Is this as good as it gets with David Moyes?

Last November, I touted the opinion that David Moyes should replace Sean Dyche for the remainder of the season as a short-term fix to the dire situation spiralling down the plughole towards the Championship.

Subsequently, Moyes came in and lifted the whole place, stopped the rot and changed the narrative of the pundits and the expectations of the fans. Moyes brought a few wins and importantly fewer defeats, making the last season of Dyche a shuddering memory.

Dyche had been ill-prepared in pre-season, followed by not just a season of poor results but poor play, and we looked odds-on likely not to avoid the drop. The new manager “bounce” was truly a joy to behold but two things would undermine any ability to step away from the lower reaches of the Premier League table.

One was the obvious: we have a squad made up of a number of “over the hill” players, such as Young, Gana, Doucoure, Coleman and Keane. As good as they were, they have lost the edge to compete consistently in the Premier League.

That’s not to decry them, but merely to acknowledge that age catches all players up and the peak of youth and ability often lays bare the frailty of experience. They were never exceptional, just good professionals.  

Then come the journeymen, who do a decent enough job on a good day with better players around them: Beto, Broja, McNeil, Garner, Tarkowski, Mykolenko and Lindstrøm… except we sold all our better players, didn’t we?

Then of course the handful of gems in Pickford, Branthwaite, the rising star in Ndiaye… but those gems are few.

In short, a team struggling — and it showed. Results, as they say, don’t lie; league places over a season don’t lie. Sean Dyche did a very good job keeping us up — not just because of the weaknesses in the team but the pressure on him.

There was nobody else, was there? From the situation with the sale of the club, and the disgraceful scapegoating by the Premier League, Dyche was the only one in the club that fronted up to the media – full stop. He deserves his accolades and thanks for that, but it could not ensure survival and the football sank as the team – and his ability to get the best out of it –  faltered.

In the end, I think he gave up trying, told the new owners he could not go any further — there must have been an “unless” in that sentence but, whatever it was, TFG saw it as the end of the line for Dyche.

In came David Moyes, who I believed would do exactly what he has done, the many years of his previous tenure would help stabilize the team until the new stadium, PSR and of course TFG could get a plan and the people it wants in the right place for the move to a new stadium and their new era.

In short, he has gotten more out of the same squad because of his man-management and tactical experience. It's worth remembering too, he has not borne the brunt of all the off-field stuff that Dyche had to endure, and that surely impacted on the man.

The difference between the two managers is significant in style and approach but, at the end of the day, both were limited by the playing staff. In the end, Moyes has got more out of them this season than Dyche could. But we are where we are, a lower mid-table Premier League club that needs rebuilding.

David Moyes has taken to Everton like a duck to water this season; he has enjoyed (rightly) the plaudits of many who have seen the club raise its level of confidence on the pitch and in league placing. The rot has been stopped, progress has been achieved, and the immediate threat of relegation all but gone. It's debatable that continuance with Sean Dyche would have seen the same outcome.

We have reached the point where any further progress depends on improvement in the team; with many existing contracts ending in the summer, fresh blood is required. As yet, we have no Sporting Director to put a plan or vision together for the next 5 years… so it's not going to significantly improve in one transfer window.

Likewise, the manager, David Moyes. We are rolling and creaking towards the end of a season where he has stabilized the ship, steered us to safety… Great!  But, in touting his appointment, I also said it should be a short-term solution till the end of the season.

Moyes still has his detractors and his ability to step up another level again has been a question mark against him for a long time.  He has failed at a number of clubs before seeing limited success at West Ham, and even they were unhappy with his football.

So the question has to be asked: Has he done enough to warrant further trust? Or is his current level as good as it gets?

If he is to remain as manager, what does that imply for the future of the club in the coming years? And what are the expectations of the new owners, TFG, and their vision going forward?  Are they going to stick or twist?

---

Reader Comments (9)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

How to get rid of these ads and support TW

---