Rodwell have allowed the squad to be refreshed this season, and we're rumoured 12 months earlier. For whatever reason that didn't happen, but could of changed the picture on the playing side given bill and the club are always skint.

Do you disagree?

Why should critics keep at him if he's suddenly started doing what they've been asking?

Critics don't have the same cult thing going that his unquestioning devotees have.

Providing unswerving criticism of Moyes isn't what it's about, it's about getting a better Everton.

He's just said himself he didn't like the guff we churned out previously so he's done something about it. He notably traded Bily and Rodders, among others (options that have always been available), stopped buying centre halves/journeymen and bought pace and creativity.

It's only stuff many of us have been crying out for years about. In addition no camel loaded with cash turned up as previously stated by his devotees as the only way such change could be effected.

The problem with some fans is Moyes comes before Everton — you wanna sort your priorities.

And by anyone I exclude those managers who were never realistic prospects, i.e. the Fergusons, Mourinhos, Wengers etc.

Happy to listen to suggestions though!

Once had money he bought pace and flair, but don't make out that he only bought defenders, Pienaar Donovan Drenthe Stracqualursi Vellios Gibson. None of these are defenders, he bought Heitinga and Distin to replace Lescott, and we've had Jagielka Hibbert and Baines for ages. Where are all these defenders Moyes is always buying? If anything he's barely changed his defenders and has chopped and changed his attackers over the years.

This team and how it's playing is unrecognisable as a Moyes of old team and saying otherwise is just telling porkies.

The fella is at long last beginning to manage at a level that unites rather than divides fans. He's moved away from "hoofy" and we're slicing teams open even when losing a game, previously we were at a loss if we went a goal down it was game over.

I repeat, what he's done is under the same regime, circumstances and limitations of yore. The fact he's doing what his critics have long asked for is not a case for turning on them or getting in a lather because noses are out of joint because we haven't fell apart playing proper football.

Rather give a hearty cheer and raise a glass to the perseverance and damned insight of these veritable prophets (diet coke will do .... I'm trying to lose weight).

Either that, or Gibson and Jelavic are the two best signings in the history of football and have unlocked the attacking genius that as always been Moyes.

I did enjoy the Villareal games though.

James #861

In my opinion Moyes taking us to 4th was a fantastic achievement but it wasn’t a miracle.

We were dire in the semi-final of the Cup v Man Utd, scraped though on penalties and got stuffed in the final (for reasons I understand but at no point was I left “wowed”).

Dan Gosling scored a last ditch winner in the 118th minute of a replay to knock Liverpool out 1-0 at home. Ecstatic I was but not "wowed".

I loved watching Arteta, particularly in the period immediately prior to his injury against Newcastle but still don’t think he’s reached those heights since or ever will again.

I’ve enjoyed watching Baines development, he’s a class act and great to watch when playing in tandem with Pienaar.

As for Sunderland, in 10 years someone somewhere is going to get a beating you would hope, wouldn’t you…?

Man City – I took great satisfaction out of those results and performances but they were grudge matches more than anything, and we’ve often failed to replicate that kind of performance more than a couple of times a season in my opinion.

Fiorentina I’ll give you – the type of performance that we’ve seen a lot of this season but for the previous ten…...how many….?

Beating Liverpool 3-0 in 2006 is still probably the highlight for me, and yes, I did leave “wowed” as I left the ground but as I said:

“For most of the last 10 years I can’t remember many periods when I was wowed by Moyes, or our performance”

I never said it’d never happened and for every example you’ve given above there have been massive slices of dour, negative, defensive football and bungled cup runs to counter it – which may have been pragmatic but I wasn’t wowed by hardly any of it and after ten years I’d had enough.

You just have to look at the Roll of Honour of our top league scorers during Moyes tenure to get a taste for the last ten years.

2001-02 – Ferguson 6 (2 pens)
2002-03 – Radzinski 11
2003-04 – Rooney 9
2004-05 – Cahill 9
2005-06 – Beattie 10 (2 pens)
2006-07 – Johnson 11
2007-08 – Yakubu 15 (1 pen)
2008-09 – Cahill 8
2009-10 – Saha 13 (2 pens)
2010-11 – Cahill 9
2011-12 – Jelavic 9 (1 pen).

If it wasn’t for Jelavic last season – who came in January our top league scorer was Osman on 5…. Followed by Anichebe on 4… then Baines on 4 (3 pens)….

I’m not anti-Moyes, never have been and I’m pleased he’s been given Manager of the Month but I don’t think I was unjustified in wanting a change around this time last year.

The start to this season is light and shade compared too much of the last ten, and if you don’t think so we’ve obviously been watching different football matches, or simply have different standards.

You'd need a JCB to move the shite that is unloaded on Moyes and how badly we've done under him

I have enjoyed immensely our wins over Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool, Tottingham, Arsenal and the win against Newcastle to cement 4th. Not wowed but very close.

Mike, what does the list of our top scorers prove? You can have a wow game and no goals, our 0-0 draw before the 4-4 was one of the best and most exciting games I have ever seen.

Our many 1-0 wins in 2004/5 gave me many a reason to stay out on County Road to all hours.

I don't get the mentality of "only goals will make this game exciting". It's the foottball and the passion on the pitch that gets my blood pumping, not the 6-2 scoreline (flashback to Villa game......and shudders)

The league is full of dissatisfied fans, this applies to every team without massive resources, the only exception being teams who are happy just to stay up.

Seamus is right to temper his expectations because its unrealistic to do otherwise. We know we won't win the league, so basically we all temper our expectations - that wasn't the case in the 80s or the 70s when seasons began with optimism that we might just do something... and yes even when were shite in the 70s we should have actually won the league one year 77-78.

Moyes hasn't changed. He just has better players around him now. Jelavic was a cracking deal carried out under the radar of other clubs, and Gibsons value has surely exceeded everyone's expectations - incredible business. If he could spend more we'd have an even better looking team. Credit to Moyes, he may bottle, and frustratingly so on some occasions, but he's gets a decent bang for his limited buck

You say it like wanting to be entertained by watching football’s an insult? Yes, I do want to be entertained – always have done, always will do. By inference it sounds like you’re either not bothered, or you’re just in the results business, one or the other.

One thing that I can’t understand is, if that’s the case, how come you’re such a big fan of the Fiorentina match, Everton “blowing Fiorentina away on the best night in recent Goodison history’ when, ultimately, we lost.

I know why I enjoyed that game, I’m just one of those classic “I want to be entertained” fans…… how about you? And is that why, no matter how shit the football gets on the pitch you’ll stick by a manager so long as he keeps us “safe”?

No-one can argue with the Pounds vs Points record of Moyes, but you cannot deny it has been painful viewing at times.

I don't go along with the new signings theory either – Arteta has just been hailed as the most successful passer of a ball in the whole of Europe FFS! Gibson a better player? I don't think so. Yak was every bit as good as Jelavic as well.

Moyes was in a tactical rut with Cahill playing behind a striker – and he has now completely changed the way we play. If he didn't like it, he could have sold Cahill & Saha, along with a few others and changed his style.

I have said Moyes needed to be less defensive, and more adventurous with his formations, I have never denied the fact he is good manager.

It is not as black & white as some like to make out – Moyes in or out, we just wanted to see his teams express themselves, not go through games without a shot on target at home.

All football fans want to be entertained, Mike, but some accept that you can't have it all the time, you can't have it when the board doesn't allow you to replace your best players. You can't have it in a team made up of journeymen and Championship players (04-05) because we've got no money. You can't have it in an FA Cup semi-final when your two best players are missing against Man Utd; what were you expecting that we'd spank them 5-0 with the whole world watching? You get it in games like Fiorentina (like you said a great game thus proving I'm not in the results business, is any Everton fan in the results business (perhaps those who call for the managers head after a single away draw)) when a performance comes together and it is exciting.

This thread started out as a debate about those who said he should have been fired last season. Your argument is basically as long as I'm being entertained he can stay. If you haven't found many moments of genuine entertainment over the last ten years then you need to redefine your expectations of entertainment or go and support Barcelona. The highs and lows of the Moyes era have been both jubilant and crushing, the same journey fans of every team have to go through. Don't make out that its been ten years of drudgery for all Evertonians because it hasn't. Even in one of the highs of finishing 4th you're still not moved because you've not judged it fitting entertainment. Basically anything Moyes has achieved is worthless because you haven't been entertained but his failures are oh so relevant. Just buy a Sky season ticket to La Liga and save yourself the chore of watching us.

No it didn’t - this thread started out as a congratulatory piece on David Moyes receiving a MOTM award until it was hijacked by yourself telling everyone what a clever boy you were.

All I’m doing is trying to get across WHY people felt the way they did last season, as I was one of them – and I’m not part of the MOB etc etc so I’d have thought being a Moyes fan you’d be interested but it appears you’re not interested in that at all – all you’re interested in is massaging your own needy ego.

Well go ahead and enjoy – but don’t tell me what I can or can't think, who I can or can't support, what I can or can't do or what is or isn’t decent football when frankly you clearly haven’t got a clue – OK?

Tony #925 – I agree with you but like I said, it was to get a taste of how we’d done over the past ten years in order to explain some of my growing frustration.

Does it not tell a story that in two of the past four seasons our highest scorer was an ageing midfielder renowned for scoring from set pieces – that he didn’t break double figures either year and no one could better him even though he missed one in four of all league fixtures across those two seasons…?

It may have been right up James's street but with the greatest of respect does that paint a picture of flowing, attacking, bums on seats, have-a-go, entertaining football?

#992 - "I haven't told you who you can or can't support"

#980 - "go and support Barcelona....", "Just buy a Sky season ticket to La Liga and save yourself the chore of watching us."

Apology accepted and I apologise for getting hot under the collar, it was unnecessary.

The good news is as far as the football's concerned I think we're all in agreement that we're happy at the moment eh? I just wish we had a game this weekend.

The guy has proven himself time after time to be a great manager but human too, I believe that he was and is the right man at the right time for Everton and he has my almost unconditional support.

1986-87 42 16 4 1 49 11 10 4 7 27 20 86 1st
1987-88 40 14 4 2 34 11 5 9 6 19 16 70 4th
1988-89 38 10 7 2 33 18 4 5 10 17 27 54 8th
1989-90 38 14 3 2 40 16 3 5 11 17 30 59 6th
1990-91 38 9 5 5 26 15 4 7 8 24 31 51 9th
1991-92 42 8 8 5 28 19 5 6 10 24 32 53 12th

* Prior to 1981-82, only two points were awarded for a win
FA Premier League / Premiership
Home Away
Season P W D L GF GA W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos
1992-93 42 7 6 8 26 27 8 2 11 27 28 -2 53 13th
1993-94 42 8 4 9 26 30 4 4 13 16 33 -21 44 17th
1994-95 42 8 9 4 31 23 3 8 10 13 28 -7 50 15th
1995-96 38 10 5 4 35 19 7 5 7 29 25 +20 61 6th
1996-97 38 7 4 8 24 22 3 8 8 20 35 -13 42 15th
1997-98 38 7 5 7 25 27 2 8 9 16 29 -15 40 17th
1998-99 38 6 8 5 22 12 5 2 12 20 35 -7 43 14th
1999-2k 38 7 9 3 36 19 5 5 9 23 28 +12 50 13th
2000-01 38 6 8 5 29 27 5 1 13 16 32 -14 42 16th
2001-02 38 8 4 7 26 23 3 6 10 19 34 -12 43 15th
2002-03 38 11 5 3 28 19 6 3 10 20 30 -1 59 7th
2003-04 38 8 5 6 27 20 1 7 11 18 37 -12 39 17th
2004-05 38 12 2 5 24 15 6 5 8 21 31 -1 61 4th
2005-06 38 8 4 7 22 22 6 4 9 12 27 -15 50 11th
2006-07 38 11 4 4 33 17 4 9 6 19 19 +16 58 6th
2007-08 38 11 4 4 34 17 8 4 7 21 16 +22 65 5th
2008-09 38 8 6 5 31 20 9 6 4 24 17 +18 63 5th
2009-10 38 11 6 2 35 21 5 7 7 25 28 +11 61 8th
2010-11 38 9 7 3 31 23 4 8 7 20 22 +6 54 7th
2011-12 38 10 3 6 28 15 5 8 6 22 25 +10 56 7th

This link demonstrates the goal differences since the introduction of the EPL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Everton_FC_cumulative_Goal_Difference_92-10.09.png

Looks pretty plain to me that Moyes has done a good job compared to anone since 1987.

It appears I have forgotten... you couldn't be a dear, and post a couple of examples of this?