The “new” Moyes cuts an altogether more optimistic figure
David Moyes’s most infamous quote from this first spell at Everton — that concerning knives and gunfights — may have been grounded in what the manager perceived to be the harsh reality at the time but, for ambitious Evertonians, it always felt a little defeatist.
With 12 years and four different managerial assignments behind him since he left Goodison Park for Old Trafford, the soon-to-be 62-year-old is a different man. More relaxed and comfortable in his own skin – sanguine even – Moyes could not look more happy to be back with the Blues and he is exuding the kind of cautious optimism that the beaten-down squad of players he inherited badly needed.
His latest comments on the eve of another clash with Manchester City, the gun-toters to whom he alluded with that quip in September 2011, reveal a more upbeat Moyes and they are at sharp odds with the rhetoric of his predecessor during the final weeks of Sean Dyche’s failing tenure.
As criticism of Everton’s form and awful run of just three wins in 19 Premier League games intensified, Dyche was insistent that he could not work miracles with the group of players at his disposal. In not so many words, the gravel-voiced East Midlander intimated that there was nothing more he could coax out of a limited squad, even though almost the same group of players would have finished in 12th place last season without the eight-point penalty handed down by the Premier League.
According to Moyes, the Blues’ recent run of results — they’ve lost just once in 12 league games and that on the home ground of the champions-elect, held the likely runners-up to a draw, and beaten third-placed Nottingham Forest — is giving the players belief that they are far better than either they or Dyche dared believe.
“A lot of them are beginning to say: ‘We can play at this level,’” the manager told the print media at Finch Farm on Thursday. “That’s why I said a few weeks ago that it will be interesting to see how they deal with this challenge and how they are going to perform against the top teams.
“Ultimately you have to try and give [those] games. We might be able to beat some of the other teams in the league but we have to see if we can challenge the top teams and I think some of them are standing up and doing really well.
“The players have shown a brilliant attitude to it,” he continued. “None of them have knocked off. And nor should they. They’ve been down in the doldrums for the first six months of the season and now they are getting a taste of enjoying the feeling of winning. They are like: ‘I’m getting applauded by supporters, people are shouting my name because I’m chasing and I’m doing all the jobs.’
“That’s a much better feeling to a player than the other side of it. Hopefully they are realising it makes a big difference. It’s making a big difference to me in the decisions we’re going to make about them in the coming weeks and months.”
Those decisions will chiefly concern which of the out-of-contract players to retain and which to let go this summer as well as which sellable assets might also be surplus to requirements.
Everton have 13 players whose loans or existing deals expire at the end of the season while only a dozen among the current first-team squad will be under contract, potentially making for a very busy close season at Finch Farm either side of the trip to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series.
Reader Responses
Selected thoughts from readers19/04/2025 08:53:05
Keep up the good work DM. His return is a breath of fresh air- he has installed realistic fresh optimism in the squad, allowing many players to thrive, without passing a single bad word about his predecessor.
19/04/2025 09:55:56
Great report Lyndon.
I feel that, the Difference between the Two Managers, is like night and Day.
moyes is a by far better Tactician!
Take Dyche’s run of Games, to overcome the points deduction.
For me, and this is solely my opinion, The players « Fight or Flight » mode kicked in… nothing to do with Dyche’s Tactics !
We didn’t accrue this haul of points, by playing Dull, Dour Anti-Football.
When our run ended, we reverted to Type.
Dyche’s in game Management was atrocious.
He had players playing out of position.
His appalling misuse and miss-timing of Subs.
His pig ignorant, Stubborn omission of O’Brien.
His refusal to to Start Beto, whom, after having replaced DCL, in the previous game ( on several occasions !) finished the game, in less than 20% of playing time, with a far better Shift than DCL put in, in 75/80% of playing time.
This for me was Criminal, as, the narrative for continuing with Young, was, that if you played well, you kept your place.. at least, that’s how it was in his playing Days!, he told us.
So why didn’t this philosophy apply to Beto, vis a vis DCL?
His admission that the players ignored his tactics, after a great performance,( can’t remember which match.), yet he mopped up the accolades.
We were constantly reminded by him, of how many years of Premier League experience he had, but failed to mention, how low of a Calibre he was.
Back to Moyes.
When we lost against the RS, we came out for the next game all fired up and actually proved how unlucky we were against them.
We are more buoyant and look a very redoubtable unit to play against.
I feel now, under Moyes that after a defeat we won’t fall back into an Abyss.
Long may it continue.
20/04/2025 12:25:03
Moyes has done superb in his 2nd spell so far and he's earnt a 6 - 7 game honeymoon period. What will be interesting is how different Moyes 2.0 is and maybe that will be truly revealed next season.
The hope is that he can over perform with the group of players at his disposal and kick on from there. Let's see
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19/04/2025 01:40:20
Good work Lyndon! The Moyes image needs reconsideration and those quotes about taking it to the top clubs is the kind of swagger that will make cynics like me believe in him. This shows me he fully understands many fans' perception of Moyes' first spell.
Even if we don't get there in the beginning, just showing the will to play aggressive will get the crowd fully behind the team. From there, who knows what could happen, for there is some contagious confidence being unleashed by the old grey one.
UTNFM! (Up the new fucking Moyes)