Final defeat closes out the Moyes Era

We can't finish higher or lower than we are so there is simply no reason not to.

Moyes has said he wants us to get our best PL total and that's fine, so do I, but I think away to Chelsea, we've got as much chance (or as little chance if you prefer) of getting the points by just 'going for it'.

Nothing to lose at all - the 'brief' imo should be go and enjoy it, show us your tricks, skill, nerve etc.

You don't get many opportunities to play in this league 'without fear', today I would suggest IS one of those occasions.

Dead game, finding it hard to get excited. My girlfriend is just about to lock away my razor blades. Ho-fucking-hum!

Well Moyesophiles its your last day to worship at the shrine of your Messiah's greatness to wonder at his tactical greatness to pat each others backs and boost each others ego's as he plays 'all track back' and KITAP and takes off a forward for a defender when we are losing, to watch him make baffling and useless substitutions at the wrong time and to bring on Naismith too (actually he seems to have forgotten that last one for the last few games perhaps his untold joy at 'Moving on to better things' has distracted him).

'This is our last game together, lets really go for it and give us all something to remember our time together by, lets walk out of here in two hours proud of what we've done with smiles on our faces, now go and show them what you can do and above everything - enjoy yourselves'.

However.... for some reason I think it could be more like....

'OK... today we're playing 4-5-1.... and we're going to keep it tight and..... och... lads..... pay attention.... lads, it's really important you listen to this..... lads..... lads....? Where are you going......?'

I think it's a nice gesture by Moyes... standing firm behind his fellow jocks and cocking a snoot for one last time at those savvy Evertonians who have dared to question his team selections over the years.

WTF Moyse?

There surely has to be a more interesting / exciting option considering the nature of the game other than Naismith.

I've been a Moyse loyalist over the years but his tactics have sometimes drove me insane - today is no different.

I cannot get motivated about today considering we are probably looking at a feeder club for the summer for that Man Utd turd.

Oh wait he is..

If only Neville and Osman had been fit we might have literally made Tim's head explode.

The final straw could be the recommendation of Stubbs/Weir/Neville to continue the status quo or worse.

Terrible decision from Moyes eh?

Be ashamed, idiots!!

Couldn't agree more. Even if Naismith did the hat-trick today it probably wouldn't change your view. But the abuse of Moyes and Naismith that I have just read goes beyond all decency. Turd, shithouse, etc.

Gavin:

Very witty post, but not so. Naismith is not the best player in the world, granted, but... well, read Eugene's post regarding Phil Neville.

Wonder if Moyes will ever win against the former top 4 when he is Utd manager...

It's my PMT coming on!!!

Frustrating to the bitter end, that to me signalled a symptomatic surrender that will be a lasting and permanent memorial of the Moyes Era.

And with that, he's gone. The only question now will be: When can we stop talking about him and start looking forward to hopefully a better future with a new man in his shoes?

Would be good if you could put a filter on so that any posts containing the word Moyes were scrubbed!

agree 100%
You can imagine the master tactician working his plan b out when we went a goal behind.............."Got it !! lets put Heitinga on and lump it up to Felli" .Ala Mick Lyons.

Watch Heitinga lose the ball to Torres in midfield and amble back to nowhere as he slams it past Howard at the near post.

Contrast that with Benitez clever use of subs to prop up his tired team and go for the win.

Bye Bye Moyes, good man, tediously predictable and unimaginative manager.

Maybe starting from tomorrow? Or do we have to wait for the new man to be appointed?

Two words. Brett Angell

I notice Steve Clarkes team got 5 against United today

I hope the bloke who was in the home dugout today gets the Goodison job.

Rafa In.

We had three great chances after that missed in turn by Jelavic, Jelavic and Heitinga, so for Jim Hourigan to announce that we were not adventurous or try to win is just plain wrong.

Any Everton site that allows the comment at 841 by Kevin Elliott to stay up is beyond believable and it's not just footy banter. It's vile abuse, similar to the vile abuse hurled at Naismith on the LIVE Forum today.

Our manager of past 11 years has been chosen by the richest team in the world, so get over it. My inclination is that Manchester United have more football knowledge than the Kenricks, Hourigans and Elliotts of this world.

I would however, given Moyes reticence to play Barkley for us, consider it a huge cheek for him to take him for Utd.

In fact imo, given all the 'Everton will always be special to me' stuff, I think he should come nowhere near our squad for at least a year.

He now has an incredible squad at his disposal and all the money in the world.

Consequently, I personally would see his immediately relieving us of Baines or Fellaini or Barkley as a kick in the plums and evidence that he sees us as no different to any other team.

We shall see.

Michael is big enough to look after himself,but it has to be said.
If you think we changed to 4-4-2 you have the same vision as Ben Turpin

Though the people who slagged you off the most now regard Martinez as the new messiah, which would leave with our very own version of Brendan Rodgers.

Its ridiculous to criticise the subs when they created a 442 and so nearly got us something out of the game. I appreciate what Moyes has done, he has a kept us competitive in difficult times, though his weaknesses sometimes cost us when it mattered most. It's an irony that he was able to exceed most neutrals expectations yet sometimes when it really mattered he baffled us with decisions.

Part of me is glad he's gone, if nothing else it should keep the cheese headed branch of the Dire Mob quiet. The last couple of weeks has been beyond tedious at times.

We did well in the first half when we actually had a go at them, but bringing a defender on to sit in midfield has backfired on Moyes so very, very often; as it did again today.

Fellaini did okay up top, but we can't afford to carry passengers like Heitinga against teams like Chelsea.

I'd also agree that today was a day for giving a few of the younger players a go. Despite his goal, Naismith has proved himself to be below the standard required to play in the Premier League. I'd rather have seen a player with potential given some time, given that our league position was fixed.

Would have liked to have seen Oviedo and Barkley as part of the future rather than Heitinga and Jelavic who should obviously not be the future.

If only we had a Benteke or Michu.

Bollocks, that's what YOU stand for: old-fashioned, dull, tight arsed and unimaginative Presbyterian principles.

All very laudable and that, but I am relieved and glad to see the back of them. Football is about passion, flair, risk, excitement, ritualised tribal wars and winning. Not merely trying not to lose, or being principled and decent and gracious in defeat.
Fuck that.

NEXT !!...

Barkley could have been brought on to run at them from behind Anichebe or Jela. Anichebe certainly had no grounds for his sulking when taken off as he was back to his 'lying on the floor, whingeing worst' again after a good first half.

Mirallas could have come off for Barkley. He run Naismith a close second for giving the ball away today. How is Barkley good enough to start at WHL and the Emirates and not to run at Chelsea's defence when we had nothing to lose?

Moyes summed his era up today. All promise and some good football first half, bottled it inexplicably in the second.

Notwithstanding, I wish Moyes all the best as he has represented our club with class and dignity throughout his tenure.

Any way you cut it, two strikers were replaced by one striker and one non-striker (evidence: that woeful shot) in a typically negative move by a manager who has employed predominantly negative tactics and negative substitutions in his time at Everton. It backfired, as it has done so many times under Moyes's reign, as the draw he was playing for slipped away once again. It's a pity, because going out on a draw would actually have been more fitting, but there ya go.

If the appointment of his successor is to be from within — and that would be yet another Kenwright abrogation of his office — then I guess Neville`s assertiveness and wider experience would be the best of a limited bunch... but it would be a lazy and wrong appointment.

So thank you, David, for 11 good years... and for dropping us in the shit with your parting recommendation!

Worry (2) will he or she have sponds?

Worry (3) will he or she be bale to ship our shite

Naismith was woeful today, woeful, thanks for the goal, cheers
but you have to go. Anichebe, simply not good enough. Osman,
there was an Englishman, Irishman, and Scotsman, so the
Englishman picks Leon Osman for the English squad ....... paperweight
mediocrity who, for some reason has become a kingpin, I know not how
but he has.

Imagine it though, the new Stubbs/Weir flashy zappy dressing flair-for-flair's-sake dream-team make it clear that the seniors in the dressing room are key for 'this critical transitional stage where continuity and experience will help steer us through these choppy waters'.

The second half was the usual 'backs to the wall' stuff and, when Heitinga came on, we knew the game was lost when his first act was a booking. I thought Jags was unlucky with the winner but overall, time and again, Chelsea have proved why they are the best in the country, and Europe.

Plenty for us to think about between now and next season. To all Evertonians, have a great summer and keep the faith.

I don't have a single flaw Sam

If anything, the second half just rubbed a tub full of salt in what is the gaping wound of Jelavic's lost confidence. I firmly believe there is only one man responsible for that. And the tactical switch was to facilitate hoofballs up to top scorer? Great!

As Nick says, when Jonny came on we moved to two up front with Fellaini and Jelavic.

Never heard of Ben Turpin Paul, did he play up front in a 4-4-2 or as a midfielder with licence to support the Lone Ranger?

Let's hope we can all get behind the new man, and we can all look forward to a new era for the boys in blue.

Same again for Neville next year though.

Well, just a thought!

As for Jelavic he couldn't score in a brothel with a grand in his back pocket and a Harry Styles face transplant.

I'm in sympathy

Why don't we just have an ongoing
Moyes forum like the match one?

The only problem I see here BS is
debating internal appointments, where
the ginger head has a right to be present
and involved.

DEAR LORD holy Entwistle, I just saw a
camera close up of a baggies big boy with
not one, not two, but three pies on the go
at once.

It was beautiful.

Looking forward to watching this one,
Man-U 2-0 up with only 8 goals to come

I'd prefer to let people write their epitaphs on this thread, and then close it down tomorrow and turn over a new leaf... Definitely when we actually have a new manager to talk about! I'm sure some will want to write longer memorials to the Moyes Era: please submit these as Fan Articles and they can be posted as separate threads. I can try to capture wayward posts on other threads but that process is imperfect, I'm afraid, so we'll be relying on the seething MOB to, er... Move On, so to speak.

The King is Dead... etc

I long for the day when we "All Stand Together". That won't happen under BK, for reasons passim, and that's why we need to be unified more than ever, behind our manager.

Whoever that may be.... Pip pip!

More trades follow with Baines to Man Utd for £12m and we get Welbeck on loan for a season...

And again I scratch my head, as I seem to remember following this substitution us creating a lot more chances than for the first 20 minutes of the second half. I wont say we were unlucky, as the reason we lost was down to poor finishing again. A decent striker would have made all the difference today. But as always, it was nothing to do with our finishing. Barkley and Oviedo would have each scored a hat trick had they come on. Stupid Moyes.

I have had the pleasure to support my team through thick and thin for 50 years. I agree we are not yet near the mid 80s standard but for fuck's sake, that was 40 years ago, when we had loads of dosh. Moyesy has done a tremendous job and now we move on. Give the man the respect he deserves.

Apart from the terrible substitutions and again leaving with nothing from a top 4 club when we should have taken something, the biggest concern for me was just how badly we need a proper striker or two. Hard to know how we've finished in the top 6 without a decent striker. The jig's up for Jelavic, and Anichebe, for me, has never been worse than his abject display today. Offered nothing whatsoever. We do need to find a bit of bite up front for next season.

Those of you old enough will remember Reggie Perrin had the same issue - seeing Hippopotamus when thinking of his Mother-in-law.

Sticking to just eating raw turnip I guess shows character, integrity, courage and resilience in abundance.

All admirable qualities you could say and enables you to ignore those that plead for a change of diet.

Bloody boring though, isn't it ?

Well said Frank #873. The shite being written with an anti-Moyes theme is getting beyond a joke. Whilst if I'm totally honest I would agree a change is probably best for both parties, try and remember where we were 11 seasons ago under Walter before Moyes arrived compare it to what the next man inherits.

The crudeness and the bile being spouted by Everton fans about the man just chosen to be the new manager of probably the biggest football club on the planet is frankly pathetic. No wonder the RS call us "bitter". Grow the fuck up!!

Onward and upward for both parties.

Interviewrer; In 11 years at Goodison you are now off to United, what aspects from those years contributed to your appointment.

David, CJ ( canny jock ) Moyes; I didn't get where I am today by not bring on an out of form defender for a goal scorer.

Vintage or typical Moyes depending on your view

I'm a JH fan, but swtiching him with Fellaini was never going to work.

But if you make those subs regularly, then overall you get what you deserve even if the isolated match performances don't deserve it.

Moyes has done well. I wonder if the next man will make such baffling decisions? Must admit, I'm kind of excited to find out. New era feels good right now (before the actual appointment crushes my spirit again!).

As for "I'l be holding two jobs next week", well, he's still contracted here until June 30th, so he really is taking the Michael now. It is down to our moron of a chairman that we have Moyes still lingering here like a bad smell, interfering with the next manager choice.

If you think you're starting the OT job next week Davey, you know where the door is mate...

Reasonable first-half with some good build-up play, and a decent finish by Naismith. However, the goal does not justify his selection - the rest of his game was poor. In fact there were many examples from several players of misplaced passes and getting caught in possession. Despite this, thought we were the better team in the first half, and should have been in the lead - but then we were due a howler from Howard.

Second half we went to sleep. Any time we built up a good head of steam, it fizzled out when we were in their half. The substitutions, as ever, were ridiculous. For me, Anichebe is not the answer to our problems up front, but I would have kept him on - Heitinga and Jelavic, embarrassing.

The season promised so much: FA Cup there for the taking, and a top-four finish was achievable. For me, it went wrong after Christmas, and I can only blame Moyes. I believe the deal with Man Utd was secured at the start of the year. Now he can depart Everton with a clear conscience because we never won the cup or got into Europe, so he didn't feel bad about leaving.

As Michael Kenrick rightly stated, after the wailing and gnashing of teeth, let us move on and talk about who will be the next successor of our great club, and forget the nightmare that was David Moyes.

ps: Anyone know what's happened to Vellios? He doesn't even get on the bench for the reserves, and he's not listed as being injured.

Who do you think you are Brent? Goebbels?
"No-one should heff unlimited comments about Der Meneger. Iz Zat Clear?"

Well, Brent is hijacking Michael's job then. Maybe we should limit the number of times you comment on Tim Jones's posts...

I would certainly like to draw a line under the Moyes Era... and hoping we could do it today. But it looks like we'll have to go for another week until the new Man utd manager goes off on his hols — after working two jobs this week, with the blessing of his paymasters at EFC, that is.