David Moyes Successfully Protects Another Defeat: The Everton Banality Lays Heavy

A great deal has changed for some football clubs over the last 20 years.

In 2007, Brentford finished bottom of the Third Division while Brighton and Bournemouth were 18th and 19th respectively. Today, the trio are the darlings of the Premier League, lauded constantly for running smartly and executing efficient player recruitment to compete at the top level. They are fearless and take on every team in the same way, unfazed by the opposition’s stature or strengths.

Then there’s Everton, however. Two decades ago, they were a capable side under David Moyes but had no interest in going on the attack when it came to facing the top sides away from home. They were scared to. Hesitant, meek; subservient even. Today, that remains exactly the case.

On Saturday against Arsenal, the current Premier League champions and one of the biggest clubs in the land, the manager opted to start the runners, those perceived to be robust enough to keep the game tight, ahead of anyone who dares try to make something happen. No way could we compete, apparently.

The ball players like Hayden Hackney and Tyler Dibling were left on the bench for an age as Everton looked to protect a defeat for more than an hour. They went behind after only seven minutes despite their cautious set-up taking hold from the first second.

It’s a game I’ve watched a hundred times before and why Everton, in this, a supposed new era, has never felt so samey, so tired and so, so uninspiring.

Would the managers of Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford been so obsequious? Doubtful.

But am I calling for Moyes’ head? Not at all. There’s no point. It’s the latest placeholder season in which circumstance simply feeds into the narrative that the Scot is the man for the job. The owners are looking to get off, another recruitment window didn’t go as it should, it’s a small, dysfunctional squad and so Moyes is there at the helm once again with the observing outside masses insisting, ‘What more can he do?’.

Using his squad and mixing things up would be a start. The names he seemingly sticks with… I’ve seen so many variations of Brennan Johnson at Everton over the last 25 years and they are the antithesis of the players the club should be signing. He’s earned a move, stalled, ended up here and I can already tell you exactly how Johnson’s career will go at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The forward is going to have very little impact in more than half the games. He’s going to get a few assists and a couple of goals. One will be a memorable winner against United or Chelsea at home. He’ll leave in January 2029 to a Fulham or a Forest or a West Brom. His Everton record will read 65 appearances and seven goals.

So middling, he’s the type of player who keeps the engine running while the car doesn’t actually go anywhere. We absolutely love signing these lads while anyone with potential is seemingly dismissed for not being the finished product and deemed not safe and solid enough. It’s why Adam Aznou is out on loan while Everton have only one recognised left-back.

It is your Tyler Diblings and Hayden Hackneys who have a huge ceiling to grow that can have a genuine impact given a sustained run. But under Moyes’ stewardship, it’s these players who must prove themselves via a seat on the bench for weeks and months on end.

The Blues boss has at least started playing Tyrique George again but there just seems to be too much emphasis on a safety-first approach. It’s not defensive as such but the handbrake is firmly on. It’s tedious to follow and conjures a real feeling of monotony.

Everton trailed by a single goal for a long while at Arsenal on Saturday. They went two behind on 68 minutes. On 72, Dibling was introduced. On 74, Hackney came on. Too little, too late, but so predictable.

Now, to Moyes’ credit, he has more about him than the managers labelled long-ball merchants like Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis. But if they are one-dimensional, Moyes is 2D yet managing in a football world now played in 4D. So many clubs in 2026 are investing in young, unproven talent and throwing players in at the deep end. They are allowed to flourish while making their mistakes in order for them, and the team, to grow. Not at Everton though.

I’m tired of the noise around the club constantly pointing to how difficult everything is, how we are trying and hoping while other teams with nowhere near our standing are simply giving it a right good go and reaping the rewards. Other sides in the division play with a braveness and boldness that provides the opportunity to beat AC Milan in Europe as Bournemouth did just a few days ago. We, however, shun such valiance.

Supporting Everton under Moyes is like when your Indian gets delivered but they’ve forgotten the Naan bread. A Chinese without the prawn crackers or a Big Mac without sauce. Sure, it’s a meal and you’ll eat, but you can’t help but feel deflated when you open the bag and know you’re missing out on the full experience.

Now nobody is saying you should head to Arsenal, the Premier League champions no less, and beat them 3-0 having played them off the park. But come on, have a go by being dynamic and playing with a bit of creativity. Be proactive from minute one. Sure, the game may still end in defeat but you can take pride in attempting to play and at least get the away fans on the edge of their seats now and again.

‘What do you expect?’ will be the question posed by some following this afternoon’s defeat. A great deal more than what’s on show right now. A proactive plan. A desire to go for it. A positive, morale-boosting outlook.

You can count our wins at Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and United on one hand over the last 30 years but it’s telling that Moyes was in charge for only one of those, beating a poor Red Devils side last season. Carlo Ancelotti claimed more victories away at these sides in just 18 months.

We have 5 Premier League away wins at Arsenal (1), Chelsea (0), Liverpool (2) and Manchester United (2) combined in the past 30 seasons. That’s 5 wins in 120 games.

— Jimmy Driver (@jnd_90) October 24, 2026

It’s all too rigid, in the play, and the approach, and the manager time again at these places gets exactly what he sets up for.

This juncture, with genuine talent in the squad, should be the perfect time to put belief into your players and let them grow together. Lay foundations. If we aren’t going to win trophies, why not have some fun in trying to stick the ball in the back of the net? There is no long-term thinking however and right now, the club is pointless. Sure, they very likely won’t go down but they won’t achieve anything noteworthy either.

Until Everton are sold to serious people, this is our lot and we will bob along, almost stationary, as those around us speed off in the pursuit of progress. Moyes being in charge is a symptom of the difficulties at the club but, make no mistake, his team selections are a cause for elements of the disillusionment and dropping of points too.

The predictability of Everton under this manager is that I started writing this piece at half-time and didn’t have to make a single edit thereafter. The blue banality lays heavy.