Everton confirm the appointment of David Moyes

It is now up on the official site.

I was not a big fan of Moyes when here but he will be a better manager than the one who left us and I do think he is a decent manager and better than the majority linked with.

Also, thank goodness Dyche went – the team has been terrible this season.

Hopefully, Moyes does well. First job: stay up.

Only time will tell…

'Deflated' is definitely an apt emotion.

I think I'll skip the glorious homecoming on Wednesday and stay downstairs until just before kick-off to take my seat for the match.

No sports news for me between now and then. I'll find something on Netflix.

I have nothing more to say, other than it's a step backwards. We might as well have kept Dyche.

I am okay it's Moyes.

Hopefully a few players now incoming too.

Back Moyes, back the club – stay up and next season promises much more.

Big mistake IMO.

A sensible if uninspiring move in my eyes and, whatever you make of the decision, it is one that seems to have been made quickly and efficiently by TFG which is a nice change to the ‘3-man shortlists' etc.

Who can forget the first-minute goal against Derby to kick it all off, the nights in Europe? Ironically he's probably Man Utd's best manager since Ferguson!

Or, as I like to refer to it... The Return of the Magnificent Seventh!

Now, we need a striker who can score at least 10 goals before the end of the season!

On the pitch, the type of football has to improve.

Not saying I am right behind, or approve of Moyes's return, but it certainly is a far better option than Dyche. How Dyche managed to keep us up the last two seasons is as bewildering as it is somehow commendable, and we owe him for that.

To even chance that he could repeat that would be folly. I think even players were deciding against joining us if offered, whereas Moyes may succeed where Dyche failed in attracting some new faces, which is vitally needed to survive and progress.

Paul @ 10, wailing? Don't assume we all drink Carling! :-)

Moyes is hardly an inspired signing but, as we have recently had the likes of Big Sam and Benitez to stomach, then we all have got used to pragmatism.

The crumb of comfort in this appointment is that Moyes is not the manager that coached us for 11 years. He is more experienced, he is more able, knows more people and he has won something.I won't knock him for winning a European trophy of any kind.

Hopefully, he will calm the nerves in the dressing room and bring some good staff with new ideas. Imagine if Fonseca or Terzi rolled into town and our players couldn't adapt and we went down.

It's a sensible appointment which will hopefully get us enough points to climb the table. I am not expecting miracles. Just football that is a little bit better than before and a few wins.

Good luck, Moyesie.

Dyche admitted himself that they only trained defence with no part of training focused on attack… it lead to all 11 players only being able to defend. That's okay if you're hoping for just 0-0 but, the moment they score, you're screwed.

At least Moyes will be more balanced. Is he the long-term solution? ideally not… but if he gets us regularly mid-table to 4th, I'll take that now.

Longer term, I'd love a more exciting, dynamic manager who could push on but, for now, I'd take a manager who can stabilise the balance of the team, keep us up, and is more than likely to get better bang for our buck in transfers.

I'm not upset about what happened when he left; it could have been better but life's too short… and so is the rest of this season.

That's all that matters now. Debates about our long term future can start once our Premier League status has been secured.

That's longer than I expected – I thought it was 2½ years?

I really think we could possibly do a Sunderland now. Hope not but this appointment doesn't instill me with confidence that we can stay up.

Dyche was taking us down. I think Moyes is too similar… God, I hope I'm wrong!

€110M brought Kudus, Paqueta and Bowen to West Ham, not Moyes.

Marc Watts saying this is a pivotal time for the club how many twists and turns make a pivot?

Roll on the summer, then we will have some certainty again at our club, everything crossed for this one.

“We look forward to working with David to build the foundation of a new era for Everton.”

Foundations that allow a more glorious construction on top (by AN Other) once established.

None whatsoever!

Let's get behind him and pray he brings stability, Premier League safety, and then builds a new Everton that starts competing at the right end of the table. Now we have some money and a new stadium, he can start taking artillery guns and tanks to gunfights.

I could have stomached it slightly better had it been 18 months instead of 2½ years.

I hope they have some clauses in that contract and aren't paying him stupid money.

Moyes will keep us up but my hope is that TFG plan to sack him at the end of the season (like Fat Sam 7 years ago) and appoint a manager for the long term.

By the time TFG have paid Dyche off. They would have spent 15 million to trade on a negative percentage merchant for another few months. Only the one we got is more likely to take us down. Those greeting this appointment with a fanfare should consider the facts.

This guy was sacked (and paid off) by Man Utd after fan pressure forced the board to terminate his 7-year deal while it was still in its infancy.

He was ran out of town by the Hammers who couldn't stomach his entertainment-killing approach.

Took the Mackems down, pissing off everyone at the Stadium of Light in the process.

Kicked out of Sociedad (and paid off again) after a year for stinking the place out.

Cheer and clap this appointment all you want, but I can't shake the feeling that we have just hired the richest failure in football management history.

We giveth £12 Million…

Take thee back to the glass ceiling, knife to a gunfight, dithering Dave transfer windows, getting rogered by the Top 6, derby defeats, the biannual colonoscopy from Man Utd, no wins down south, Keep It Tight And Nick One, the striker's graveyard, getting knocked out of cups by Arsenal's B team, no strikers up front, and being terrified of trips to Anfield.

Oh David Moyes, how I've missed thee.

Hopefully safer as a result and if we stay up then a step forward as sadly I think Dyche ran out of ideas

I'm quite anti-Moyes both because of what he did and what he does.

I'll get behind him, welcome him at Villa, and hope we move forward – both up the league and even up the pitch…

Personally, I am not happy, however, the only thing that matters is staying up.

I'll take unexciting competence over brash, reckless gambles any day of the week.

Let's crack on!

So I checked all the registered historical facts and I was not shocked to discover that going back rarely works.

The spectre of the dead one lingers long.

It was disappointing he won nothing… but it has been an utter nightmare since.

Task 1 = survival; Task 2 = complete turnover of squad to enable us to climb the table and then attract a higher quality of player, and potentially, manager.

This would not happen by appointing Moyes in a short-term capacity. We are sick and need to take our medicine. He may not be the answer for a lot of fans, but he's definitely the solution we need at this time. COYB.

ps: Davey, can you at least tell us where the Arteta money 💰💰💰 is!?

Will he bring in Alan Irvine, Davey Weir etc? Who knows… but more than ever, we have to stay up this season.

I wonder if Liverpool will be rehiring Klopp in 12 years time? There's your difference… and the issue at Everton.

I don't know if TFG had anyone else in mind, you'd like to think so, but that “anyone else” would no doubt have probably still been under contract elsewhere, and it would have cost the club to release him from his contract. That plus paying off Dyche and his gang would have raked up millions in compensation, something we can do without right now due to PSR.

Like him or loathe him, Moyes has the experience of being a Premier League manager and knows how tough the Premier League can be, and I'm sure he can lead us to safety.

We all wanted a Pep, or a Carlo, but unfortunately their likes weren't available, but I'd like to think Moyes will be a better choice than Leicester getting Van Nistlerooy or West Ham getting Potter.

Vitor Pereira, who ended up at Wolves, was not wanted by many on here when he was linked a couple of years ago, so we'll never know how his appointment would have gone down.

So there's bugger all left to do except welcome Moyes back and get behind him and the team.

Saying he achieved nothing is unfair also. How we would love to be the Best of the Rest and qualify for European football on a regular basis. Apart from Bobby Brown Shoes' first season in charge, we have been awful and never finished so high in the league. Hell, even Fat Sam got us to an 8th-place finish.

Let's all get real here. Dyche was taking us down. Just watching the match was a chore. If Moyes still has the same eye for an unknown player (Arteta, Fellaini, Cahill, Pienaar) then he could pull a few rabbits out of his hat this month and improve the team tenfold. Or it could all turn to shit. But that could happen with any appointment.

Time to forget any past grudges some may have and get behind David Moyes. A long hard road ahead for the rest of the season.

A couple of shrewd signings needed to freshen up a jaded looking squad.

No, it was predictable.

If you don't try to win key games, that's what happens.

Look how he left us to go to Man Utd – no other manager would have refused to go to Utd at that time.

When Billy Brown Shoes came in, he inherited the best squad since the '80s and finished in the Top 6. Since then, we have become laughable.

Look at the players he brought in with zilch money: Cahill, Arteta, Fellaini… the list goes on.

I'd rather have him than Mourinho and the other managers who have been mentioned.

We now have plenty of time to hopefully get a few bodies in and sort ourselves out for the fight ahead… (gun or knife fight!)

Now let's get behind him and do this.

UTFT!!!!

Two more strikes and there will be spitfires with "TFG Out" banners above our new, soon to be named... Groundhog Day Stadium.

Different owners. Same lack of foresight.

For anyone who thinks it can't get any worse …. Imagine Moyes leading us out in the Championship.

His job at West Ham was good – they won a European trophy, for a club that had been battling relegation.

Realistically, anyone looking at us would see a club in trouble, although with a bright light shining at the end of the tunnel, so they would be wary of a potential black mark against their CV.

All-in-all, I think this has to be the best appointment we could have realistically expected, and I hope we all get behind him and the team.

We all want to move the club forward, but to do that we need a manager who can get us to Top 10, and (for a change) sign some good players. This is exactly what Davey does best.

He struggles once he gets there, as West Ham know to their cost, but there is no one better (not even Carlo) at working in the zone we will need Davey to work in over the next couple of years.

To put it more crudely, reasons to sack him without compensation, such as say a month in the Bottom 5 in the table, a month of losses that is getting no points at all, or failing to win a game in 6 weeks, or just a lack of any tangible improvement.

I'd also like to know if the DoF was consulted before the appointment and if there is/was a defining of responsibilities possibly including seniority?

Regardless, I hope it proves a successful appointment at least until the finances are sorted out and Mr Ancellotti asks if he can return, but there is a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that whispers, "Mediocrity".

For those thinking back to bargains like Cahill etc, that was 20 years ago.

But anyone is better than Dyche.

This is the least risky option on the table. Sure, like most, I'd have preferred a younger, more dynamic manager. Someone to build us again, but we cannot afford that risk.

2½ years is not that long and, as we all know, if things don't work out, the manager will be sacked. He gets his payoff as any other manager would do.

I'm not sure why it matters about the money side either. It's not our own personal money, TFG have pots of money so complaints about the cost of this and that shouldn't really concern any of us.

IMHO, Moyes comes back a better manager. Far more experienced. He's gone out there and challenged himself. Sure it's not always worked out but he's not just sat on his arse in a warm studio being a mouthpiece (and a shit one at that, Carragher)!!

Him leaving for Man Utd – get over it. So long ago it's hardly worth debate.

For now, and that is all we need to focus on, he's our manager and we all simply have to get behind him and the players and keep us in the Premier League!!!

We desperately need additions to the squad. One or two new players in attacking areas, the return of McNeil, Garner and Iroegbunam and the rapid progress of Harrison Armstrong could transform the look of the team.

We have two far from easy, but winnable, home games coming up. Four or six points from those games will ease the pressure on everyone and create some momentum.

Welcome back, Davey Moyes, and good luck.

Gees, I wonder what MK really thinks of Martinez, Koeman, Allardyce, Silva, Ancelotti, Lampard, and Dyche thereafter if Moyes was unproductive and disappointing, after inheriting a dog shit team and backed by Esso tokens.

He did a decent job of getting Everton to be the Best of the Rest. If he hadn't, one of the biggest teams in the world wouldn't have come in for him.

Balance please. Is he who we wanted long term? No, but the immediate priority is Premier League survival and sorting a squad with 12 out-of-contract players come the summer. This is no time to gamble.

We need someone to take us to mid-table, add some emerging players, and then hand it over. Based on that brief, Moyes seems a fair choice. Could my choice, Iraola, keep us up this season? Honestly with these players, playing how he likes… possibly no.

It's clear the Friedkins wanted to keep Dyche in place till the summer, but results and a meeting where he'd practically given up has forced their hand.

Let's stabilise; then, with the new stadium and PSR in a better place, then kick on.

We have been in a downward spiral for years, I still feel the future is bright but, in order to get to the future, we need to stay in the present… and the present is safety.

I can't understand all the vitriolic bile spewed by some supporters; not called for and in any case, what superstar of a manager would want the job in the first place?

Moyes knows the club, the league, and – with this group of players – is the best choice for us to stay up.

Who's to say TFG won't "relieve" him of first-team duties before 2027?

COYB - UTFT.

Only Everton would have appointed this second-rater. New stadium, new dawn and Davy fucking Moyes. Our ambition died today.

It is a regressive and divisive appointment which a large part of the fan base disagrees with. As evidenced by the posts over the last few days. Offering him a 2½-year deal is just comical, as his career trajectory was occasional appearances on the “Rest is Football” or Sky.

Nevertheless, he will be supported in his early days by all of us because we want the club to succeed. It will become a serious problem when things do not go his way, as Moyes does not have a huge amount of goodwill in the bank.

What they are, I don't know, but I assume it's something like avoiding relegation, but as you say, let's hope the same applies for Moyes.

I'm guessing there would still have been moans about Pep or Carlo from people who are never happy except when they are moaning.

My logic is based on the following scenario:

1. TFG had talks with Dyche;
2. Dyche didn't convince them he would keep us up;
3. TFG started to sound out replacements, including Potter;
4. Word got back to Dyche, who demanded 'back or sack';
5. TFG don't bow to threats: they sacked Dyche;
6. All the realistic alternatives (with Premier League experience) saw us as high risk;
7. All exciting foreign or up-and-coming managers were considered too risky;
8. Moyes was the only one available willing to take on the challenge;
9. TFG reviewed Everton Managers over last 20 years:

# Moyes era never fighting relegation (bar 1in 13) and finishing regularly in the top half of the table;

# Every other manager got fired because we feared relegation (with the exception of Carlo);

# For the last 4 years, we have been living in abject misery, teetering in the drop zone, only surviving because other teams, usually the promoted teams, were so much worse;

TFG to my mind then made the only realistic business decision available: Dyche had lost dressing room, manager with Premier League experience and willing to take on tha thankless task needed. Only one available was Moyes.

Decision made – and we need to get over it for the good of EFC and forget the ridiculous and childish venom being trotted out here and on other threads.

I'm not thrilled about this appointment but I want us to stay in the Premier League which I don't think would have happened under Dyche.

Our criticism of previous management of EFC was there was no strategy. This move, I believe this decision is only the first step to stability where, once in the new stadium with more revenue, we can start to build back our club to compete at the top half of the table and hopefully onwards and upwards thereafter.

My only superstitious fear is Burnley sacked Dyche and they went down afterwards… Hopefully not Déja Vu!!!

Have you not been paying attention the last 2 years?

"I'm not sure why it matters about the money side either. It's not our own personal money, the FG have pots of money so complaints about the cost of this and that shouldn't really concern any of us."

Whatever he gets paid will be paid by Everton Football Club, not The Friedkin Group. His wages and any associated payoff if he gets sacked will count in our Profit & Loss and affect our PSR.

It would be interesting to know who advised Dan Friedkin and Marc Watts on this appointment.

Of course, I hope it ends well.

Hope you can assemble a team even half as good as the last one and can get us that elusive trophy this time round.

But it's very easy to jump on the bandwagon of negativity. Nobody has a crystal ball and so we should all remain positive and get behind the whole team.

Goodwill in the bank? Get real. It's modern day football. Ruined 100% by the greed of money. It is now a business.

People have the freedom to choose where and who they work for, why should we knock ambition?

Some reality needed for the situation we are in. No short-term appointment would be beneficial to the club either. This is the real world, not 'Championship Manager'!

The worst thing we can do is become a self-fulfilling prophecy and say "Because I am against it, I will be glad if we go down."

Moyes will have us well organised like Dyche did, but he'll offer more going forward and our full-backs will be allowed to overlap and actually cross the fucking ball!!

This could be the perfect appointment to get us back on an even keel before more ambitious moves are made in the future. I have no doubts that we'll stay up quite comfortably this season.

We have been absolutely pathetic the last 4 or 5 years with average at best players & dire football. This season, we should have been in a better position but we find ourselves in a relegation scrap with Wolves, Ipswich and Crystal Palace improving.

Moyes has been appointed to help us avoid relegation and subsequently stabilize us. This club needs a couple of seasons to get stable and develop a team and then we can look at a progressive manager who can take the baton forward.

Moyes is nothing more than a transition manager who will improve certain aspects of the team from a recruitment and performance point of view. Let's stick together and support the manager and the club. UTFT

There was no other game in town given the set of circumstances that existed; you have it pretty much spot on, I would think.

It's not a given that he keeps us up so your fear is justified.

The guy shat his nappy every time he went down south.

I'm not happy but will have to suck it up like a big boy.

On side note: the fact that The Friedkin Group have their two clubs managed by Dour Davie and the ageing Tinkerman shows where they are at in terms of the football knowledge they have.

I would just like to know who the fuck is advising them? Who advised them that David Moyes and Claudio Ranieri are the best they can get???

Did the appointment of David Moyes come with a free pen and a £50 M&S voucher?

We are still a club in trouble, both financially and on the pitch, and it will take several years to stabilise the club before any chance of making giant strides forwards.

Moyes seems to be the right man to offer that stability (all other names would have been a risk too) and then hopefully in 2 years, if he has only taken us to mid-table, then we can look to find a better manager if need be and then we'll have some more money to spend.

Difficult to see Thellwell surviving too long but time will tell. COYB

As few as 5 wins could be enough, and the seamlessness of the appointment is a massive plus. Let's hope there's some movement on the transfer front now.

I can't describe how depressing that is.

Currently, our ambition is on pause while we try to stay up while being outbid by Ipswich for reinforcements.

Unfortunately, the damage was done 2016 to 2021 by a combination of idiots. It's left us poor during a period where other bottom-half Premier League clubs can compete with the likes of AC Milan for transfers.

Moyes achieved nothing at the club. But neither has any manager in the last 37 years. The problem isn't with the managers – it's been with a succession of people running the club.

Next season should be a lot better than this season. The season after that should be better still.

A retrograde step to employ another dinosaur…

If we are clear of relegation before the last few games at Goodison, then I don't think anyone will care who is manager.

His first signing should be Davie Weir, who's done a brilliant job at Brighton.

I don't knock Moyes's ambition, as he must be amazed that it has come his way. TFG's ambition for the club in making this appointment? It demonstrates that it will be limited.

It is funny to see the first excuse-making for Mr Moyes coming before he has even started:

“If Moyes does lead us out in the Championship, it certainly won't be down to his lack of trying; but more the lack of quality in the squad available to him due to mismanagement of the club for over a decade.”

He was announced less than 2 hours ago, and the excuse factory has already kicked in.

It is nice though to see some of the many posters who have written on here for over a decade popping back in.

If Moyes leads us out at the new stadium, then it will mean he has succeeded in keeping us in the Premier League, because I'm almost certain, if we go down, Moyes will be gone in the summer.

And now that dour, dull, depressing twat is back… Well, those who want him can fuckin' have him. I'll use the rest of my season ticket this season and then I'm done after watching this club for the last 77 seasons.

Obviously I desperately want my team to stay up but that's the biggest kick in the balls I've ever had off Everton and I've had quite a few, plenty while that xxxx was last in charge, so stay up Blues but I won't see you at the new ground.

Moyes is sensible, pragmatic and vastly experienced. He did actually produce a very good side last time – a midfield of Arteta, Pienaar, Osman and Fellaini would do very nicely in today's team (even at their age)!!

Give him a chance!

After all, he deserves to go to a Big club.

Welcome back to little old Everton, old man.

Dyche clearly must have forced their hand because it's not the kind of signing you would expect from TFG. A sensible choice, yes… but personally, I would rather have kept Dyche; we were not going down with him, but we probably won't go down with Moyes either.

Giving him 2½ years is way too long but it probably says how desperate TFG were to get someone in, I was hoping a deal would have been sorted for Sarri in the summer. I just hope they have a payoff early option on him.

But all that being said, we are where we are so I will of course back him and the team. But also I give best wishes to Dyche, he did what we needed despite all the shit he had to deal with, plus I hope his payoff included not being able to take over another Premier League club this season.

Underwhelming but unsurprising.

Any word on his assistant??

Moyes may have negotiated a blinder to protect himself. £10 million will be a drop in the ocean for TFG once we're confirmed as a Premier League club.

Expect to see Harry Maguire and Anthony in Everton shirts pretty soon.

With Branthwaite going the other way.

Your choice, obviously, but as I said on another thread, once you give up your season ticket, you won't get it back, as there will be someone on the waiting list who will snap it up.

Moyes won't be here forever, so why give up your season ticket for the sake of a couple years?

Two home games, 6 points and he was everybody's pick, always said he was good, etc.

He's got the best start he could get – two games at home under the lights… Get that bear pit going!

This club just goes around in circles, it's focused on survival rather than success, but according to Moyes, we've already had that?

I must have blinked!!!

Zero fucking trophies, mate.

Comes back, keeps us up, and takes us into the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Then he can move upstairs and be part of the board.

With Moyes, I remember he will only buy a player that is an improvement, rather than someone to do a job. Almost every player we bought since Moshiri arrived has been to do a job rather than improve what we have.

He knows what makes a good player more than anyone at our club and that should be kept at all costs. Give someone more progressive thereafter but Moyes can vet the player.

Getting way ahead of myself here but I am reasonably happy and never had a beef with him… like some.

Does he have flaws? Absolutely (knife to a gunfight mentality, terrible cup record, inability to sign strikers).

Is he comfortably Everton's best manager of the last 30 years? Without question.

Here's our average league positions during the Premier League era:

Pre Moyes: 14.1
Moyes: 7.5
Post Moyes: 10.9

We were awful before he arrived, we've been awful since he left. At a time when we need stability and with our hands tied by PSR parameters and stadium debt, I can completely understand why TFG have made this move.

Moyes coming now like a 20th Century Manager when what we wanted was a skilled head coach with management done by managers.

Modern football clubs are far too complex for managers and people like Moyes have zero qualifications to do the job. Or to be Head Coach. He is a proven failure.

But give the man a chance and, for heaven's sake, no booing by the grumpy side at his first match back.

Didn't realise there were so many actually.

About 50% were deemed successful returns.

I can understand those on here that would prefer Guardiola, but, unfortunately, the Sheiks haven't yet got round to giving him the boot.

As for those who bemoan his picking, I know his football wasn't exactly made to enthrall a crowd, but some of the most bitter voices around here do sound as if the man, somehow, was meant to fight closely for the Premier League title, or even, if I may, have a proper go at one of the European competitions.

Time has passed, and his football has evolved (I can remember watching a couple of more than decent Hammers displays under him).

Upmost in my mind is that I welcomed his appointment back in 2002, when we were in a very similar position to where we now are, and he was the proverbial 'up-and-coming manager for the future', having just brought good old Preston North End straight from what they now call League Two to the second tier, and, perhaps (I'm not sure now) bringing them within an inch of the play-offs.

His early days here still remind me of Joe Royle's, who had faced a similar flight, and equally discharged himself with aplomb! To sum it up, I have to say,, "Welcome back, Sir!"

Any manager that came in (with any experience) will have been sacked before and have good and bad on their CV.

At least the owners acted swiftly. Can Moyes deliver some goals? Time will tell.

Let's see where this is going, I don't want to hear a load of excuses (no funds, injuries, poor culture). He's marketed as an experienced manager so we should expect improvement by the end of February.

Time to dig out the One2One shirt, and start praying. UTF Moyes Ts!

To me, our best bet to avoid relegation is a manager with Premier League experience who has a good knowledge of our opponents and their players, can get our squad playing to their maximum ability with pride and passion, and add perhaps one or two players in key positions.

He also needs to change the game plans to include trying to win games and playing players in their best positions. Oh, and he needs to do this with only half a season left.

The manager will also need the support of the Goodison crowd too. The atmosphere in Goodison as we all know can be very volatile; dissatisfaction with performance etc can make itself known very powerfully. We need to play the only hand we have and make Goodison a fortress again: hostile to the opposition and supportive of our team.

If any of you know any managers with a better chance of doing all this better than Moyes at the moment, speak now or forever hold your peace.

What will the noise be like when he brings in a few unglamorous players? Could he bring in Rashford? Would that appease anybody?

All the opinions on here are great. We all have our opinions and are all respected. The reality is what it is. So let's all get behind the cause and get our fabulous club up this table and stop having to look over our shoulders.

I hope he'll have some of the degenerates shaking in their booties.

Moyes Out!

Most of the time here he had to look down Kenwrights sofa for some loose change to buy players, and what gems he unearthed, which he sold for much gold that kept this club afloat financially.

While not winning trophies he did get us into the Champions League which Catterick did and Howard would have done if it hadn't been for the Hysel ban. He also took us to an FA Cup Final and an FA Cup semi-final – not bad on a shoestring.

Look, I don't know if he will be successful here depending on what various people gauge as success, but I know we are in better hands than we have been under the last 3 managers, so I will take that.

Of course, it's hard not to. All I'm trying to say is that should not bother us. We (the fans) cannot do anything about this, the money men will have their day.

We can only affect what happens in the pitch by giving our full support. There is very little we can have an effect on.

Good post, I couldn't agree more.

Agreed mate,

My God some of the posts on here, anyone would think that David Moyes had actually got us relegated at some point in the past. Far from it.

It really does reek of jilted bitterness because he went to Man Utd.Football is a ruthles s business, accept that, and maybe we can use managers like they use us, for specific circumstances.

In 6 months time, we will be in the Premier League and Moyes won't be our manager in my opinion, job done.

Except we do care.

This is an absolutely awful appointment.

It is also - unfortunately - the most sensible appointment we could have made in our current predicament.

David Moyes was not a successful manager during his previous tenure with us. He was though, a stable manager. The question for me is, which of these do we need now the most ?

If this is a short term gig, so be it but anything more is unacceptable. Someone mentions earlier on in this thread the magnificent seventh. I remember we brought out a DVD with this title at the end of this particular season. For me, that is embarrassing and flies in the face of our motto.

We needed Mr right but have ended up with Mr right now.

I could just about stomach 6 months of "Dour Davey" until the end of the season... but 2 and a half years?!?! No thanks!

I would've hoped TFG had adopted a more modern approach of employing a DOF who had a vision of a style of play he wanted to play, then identify the suitable manager to implement that style. For example, a DOF that wants to play a high energy, high pressing style and only signs players under the age of 24 to develop into that style with a manager that shares that same vision.

I understand we need to survive relegation this season, and we could do worse than Moyes to achieve that goal. But, with so many players out of contract and going back to their parent clubs at the end of this campaign, next season is pivotal in developing a new squad and style for a future generation in a brand new stadium.

Moyes is not the future! He is uninspiring! It isn't at all surprising to me that TFG has gone down this route as things have played out similar at Roma. They don't seem to have a clear plan on the footballing side of things. They just seem to hire and fire managers with differing styles of football without having a clear vision in the first place.

TFG will no doubt improve the finances and commercial side of the club. They are shrewd business men... but I'm highly sceptical on their ability to take us to the 'promised land' on the pitch, which when all said a done, is all us supporters care about.

We all have differing opinions on Moyes but for those unable to see the positives we have got rid of Dyche and not replaced with Sam or Rafa.

Someone wrote on another thread about possible regrets after giving up their season tickets.

That's exactly what I did after witnessing Sam's first game in charge and I have had no such regrets. With Dyche now gone, new owners and BMD in the horizon I'll be looking to get a season ticket with renewed optimism.

Timing is important. I feel lucky to have skipped the anti-football recently serve up apart from witnessing the odd game.

Hopefully our recruitment can be even luckier with bringing in the right player's at the right time.

The youth set-up needs to step up and in a few season's we can really progress with a best in class manager, coach, DOF, academy etc.

So welcome back Moyes, your our space saver replacement wheel to ensure we get to our next destination safely.

Or maybe I’m overthinking how to save cash in a situation like this

Can anyone tell me how people at Everton define success??? Because it sure as hell is not about winning trophies.
And with this signing Friedkin shows us he is Kenshite 2.0

Oh wait, this isn't Football Manager, this is the real world, we have some good but mostly mediocre players, no wiggle room within PSR, and we're, yet again, forced to cut our cloth to our circumstances.

Although it can be a bit dour at times, he is not a "kick the ball forwards and hope for the best" or "rough the other team up" type of manager.

Don't forget, we had the likes of Cahill, Arteta, Baines, Pienaar, Rooney, Coleman, Yobo, Kilbane, Jeffers, Johnson, Yakubu and more who were not just kick-and-rush players.

We can't expect open attacking football, especially in the position we are now, but surely it will be better and more positive than we have seen lately.

We should deffo keep Bainesy if he can see into the future! :-)

Yes, I heard that last night with Bill McKinlay as his assistant. I think McKinlay was with him at Preston in some capacity, possibly a player.

It is what it is. We are where we are.

Let's hope that – come May – we are where we want to be.

I feel very similar to you about this appointment. I'll be renewing my season ticket, but only to keep it in the family really. I doubt I'll be going much at all though.

I've been increasingly disenchanted with football in general over the past decade. Everton's woes have deepened that. This is possibly the final straw.

#6 'not bad on a shoestring': He had the 7th best Premier League budget, was the 5th highest earning manager in Europe and yet his average finish was 8th.

'Not good use of a shoestring' would be more accurate.

I'm not necessarily questioning it, but a bit more detail would be nice. Was that the 7th best budget in each of his seasons, or averaged across them?

It's 2036. Dour Davey has managed to keep us in the Premier League. We've had the odd foray into Europe, a couple of semi-finals and a final or two. We've still not won at Anfield or the other “big” four, and that's success is it? Not for me it ain't.

The problem I have though is that, at the moment, I can't see a practical alternative. Woe is me!

Someone earlier said “an awful but sensible appointment”. Just about sums it up.

I would be amazed if that idea hasn't been considered, Frank. If not Weir, then I think he could be very good at that role.

How come we have leaders in our club without any fucking idea of how to hire managers to play modern football? We are totally fucking clueless.

Thanks, Sean, for what you did for us. But it was the correct time to part ways.

David Moyes – please have me watching Everton so I can enjoy it once again.

The men who believe that your first (and only) option is to hold on to the point you have at the kick-off. There's no sense of adventure, no sense of "the glory game".

If we survive this relegation battle, we'll have Dour Davie to lead us into our first season at the new stadium. It is gruel of the thinnest texture.

The outcome of this decision has the same air of inevitability about it as the appointment of Benitez.

As for the bleating 'he left us for Man Utd' – he's a professional, not a spectator; he does the job for money, not because he 'loves the club'.

It's up to us to do what we can to help the club in any way possible now and get behind Moyes and the players.

We are clinging on just above the Bottom 3 and there's a very great danger that, with the squad we have, we could be relegated.

With Moyes, I think we will just about scrape enough points together to stay up, but it's far from certain.

But if you took away the fact that he's always linked due to previously being with us, his CV would probably still stand out as a safe choice to provide actual stability and recovery – ie not just park the bus and get out before the decline becomes terminal.

Honestly, I can't think of many others involved in our club over the last couple of decades that I would trust more to take us through this next 6 months plus. And it may just end up being 6 months – the contract is a commercial offering that gives Moyes the financial commitment that other clubs might have offered. It's not a guaranteed period in the role.

I doubt he's going to be leading us to glory, but he's capable of guiding us away from the brink of disaster and starting the recovery.

I am also curious about Moyes' team. Someone else echoed my thoughts earlier by suggested we go all out to get Carsley, a progressive coach alongside Moyes. I think Baines and Coleman too would give a lift to this uninspiring appointment.

If they are really progressively thinking then a transition plan with Carsley taking the reigns after Moyes.

Maybe the departmental heads, e.g. scouting, academy, sports science etc will be left to themselves, till either we know our future League status. and or Moyes is dismissed/retained? Or maybe Thelwell will be kept till summer and judged then?

As I've heard (hopefully a little more reliably) that Fabio Paratici, formerly of Spurs is being eyed, who is a huge fan on Fonseca. Maybe says a lot, maybe not.

I think that rumours of Dan Ashworth can be put to bed.

Apparently, ITKs have said that Moyes would like to reunite with Kevin Nolan, Billy MacKinlay and David Irvine...

Make of that as you will. Though Ornstein does usually have a good ear.

Also, Moyes is not at Finch Farm today, he'll be in tomorrow tho.

I get that he's not the man people want, but the revisionist bollocks is just that, bollocks.

Transfermarkt | David Moyes at Everton | Puchased Players

He's already rewriting history by saying his 11 years here previously, were successful! My arse! I must have missed that or my memory is truly faulty.

And as for him claiming it as "our" new stadium, meaning he's included himself as part of "our" — what a bloody cheek.

I can only hope TFG are planning to shaft him come June, though how you shaft someone by paying them off with the best part of £12M, beats me. Hateful man.

Perhaps the likes of Marc Watts and David Moyes are just that, stop gaps and there will be a total revamp once the season is over.

Maybe someone will take it.

As for fans who think Moyes leaving the way he did makes them think some of us embittered I, for one, couldn't wait for him to do one.

In fact, coming out of Wembley when we won on penalties against Man Utd, one of their fans said to me “Sorry we'll be taking your manager off you soo.”

I replied “You can fuckin' have him, mate, the quicker the fuckin' better!”

Everton made him a multi-millionaire with fabulous wages, he got plenty out of Man Utd and other clubs… and he is now “Happy to be back at this fabulous club.” The club he couldn't get away from quick enough.

Good luck, Everton. I've always loved you, always will… but enough is enough. Stay up, please. Players, managers come and go but our fans are as good as any other and better than most. But after this season, I'm through, and I doubt I will be the only one.

Stay up. Possible decent cup run. All that matters now.

We all know it makes sense. Like it or not.

If not, the new owners won't just sit back and tolerate.

Not exciting news….. but sensible….. I hope.

Please don't deny yourself the opportunity to retain your season ticket.

Yes, I admit that for long-term fans (I only supported EFC from 74-75) who have seen the real glory days, ie, the '60s and the brief resurgence in the '80s.

However, I say to you, Dave Abrahams, that it is just another fleeting moment in our club's history.

By the end of June, Moyes may well not be our manager, and he will have achieved TFG's goal of Premier League survival. I despise that word, but currently, from where we are and with the club and squad as it is, it is the bottom-line target we need to achieve.

They say patience is a virtue; well, never a truer word spoken for the current phase in time with your club.

At this moment in time, with the team struggling, and the ownership having to deal with things it hadn't planned to address so soon, what is needed more than anything is the patience, understanding, and support of the fans.

I'm not suggesting asking for the same level of support as during the last three relegation battles, and piss-poor seasons, but we as fans need to show that we've not given up on the team, and more importantly, the club.

Remember, Dave, "This too will pass!"

Good wishes mon ami, and hang on in there, the club needs you!

However, we have to give him a clean fresh start! We can't afford to bitch and moan about the past now, what good is that going to do? It doesn't matter, it's history! What matters is what he does now!

He's here, he's got a job to do, we need him to do that job, so I'll be offering my support. Harking back to 12 years ago and what he did is just negative, not going to help anyone!

Who's arsed now about losses 13- 14 years ago? I'm more interested in the next 10 years – not the last 20!

Forget his past… it means nothing for our future!!!

A managerial change should at least start with a honeymoon period, a sense of hope of what might be. Unfortunately we know what Moyes brings and mid-table mediocrity bereft of ambition isn't "hope" for many.

Excellent post.

He will move us forwards on and off the pitch. UTFT

Ask Man Utd, Sunderland and Sociedad fans if they felt they were in better hands when Misery Moyes took over?

Some fans need to get their heads out of the clouds or their own arses and look at what and where we are and have been for 4 years now. This season is about survival, full stop.

I understand what you are saying and I will be going to Goodison Park to cheer my team on for the rest of this season, hopefully with a few victories.

If the manager loses some games, I will understand that the squad is very poor and apportion the blame accordingly ,not blame the manager for the defeat.

But I couldn't wait for him to go… and, now he's back, I'll hold my tongue for the next five months. I will be as happy as any Bluenose if we stay up; then I'll retire from watching.

I couldn't stomach him milking the applause at the end of his last game in charge v West Ham Utd and was on my toes and away the minute the ref blew for time.

People who talk about Moyes positively forget just how much he lowered expectations and ambition. He even talks about it as 'success' and that is everything I hate about Everton now: winning nothing is not success!!!

I've seen that he brought stability, I liked him when he first came in and did just that, but we have a whole generation now that see that as success.

And yes, people will point to what has happened since he left but at least Moshiri tried something different and showed ambition.

Perhaps if some of our managers had been given the same grace as Moyes, we wouldn't be trophyless anymore.

Dyche made my blood boil and I was so happy when he left. Now I feel nothing;, what's the point of supporting this club anymore? I hope that changes.

The realists on here know that is the reason he left… no money, then we “won the lottery” and had several managers with sexy names who flushed our money down the shitter.

People who think Moyes's time at Everton was a failure are utterly deluded, especially given what has happened since.

People who hate will always be haters. On that point I will also say thanks to Dyche (although I think it was right to move him on).

I believe Moyes will get his 4th LMA Manager of the Year award at the new stadium. COYB

On a good note, if he takes us to the new stadium, at least Kenwright won't be there! IMWT

Don't let them do this to you, Dave, as Rob H said earlier he will probably only be here for a couple of years, possibly a lot less if you believe like a lot on here that he will be paid off when we have avoided relegation.

As much as I hate his return, it's done now so I will have to grin and bear it and support the club in these desperate times – including supporting the manager, painful as that is.

If we are competing for what other clubs called the ‘Everton Cup' and finishing Top 7 in a couple of years, then I think we'll mostly be quite happy, considering where we are now.

Keeping everything crossed that this return is a success, I've no choice but to suck it up and cheer the team on.

But I did say anyone's better than Dyche – and he is.

Not a bad shout while Moshiri was waiting to sell, he knows the club and could have been a stabilising figure on and off the pitch. Surprised TFG have made it their first move even if it seems pragmatic, I think it's more a desperate move to protect their investment.

He's a better manager than Dyche and we should improve but he needs letting go end of the season if there's any ambition from TFG to do more than stay in the Premier League and take the TV money.

I don't think there is any doubt "the shit hit the fan" after the Bournemouth defeat.

The club statement says it all really – whatever went on between Dyche and TFG, it is quite obvious the vibes were not good.

The Man Utd fans I know think he wasn't really given a fair crack and took over quite a shite squad – no other manager other than Ferguson would have won the Premier League with them in his last season. (I'm no Fergie fan but he was one of the best managers ever seen.)

The managers following Moyes at Old Trafford have hardly been any better, and in some cases much worse. I hope he's a success and that we don't regret his return, but I'm not exactly happy with the appointment.

What we can do from here (assuming we stay up which I think we will do) is build for success over the medium to long term. The only way to do that is by investing heavily in the academy, global scouting networks / technology and player development. Some of this has started already (heavier recruitment of 15 to 18 year olds and enhanced Scandinavian scouting network etc) and none of this is disrupted by the Moyes appointment.

By the end of Moyes tenure (if he sees it out) we should have turned over a poor squad, got ourselves out of an annual relegation fight and returned to mid-table (i.e. about 8th to 12th).

That is absolutely not success. But it positions the club so that the next guy has a chance of success.

There has been plenty of things written about Moyes over the years starting from his infamous "Knife to a gunfight" quote, to his tenure and record since.

To how he left Everton, and his subsequent exploits else where; (see here)

Moyes has ever been sacked Twice as a manager

Preston 1998 -2002 left for

Everton 2002 - 2013 left for

Man Utd 2013 - 2014 SACKED (10 months ) At #7 when sacked

Real Sociedad 2014 - 2015 SACKED (364 days) At #12 when sacked.

Sunderland 2016 - 2017 Resigned 10 months NB No-one realistically gave them a chance to stay up.

West Ham 2017 - 2018 6 month deal expired Kept them up.

West Ham 2019 - 2024 contract expired Kept them up, and won the ECL.

I know Moyes gets grief, but even though this is nothing like I wanted, with Dyche basically manoeuvring himself into getting the sack (and possibly keeping another relegation off his CV and also keeping being the manager who relegated EFC off his CV) TFG have had their hand forced with a less than ideal set of cards.

If, and I know it's a big if, Moyes can keep us above the four clubs below us, it's job done. TFG's investment is safe.

NB We are only seven points behind Spurs, so in reality that is a six-pointer for Spurs (and us), and what better time is it to play them as Ange is under pressure, and they have a make-shift defence (unless they buy in this window)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, the positives far out-weight the negatives currently, however only time will tell.

Good wishes Dave and enjoy the FA Cup games if you're watching them, and roll on Wednesday and three points against the Villains! 😁👍💙💙💙

Well articulated; we are where we are...

You would have thought we hired Pep rather than Moyes.

Everyone has the right to express a view so if you don’t like different opinions then don’t read them.

Unsurprisingly, those posters who express concern about this decision are some of the most respected on here. Those telling them to belt up I have largely never heard of.

Surely, if it’s due to the paucity of the players, you could make the same argument for any manager who takes the helm from here, so why bring back Moyes who delivered so little?

I didn’t advocate for a short-term appointment. I want to see a clear vision for the long term. I want to see the beginnings of a new philosophy, a new footprint that we can all buy into. Hope for the future. A culture that puts us back amongst the winning clubs. Moyes is not that. Not in the near term. Not ever.

There are many on here who think Moyes has the wherewithal to save us from relegation. Let’s see.

Unhappy? No.

Understand it? Yes.

He knows the club and the PL and is vastly experienced.

Just glad, for now, that Dyche has gone. (But I do think it's at least customary to thank an outgoing manager - and he did help keep us up. A bit tacky not to)?

Whoever got the job has to have our support, they're the manager of our club, and we're Evertonians.

Some may have a sour taste in their mouths, but it'll be far sourer if we're relegated. Get behind him and the team.

Be in no doubt this is a huge task being undertaken by the new manager, if you take our options up top at the moment for example, they are made up of

Beto - maybe on his way back to Italy
DCL - out of contract at the end of the season
A kid - out injured for the foreseeable future and
Broja - probably on his way back to Chelsea due to injury.

The focus now should be the Villa game and on some additions before the end of the month.

Time to move on.

I too didn't like his talk of 'success' but what is success nowadays? How many clubs outside of the Sky 5 (cannot include Spurs) have won trophies in last 25 years? Plus he did win a trophy at WHU.

In his first spell we had no money to spend but he got some decent players in.

To be fair his PL record speaks for itself.

For us in 11 seasons our finishes included 4th, 2x 5ths, 2x 6ths, 3x 7ths and an 8th. Even the 5th in Martinez first season was helped by Moyes defensive legacy.

In his 3 full seasons at WHU they finished 6th and 7th and won a trophy.

I would genuinely ask what other PL manager outside of the usual top suspects has anywhere even approaching such a consistent record?

Since he left us, even with loads of money spent, our best finishes over 11 years have been 5th, 7th and 2x 8th plus 4 consecutive relegation battles.

What do people want ffs?

On another note, am I in the minority of people sick of people wanting Everton connections as part of the structure? Coleman, Baines, Rooney….seriously, are we a league 2 outfit or are we, (eventually I know, post Moyes) trying to move into the 21st century. If those three names had no Everton connections it would be farcical to even mention them in any capacity.

Yes he has to work with Thelwell, but I'd be more confident in us picking up some bargains in the transfer market now.

Like him or not, once again we need to get behind this team and make sure we're a Premier League club for the new stadium. Treading water all this time and then falling at the final hurdle would be the most Everton Thing ever!

Let’s give the guy a chance, if it does not work out in the long term, by then our fianances will be a lot better, naming rights etc, so paying Moyes off will not be a problem next season.

I think he will do a decent job and made up we have Moyes instead of Dyche fighting our cause, already looking forward to the next two home games, and with a bit of luck no hoof football.

The players won't become better overnight, if at all, but perhaps, they might be able to threaten to now win a football match every so often.

Dyche had to go, there's no argument, but what does turning to Moyes really say about the club and its owners, is it another temporary measure, to avoid disaster, or does it signal a return to the plucky little Everton mantra, hoping to eventually punch a little above its weight.

Dave Abrahams and others have expressed their feelings and being only a bit younger than those people, I too feel more than a bit deflated by the return of Moyes,

We don't get a say about which manager takes the reigns or which players arrive and leave the club, we have to decide as individuals as to what we are willing to accept.

Whilst Moshiri's millions offered hope of a brighter and more successful Everton, save the new stadium, we're back where we were when David Moyes first came to Goodison all those years ago. I was just in my forties then, and still dared to dream, I'm in my sixties now and have no dreams left, well not involving Everton anyhow.

For the club and the fans sake, I hope that David Moyes is a success at Everton in his second stint, half-a-dozen wins in the league might do the trick this season, as for the new one at BMD who knows?

Did Moyes do something to you personally? This slant is ridiculous.

Who else since Howard Kendall has actually come in and exceeded their predessor? I'd love to know how "unproductive" describes FA Cup finalist (which we've done only once, other than 1995, since 1989), Champions League spot (conned by an incredibly dodgy Collina call, beaten by the eventual semi-finalists), and regular top seven finishes, achieved before and after him... twice? With vastly more transfer spend.

He turned us into European contenders with no money for transfer fees, with no financial backing from the chairman, and hasn't been bettered by his successors, other than Martinez, who soon diminished rather than improved the squad bequeathed to him.

Who on earth did you think was going to be brought in to play sexy, "progressive" football and make this squad, to use your words, "productive"? The twelve years since his departure were far, far more disappointing than the eleven that came before.

On the ' Grass ' ?

Cutting It ? :-)

His “achievements” at Everton were regular top 10 finishes (wow), 1 FA Cup Final, 1 Champions League qualification, countless capitulations in big games and an abject record against the Top 6.

During his tenure, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City, Swansea, Portsmouth and Wigan won domestic cups with less resources than he enjoyed.

They are the facts, and your squealing won’t change that.

‘Dyche basically manoeuvring himself into getting the sack (and possibly keeping another relegation off his CV and also keeping being the manager who relegated EFC off his CV) ’

Completely agree with that. Sounds to me that he left TFG with little choice. Glad he did though.

Prior to Moyes, Everton averaged 47 points, finishing position 11th.

During Moyes’ tenure, we averaged 58 points, position 8th.

During Martinez, we (just about) kept this average going (3 seasons).

After Martinez, during the Moshiri era, with all the managerial changes, they’ve averaged 48 points, position 12th, i.e. broadly reverted to the pre-Moyes era.

Based on these actual results, it’s hard to argue against Moyes being appointed again, although obviously people have subjective opinions that, for them, may take preference over those results.

Certainly, those results indicate that he should be given a chance and full support from Evertonians

Alf Ramsey said of Laurie. “ There only about four football people I would invite to my house and Laurie would be one of them.

Sitting in a full pub with Laurie hardly anyone would have realised the honours he won at football, Laurie certainly wouldn’t have mentioned them.

He finished up working on the docks, I was priviliged to know him.

M.M: “Whit’s he doin in thair the noo? Always, locking himself away for oors on end ever since he left that thair London for semi-retirement. Sick ay it noo.

Davey! Davey! DAVEY!!! OPEN THEY DOOR REET NOO!”

D.M: “Hold oan, hold oan. Gie us a minute for goads sake, ahm goan as fast as ay can.”

[DOOR OPENS A CRACK & ONE BOGGLY MOYES EYE PEERS OUT]

D.M: “Whit d’yer want, love? Dinner’s no ready is it?”

M.M: “Whit yer doing in thair, Davey? Whit’s all the noise?”

D.M: “Nothing”

M.M: “Why are you so oot ay breath?”

D.M: “Ah’m no.”

M.M: “Yer are…yer breathing awl heavy and yer cheeks are awl red.”

D.M: “Well, whit d’ye expect? I’m 61 years old and Scottish. Ah’m no a young man anymair”

M.M: “Och naw. Not again. Yer better no be trying tae build that bloody Time Machine you bought oafay Vinted again. How many times have I telt yer, you cannae turn back time, Davey. Yer just cannae. Even Cher knew that.”

D.M: “Och, she’s awfay good Cher.

Met her when Mick Hucknall goat us free tickets for her show as thanks for taking Phil Neville off Sralic’s hands. Minday that? Before ay even goat the United gig? When we still hud ay bright future aheid ay us? Had that big fish supper afterwards. Pickled egg, scraps, the works.”

M.M: “Nevah mind fish suppers. Open the bloody door reet noo before I hoof it in.”

D.M: “Reet. Fine, but yer gunnay have tae be quick. Ah’ve goat something important I need to dae in 5 minutes.”

M.M: “Whit? Whit do you need t’dae, Davey? You’ve no been oot the hoose in months!”

D.M: “It disnae matter but ah’m no messing with my Time Machine again, I swear doon. It’s over thair in bits, look. Still missing a flux capacitor, but the fella ah was haggling with wants £50 tae £60 for it.

Fifty poonds! Man needs tae realise he’s no dealing with ay mug here. Even if he was flush thair’s nay way David Moyes is gonna be frittering away fifty poonds and then fork oot for the 1.2 gigawatts of electricity Doc Broon says you need tae power the fucker. Ah’m nae that desperate. Ah’d dae anything to go back reet enough, but I won’t do that.

Meatloaf! Minday him?”

M.M: “Davey? What the hell have you got oan?

D.M: “Och, these? I..err..I was just gain through some auld claithes. Waste noat, want noat and all that. These were the trackie boatams I wore when I took the warm up at Goodayson in my first game before handing Fulham a footballing lesson. Minday that? The birth of the Moyesiah? Still plenty ay wear in thum.”

M.M: “You can hardly move, Davey. Limping around like the t1000 after the truck full ay liquid nitrogen went tits up….and why have you goat a towel and bits ay tin foil wrapped roond yer head?

Aw no Davey! You’ve no been receiving transmissions from the past again have yer?”

D.M: “Naw, naw, not today.”

M.M: “And..and…are you wearing foondayshun on yer face?”

D.M: “Naw, naw. Look yer need to go. Time’s up.”

M.M: “What d’ya mean, times up? Take that bloody towel off yer head!!!”

[BRIEF STRUGGLE BEFORE THE TOWEL IS FORCIBLY RIPPED FROM MOYES’ HEAD]

M.M: “OH….MY….GOD…

Davey, whit have you done tae yerself?”

D.M: “It’s jist a wee bit ay hair dye and some maykup. Dinnae make a big deal oot ay it.”

M.M: “A wee bit ay hair dye?? You look like your heid should be orbiting the planet Krypton.”

D.M: “It’s jist been left on a bit long, that’s awl. It’ll wash oot”

M.M: “WASH OOT? WASH OOT?!?Have you seen yourself? Prancing aboot in skin tight keks, maykup and dayglo hair. You look like the bloody Riddler in Batman Forever!”

D.M: “It’s yer fawlt for barging in here and distracting me.”

M.M: “You look like the mad bloke oot the Prodigy.

You look like the 2017 version of IT painted on a ball bag! Bloody Pennywise spliced with a post-bath scrotum.

Ah cannae do this nae more, Davey. Ah cannae. Yer clearly having some sort of delayed mid-life crisis. You need to pull yourself together and stoap living backwards. Stoap obsessing about the past and your youth and think ay the future.

So yer career in fitba is finished and things didnae pan oot as you planned, but you gave it your awl and bowed oot with your heid held high. I know it jist seems like only yesterday you were strutting aboot, the new young buck in toon, with a boatload of trophies aheed of yer and now it’s aw over and done with you feel like you somehow failed to live up to your full potential, but that’s no how other people see it.

You won the Europa..err…Europa whawasit?”

D.M: “The Europa Conference League”

M.M: “You won the Europa Conference League…and how many people have done that, hey?”

D.M: “Jist 3 people”

M.M: “Jist 3 people. See? Jist 3 people.

[AWKWARD MOMENT OF SILENCE]

M.M: “Ah love you David Moyes and I widnae change a thing. Even if you could go back again, I widnae want yer too because now it’s oor time. I get to have you all ta myself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now you’re retired we can finally do awl those things we always dreamed ay doing. We can get that mid-range motor home and…”

D.M: “MOTOR-HOME?”

M.M: “I mean, we can get that caravan and….oh wait on, the phones ringing. You wait there and think oan what I said.”

[HEADS OUT INTO THE HALLWAY & PICKS UP THE PHONE. LANDLINE]

M.M: “Hello? Yes? David? Yes, but he’s err…he’s a bit tied up at the moment. Who? What? Everton? Are you serious? Everton? Really? Oh my god, yes, yes, yes…”

[3 MINUTE MEG RYAN IMPRESSION]

M.M: “Yes. Yes. Yessssssss. Tell them he’ll be right there….just as soon as he’s washed his hair.

You jist leave it to me. It disnae matter what they’re offering, jist make sure it’s the longest possible contract you can get locked doon.

Whit? Because he loves the club so much?? Yeah, yeah right…..Is it bollocks!

Because I can’t have him hanging around this hoose all day a moment bloody longer, more like. Driving me absolutely mad he is.

[PUTS THE PHONE DOWN AND TAKES A VERY DEEP BREATH]

M.M: “DAVIE? DAVIE! Have you still got the shell suit top you wore with those skin-tight trackie boatams for that famous Fulham game?

Put it on for me while I crank up the Cher.

Phwoar, c’mere!! You haven’t aged a day, love. You look like a young David Caruso with a Yuletide log crammed doon his keks”

David...fucking...Moyes...

Yougoddabekidding!

Mary, Mother Above, pray for us.

No. Don't go away, don't give up, don't.

Dave - never, ever, ever let anyone take something you love away from you. They're no allowed to do that. You don't have to like it, but they have no right to take it from you.

Back in the game sir, chop-chop.

Jamie

What poster on here wouldn't want to get a job with bigger wages and a bigger chance to further your career?

It seems alot of people hold managers & players up to standards that are unreasonable, unrealistic & just plain daft.
We all want to achieve more, be it wages, progression, titles etc.
Why do people think football should be any different from bus drivers, shop workers, accountants or any other profession??

Yes some players will stay all their career with one club, mangers definitely not.
The best players in the world have usually played for a few teams at least.
The best managers have managed several clubs.

I didn't want Moyes. Not because I didn't think he could do a good job, but because of the fractions his appointment would cause.
Go through this thread and it's obviously a divisive appointment.

What I would say is, we've had to get behind Rafa for the good of the club through gritted teeth, beared with Allardyce to get through hard times, we've had to endure the absolute borefest that Dyche brought.
It's not going to be as hard to get behind Moyes, who in my opinion has a genuine affinity with this club, isn't just coming for the payday.
He's coming for the right reasons, it's probably his last chance to manage a club of our size so should give it his all.

When I first started watching football sixty plus years ago all we bothered about were the players. We never worried about who happened to be the manager. He was regarded as a marginal figure who might add value at the margins but whose principal role was to select the best team available and recruit appropriately.

Nowadays fans of all clubs are obsessed by the manager who apparently not only ‘plays football’ but also ‘scores goals’ and is either a messiah or a charlatan, a genius or a dunce, a coward or a hero etc.

If trophies are the sole measure of success, the overwhelming majority of managers are failures season after season; as are the players they manage. That is a ridiculous, unhealthy perspective.

David I don't think anyone begrudges Moyes the move to Utd.

What pisses people off, me included, is that he strung the club along for months, stalling on, and refusing, a new contract under instruction from Ferguson so that Utd wouldn't have to pay compensation to Everton.

If he has/had a genuine affinity for the club that was a strange way of showing it.

We didn’t have a pot to piss in, were struggling to score goals and sat 15th in the table having won 1 Premier League game out of the previous 13 when he took over from Walter Smith. So, there are certainly parallels there but the hunger that made the bloke a rather intense figure back then has (understandably) well and truly faded away thanks to the mileage, failures and many frustrations.

I thought he’d run his race long before he got his ultimate wish of welding his lips to Fergies ring, shook my head through his ‘emotional’ send off, mocked him as he appeared to get delusions of grandeur and dug his own grave in Manchester, and put him from my mind completely as he moved on to live out the rest of his career as a footballing nomad, or so I thought. He rather redeemed his reputation quite a bit with West Ham, despite the familiar claims from supporters of dithering and defensive football and I was actually pleased to see him pick up a European trophy, minor pot or not.

At one point in time I would have fumed at his return…but the possibility has been mooted often enough over the years to allow me to get that off my chest and, as bad as it sounds, I’m kind of apathetic to it now it has actually happened.

Yes, it’s a retrograde step, but the way I’m looking at is if given a straight choice between Dyche and Moyes then I definitely would have gone the same way as the new owners. No matter how stale things got when he was here, or how much he was mocked immediately after departing, he had (and I believe still has) far more in his managerial locker than Sean Dyche. In fact, I’d take him to make a better fist of fucking Thelwell’s job on top.

Like Dave I left my seat immediately at the final whistle after Moyes’s final match and the lonely walk down the steps and out into the silent street whilst listening to the vast majority cheering him to the rafters after achieving nothing in nearly 11 years is still seared in my memory.

Don’t give up your season ticket Dave and miss out on BMD.

My wife has decided not to go again whilst Moyes is there but I’ve decided to renew our tickets and sell her seat match by match until FDG hopefully pay off Moyes much sooner than expected.

The respected French sports paper L’Équipe reported yesterday that the club was in talks with Paulo Fonseca. He and others will be available in May when relegation will have been avoided.

"Lets be clear here Dyche bottled it" What a vindictive thing to say. Totally out of Character.

Even your source. That die hard Dyche fan Paul Joyce wont back himself. instead choosing to hide his report behind the cowardly "its understood" Its fucking understood ? what sort of reporting is that ?.

When just about everyone in the boardoom had abandoned this club. Dyche stood up to address the fans. He kept us informed. he gave us hope. He refused to buckle when outside influences tried to destroy this club with points deductions. Yeah the football was really insipid (like our last five managers) and his method of survival was unpopular... but Bottled it ? Are you sure.

i wont tell you, or all the other people who were screaming for his removal to be careful what you wish for, because you already have your wish. He's gone

I've watched in disbelieve as people have declared they were prepared to see us lose in the cup if it meant Dyche got sacked. I listened to people, who are now rejoicing in the appointment of Moyes, telling others they were settling for shite (oh the irony). I've even heard some Dyche haters tell supporter who wanted us to win that they were part of the problem...It's impossible not to feel a little nauseous when I read those same people now calling for unity and positivity.

Dave A

Desperately sad post. I hope you will be back one day

On the subject of cloth, the more I read your post, the more I wonder if you are indeed a man of the cloth ?

If so, my Dad has always told me that all Evertonians go straight to heaven. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Just walk straight in. He says this is because we have been persecuted during our time on earth.

Can you confirm if my Dad is right please Anthony ? 🤞🏻

The squad isn’t going to suddenly get a load of new players, Moyes will play the same pack as Dyche and in a similar style, as there’s no alternative.

So maybe some of those who are taking the easy option, can explain what the better appointment would have been, and by that I mean a name, not a generalisation along the lines ‘a manager who could have won games playing attacking football and taken us to the top half of the table’ fantasist shite.

Anthony Lamb at 212, well said sir. There would seem to be many Evertonians with notions of grandiour that we have not been able to live up to for decades and in reality for only a few short periods in our history. Like you pointed out our next level is to simply finish in a relatively comfortable position for a couple of seasons. We just don't have the squad for 'the next level' people harp on about.

PSR has killed the progression of all but the Sky 6. PSR would not have allowed Ambrahovich to pour money into Chelsea or the Sheiks into City. Newcastle can't do it now. So it will probably take years for us to build a squad capeable if that 'next level'

Dyche left in a hurry obviously. TFG would probably have planned to change manager in the summer. In our position right now they could not afford to wait and have lengthy negociations with some perfect young manager to take us the the sunlit uplands of European football. We are in dire straights and need an experienced PL manager who knows the teams involved and what it takes to play here right now.

Please get behind Moyes and give him a chance as it's all we've got. Beggars can't afford to be choosers.

By the way, Steve, you know what's histrionic? Grown men and women talking about how they "hate" a fucking football manager. It's childish and pathetic. But sure. I'm the histrionic one...

Again if Dyche hadn’t packed in it’s quite possible that the owners would have kept him on.

I always said I’d be a cradle ‘til the grave Bluenose but old age has cut that short and Moyes coming has made that shorter.

Dave #256, every newspaper report I've read, from the NY Times to the Athletic to the Guardian, says just that. The Friedkins planned to have Dyche see out his contract, barring some sort of disaster. And apparently their conversation with him at the start of this week turned into a disaster. Thus Moyes.

Now please listen to the unanimous sentiments expressed here and keep your ticket. BMD would be Bleak Minus Dave.

I have expressed my dissatisfaction with this appointment, but unlike so many of those posting vitriol about Dyche. I will still be there When Moyes leads the team.

I wont blame other supporters when he doesnt play attractive football. I wont make brainless predictions of catastrophe before every game/week/month and there will never...ever, be an occasion when I want us to lose, because I don't like him. I'm an Evertonian. No manager can change that

Dave A

Just because you wont be going the match doesnt mean you are not blue to the bone. You have more than paid your dues to this club.

I'm sorry to hear that and like everyone else I'd urge you to reconsider.

I'm not expecting you to "kill the fatted calf" for the return of the prodigal son but at least perhaps give it to the end of the season to see how things pan out.

We can have a catch up soon, if the football and results are worse than the first half of the season, I will get the drinks in, cannot say fairer than that, you only Dave, not the whole of ToffeeWebbers :-)

I felt like I was doing Community service, some of that football we served up this season, having to sit through it.

Whatever Moyes has done in the past, the slate is clean with me, all that matters to me is what he does now.

Up the Toffees.

TFG respond by “getting rid” quickly and appointing a manager who is generally well regarded, has experience at Everton, has extensive Premier league experience and recent European success.

Then the posts turn to “I’ve had enough”, “I hate this appointment” before a single game has been played.

We are a tough audience.

Didn’t bother me when he went to Man Utd, and when this news was broke to me by a Liverpudlian friend, my reply was what that I couldn’t understand what he had done to get such a job, and he wouldn’t last long in that environment. (An environment where he had to win)

He left us an half decent team, and he gave us some half decent times, but he alongside Kenwright was complicit in the downgrading of Everton, getting five year contracts on incredible money, whilst under no pressure whatsoever to win any trophies.

I stopped going to Goodison before the end of Moyes’s first stint as Everton manager after we lost to Wigan, and after the way he carried on after we beat city the following week, again I was left shaking my head.

It made sense why he had carried on in such a way, when it came out about him getting the United job (sir Alex must have told him he was retiring if he won the league again) because City losing those three points was massive for Ferguson, United and also David Moyes!

I hope he wins us the cup, for the younger fans who have seen us win nothing, but David Moyes just gives me so many bad memories, and only understands the modern Everton, because he was complicit in our demise. (Imo)

Renew your season ticket and keep it going, but sell your match day tickets to TW’ers like me, that are rarely in the City and can’t get to many games? You can then retake your spot when you are good and ready without spending a penny, and you’ll make some of us happy in the process!

If so, bagsy first home game of next season please…

Link

Three...

His return is a massive disappointment but, at the same time, unsurprising because of the timing. If the search for a new manager took place at the end of the season, he would never have been considered.

But Sean Dyche, for some inexplicable reason, thought telling new owners he could do nothing more with this squad… perhaps as a tactical ploy in a transfer window to get them to bring in other players?

Who knows, but if it was, he badly misjudged his hand. Forcing TFG into a corner in which there could and would only be one way out. That left TFG with a much bigger problem, a decision that in reality boiled down to a question of acceptable risk.

The immediate goal, being the need to stay up, colours every strategic decision or direction they had. The plan may well have been to back Dyche till the end of the season, bring in the dynamic name then… but that was scuppered with Dyche's actions and the overiding need of staying up became the all consuming priority.

Who to turn to? Moyes was the obvious choice: experienced, knew the club… but huge baggage. In the end, you could see this coming a mile off.

The contract terms are frankly a red herring, it doesn't matter if you had 2 or 22 years, when you're done, you're done. When they get what they wanted, you're done. So it will be with Moyes.

However unpalatable to many, to those with short memories or as you say, the younger fanbase, the distaste we feel isn't there. The association with Kenwright, the disrespect and the total lack of big game bottle underscores his appointment.

It's a massive disappointment but not an unsurprising one after Dyche's unexpected departure, let's hope it pays off and we can start anew in the new stadium.

That cup semi-final against Liverpool summed up the Moyesiah. Get an early lead and then defend till the whistle goes after 90 minutes.

Moyes has a poverty of ambition. That is it. Dave Abraham, like me, remembers Everton teams under Catterick and Kendall which were not only successful, but excited us.

A Moyes team has never excited anyone.

You are correct and that did bring a smile to my face.

Well spotted

Mark (Tanton) 13: Moyes “a club legend”. I'm still laughing one hour later. One of the most absurd things that I have ever read on here.

Kevin Molloy: “His contract is actually 10 years, with a break option at Year 5”. Are you okay? Where did you get this truth from?

David Moyes: “I enjoyed 11 wonderful and successful years at Everton”. We can now add deluded, dissembler, and deceiver to dour, dreary, dull, and dismal. He's being allowed to make decisions based on that piece of whacky and zany self-assessment.

Sam Hoare (12): poor post and you were also poor as attendant #3 in that play on the BBC the other day. Take a piece of advice from someone who knows something about treading the boards and take a break from Shakespeare.

Andy Walker: he's back with his amazing techni-colour dream coat and now he's back pulling the chariot.

Although a couple of years older than myself, he was a hero to us all at St Anthony's on Scotland Road. He became a good friend in later years and did so much for younger lads learning the trade.

I stood next to Derek Temple in the church foyer at Laurie's funeral a few years ago – Laurie would have approved!

Thanks for sharing your memories of another great Evertonian who sadly “got away”!

Hopefully we have more ruthless owners now and, despite the division they have created with this appointment, I'm praying that this was just a decision based on pure professionalism, and is hopefully just a short-term fix.

Everton have made their three most divisive managerial appointments in six years, and this latest one has me feeling nothing but dread.

Seriously, Dave, don't go.

Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but didn't you write a piece advocating Moyes short term until the end of the season, not so long ago? The reason I remember this is that I thought it made perfect sense.

That is in essence what we have here, as you say the 2½-year contract is a red herring, so I'm a bit confused as to the statement now that it's a massive disappointment.

Thin Lizzy for me... "The Moyes is back in town"

Those calling for Dyches removal were, to all intents and purposes calling for Moyes to be appointed. As they say themselves. Other candidates are a little thin on the ground at the moment. They knew it would be him.

Despite people making statements of fact about a meeting they know absolutely nothing about - and I most definitely include Paul Joyce in that- We none of us know what was said between Dyche and TFG. I think its safe to assume that his dismissal had nothing to do with the playing style, or he'd have gone earlier and Davey Moyes would definitely not have been his replacement.

If Dyche did not tell his new employers that the current squad is not good enough or ask for new and better players. He would have been betraying every Evertonian. He's gone now, so quite why people feel the need to make up stuff to justify calling for Moyes is a mystery to me. They have their wish and now we will all see if Davey boy can take these players further than they guy they so desperately wanted out.

Trading one negative manager for another has cost this club 15m quid. Escaping relegation is simply not enough to justify it. A cursory glance at the league table will demonstrate we were already doing that.

That money would have been far better spent on players

Instead of moaning on about his previous 'eightish' being below par for our mighty Everton, is it too much to ask that we give Moyes a chance to sort things out using all his experience of 20 years at the job?

Boring prospect, I know, but 'top half' would be an achievement in my book. If anybody can do it…

Your name and age got me thinking of a Tony Lamb from many years ago who was also a Blue, not to mention a good Catholic.

With regards to your answer about us long-suffering Blues gaining access to heaven, I will pass on your thoughts to my Dad.

Best Regards,

Jamie Evans.

There was an Everton fan called Lynn who is totally against Moyes. It didn't give her surname, but I'm just wondering if it's the Lynn who contributes on here, Lynn Maher I think her name is. Anyway the conversation she had with Cundy and O'Hara is below:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j6SVn02UMmU

Friedkin Group believes Moyes can stabilise Everton and restore lost values

Wasn't Lynn brilliant?

She didn't take the bait whatsoever and made loads of sense.

Bravo Lynn whoever you are.

Don't confuse my comments with being happy he is back though; I just don't see many alternatives with us being 1 point off relegation. We can't even get a second string wannabe winger to join us, let alone a dynamic manager, due to where we are. Moyes will get more out of the players, I hope.

The massive disappointment to me is where we are and the reasons for having to entertain or promote the appointment. I would, probably like TFG, have hoped Dyche could have won more, and not played the type of football that ended up with Moyes being even considered; but he did, and he deserved to go.

What is undisputed is that Dyche's football, and the results for the last 12 months or so, have been atrocious. His team offered very little in the attacking third and, apart from a few good performances, the defence hasn't been as good as it can be.

Moyes will of course face the same issues that Dyche did; he will have to cajole and bully better all-round performances from mostly the same players. But, at least initially, he will get the attention of the players and they might respond more positively than they have done so far this season.

Dyche may well have kept us up, but not if his head and his heart weren't focused on the task in hand; we all know that professional footballers are sometimes like children and it takes very little for them to become disinterested in giving their maximum if they think they can get away with it or if they believe that their boss doesn't believe in their abilities.

Whilst I don't welcome Moyes with open arms, I do recognise that he has a better chance of keeping Everton in the Premier League, than the man he replaced… but not by much, mind.

As an aside, football is supposed to be part of the entertainment business, and it isn't really that important in the grand scheme of things; we aren't fighting for the soul of Everton, we just want to see our team win games of football.

I could fully understand 3 or 4 years of stability. Followed by continual improvement. Something Moyes never, ever, threatened to provide.

But years of rinse and repeat was too much.

Thanks for the clarification on that, Christine, and I do concur with much of it.

I do suspect that TFG still have a long-term plan which hopefully will start in the summer and will not involve Moyes.

My preferred option was Sarri but I fully understand that this appointment would have been suicide right at this present time.

I just don't get the hyperbole around this appointment which could in effect last for 5 months only.

There are a couple of very valid operating reasons as to why Moyes was given a 2½-year contract instead of a 6-month one. Though I suspect if it had been the latter, then there wouldn't have been anywhere near the same level of excitement around it.

There are two groups here, the realists and pragmatists who have considered the financial realities of our club and concluded we are in no position to significantly strengthen what is a very weak squad of players, and as such, we will have to continue to play a similar style of football to the end of this season if we are to have a hope of avoiding the drop.

Then we have the fantasists and dreamers who think we could have changed that and appointed a different style of class manager and spent a fortune buying new players this month, and created a team playing expansive attacking football from February onwards with a top-half finish being a bare minimum target.

Now Fantasist Ferry may well say he didn't say any of that, and of course he didn't. But the absence of any constructive opinion of his own about who he'd have liked to have seen appointed as our manager and how he thinks the current squad could have been adapted to play a different style of football, leaves the door wide open for us each to draw our own conclusions.

So come on,Paul, instead of pronouncing on everyone else who expresses an opinion you disagree with and using lazy tropes about our old/new manager, how about you express a constructive opinion of your very own about the action TFG should have taken following Dyche leaving?

But you're still being harsh. It's an underwhelming appointment to say the least. But as Colin says, there is some serious pish being written here.

Warm Blues send-off for David Moyes

The mood on that thread, when he left, was a bit different from today's when we welcome him back. I was one of the few who were highly critical of him then, yet now I am happy to have him back.

Do have a look and see if you can pick out any others who have 'adapted' their view, but don't be too critical, because as Sushant Singh Rajput quipped "I've stopped taking myself seriously because I now understand how fickle my thoughts are…"

No, it wasn't me on the radio. Although my husband mentioned it too.

I didn't go to match on Thursday, (too frightened of doing a Torvill and Dean routine) and when they said Lynn, he thought it was going to be me.

I have been known to contact them on previous occasions… 😁

I assume your comments are referring to me directly or not, but in response I would say it's a matter of opinion as to whether Moyes would get more out of the squad as is; however, what is true is that Dyche couldn't.

Who would replace him given a squad on the brink of relegation once more, performing worse than we have before? Who could we attract? Who would have come?

Dyche's dismissal was everything about results. If he had played horrible football (which he did) and won, no one would have expected his dismissal and he would have been thanked and sent on his way.

But he played horrible football and didn't win, didn't even score goals, didn't look like winning. Style and substance matter. Playing beautiful football and not winning would end up the same way. Out the door.

TFG wanted it to play out till the end of the season, but it would appear the parting was acrimonious, although we can only speculate on specifics and media reports.

The comments about taking the squad as far as he could have been reported all over the media, as was TFG response as tantamount to his resignation.

Escaping relegation does not justify spending £15M on Moyes? You are kidding, right?

Tell that to TFG who have forked out 50 times that to buy a Premier League club three weeks ago! It's all been about the money.

If he's not gone in June, then that will mean he's probably doing a fantastic job – so no, I wouldn't be disappointed then.

Funny though!

I listened to that on the way home from the game. She spoke brilliantly and – despite the presenters trying to speak over her and undermine her – she was having none of it.

I parked outside my boy's digs in Toxteth and walked with him to town. The roads and paths were deadly!

I was going to say how great you were, but now I can't! 😀😀

Tony Marsh:

Well, Doddy, all it would take to put your hero's achievements (Moyes) in the shade would be a bolly as Moyes didn't really achieve much more than stability.

Stability is a great thing if you're a boring twat who likes being safe and cautious but if you like a bit of Gung Ho, let's have a go type, then stability isn't all that of a big deal...

Stability is for bank clerks and accountants.

That Lynn has been on again tonight, and was certainly not holding back on her disgust of Moyes returning.

Hopefully you'll not be disappointed then. I'm not sure he'll need to be doing a "fantastic" job though... "fairly good" will probably be enough for TFG.

Not sure that will convince many of the doubters on here though.

Good to chat with you again mate.

I'm not so sure ‘fairly good' will cut it, what are they on now 4 managerial sackings in 5 months?

I think they have a signature manager in mind for the summer.

Moyes as DoF if he shows willing, maybe?

I've been giving opinions left, right, and centre about events in all the recent months while you have been fondling your Moyes dolls, hoping and waiting to come back on.

This is what I get for my warm welcome back! Lines and lines of bizarre drivel from another reality. I can't be arsed with it.

Thanks for the link, great stuff.

I would have liked to have heard that, mate.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mNi0dJXE-X0

Look at the mess this club has been in for years; he's probably the best we could have hoped for – that doesn't make me happy with him coming back but I'll get behind him 100% like everyone should.

As for posters threatening to relinquish their season tickets, fine – there's thousands who'd take them up on that. Do you honestly feel Dyche would have turned this abysmal form around? Of course he wouldn't – he's a busted flush and is finished as a Premier League manager, of that I'm certain.

I'll say one thing about Moyes: he can spot a player a mile off. Oh yes, he got a few wrong… but what manager doesn't? I'll bet he's scouring the Championship now as we speak.

So let's not lament the anti-football man's departure, let's get behind the Second Coming, welcome back Davie – and bring Davie Weir back with you.

I don't think sacking managers is "habit-forming" and I suspect TFG would be keen to avoid any more managerial changes at either club.

Ranieri isn't doing a fantastic job at Roma but I don't get a sense that he's under pressure there.

I don't think TFG have a signature manager in mind for the summer in terms of a specific individual they have identified to bring in to replace Moyes. They may have a few names but, then again, I'd be disappointed if they didn't.

It will be (another) interesting few months, mate. Let's hope the football is as equally absorbing.

That's made me giggle.

I will settle for boring but safe, mate, tbh.

I was directing my first post to you to challenge what I saw as a rather unsavoury and unnecessary slur against Sean Dyche's character. You without a shred of evidence – actually in the face of all known evidence – accused him of bottling the job.

You were not born yesterday and you know how the press works. All the reports about the discussion (the contents of which have not been revealed to anyone) came from Paul Joyce's claim which started "it is understood"… No quotes. No source. No nothing.

If you want to take that enormous bit of nothing and use it to assassinate a man's character and use it to justify your now lengthy crusade to get rid of him, that's your prerogative. I see a lot of faults in Sean Dyche, but I don't see a bottler.

And please don't twist my words, Christine. You know full well I didn't say £15M didn't justify hiring Moyes to save us from relegation.

I said avoiding relegation simply wasn't enough. Why? Because, for all the stats you want to put up there, the real evidence would suggest we were not going down in the first place.

We are not in the bottom three. We have a much better goal difference than those clubs around us, and those around us have one less game to get points. We weren't going down under Dyche. It was just people like you pressing the panic button.

Anyway, Dyche is no real loss. He was annoying and his football was appalling, but the appointment of Davey Moyes reeks of panic. Panic from TFG caused by panic merchants within the fan base peddling a highly unlikely disaster.

Those expecting the return of attacking football are in for a nasty shock. The guy's been run out of more towns than John Bishop.

Oh and BTW, you guys who have championed Moyes and are confident of seeing a definite upturn in results better be fucking right. Because if you're wrong… we're all fucked!

Gotta disagree, Colin. The teams we're a point above have been improving while we were just getting worse.

I think we were nailed on to go down. Just my opinion.

Really interesting juxtaposition between Ben and Lynn and, as Ben said, I've said more than a few times on here that the older you are the more likely you are to be with Lyn/n and find it hard to muster any enthusiasm for Moyes's second coming (the best is just resignation and remembering that no one is bigger than the club).

Ben, 43 I think, captured perfectly for the different expectations between him and someone like Danny O, just north of 50, not that much older, but did see the mid-80s.

Moyes will not have the money he got in East London and he inherited a better squad. I doubt that there is a relegation clause in the contract but there ought to be, just in case.

Not a great squad, we know, but I bet that the texts going back and forth suggest that the majority are pleased to see the back of Dyche and at worst intrigued and at best enthused by Moyes's second coming.

I agree, Brian (W). I felt that same sense that relegation was becoming a real possibility and made the same point as you that clubs below us started to pick and grab wins when we grabbed draws.

Funnily enough, one of the "pundits" on TalkShite is saying that we are in greater danger of going down with Moyes than Dyche.

Turn up the Bear Pit mode to 11 out of 10, a la Queen at Live Aid, go out there and put Villa to the sword under the Goodison lights.

How will it turn out? Who can tell? But we've 19 chances to take it one game at a time.

Like I stated previously; Dyche averaged 0.89 points for his 19 games. All Moyes has to do is average about 1.1 points per game – how hard can it be?

Let's hope Villa stick to the script... our script – not theirs.

I just know that we faced a very difficult December (one where so many said we wouldn't get any points) and if we'd have beaten Forest at Chrimbo, Dyche would have been firmly in the running for Manager of the Month.

I don't own one of those crystal balls, but will the other "vastly improving" teams even double the points they have now? I fancy not.

We'll see, mate.

We were with Dyche.

In determining who could replace him, it was my opinion that Moyes could and would do a better interim job until the summer and that he was the only likely (interim) replacement to do so; whether or not he will, we will find out… won't we?

But the fact remains that TFG could not allow the risk of relegation after sinking so much in. Your contention that we were not in relegation trouble because we are not in the Bottom 3 is ludicrous!

We are one point above teams with only one team below us having fewer wins all season. Our game in hand is against the other lot, forgive me if I don't see that as a banker for us!

Yeah, you got me with my take on Dyche bottling it, but he if (as reported) he told TFG he couldn't go further with the squad, it was always going to end like that.

But you're right: we only have the media to say it was so… but these posts are our opinion (like yours) based on what we are told or what we know.

Your original comment:

"Trading one negative manager for another has cost this club £15M. Escaping relegation is simply not enough to justify it. A cursory glance at the Premier League table will demonstrate we were already doing that."

If I have twisted your words above, it wasn't intentional, it was what you wrote… hard to interpret it any other way?

We had played all of the teams in the league, minus Liverpool, once and he was averaging 0.89 points per game.

Not good enough – he had to go.

Teams around us are and will continue to improve; Wolves and Ipswich are breathing down our necks and, but for a late Fulham equaliser, we would be Bottom 3 tonight.

We are relying on Southampton to already be down, Leicester to fall away or get a points deduction, and A N Other to be worse than us.

We have a difficult 19 or so games ahead. Moyes has a massive job on his hands.

You continue to make bold statements like “we are not going down with Moyes”, ”we will go down with Dyche”, “we will get beat today 2-0, 3-0, 1-0."

You are never ever correct. Fuck me, even a broken watch is right twice a day, but you – you are never right. I reckon your local bookie has special opening hours for you.

We are saying different things. You say avoiding the drop alone is enough to justify £15M; I say it's not. We should expect more.

Nigel,

Stats send me to sleep. I prefer facts. If you finish above three teams, you don't get relegated. Despite coming out of the traps backwards this season, we are still above four teams.

If the position Dyche has left us in is maintained, we will go to the new stadium as a Premier League side. If we slip into the Bottom 3, there can only be one fella to blame.

For the third time: We'll see…

‘Stats send me to sleep' – nice one mate that did make me laugh.

😂🤣

We need stability, and the Moyesiah is just the man for the job.

Great days lie ahead!

You are never ever correct, fuck me, even a broken watch is right twice a day, but you – you are never right, I reckon your local bookie has special opening hours for you."

Have you not been following Mr Hewitt? These bad predictions are par for the course. He's a true blue even though he does like to watch the game with the egg-shaped ball.

And James @306, cheers for posting that link.

Part time job.

Any of the 'upscale' managers touted on here would look at us in 15th place, look at the squad (minus 9 players out of contract!!) and say “I need a miracle!”

They'd either need a shedload of money to buy top talent, or wait for an offer from a club in a better position.

So those dreaming of a Moyes departure in June, "Welcome to your Nightmare" as Alice Cooper almost said, but maybe, just maybe, it can be a Beyoncé "Beautiful Nightmare".

Rob @ 250 is simply piling on another histrionic post to his catalogue of rants over the last 24 hours, as he cannot fathom why many fans do not want to rehire someone who is obviously his idol.

On that basis alone, TFG have failed completely in the first big decision they had to make.

He got everything he wanted on the deal – £10M+ for 2½ years. He will also have been smart enough to negotiate that it will be paid in full if he is sacked.

He must be amazed at this turn of events.

Will Spurs be back in for Andre Villa-Boas if Ange gets the boot? Pardew for Newcastle if Howe leaves? And of course West Ham should have gone all in for Big Sam rather than Potter. How could Liverpool appoint Arne Slot when Brendan Rodgers was beckoning?

Only at Everton...

Yeah, no one ever said they hate Moyes, just despise him. Totally different thing I guess.

The first big decision TFG made was to clear the debts.

The second was to fire Dyche. The third was to hire Moyes. I've probably missed a few in between there but I'm okay with all of them.

Nor has he ever expressed idol worship for Moyes.

You're steering precariously close to the denigratory style of another regular poster, and it doesn't look good next to your usual frank-but-friendly mien. I hope you will veer away.

I'm heartsick about the third but, even if we don't agree, it must be said that TFG did it professionally. No dithering, no Moshirian indecision, no media circus, no long stretches with interim manager(s).

36 hours from shock departure to new manager in place. Contrast that with Feckless Farhad taking 5 weeks to sign Fat Sam after sacking Koeman.

We finally do have real owners.

As an Evertonian for more than 60 years and a ToffeeWebber for quite a few years now, I have often let my heart rule my head.

The way I see our current situation is we are in the eye of a storm that started when Carlo Ancelotti accepted Real Madrid's offer to leave us for them.

I thought, and still think, the finalisation of the TFG ownership deal would be the first step towards us regaining our status in the football world – something for which we have all hoped for many years.

So I understand the anguish and disappointment of many of us at what appears to be a backward step with the appointment of David Moyes. That was also my initial reaction but, after reading through this thread, which contains much wisdom and common sense, I have decided that it is time to let my head overrule my heart in this matter.

When TFG announced that they were the new owners, they said something along the lines “we consider ourselves as custodians of your club”. In my view, by appointing David Moyes, they have taken a commercial decision to protect their investment which will, I hope, also turn out to be a stepping stone to a brighter future. If it does, they have fulfilled their obligations as custodians.

That is why I am going to let bygones be bygones and get behind him. The most important thing over the next few days is how the players respond to him and then how we respond to him and the players at Goodison when we “entertain” Villa.

I wonder how he will set them up? But that's a matter for a new thread.

Good appointment. Let's get behind him and lose the negativity! COYB!!!

But who knows, he has been in this game for some years now and wasn't his first time around with us regarded as one of the top ten paid managerial positions in football, £4Mpa?

We really need to unite, it's happened, the decision has been made. Moyes has earned his managerial stripes, he wants to come back and lead us into the new era – and the owners want that too.

Bickering and fan division will not keep us up; unity and support will. If we give them that, then Moyes will take care of the rest. That said, I am hoping we break the bank for a top young coach to team up with him.

He wasn’t my first choice either, but this is the situation we’re in now. The last thing we need is division. Over the past couple of months, the crowd has shown little to no fight, with Dyche draining every ounce of hope and spirit out of us.

New faces are desperately needed if possible, but for now, let’s focus on starting strong on Wednesday night. Let’s get behind the new manager and the players he has to work with.

It was me on TalkSport.

Having read so many posts on here where it seemed most fans felt like I did, I could not believe the only fans ringing in were in support of his re-hiring. I just felt I had to address the balance.

Thanks for your positive comments.

Dave A, don’t give up your season ticket. You are the voice of Everton reason. A walking, talking Everton and football encyclopaedia.

Those old enough to remember or watch most Christmas’s, will recall the film trilogy, Back to the Future.

An Everton version could be back to the Past, starring Dour Davey.

I will head to the Harlech before kick off if anyone is going that way. As I have said, I will stay on the concourse and let those that way inclined celebrate the homecoming of their Mossiah, our hopefully short-term manager.

Red card. Please don’t use Mossiah. It makes me cringe.

I’ll then take my seat in time for kick off to support the team.

My cousins messaged me yesterday happy that we, once again have family in charge at Everton. I didn’t have the heart to tell her of my being underwhelmed and deflated. She met him at a wedding reception in the Novotel on the M6 once and Moyes invited my sister and youngest brother to Bellefield for a morning years ago. Having grown up with the Moyes era, he’s been smiling like a Cheshire Cat since the rumours started gathering momentum.

Over to you cousin Davey. I always refer to him as cousin. His Grandfather and my Grandfather were brothers. Their side of the family moved from Northern Ireland to Scotland, mine to Liverpool. I guess that makes us some sort of cousin removed. Maybe someone who understands ancestry could explain.

Third cousins.

Grandfathers = Brothers
Your Parents = First Cousins
You = Second Cousins

Whilst we also can't guarantee he will have the same drive & energy at 61 that he brought in his late 30s and 40s (do any of us?) what do we also know about Moyes's character?

I'd suggest, above all other candidates, he absolutely detests the thought of being 'that guy', the first manager to oversee an Everton relegation in 74 years. And it's that incentive, that willingness to leave no stone unturned in order to avoid doing so, which I'm hopeful will make the difference.

I guess Potter was approached to take over, but decided to wisely plump for West Ham. I'm not sure that our new manager needed Premier League experience as Iraola, Frank, Hurzeler, Maresca have none and are doing okay, it's no guarantee of success or indeed avoiding the drop, eg, Moyes at Sunderland.

I don't think it was Moyes's manner of leaving that gets under the skin of many Blues (although it wasn't great) or labelling Everton fans a disgrace when at Man Utd, but rather over a protracted period of time, a lowering of expectations about what our club could achieve and aspire to be. You don't acquire the moniker ‘dour' or ‘dithering' Davey without good reason and on too many occasions he would ‘bottle' it and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I guess for many veteran Evertonians like Dave Abrahams, there is a sickening feeling that we are caught in a ‘loop' of tempered ambitions for our club, in which we appoint a so-called ‘safe pair of hands' only to be caught in recurring relegation battles accompanied by sterile football and huge pay-offs for managers who then carry a safe full of money in their greedy hands.

So Dave, I get it, when you say I've had enough because I feel the same way.

As for our new owners, let's reserve judgement on them. I'm not sure they are acting decisively or strategically; given their protracted period of due diligence, I would have assumed they would have had a manager and a DoF lined up as soon as they took over? Roma fans aren't too impressed with their decision-making which appears to be as impulsive and reactive.

I hope we stay up, but I hope we have a different manager when we move into the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Bill had said 'welcome back' 24 hours before they went for Carlo. He was also interviewed previous to that as Moshiri liked him, but Kenwright wanted Koeman! And they approached him a third time after he'd gone back to West Ham, but he was then under contract and so they swivelled to Benitez.

I've been watching a couple of interviews he's given in the last 6 months up on YouTube, I'd forgotten what a decent chap he is, and how close his ties are with the club. So many good players he brought in, the contrast with everyone who followed is stark.

On the subject of his qualities as a manager, we need to be patient. Top managers will currently not be attracted to Everton. We've got a dreadful squad, and have been bumping along the bottom for years. In order to put ourselves in the shop window for the medium term, we need a transitional manager who can smarten us up, get the squad right, and move us up the table. We can't just jump from bad to good, it takes time. Moyes is the ideal transitional manager.

But Everton are my team and I will always get behind the team. But will never be able to fully support Moyes.

I personally hope he keeps us up and is then sent off into the sunset, never to be seen anywhere near Everton again. The sooner he is sent packing, the better.

Can he provide transformation with a few additions?

Could he win a major trophy? (we're still in the FA cup!!)

Alternatively another of his embarrassing tonkings from a "top team" will create carnage.

Friedkin might think this a safe appointment but the odds are it's a ticking time bomb.

Thanks for coming on – I appreciate the honesty and integrity of your call, I think you spoke superbly to express the depth of feeling here.

I just don't get this 'Ben' view which basically is "I never saw the Everton Greats of the ancient past coz I'm a young buck and Moyes's mediocrity is all I know, so that'll do for me."

If ya know yer 'istory…

Second spell at West Ham, better than the first I may add. Plus he has infinitely more experience and good connections regarding Transfer targets. I hope upon hope that this follows through with us.

I think most fans get really irritated, by two factors, his association with the most hated man on TW ' The Maggot ' the way he left and then came back to poach some of our better players. Not 100% clear if that was solely down to him.

We simply have to regard that as ' water under the bridge ' and although difficult for many, give him support (even grudgingly in many cases). Let's face it, TFG are not going to change their mind now, and he is here for the foreseeable future, and at the end of the day, we all want the best for Everton FC.

Next time you think of going on talksport, let us know on here so we can all tune in!

Can’t say I recognise your name as being on here before, but it would be great if you become a regular. You could certainly put a few on here in their place!!

It's nice to see you still posting, and I hope you're doing well.

I too was incensed by the way Moyes left for us and then came back unsettling players. I have let it go now but the way he boasted openly about being tapped up by Fergie was very disrespectful after all that time with us. He probably should have gone a year before at least.

Moving away from Lynne's well presented perspective and over to a wider narrative, he is here, we must not let it divide us. By all means point to the Utd defection as something that Moyes may need to explain or comment on in the 1st press conference.

However, can we please FFS stop wheeling out the "knife to a gunfight" quote? As I mentioned on another thread, he is allowed to make some poor choice statements in front of the media during the course of 11yrs!

He did a good job on a limited budget, I suspect with the fans united he will do a good job again. That's what we need most of all, someone to do a good job and give us a platform for progression.

He used to make alot of comments about us based on the limited resources we had, it fed the "plucky little Everton" narrative associated with Moyes on here and incensed a group of people living with much loftier expectations. We all want success but it was not achievable on the budget available to him during those 11 yrs, so it calls into question how one defines success.

If anyone believes a Sarri or an Allegri are just going to walk in here and have us in a champions league spot inside 2 years is fucking deluded. Newcastle (who have largely done things the right way once coming into some cheddar) are only close to that after how many years?

We need the platform, for that I am coming round the the idea that Moyes is a dull but good choice. No I am not a happy clapper nor am I accepting mediocrity, I am a realist who is facing the mammoth task ahead with open eyes. Let's do this. COYB.

Moyes was in bed with Bill Kenwright, and between the pair of them they reduced everything about Everton, with regards our standing in the game because we stopped being committed to trying to win.

We competed and became the ultimate flat-track bully, but our standing in the game was diminishing all the time, and plucky little Everton, who were punching above their weight, was born.

David Moyes, was clever, he put it all on the club, because he had a desperate, romantic and inept owner, and got himself an unbelievable five year contract, which was made all the more astonishing (to me) when you consider he never had to win a trophy, or qualify for the champions league, for people to say he was doing a great job.

The defiant Evertonian, of yesteryear died, fed up arguing about a man who split the fanbase, because way too many people were took in by his lies.

The younger lads who I spoke to last night, couldn’t believe I didn’t want Moyes back and all asked me why?

I said I’ll be here all night lads, and I’m going home in a minute, but every time I look at his face (something I haven’t done yet, and neither will I read any of his statements - although I might quote a couple I read on these pages) I see Bill Kenwright.

Kenwright said we had some good times and through ToffeeWeb, I’ve heard Moyes, say he has already had a successful spell managing Everton.

How very depressing and sad.

As for Moyes returning this is ill advised because it will never unite the fanbase and is a pointless fear induced decision prompted by TFG's lack of foresight and inactivity. The inevitability of a dead man walking given a needless and mercilus stay of execution was only cut short due the perceived lifeline of a safety blanket being quickly pulled from under as two perceived mice, Wolves and Ipswich, rose up to bear their teeth.

Many are arguing that Moyes is a safe pair of hands and that this is an understandable appointment are symptomatic of the plight we have endured over the last few seasons. The new owners should be immune to this psyche. When Bournemouths new powerholder Bill Foley sacked Gary O'Neill it looked unbelievably harsh as he had done a fantastic job in keeping a genuine relegation squad up. This guy had a plan and had the balls to carry out his conviction. In hiring Ireola he was telling the world he was going to live or die by his actions, that he didn't accept the perceived view that his team were relegation fodder and had loftier ambitions for little old Bournemouth. The media were in a tizzy, hammered him and were smugly overjoyed when their position initially was no better than ONeills but Foley was way ahead of the curve, he wasn't here to fuck around.

The days of firefighting managers has gone, there is no such thing as a safe pair of hands. We will stay up with Moyes, we would have stayed up with Dyche as we are only where we are due to him and a brave appointment would have also seen us stay up. The difference is that we have lost six months time in moving the club forward and we won't flourish. These owners while at Roma and now at Everton are proving that they are smart business people but inept football operators. They will make their money and be happy.

TFG out now!!

Moyes put together one of THE best teams with scraps from the bank whilst having to compete with the superior MUCH richer clubs.

So he didn't win us a trophy, but can anyone here mention one player we have now who can stand head to head with his team? Not to mentality the instilled in them. They feared no one.

We weren't living on the edge season after season with dross like we have been.

Welcome back, Davey. This blue heart will be right behind you.

I'm pretty sure that everyone will get behind the team though, because that's also what true Evertonians do.

My personal opinion is that it was the best appointment in the circumstances and I look forward to a gradual improvement in our fortunes. Obviously other opinions are available and that's fine.

As for Moyes, I wasn't on the side that cheered him off with gusto. In fact I posted at the time that any successor may well struggle to match his average EPL finish and so it proved. He did indeed do a pretty good job on next to no resources.

However I had hoped TFG would have a goal, albeit longer term, of restoring us to our real glory days of decades ago. Appointing Moyes suggests not, more that we are back to 'knife to a gunfight' scenarios. Disappointing. Still, he is a better manager than Dyche and given it does appear to be a panic move, the safest available option if all we care about is staying in the EPL. I guess I better adjust to the new reality after the brief dream of better.

We've had an abject 4 years, the club is a binfire, who else was coming in?

Moyes drove me mad in his first tenure, but I'd give my eye teeth to be moaning about what I was moaning about then.

Not the man I wanted but with Everton we've had nothing that we've wanted for 20 years. And Moyes has won more than Everton since we parted company.

It's not really Moyes is it?

It's the chronic mismanagement for the entire Premier League era.

I am also old enough to remember the Kenwright years and well before.

I am also well aware of the long term damage that Blue Bill did, but I think you both need to let this Kenwright thing go now, he’s gone but he’s obviously taking up a lot of space in your heads, raise the rent and kick him out.

This Moyes appointment is pragmatic, nothing more than that.

A man from Glasgow, another from Australia and one from Manchester doing their masters bidding, Kenwright, telling us Everton fans what would be best for us when a lot of us knew what a farce it was and would never come about, thanks to real Evertonians who formed KEITC, real Evertonians ——not bought but born that way and truly loved Everton FC.

Davie Weir is set to leave Brighton and join doddery, dithering, dour Davie Moyes at Everton.

Two dour Scots in charge. What a thrill.

Best post I have read on here for a long time.

OK, its Moyes and not everyone's cup of rosey on how he departed and some of the aftermath, based on what he did and what he to work with I'll always doth my cap. If you can a tune out of Marcus Bent, Radzinski and have us settled with being away from the relegation zone which has been the norm for the past three years then maybe he can do it again and get us stabilised. I'm still fucking raging today on that Champions League cup qualify were that bald c**t ruled out a perfectly good header (was Dunc wasn't it?)

Maybe we see a different Moyes without Kenwrong getting involved. Maybe this time he gets backed signings wise and not do what have done in the past how many years gone buying absolute fucking shite.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still on the fence but I hope he does well and runs it like he did were he had full control. The amount of managers and bollocks going on and off the pitch needs to stop. Maybe this is it.

There was little out there of choice to take this job on, so in that respect I'll give him his dues and the fact he's had the minerals to step forward. I dearly hope it doesn't end up in tears as we have had returning managers in the past and it went south.

This might be different. New era and all. There is plenty to look forward to but main thing is backing the club, get this season out the way with, clean state the fucker and get back at it.

I wish him well, as well as the team. Its the hand we have been dealt and maybe once, we hit a straight flush.

After all, even the sun shines on a dogs arse some day.

Stay safe :)

I was also getting cranky yesterday - 100% with the club as we've all had years of this. But, it is too easy to divert that onto others so I also checked out. I also enjoy your posts Rob, which are always sensible and well-reasoned.

Conor @ 397, Tony @ 396 and Colin @ 338 nail it for me. But we all only hope that the club turns the corner with this appointment. If I am dead wrong, I will be delighted.

I liked Jack, advising me that Evertonians, need people who believe, because I’ve always held beliefs that Everton, will come good again.

When I read Conor’s post, it brings me to one of my biggest thoughts ~ “actions speak a lot louder than words”

Are the Friedkin’s unprepared? Did Dyche, throw a massive spanner in their longer term plans last week? Are Everton that badly hampered by PSR, that we had to appoint someone who was free? Maybe the Friedkin’s even chipped Moshiri a lot more because they took a chance on Everton, knowing this?

Kenwright is dead Nigel, but he helped destroy my football club, alongside the people who couldn’t see through him and I thought we were going to be moving away from Goodison, with new owners bringing in a new beginning, so how can I forget the past, when I see a man who was complicit in our demise (I will always have this opinion of anyone who is more interested in feathering their own nest - in any walk of life) sitting in the dugout.

One more game this season and I will have been attending Goodison for fifty years, but at the minute, I can’t bring myself to go to the Villa game (when Villa are doing well, it’s a fixture I have always loved, because they are the Everton, of the midlands, imo) but if I don’t go Wednesday, I can’t see myself going until the last ever game at Goodison Pk.

There will always be someone there to take my ticket, and this is why my dilemma is taking up a lot of my thoughts.

What a fanbase Everton have genuinely got. kicked from pillar to post, as far as away as Timbuktu and back again, absolute gluttons for punishment, but still they turn up “anywhere” in their thousands…. Singing - “WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED” absolutely incredible supporters deserve so much more💙👏👏

Evertonians have not been unified in their choice of manager since Joe Royle replaced Mike Walker thirty years ago. Even when we brought in the worlds most successful manager there was murder because some thought he was a bad fit...

Most of us are Scouser's. Being argumentative MF's is in our DNA. Those who join the party from outside the city soon get up to speed. There will be murder in every alehouse on County road on Wednesday night and all over the city on Wednesday afternoon.
If Dave A and Christine don't have the closest friendship on this website. they must be close to it, but even them two don't agree. While Christine will tolerate this appointment short term. Dave cant have Moyes at any price.

Please stop calling or unity. We are not robots, or mindless Geordies. Just be thankful you have passion in your hearts ad love your club enough to argue about it..And that you are not a soulless red twat singing that horrible dirge.

Unity is for kick of time. Goodison will be unified in its desire to win come 8.00 on Wednesday night. Dont worry about that.

Edward @419
William James Alexander McKinlay (born 22 April 1969) is a Scottish football manager and former professional footballer who was most recently assistant manager of West Ham United.

As a player, he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City, Bradford City and Fulham. He also played in the Scottish Premiership for Dundee United, the Football League for Preston North End and the Scottish Football League for Clydebank. McKinlay appeared 29 times for Scotland and played at Euro 1996 and the 1998 World Cup. Source:Wiki

Christine, Just stop talking about the man then he will go away. He’s history.

Tony, you stopped going after the Wigan defeat? I went away to Shrewsbury when we lost in the FA Cup, that was worse than Wigan, they were the bottom team in the entire football league at the time. It happens, do you think Brentford fans will stop going now because they got beat by bottom of the Championship Plymouth.

Dave, do not give up your season ticket over Bill Kenwright, David Moyes or any one individual, Everton are more than an individual, chances are he will be gone soon anyway. I gave my season ticket up when I moved overseas, regretted it ever since.

I don’t believe in ghosts.

So the best of luck to our new manager and I hope he gets us there.

I am also annoyed at some of the assumptions being passed on as ‘facts’ here by some posters:

1. ‘Dyche would have definitely taken us down’ – well, how do you know that? Yes, results were on a downward trajectory, and the lack of goals was certainly unpalatable. But, here is a fact for you – Moyes is coming in at a better position than when Dyche came in. When Dyche came in, we were on 15 points with 20 games played. Now, we are on 17 points with 19 played. And Dyche came in on the very last day of the January transfer window. Moyes has more than half the transfer window to bring in some reinforcements.

2. ‘Dyche told TFG that he couldn’t take Everton forward and left them with no choice but to sack him’ – again, how do we know that as a fact other than some unsubstantiated news reports? That is so uncharacteristic of Sean Dyche and it seems to be something put out by TFG to the media on the sly to give them some sympathy with the fans. ‘Dyche forced their hand and thus were left with no choice but to turn to a ‘safe’ option in Moyes’. Bullshit! Dyche has managed us through worse periods in his tenure – including when there was a non-existent board - and I just don’t believe he would go crying to the new owners now and give them an ultimatum.

Even though I believe that TFG have failed in their 1st major audition in front of their fans, I hope Moyes proves me wrong and gets us safe this season. I would change my opinion about this decision to bring in Moyes if:

1. We are safe well before the last 4-5 games so that the fans can enjoy their last few games at Goodison Park (Leon Osman mentioned this in his interview on Talk Sport and it made a lot of sense).

2. There is an improvement in style and the team starts scoring more goals.

3. The home form improves drastically

4. Moyes rotates the squad more than Dyche and gives more playing time to players like Armstrong, Patterson, Tim Iroegbunam, Chermiti, or whoever comes in new – not just for the sake of it but whenever the team is in need of freshening up.

5. He doesn’t make stupid, self-serving statements if he keeps us up in the PL.

I hope TFG have started putting the other wheels in motion – incoming players, a decision on the future of Kevin Thelwell, including … (holds breath) … a replacement if things go south with Moyes in terms of results. I don’t want to sound negative but with games against Villa (H) Tottenham (H), Brighton (A), Leicester (H), Crystal Palace (A), Man United (H), Brentford (A), Wolves (A, )West Ham (H) and the unplayed home derby game which will get scheduled somewhere in-between, Moyes will have very little time to start showing an improvement in results. Anything less than 10 points from these 10 games, and the pressure will be right back on to replace him. I wish him all the very best.

Moyes' average spend over 11 years was the 7th highest in the PL. His average finish was 8th. No great achievement. That managers before or since have performed worse does not mean we have to be impressed with Moyes' record.

I thought that because I disagreed with quite a bit of what Noleen wrote, whilst remembering Phil Neville, speaking about the day we lost to one of the worst Liverpool team’s I have ever seen at Wembley, in the fa cup semi.

“We knew Liverpool were going to throw the kitchen sink at us” I can just imagine that fucking half time team talk.

I could go on Noleen, because although Nigel, doesn’t call it right with regards my obsession towards our former chairman, you also said it was going to be your only post, and I agree because the last thing I want to be doing with Evertonians, is arguing, because I believe until we unite, we will never truly move on as a football club💙

Haha

Liverpool never won the league for thirty years but stayed relevant by winning cups, whereas Moyes and his team used to shit themselves whenever they were ever getting close.

That’s excluding the Chelsea cup final because we had to many injuries against one of the top sides in the whole of Europe, imo, and also the times when Moyes never even the cup competitions seriously (quite a embarrassing list) because he was more interested in coming seventh.

I’m not arguing either but sometimes I just have to give my opinion Nige!

If you want to number crunch then please go ahead.

Would you take right now finishing 8th? All comes down to cash doesn't it. yes there were also some bad signings back then, Beliiiianannanaatyov or what ever his fucking name was, the midfielder who's name escapes me that had the Everton scarf launched at him by a 'fan' in middle of pitch. I'm trying to put a positive spin on things with 'back then' when he first stepped though the doors and got that tune out of Arteta, Pienaar et al.

So if you have the time and inclination to go through the books. You cannot predict ever, where a team will finish. If you can, then can you pick my lottery numbers.

I will agree with you about the vitriol. But thats people's feelings, opinions and I have nothing against, but lets be fair some of it is laughable.

I too was at that Shrewsbury game, and what made it even worse was, despite the fact they were bottom of the entire football league pyramid, they were eventually relegated to the Conference League, or whatever it was called at the time.

Also, Tony, talking about that Wigan game, I heard that Moyes actually told the players the morning of the game that he was going to Man Utd, so I'm not surprised they fell apart in that first half.

Thank you, pal. I don't post often on here. Just felt the need to on this topic. Right or wrong, whatever I say, again, it's an opinion.

I have Everton's best interests, always have. We all get frustrated when it's going shit and yet them times when we actually play a bit and get a win, that eclipses that… alright, not that often as late. :)

Granted, I know a lot of you are local to Liverpool and see it first-hand, week-in & week-out, and do the away games. and this is no sob story so please don't read it that was. But unfortunately, I live in Hull, although it's a 2-hour or so drive to Goodison, I've family commitments and my mum is suffering with heavy set Dementia so getting away is difficult.

But, I will be trying to get to a game this season (now that Dyche is gone) and take my 12-year-old (who's converted to Hull City as much as I bought her Everton shirts since she was born) to say Good-bye to the Old Lady for one last time.

Anyway, my thoughts and musings… After all, I go by the motto 'What's the worst that can happen?' :)

If they don't give him dough to get some strikers, then what can he do that he couldn't do with Man Utd, Real Sociedad or West Ham???

Just struggling on till the end of the season won't cut it!!!

My question was about the reasoning behind your 'cap doffing', not about Moyes's average finishes compared to expenditure.

As I said to Noleen, the performance of the club before or since should have no bearing on assessing Moyes's own record.

Of course he did better than Smith, Silva, Koeman, etc, but finishing on average one place below your expenditure is nothing to celebrate.

Of course I would prefer a 7th or 8th place finish at the moment, but what I would also like is for posters to stop perpetuating the myth that 'Moyes worked miracles on a shoestring' etc.

Kevin #434,

The average 7th highest expenditure refers to net spend.

I had my say before he was appointed and for me it was a big fat no. He was well paid with zero expectations from the board so he coasted.

He created and maintained the narrative that we were punching above our weight. Which quite a few people on here are still believing. He didn't push the team or develop anything other than KITAP1.

The cup games mentioned Wigan & the RS examplify his lack of mental strength. Then Dour Dave buggers off.

What's even worse, the Wigan defeat led to us getting Martinez and Whelan, selling us Kone and Alcaraz and Robles.

My fucking days. Bet you are a right laugh in pub. By sounds of it you probably don't even celebrate a win.

Think I'll step away from this one as clearly you are not grasping the point.

For his first decade, Moyes had a net spend of £2.5M a year.

Thanks for the personal assessment too. I'll take it on board, though may not be asking you for references if I decide to apply for a new job.

For my part, the Shrewsbury game was the most embarrassing that I have ever felt. The Wigan game was a shocker though, I agree. Probably for another thread.

I just hope that Everton fans can move forward in cohesion and we can just put this whole Kenwright thing to bed. He was crap and doesn't deserve the space frankly. The guy has done enough damage. No need for anyone to stop going the game or stopping season tickets etc, that is really unfortunate if people have been going for years.

The Moyes appointment was based on a needs must pragmatic basis, nothing more sinister, that's where we are, that's just my opinion. TFG hands were forced by Dyche engineering his own sacking through his own words. Whether it was an ultimatum for more players or to provoke the sacking then, knowing American owners as I do, it was suicide and I think it was deliberate. We don't know we can only surmise.

I honestly believe that the plan was for Dyche to keep his job until season end unless it got so bad that we were likely to go down. I disagreed with their plan there but that's the plan that I believe they had.

Had that happened then, in the summer, they would have chosen their own man and I think that may still be the case. That man wouldn't have been Moyes, just my opinion again. That's why I don't think he is going to be there long enough for there to be another legacy as some clearly fear.

If you and Dave are no longer going to the game for other reasons, then that's different, but don't stop going over someone who may only be here for 6 months — and certainly don't waste any more precious time on Bill Kenwright.

Moyes out at the earliest opportunity. Hopefully once we are safe from relegation.

Not that I fully believe Dour Dave will keep us up. It's more of a desperate hope…

At best, he's an average to mediocre journeyman manager. They must have been desperate to offer him such a lucrative contract.

Didn't they check social media sites and the likes of ToffeeWeb to see how the fans felt? Didn't they know that the West Ham fans couldn't wait for him to go?

We knew what Dyche was about but to then hire another mediocre manager is unacceptable.

Being a football manager is a great gig – you don't even have to be very good and you can make fortune. Talk about crazy?

Thanks for that. I realised a bit later that I'm confusing him with 'John(?) McGinley'. It's either my getting old or this managerial situation has aggled my brain! Anyway thanks again.

If memory serves wasn't Ratcliffe their Manager?

If that's the case, Rob, then that was a very poor call by Moyes. Hopefully he's learnt a lot over the last 10 years or so.

Well I agree 100% with everything you have said.

Did I agree with everything that David Moyes did or said, eg, "knives to a gunfight" player poaching? No, but in context and at the time, other Managers would have probably thought or done the same.

Looking at his record at the club and league positions achieved, I just cannot understand the venom of some posters. Moyes is here to keep us in the Premier League, then we assess, plan, and move on.

Would they prefer a manager with little or no Premier League experience, who would panic and be totally out of his depth with the demands of keeping a team in the Premier League?

Welcome back, David Moyes, he will assess the situation quickly and stabilize. Also I don't think you can stress highly enough the relationship he has with Baines and Coleman. This will keep the dressing room on the same side, which is so important.

Spending £10 million + to exit Moyes and his team after 6 months is not cool.

So hopefully the decision will pay off.

Regardless of our views on that decision, let’s all stop the moaning and groaning about the past and get behind the club for the rest of the season to try and make sure we stay up. Then we can regroup in the summer.

Given that Dyche is our longest-serving manager since Martinez, and the Friedkins are now onto their 5th manager at Roma since they took over in August 2020, it is more likely he'll last 12 to 18 months. Maybe 2 years at a push.

If that's the case, I suspect he'll leave us in better shape than he found us – but with fans still split as to whether he was ever the right man for the job.

I know, mate, but there was no choice.

Here's hoping.

Good point about Moyes, Baines and Coleman.

Noleen and Stefan (plus a fair few others) are in the ‘brainwashed' ranks from what I am reading. What is being claimed; that Davey can't be criticised for the way he handled his ‘promotion' to the Man Utd job? Feck right off.

Thing is when you can remember Everton teams that would have wiped the floor with any team that Moyes ‘created', you can also remember when Man Utd were actually distinctly average so I won't bow before them either.

For Moyes to deserve the accolades he is getting from some, he should have at least been able to develop a team that could, on it's day, give them a run for their money, and he never did.

His ‘knife to a gunfight' comment was, is and always will be inexcusable for a sporting event.

Rather than it being endless doom and gloom and rubbish managers since he was last here, Martinez got us excited for a while and Silva has ultimately shown that he probably deserves to be considered a successful Premier League manager as much as the Moyesiah. Who knows what he could have built at EFC had he been given the same patience as Davey?

As I started with, he has my backing, but I'm yet to be convinced he was the best option / is guaranteed to keep us up.

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum!

Otherwise, that's got to be the single craziest thing I have read across all the Moyes threads in the past two days.

Otherworldly.

Yes, out with the new owners – they've had long enough to sort all this. Next!

I am one of those who thinks Moyes did well on very limited funds, but I might change my mind if you were correct that we had, on average, the 7th highest net spend in the Premier League from 2002 to 2012.

I have to say, that sounds implausible though. Do you have a source for the actual data?

But other managers might have looked at our predicament and said, "No thanks, come back if you stay up". Moyes might have been the only option TFG had.

TransferMarkt

But I do endorse one of the posters who suggests that early signs are that we have just got rid of Kenwright Mk 2 and may be welcoming Kenwright Mk 3.

Each time we have changed the manager, we have ended up more or less back in the same place in the Premier League table.

We won't progress unless we up the player quality, I think it was Robert T (who talks more sense than most if not all on here) said we need much better people scouting for talent.

With PSR now, you can't go out and buy the best, even if you have the money!

We have all had our say and whether we agree on his record or spend or whatever metric you wish to use.

We have no say in the appointment, we just need to get behind the team now. The ground has been very quiet and we need to make some noise.

COYB UTFT

That certainly seems more plausible.

The 7th highest wage bill under Moyes is a relatively well known fact but Stan is the first poster I've ever seen claiming that he also had the 7th (?) highest net transfer spend.

Surely if it was true the MOB would have been posting that fact on a regular basis back in the day.

That would be closer to my expectation, though I have to say, a little worse than I would expect. I certainly think we were outside the top 10 net spenders from 2002-2012, though already the years don't correlate with you. Maybe we made a bit net profit in 2013- Fellaini and others? I'd have us in the 10th-12th area, below clubs like Sunderland.

But I'm willing to listen to Stan's numbers and source, if he has them.

Michael, Lyndon any idea?

The first thing as new owner he puts in his own Chairman and after a difficult set of fixtures the club seems to become a little more stable that suddenly starts to become a crisis.

After consultation with the manager whose comments do not seem conducive with the future the new ownership is looking for, they decide to fire him.

This now leads to a situation that it no longer becomes what they want but to the reality of what they need, and that is another manager.

Not just another manager, but one who can get them through to the end of the season in either a mid-table or lower safe position as it is essential to remain in the Premier League.

The new owners with the understanding they had to act quickly were given the name of a recently experienced manager with both domestically and foreign clubs was available, who also had previous experience with Everton FC.

So now we have a manager with mixed emotions within the supporters, that really we should all back 100%, because if he fails, so do Everton. And we have no idea of what would crawl out of the woodwork if that happened.

The thread when Rafa was appointed exceeded 1878 posts but I'm not sure what it reached or if it's the record holder.

I get the worry about TFG. We have had poor ownership for so long that the low expectations would be automatic. But I'm not concerned at all.

We may not agree with this decision, but it's rational and was professionally handled, which in and of itself is an improvement. And the new guys have more money than Kenwright or Moshiri could ever have dreamed of.

Three most embarrassing results off the top of my head, Nigel; losing 5-0 at home to Liverpool is number one, second was losing 3-0 at home to Tranmere, in the FA Cup, and third was that Wigan game, with the same score line in the same competition.

Watching the Arsenal v Man Utd game, it's the very subjective decisions that keep turning games of football that have made me fall out of love with the game. I'm already starting to think what the authorities come up with next regarding PSR if the English clubs start to keep on failing in Europe's premier competitions.

Stop messing about, buy your season tickets, and I look forward to buying you both a pint next season.

So what does Moyes 2.0 look like? Except for a few managers, each one has a shelf life. Moyes at West Ham was hugely successful in my opinion until the fans and others wanted a change.

So winning the Uefa Conference League was not seen by some as anything memorable. But to get into that competition, he got West Ham into the Top 8 while we were fighting relegation.I don't think they had the greatest team except for Bowen and Rice but he got better results than we did.

Those who have written before me have pointed quite correctly to the situation that occurred on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning. If the Friedkins determined that what Dyche said constituted he didn't think he could take the club forward, then his end was going to be very swift.

We will never know what negotiations and discussions took place with other possible managers but I'm sure Potter's move to West Ham hastened the Friedkins' decision-making.

I think Moyes is a more knowledgeable manager than some of us give him credit. If you look at some of the coaching work he has done with the League Management Association (LMA), he is not the dinosaur that some here might consider him to be.

Some of West Ham's success was because he developed players such as Coufal, Souchek and Antonio to make them a better team.

Maybe I'm not such a committed Blue as those who regularly follow the Blues all over England and have had season tickets for many generations. I have only been to Goodison once to see them play in an early round of the Europa Cup when Baines secured a 1-0 win with a sweet left foot drive.

I have lived in Canada since 1990. But I don't hark back to “knife to a gunfight” or how he left us for Man Utd with any great long-standing condemnation.

I felt quite comfortable when he accepted the position due to his knowledge of the Premier League and an understanding of what it means to be the manager of EFC. I'm not sure which recent manager got that; Dyche certainly didn't.

So there we are starting 2025 with a brand new stadium only months away, a new ownership group who have banished the immediate damage caused by Moshiri, and a new manager. I have no idea how any of those three will work out. Football is unpredictable. Who is to say that we might be at the bottom of the league after the first 4 weeks of next season?

So we won't have to wait long till we see what the new Everton within the same set players will look like with Davey boy in charge! COYBs!

I just hope the owners know what they are doing, I guess they have not appointed Rooney like Birmingham did.

Forgot about the Tranmere one, Tony. Not allowed to forget about the 5-0 unfortunately.

I'm sure Jagielka's brother has had some input in a game against us though. Has he been a manager or something? Someone on here will know.

He was definitely at Shrewsbury according to Wikipedia, Rob, at that time so probably played. I didn't realise though that he sadly passed away at the age of 43.

If he does half as good as he has for signings at Brighton, I'll be well pleased.

Not the first time he's talked absolute shite. Very good footballer of course, but his 'punditry'. He's always seemed so out of touch with supporters' views of whichever club.

David Weir is a good shout, George.

I met Shearer socially a few years back, he talked shite then also. He knows nothing about Everton.

He kept West Ham up, he failed to do that with Sunderland. He's won a European trophy, but he also failed to get meaningful success elsewhere.

His time with us is viewed wildly differently by posters on this thread. So, in my view, there's arguments for and against, like any gamble.

Personally, I find it a slightly odd move, and I'm a bit disappointed, but I'll have galvanised my spirit come the Villa game.

Ian Dunbavin
Darren Moss
David Artell
Peter Wilding
Mark Atkins
Alex Smith
Jamie Tolley
Ian Woan
Nigel Jemson
Ryan Lowe
Luke Rodgers

Richard Wright
Peter Clarke
Gary Naysmith
David Unsworth
David Weir
Alan Stubbs
Lee Carsley
Scot Gemmill
Thomas Gravesen
Tomasz Radzinski
Wayne Rooney

Substitutions:
Steve Jagielka for Luke Rodgers 81
Sam Aiston for Ryan Lowe 85
Leon Drysdale for Nigel Jemson 90

Substitutions:
Niclas Alexandersson for Thomas Gravesen 45
LI Tie for Scot Gemmill 76
Kevin McLeod for David Unsworth 90

Cards:
Ryan Lowe 44Y

Cards:
Thomas Gravesen 37Y
Alan Stubbs 72YWayne Rooney 90Y

Tranmere was much worse.

Brian #491, it would have been a gamble either way, but I said all along that our lack of talent was the biggest hazard of all, bigger than the manager. I believe we'll stay up with Jimmy, Tim and Dwight back on the pitch, another new face or two coming in during the window and our injury-slowed centre-backs playing better.

Moyes will get the credit, and I couldn't care less as long as the job gets done, but truly I feel it's the guys between the touchlines who matter more than the guy alongside it.

Absolutely brilliantly put. I don't know what some of our fans want. No, he wouldn't have been my choice or anyone's first choice but who in January was going to come here?

The names bandied about, Frank Ireola etc, wouldn't have touched us with a bargepole at this stage of the season; in the Summer, it might have been a different story.

I'll say one thing about Moyes: I never had a sleepless night when he was gaffer; I wish I could have said the same under Dyche, Benitez and Lampard – although I still have a soft spot for Frank.

Just hope Moyes wins 6 games and draws a few to keep us up. I hate typing that – it feels desperate.

One thing about Moyes, he can spot a player and we had some good sides under him.

Welcome back, Davey you'll get a wholehearted welcome from this Blue of 60 years.

To be fair Simon it is a gamble, as Brian says there are no guarantees that Moyes will keep us up.

It’s just not as much of a gamble than if we had kept Dyche imo.

And he is absolutely right. All managerial appointments are to some extent a gamble. I suspect that far more than your 5% would say that hiring Moyes is a gamble. And I also think that far more than 5% still worry about relegation under Moyes.

Really, wow? Yes! Believe it, read it again, and see if you understand it better second time around.

Is Moyes guaranteed to keep us up?

No.

Therefore it's a gamble.

I'm not comparing or likening his appointment to keeping Dyche.

I am merely stating a fact.

He's not guaranteed to keep us up.

Quite simple really.

Thanks Paul at least you can see and understand what I posted.

No wonder I take regular breaks from TW.

But in the next breath, he says he'll be there on Wednesday silently cheering us on? Do me a favour, mate, the only reason you've got a bee in your bonnet is because your lad was his mate and played alongside him… am I right, Dave?

The man was a disgrace, his football was a disgrace, and his comments were a disgrace. Players hung out to dry, "That's what they do here", etc. I for one couldn't stomach him, and he's left our club in the brown stuff – the absolute twat.

Not saying Moyes will do any better but at least he knows our fanbase – unlike that Kettering Kopite ginger prick.

Moyes (and Benitez) - the longer he's here, the more he will have opportunity to revert to his old ways.

Hopefully he'll be too busy trying to win the odd game out of the next 19 to concentrate on not losing, or even worse - not losing by too much.

Deep down, I hope this 2.5 year deal is a mere fig leaf that;
A) gives him some authority with players, both present and incoming.
B) allows him to take a pay-off in June so TFG can get somebody decent in...but in reality I think we're stuck with Moyes.

So I'll get behind the team (despite Moyes) as we take it one game at a time.

A Leopard reputedly can't change its shorts - nor will Moyes, Damascean conversions not withstanding - most people don't change, they just become more so.

Under pressure they always revert to their default.

On the field, under pressure, natural passers will always pass, natural shooters will always shoot, natural dribblers will always dribble, head down merchants will always run in to blind alleys.

Don't get me wrong Moyes (used to) has his good points (and Dyche had done his dash...more or less said so himself)

But Moyes will always revert to being Moyes and the longer he's here the more he will revert - can't help himself.

*awaits headline- Moyes in cheeky bid for...fill in a former Moyes player here.

In the manner of fickle fans everywhere - He wins the next 2 Home games and I won't hear a word against him.

Your last game (and tenure) is now history - (Clean Slate City Arizona)

You're only as good as your next game!

Be careful you lot. Mr. Edwards will start to complain again about being victimised.

I agree with you by the way Ian, but you do not go far enough for my taste. I would also add the names of Koeman and Dyche to Sam our fireman.

I am seeing three groupings develop. The Ben’s who have been waiting for this moment since 2012. The resurrection and second coming of Christ.

The pragmatists. Would rather the club had been more adventurous, but accept that who else was going to take us on?

Those spitting feathers and fuming with the lack of ambition and foresight and going back to the past. Put me in that one.

I grew up on tales of the 60s players. I never saw them play, but felt like I knew them. And for me, it kept me going through the 70s when I started going to watch Everton. I wanted that success but a new Everton.

70s players. I don’t even know how I remember some of these names, but randomly I do.

Roger Kenyon. Mike Pegic. Terry Darracott. Mark Higgins. Martin Dobson. George Wood, who I still have a Polaroid photo of the two of us outside the players’ entrance on Goodson Road.

Andy King, Mick Lyon’s, Bob Latchford, who gave us bright moments. Andy King’s derby screamer. Latchford’s 30 goals in a season; still my oldest cousin’s favourite player. Mick Lyon’s just for being Mick Lyon’s.

Duncan McKenzie. My earliest favourite player, although I don’t know how good he really was, as I was still a bit young. I do know that he was magic as we all agreed singing his name.

The 80s, and Howard’s first few seasons weren't great to say the least. But we turned the corner and the rest was history as we romped to 4 trophies.

Despite winning our last trophy to date in the 90s, I think I’ll give that decade an ignoring to. It was dreadful.

Onto Moyes. If the 70s team are labelled the nearly men, You could say that about Moyes’ better teams. But a lot of it wasn’t easy on the eye if you watched the football and he/we bottled it big time when the expectation was on too often

On we go to Wednesday. Whatever your persuasion,, we want the points. I’ll be supporting Everton and the team.

I’ve not mentioned Ancelotti.

But to call him a geriatric, check out Moyes’ date of birth. They are roughly the same age. Slightly less than 4 years difference.

We gulped it down and went on and on about it right across the city and media, for years, whilst achieving next to nothing.

Meanwhile the guy he quickly sold his soul to, and was thereby being given increasingly massive pay-days for himself of course by knowingly kow-towing throughout to Kenwright as the latter hung on to what he called "HIS" (WTF, then and now!!??) club, even whilst Moyes was going public with his "knives-to-a-gunfight" explanation for eleven years of vastly underwhelming mundanity.

But how, now, does Moyes describe his eleven years tenure?......... "SUCCESSFUL!" - that's how....... you couldn't make it up!

Kenwright would be proud of him.

But maybe Friedkin wants to keep us in turpitude whilst he too tries to extract bunce for himself from OUR club, and fans?

If so, he's got the right man.

Fast forward to the 80’s. My dad has now gone and I told my kids I couldn’t understand how Lee was replaced by Kendall
History proved me wrong

However after Kendall left and we reappointed him I couldn’t work that out
History proved me right

Then F… me they brought him back a third time! Could not in any way understand it
History proved me right

Moyes is back and I have no doubt he will keep us up as would Dyche as would Baines and Coleman as would me and our kid
Thing is we’ve got this guy 2 years more
Horrendous
I think history may well prove me right - or wrong

So, Denis Stracqualursi as striker coach anyone?

Requlime to coach the midfield?

Kroldrup to attend to defence?

That's where we are folks, £multi-millionaire Moyes aside.

Since the Joe Biden of football left us (according to Ian), he has won 2 Champions League, 2 La Ligas, 1 Copa Del Rey, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Spanish Super Cups and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

In the same period, Big Sam won the 3.10 at Haydock and relegated Leeds.

Don’t think anyone would have a pop at Moyes for Straq. He was a great buy for peanuts.

No he fecking didn't! I hate the way Allardyce acolytes make things up to make him sound better.

Whilst we should never gloss over or erase the Kenwright era, I am going embrace the future... and hope for the best.

‘Thing is we've got this guy 2 years more ‘

No, we haven't John, we've got him for as long as we want to have him.

Don. Great posts @526 and @526. For all the decent signings, there were equally as many shite ones.

I too felt uncomfortable with “The People's Club”. It smacked of small club mentality. We are the famous Everton. Our Everton from our city. Always have been, always will be.

Go to confession and say your Hail Marys!!!

I suspect Mr Edwards is a pantomime type villain on these pages, but unless you are determined to take his comment out of context it is pretty obvious he is comparing Alardyce the Everton manager to Carlo the Everton manager.

Both men embarrassed this club by inexplicably defending in numbers at home against inferior opposition. Both forced us to endure the most brain-numbing home games where we barely mustered a shot.

It's clearly a deeply unpalatable fact that, when operating on a level playing field the fat fella finished higher, but it’s also an irrefutable one.

Maybe the Evertonian love affair with Mr Ancelotti will end when he publishes his memoirs and tells the world that the highest paid job he ever had was also the most undemanding and the word ‘accountability’ wasn't in the owner’s (or the fans’) vocabulary. Then again… maybe not.

Davey Moyes is the latest guy to step into our club’s no-lose managerial situation.

Whether we have him for 2 years or 2 months, we will still be paying him for 2.5 years... And still they cheer!

So it comes as no surprise that the fan base is divided over David Moyes. But whatever your views he is our manager and we need to back him and the team. Yes post on here how much you dislike him but at the game total support.

David Moyes last season as manager at 2012/2013

Just covering Goodison Park results - for the record including away matches we only lost 7 all season.

P19 W12 D 6 L1

Undefeated at Goodison Park in the Premier League since 30 Dec 2012..

meaning that DM, as Everton manager, is undefeated for 12 years in the Premier League - OK, stretching that stat a bit, but you just know when Everton trot out next at GP, the media will mention it, especially if we lose :)

Won the last 5 games at GP scoring 8, conceding nil

Finished in 7th above Liverpool in the league, the same as the previous year.

So, perhaps It wasn't all bad...

Yes, amongst the good buys, there were some questionable ones, but he also had been unable to bring quality players in for a number of years due to financial issues. you wonder what he might have achieved if he had stayed another few years after Moshiri had bought the club.

I imagine he is also thinking the same and so has come back to us to perhaps try to finish the job he started.

If anyone has the time to read this article from August 2011, it might refresh some memories. Titled David Moyes: I decide who comes and goes at Everton – not the bank
Link

We are almost duty bound to lend our support to Everton, and the team, I for one, am hoping he surprises us in a good and positive way !

I said I would be using my present season ticket right to the end of this season but I wouldn’t be renewing my season ticket for Bramley Moore.

I said I would be quietly sitting down when the new manager was introduced to the crowd then cheering my team on to a hopeful victory when the game began, on a later post I wished him luck in keeping my team up and us staying in the premier league.

As for Dyche, Tony has criticised him quite a few times this season and being a mate of his long ago was neither here nor there to me or Tony.

One f my last posts before Dyche threw his hand I said it was hard to make a case defending him as Everton’s manager but Inwas on the fence because Instill thought he would keep us up, previously on other posts I’ve decried the football served up this season by Dyche and some of the players.

You think Moyes is a better manager than Dyche and will keep us up, I sincerely hope you are right. Not sure if you like Moyes or you just wanted anyone to replace Dyche.

I wrote many letters to the Echo when Moyes was last here and his boss, also wrote many letters to Moyes, with my name, address and telephone number on them telling him what I thought about, so it’s not a new thing with me, I wanted Moyes gone long before he went.

Lastly Andy, I wouldn’t let anyone buy my friendship and I’m absolutely confident Tony wouldn’t either, by the way I’ve read your posts on here for a long time and you know what we’d enjoy a bevvy together no problem, that’s before you ask me to have drink with you!

Given David Moyes previous success with centre forwards, to be fair I don't necessarily think David Moyes will turn DCL's fortunes around. I don't remember our previous centre forwards being all that successful under DM but then Jelavic/Yakubu/Saha spring to mind.

I think with Moyes, it's the sum of all the parts rather than individual stand-outs. His previous Everton teams had players like Osman/Arteta/Cahill/Mirallas/Pienaar/Fellaini chipping in their fair share.

Perhaps a change of management//tactics/fresh ideas will help, perhaps a goal or two will also help DCL's confidence.

Apologies the link I put up earlier doesn't seem to work.

For those interested, Google it !

it was an article entitled the following and was from the Guardian August 2011

David Moyes: I decide who comes and goes at Everton – not the bank

However, on the whole, a success.

After all the dreadful events of the last decade, I thought it was quite poignant that in the last game there was still even now all this time later the glimmering of the quality of that last Moyes decade, in the shape of the two stalwarts the club turned to when Dyche was booted. Coleman and Baines, arguably the best fullback pairing we've ever had, both Moyes purchases, at a time when he had £2.5m a year budget.

We were never a great side under Moyes, we were only ever 'very good'. But very good is a damn sight better than awful, which has been the baseline for most of the time since he left.

That season Moyes was only able to spend £15 million net while Ancelottii was given one of the largest net spends in our history of £62 million. If you look at that squad you would be surprised it could finish in front of Evertons with the firepower we had.

Moreover the Leeds squad that also finished in front of us on goal difference was an absolute joke. Their two standout players in that campaign were Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison. Most of that squad have been unable to play in the Premier League again with only three (including Harrison) playing at the highest level. It was embarrassing that they could finish in front of us.

Johnathon @542

Yes looking forward to seeing what Moyes will do with some of these players.

I would expect a lot more service to Dominic especially from wide areas so there will definitely be more goals from him.

Will he play Harrison on the left?

Will he play Lindstrom or N'Diaye supporting Dominic?

Who starts right back?

I am looking forward to the Villa game now to see what changes there will be and hopefully some players will have a new lease of life

Here is the team that played Chelsea for Moyes

Howard, Baines Jagielka, Distin, Coleman Gibson Fellaini, Pienaar, Mirallas, Naismith (Heitinga) Anichebe.(Jelavic)

Martinez got us our highest league points total, last 16 in Europe, 2 Cup semi finals in one season (one we were robbed by a goal that shouldn't have stood which changed the game, the other we played Utd off the park and only for a mistake when we didn't have time to respond we were probably a 50/50 chance of going to the final where we would have been overwhelming favourite to beat Palace to lift the Cup.

No one has ever got close to Bobby's points total, Europe run, Fa Cup semi final or Caribou Cup semi final since.

The idea that he had a few good months is a ridiculous narrative.

We have had some big names and nothing improved.

The Moshiri era was a total bust and has left us in this desperate position with a recycled Moyes taking over but leaving us all dumfounded.

The next month or so will be vital but with no new signings I cannot see improvement.

Theres too much emphasis placed on managers, do any don shorts take to the field and score.

They can have all the crafty tactics, years of experience but if the players are not of a standard their goosed, thats why they have a limited lifespan at any club.

They are the same manager, but if the player squad changes for the worse for whatever reason their usuall looking for another job.

Key to a successful manager is consistency. Win ratio is the most reliable and valid indicator of that, so here is the ranking.

Howard Kendall I win ratio = 54.14%
Ancelotti win ratio = 46.27%
Roberto Martinez = 42.86%
David Moyes = 42.05%
Sam Allardyce = 38.46%

That is the true order of success based on facts.

And to the claims that Ancelotti was over the hill and past when he joined Everton, only in it for the money? That hasn’t aged well with the 11 league and cups he has won since leaving us.

He said he would sit in his seat quietly from the start. As have I. For me, I’ll stay down on the concourse until the “homecoming” is over and I can take my seat to watch the football and support the team. I won’t even look at the bench.

I take it you’ve met Dave? I have. A true footballing gent and the finest of fine Evertonians.

He’ll be there on Wednesday, as will I, and then again on Sunday.

Don’t do religion mate

The opium of the masses

Dave answered his question honestly, because he had hated Moyes, being Everton manager, for a long time so he obviously didn’t want the man back.

I played with Dyche, so a few people thought I might start getting them a few away tickets, but it’s not my style, and I told them I would never ask, except for one time when my brother was absolutely desperate and Steve Stone, ended up getting him one for Luton.

Dyche was an arl teammate, who I lived in digs with and I thought he had done a good job in his previous 18 months but after watching us recently I definitely thought he had to go.

Everton is much more important than most things and definitely a lot more important than any one man, and although I know what you mean Andy, about Moyes and sleepless nights, I still can’t believe you for one second lad, because I still remember the game we lost at Wembley to those red bastards and I don’t think I slept properly for at least a week.

Ian, you are mate.

Generally what would happen is that Everton would continue to pay Chelsea until the end of the loan period but those payments would probably be recoverable via insurance.

There are players out of favour, not playing or not needed by clubs that will improve us.
I can't see Moyes coming without some assurance that he's got a few quid to spend this window.

Striker, LB & 1 or 2 midfield players who can pass, create and get forward, dare I say get some goals from midfield??

That would be a positive window in my veiw.

Is it true then Tony, about the curries?

Martinez was obviously flawed and didn’t pay enough attention to the defensive side of things but I think he was over-criticised for some pretty inconsequential traits.

Have you considered that competing in Europe made life a lot more difficult for him, just as it has messed up plenty of clubs who don’t have huge squads / great squad depth?

I think Stan has given up trying to get people to view David Moyes actual financial constraints rationally but I will give it one more go. You have transfer spend and you have wage bill. Put them together and you get his overall net spend. You can’t just ignore one just because it doesn’t suit your narrative. Yes, his transfer net spend was tiny but some players were sold for very good money and the wages on offer is a way to retain players who might be tempted to go elsewhere and to attract on loan / free transfer decent players. He absolutely did not have ‘both hands tied behind his back’ when it came to team building as some are trying to make-out.

'Moyes' average spend over 11 years was the 7th highest in the PL. His average finish was 8th.'

Of the teams who spent less than us over those 11 years, how many of them were in the Premier League the whole time? Because my memories of the time were very much that we continuously sold our best players because we needed the cash e.g. Rooney, Arteta, Lescott, Rodwell (no laughing please).

We usually scapegoated them out of the club at the same time. I can get why Moyes tried to low ball us over Fellaini and Baines as we had accepted all manner of poor bids during his time as manager here. Kenwright acted all offended but he wasn't bothered about selling the players, he just wanted more money for them. Everything and everyone was for sale at that time. I certainly don't recall us being big spenders in any way competing financially with the Champions League regulars.

Probably only true of Red Thai

If you have basic players capable of not more than basic football you get Allardyce for best results as demonstrated here before the fans chased him. If your side is star laden it's Carlo.

The mystery is why we went after Carlo when still in Allardyce territory - weird as fuck really.

Under Moyes, I saw us play brilliant, good, average, and downright turgid football. I saw us beat better teams and lose dreadfully to lesser teams. We bottled many a big game, which still annoys me now.

I have no issue with how he left. For me, that's business, though I can understand people feeling angry about it.

I suspect they sounded out a few managers, who would have all said either 'no' or 'ring me in the summer'.

If you look at it logically, recruiting a manager who is available, compensation-free, with a record of building and leading both Everton and West Ham up the league makes a lot of sense. To me, more sense than the overrated Potter, the has-been Mourinho, and the untried Carsley.

I've had conversations with people all over the world the last couple of days. Nobody is laughing. Nobody thinks it's a daft move. Most have assumed I'd be happy. I expect him to get a good reception tomorrow.

My wife summed it up perfectly, 'I bet you'd love to be moaning at a manager who has you only finishing 6th to 8th, wouldn't you?'

We're a markedly divided fanbase, and only a run of wins is going to change that. God help us.

I think the belief was that great managers can effect significant change at whatever level in the football pyramid. I think though Carlo put that belief to bed, it was clear that his football was no better or worse than most of the others despite his significant spend. Having learnt that lesson, we need a specialist in spotting bargains, and getting the best out of mediocre players. With that in mind, I don't think we could have chosen better. Moyes problems all begin once we start popping up in sixth place, he finds it very difficult so make good players into great players, as West Ham know to their cost. Still, that's a problem for tomorrow.

Si, I am a little biased against Roberto having lived through those last two years. 'you're probably right though, we did have some good stuff played under him. I hold to my point though he's not a patch on the chap we have now. The net spend thing is key. if he buys a player, and then later sells him for a bomb, well well done Dave, that's him succeeding in his job. And he is then fully entitled to plough those funds back into the team, and then to say, 'look at the great team I built with no net spend'. I've heard Kenwright and Moyes described as a double act, but they weren't. Kenwright loved Moyes cos he allowed him to stick around for fifteen years without putting a bean into the club, but that' s not on Moyes. Moyes was a skilled employee excelling at the job he was employed to do, hence the long and expensive contracts. I think some fans half think 'he should have confronted Kenwright, and said 'look, you're not giving me any money for transfers, if you can't do that you need to leave, you're ripping off the fans'. that was never ever going to happen.

I do get why a lot of fans have a strong reaction against him. After the first couple of years, he didnt' really speak to us, he spoke to the wider football world and the journalists. it was like the penny dropped that he realised that as long as we were in the top half, he didn't really need to keep us on side. He knew his job was safe. And he also had the national picture to consider, to big himself up at the expense of the club ultimately. I understand why this pissed off an awful lot of people. cos it was naughty. But I forgive him for that. He was very ambitious and he had to get the script out there that he was an elite manager in waiting, the reason he wasn't top four was cos his hands were tied etc. cos he was stuck at a small club. I can get past all that when I think back to the 14 -20 top players he signed, We've not had one of that calibre in a decade. And he is ultimately an honourable person. `he had a four year contract with Sunderland, worth millions. When they got relegated, he walked away from it, knowing the club was skint `(unlike the players!). who does that?

In those days there was the top 4 who pocketed all the Champions League cash - which was hugely more than the Premier League TV deal, then about 10 mid table teams who were actually competing with and usually did well against. Then there were 6 cannon fodder teams. Nowadays we have become one of the cannon fodder teams.

But my question about how many teams were ever presents still stands. There were pretty high spending teams like Newcastle, Villa, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough who I think got relegated during that time and so had to trim their budgets for that reason but probably outspent us for at least part of that time.

I then listened to wiser Evertonians than myself (not difficult I know) who I'd told about my decision and agreed that we don't support a single person, we support our club.

As a result of their wise words I've had a rethink and renewed.

I can totally understand Dave A's position and I'd never have a go at someone of his standing over a decision he's made as I can totally understand it.

With that in mind I can only hope that Moyes is successful in keeping us up this season.

I don't see it as a definite or foregone conclusion and I don't think he increases our chances by a huge amount, certainly without some new signings in this window.

I won't boo him or denigrate him but I won't be cheering him either.

Basically it means that people are so busy getting comfort from religion that they don’t rise up against their lot in life, it’s part of a Karl Marx quote.

Before anyone says anything I don’t do politics either.

I just do Everton

Moyes has come here due to the £5m waved under his nose.

As usual we can't do anything other than support the team to try and be the 12th man whoever the manager is.

I suspect DM2 won't last nearly as long as DM1.

Over Moyes' 11 full seasons in charge we had an average actual league position of 8th.

We had an average annual expenditure of -£18.44m, which is an average of 13th highest in the league.

We had an average net spend of -£3.45m, which is an average of 12 highest in the league.

As stated elsewhere on this thread, our net spend over that period was 16th, out the 36 teams that played in the premier league over that period, and our expenditure over that period was 11th highest.

I'm off to go and be fun at a party now!

Whether you love him, loathe him or are ambivalent about him, Moyes certainly over-achieved during his first stint (if you want to go by the cut of stats that I've used).

He's on high wages but Chelsea want rid and they will have to pay all his wages if he doesn't move.

There's no point people wining and moaning about Moyes now mate, it's done he's here.

Forget DM1 as you put it.

I'm only interested in what's happening now and in future. No its not going to last 10 years but he's here for this vitally important last half of the season at least.

Firstly Ancelottii wasn't sacked therefore you are not comparing like for like. Compare his first 12 months to Martinez 12 months if you want a direct comparison.
Normally a managers win rate is reflective of their last few months when things become untenable. Martinez was sacked because since Christmas time in his final year Everton went from 7th into free fall. Our league form was abysmal and he paid the price. With Everton managers there is a blanket of 10 per cent from top to bottom. Had Martinez jumped ship to Barcelona after his first season when there were tentative links does that make him Everton's most successful manager head of Kendall, Catterick and Royle by your facts? Thats just ridiculous.If Ancelottii had continued his form from the last few months into the following season when he appeared devoid of ideas then your stats would look totally different.

Moreover unlike Martinez and Koeman Ancelottii wasn't a victim of his own success (in terms of realistic objective). Take Martinez in his first season he got us to 5th with a squad not capable for competing in Europe. At the time the average team in Europa league finished 9 points worse off In the league and those were mostly teams like Spurs and Arsenal whose squads were built for competing on both fronts. Koeman really struggled the season he had to contend with both and lost his job. Both were a victim of their relative success. Ancelottii never had any metric of success so he didn't have to battle on numerous fronts. He didn't even get to a cup semi final and this is where I thought where his expertise and pedigree would really benefit us.

A further problem with using managers win rates is it doesn't account for the financial resources available to them. In reality by this metric only Ancelottii, Silva, Allardyce and Koeman are directly comparable. Moyes and Martinez had stable spending so can be grouped while Benitez, Lampard and Dyche were similarly operating with a net deficiency while some of our best assets were sold. Therefore to have a direct comparison between Ancelottii and Dyche is impossible.

Another problem with using win rate is because some managers like Koeman, Silva and Ancelottii were given the tools to win now. Their job spec was singular, they were backed for the instant goal of qualifying for Europe Of Ancelottti's net spend of 62 million the players signed will generate a loss of about £50 million because his signings were ready made for short term gain of which he failed. Moyes and Martinez hadn't the ego of their predecessors so they had the dual job of trying to marry the win now demands plus the future of the club therefore many of their signings were aimed at benefitting Everton long term. Young players at the club were also given chances to shine unlike when Moshiris millions came about as players like Lookman became dissatisfied under Silva. Gordon would no doubt have been fast tracked by Martinez whereas sent on loan by Ancelottii.

The final problem with looking solely at Ancelottis win rate as a barometer of success is that Ancelottii operated in a unique season and this links in to your point of finishing close to Europe and 8 points off Champions League place. The European teams had such a congested schedule (one season running into the next) over the COVID period that all were uncharacteristically vulnerable and never did they lose so many matches before Christmas. For example City and Utd finished 1st and 2nd yet both were outside the top 7 by the end of November.This is unfathomable.In addition they may have been hampered because the likes of the Etihad, Old Trafford and Anfield didn't get decisions they normally would with empty stadia.

Moreover in a regular season you have the top teams, a middle tier and a pack fighting relegation. That season you had a top 11 and a bottom 9. That's why Everton's collapse was so disastrous as there was never a better opportunity for a team to break into Europe with the top 6 under performing. Moyes West Ham capitalized, Ancelottii's Everton failed. That's why 2 championship squads were able to sandwich between Carlo's Everton as never was there a better opportunity to win games of football in one season especially against the elite.

This is why Evertons 10th place finish and the perfomance of Ancelotti is better evaluated against Bielsa's and Dean Smith's championship squads and David Moyes West Ham as they operated with the very same conditions, all doing a significantly better job with their respective resources.

Finally Steve if you look at Ancelottis tenure closely he inherited a top 8 squad from Silva who struggled to cope with Zoumas loss and Sigurdson downing tools. He was given the money to strengthen the 2 key weak areas of which he also failed especially with the signing of Allan.

You suggest Ancelottii was consistent at Everton and that's why he was a success I beg to differ. Carlo benefitted from 2 major impacts that weren't sustainable; the managerial bounce and huge investment. Carlo came in mid season after Silva and started on fire, then our form began tailing off In the last few months (9 points from 9 games). He then bought 4 new additions with Rodriguez especially giving the club a huge boost and once again we began on fire.From Christmas onwards however our form really suffered and we began to plummet.. When left to manage the resources he wasn't very good and unless Moshiri had have dug deep again for more superstars the slide seemed set to continue and I don't blame him for jumping ship as he started looking out of his depth. Had Ancelottii continued at Everton without a cheque book the rot which had set in would no doubt have continued as he looked every bit as caught in the headlights as his predecessor Silva.

But some of the comments on here are bordering on the insane. This is OUR club, and it’s bigger and more important than any one individual, and he is by no means the worst of them to come through the doors in my 58 years as an Everton season ticket holder. Yet from what I’m reading on here, one would think he’s Son of Satan. There’s even suggestions of some of us disassociating themselves with the club by refusing to renew their season tickets, as a consequence of his appointment, and some others staying outside until kick off on Wednesday to show their disapproval?

But my question is this, what if we all indulged our self righteous indignation in this way? Do you think it would help us maintain our premier league status going into our magnificent new stadium, I think not? In my view, what we need now is a positive contribution from us all, to repeat that level of support of recent seasons by fully getting behind OUR Everton Football Club, (not one man whoever that may be) and make Goodison Park the bear-pit it can be when we’re all together, and that went in no small measure to securing our elite status in recent seasons. So COYB

Mark Crossley telling the story about Justin Fashinu getting dropped by Brian Clough and going in to speak to him.

"Why am I not playing, gaffer?"

"Because you can't get hold of the ball, you can't pass the ball, and you can't score me a fucking goal. Plus I think you're shit and Norwich have been on the phone for you, and I think you should go."

Fashinu asked for a couple of days to think about it and, when he went back in to see Clough, he said "I've spoken to God, and he thinks I should stay and fight for my place."

Clough replied "There's only one god in Nottingham, sonm and he thinks you should go to fucken Norwich because you have got no chance here!"

No curries for me, Nige, I already suffer with verbal diarrhoea mate, fuck that running to the khazi like a cokehead every 15 minutes!

I would love Chilwell here but a combination of us already at the max allowed for loans and us not being able to get anywhere near his wages will skupper that deal.

Damsgard is playing regularly for Brentford and whilst I don't think he is that good I can't see us being able to afford him either.

Your right it's what happens between now and the end of the season that counts.

I hope I am wrong but I think Moyes will get a shock when he learns at how bad the squad is. He needs to find goals from somewhere and I don't think we have any in the current squad.

If there's a player you like who is performing well for a Premier League side – he will not be joining us in January.

The only exception will be the likes of Lamptey and Walker-Peters who are out of contract and might be released for a low fee. I doubt it but its possible.

Any recruits in January will be:

- surplus to requirements / out of favour / unable to break into their current side (eg Ferguson)

- at clubs like Lyon who are desperate to sell anyone just to stay afloat (eg Nuamah)

- decent but unspectacular players within budget (eg Fellows)

- speculative signings from overseas - such as Brazilians Igor Jesus and Yuri Alberto who are being hawked about across Europe

- injury prone, has beens etc who the club might take a punt on if the price is low enough (eg Chilwell or Ziyech or even Richarlison)

Haven't we just took back onyango back because he's injured for the rest of the season?
If he's not going to play this season, shouldn't we just pay whatever Is needed to send him back to free up the loan space ? Even if its long term and going to miss a huge chunk of the season, we need to bring In Goal threat, pace and a LB.
It's bad luck for the lad, but needs must in our position.

I'd definitely think players will look more favorably at playing under Moyes than Dyche, so the net is possibly wider now and hopefully we are a bit more attractive without Dyche.

Why should we pay Brojas wages? Well if the contract we signed says that's what happens, then that's what happens...

There will be some - someone in particular -who will bleat that Thelwell negotiated a great deal; no salary until he played. Well:

(1) that's not exactly lot of $$$$ (sorry got no pound sign on this Yank laptop) in the grand design of things.

(2) Thelwell cost us a valuable loan slot that we could have used for someone else who could have played

(3) Thelwell's ace wheeling and dealing is the reason why we now find ourselves in the difficult situation of, I imagine, scrambling to see if we can get rid of him to open up a frozen loan slot for someone who will be with us for just half-a-season who might be on higher wages than Broja (nice "work" if you can get it).

(4) Thelwell is, I assume, in charge of sorting hs own crap out.

Nice one Thelwell, and I haven't mentioned ineffectual Lindstrom who looks like a feather would kick the shit out of him.

Sorry, I know that I've said this before, but Thelwell needs to go as part of a root-and-branch purge of the ancien regime.

Let's face it, if you were a winger, would you have wanted to be tracking back all game playing as an auxillary full-back under Dyche?

"Don. Great posts @526 and @526."

I think that maybe why people have started to refer to you as ‘ancient’.

He will keep us up, and move us on.

If he does, I hope he is then paid off into retirement immediately the season is finished.

Then maybe we can bring in a more progressive, attack minded, manager