EFC: Missing Europe, correcting David Moyes and the “plucky little Everton” culture
FAN VIEW
It is time for Nil Satis Nisi Optimum to mean something.
Lacklustre performance
Last season, and the last two months and nine games, was some of the most frustrating football I have seen. Particularly where Everton were in the league and after the last season at Goodison Park, 12 months before. From my seat in the East Stand we witnessed EFC giving away late goals time after time after time. Make no mistake, David Moyes is the manager and bears that responsibility, even if he farcically claimed he did not know why fans were “frustrated”. It was also extremely frustrating to see – with European Football still on the table, CEO Angus Kinnear claim in the EFC programme notes that EFC were “happily dissatisfied”.
Sunderland AFC — and this is no criticism of them at all — saw their opportunity. They took it with both hands. They defeated Everton and Chelsea, leapfrogging EFC to get 8th position and Europa League qualification. Whereas Everton fell to another unacceptable performance on the last day of the season and 13th position. This made a difference of £20m in lost prize monies and, estimated by The Esk, a minimum of £21 million in lost European revenues. I know many in the fanbase are not “happily dissatisfied” with it. A nonsense paradoxical phrase that was poorly timed and utilised.
What do we intend to do about it?
For me, there are continuing signs that Everton have cultural issues of a poor mentality and excuse-making. Blue Union members previously used the phrase “plucky little Everton” (BBC News: 10 September 2011) to describe such a mentality that had developed at the club. Time has proven them correct. The Blue Union were right. Those that doubted them (which included myself) were wrong. That mindset has pervaded the club for many years, and we need to put a stop to it. We also need to issue “a correction” to David Moyes and the players and everyone at the club, for failing to achieve Europe.
During this past season, Moyes persistently talked Everton down in press conferences. Also, with an air that implied that Everton are weak or struggling. This is mirrored in comments within the fanbase — such as “look where we’ve been the past 3 years” as reasons that European football was unrealistic. Well, this is a newsflash for people: Sunderland AFC went from Championship football to Europa League in ONE season. They were not continually making excuses or playing themselves down. Yet expectation of Europe being the target was played down at Everton. SAFC were aggressively pursuing upwards in the league. They smelled blood and went for it. Sunderland have posted countless times since the season end of their delight of getting Europe. Good on them.
However, as an Evertonian I have done nothing but rage since the season ended at our failure. For me, it is clear the constant talking down of Everton by people like David Moyes needs to stop, even if it is done by implication. A fundamental principle in psychology is: we are what we say we are. There is no excuse for not getting Europe. Everton’s mentality should have been squarely: we are in this fight and we will do whatever we need to do to get Europe. That needed to come from the manager and senior leadership and ownership. Every single day without fail. This did not happen. I can therefore say, for me, I will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to Moyes implying EFC are still in a weakened state or should not be aggressively pursuing opponents. Other clubs are doing it so why are Everton not?
At the end of last season at Goodison Park, Moyes said:
“… the people at the club make it, you always have done. You have the chance to make it at the next stadium; we need every one of you there same as today. First game of the season next year need you all at right away to help us”
Well David, I was at every single home game and did not leave the ground early, which is due to the awful transport issues that are still not satisfactory. I am very much in a position to comment since I did what you asked, along with the rest of the fanbase.
I was furious with Moyes when he subsequently went on the BBC Sport Wayne Rooney Podcast where we were subject to Moyes and Rooney grinning at the camera whilst they went on yet again about something from 22 years ago in 2004. It has literally been done to death. It was a very poor look for Moyes and everyone at the club. It was two decades ago, on the back of Everton's non-qualification for Europe. It is also not in keeping with Everton Football Club brand projection. The Esk wrote about a desire to double Everton’s brand value by 2031. How can we achieve increases in brand value if we demean our brand? Just not acceptable and must stop.
The same applies to all persons at Everton Football Club, from the bottom up to the very top. It also applies to media members surrounding the club. Including at The ECHO and at others. There always seems to be an excuse for not delivering. The “plucky little Everton” moniker is in stark contrast to the fact EFC are now in a new, bigger, state of the art stadium. Fans ticket prices have gone up yet again, so revenues are up, so the mindset needs to adjust. That needs to come from senior leadership both off the pitch and on-the-field. Stop making excuses. We moved from Goodison Park (ca. 39,414 capacity) to Hill Dickinson Stadium (ca. 52,769) and we have yet to see the mentality change occur.
Embracing the club motto
Everton is not a “plucky” or “little” club and never has been. As every Evertonian knows, the club motto translated from the Latin is “nothing but the best is good enough”. It needs to be embraced by everyone at the club. We do not want to be seeing excuses. If you fail, admit it and speak directly and tell us how you are going to address that failure. Sir John Moores did it in his famous interview:
"Everton is a very good club with a very good crowd, but they expect success and if they don't get success something should be done about it – and something will be done about it."
Sir John Moores
The pinnacle of good leadership is illustrated right there. Sir John Moores certainly made some mistakes in his time, but he delivered two league titles and an FA Cup and forays into Europe. At a time where Everton had some of the largest attendance figures in its history. We have had no trophies in a generation and have not been in Europe for 7 years. Sir John Moores demonstrated the leadership every Evertonian expects at the club. We expect leadership to speak directly. When failure occurs, admit it and tell us how it will be rectified.
The Esk wrote about “the projected financial cost of missing Europe” on 18 May 2026:
“The strategic implication is that the Friedkin transfer market plans for the 2026 summer window, which were widely expected to involve significant investment, must now be recalibrated downwards by something approaching the value of the European miss.”
Why has the club not commented on how it is mitigating such a miss to our transfer plans? Why is the club not resolutely and publicly stating that this coming season that Europe is absolutely the minimum objective for Everton Football Club?
Conclusion
It is a time for bold objective setting. Aggression. Demonstrating that: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum means something. It may not to some people at the club but I can tell you now, it does to me and the vast majority of Evertonians. The days of the former regime and that weakness and excuses are over. There should not be a tolerance or perpetuation of it. The Everton fanbase is not stupid and saw through faux claims from the last regime. We need to see rapid, genuine progress this summer with clear and decisive leadership. Like a drumbeat coming out of Bramley-Moore Dock and Finch Farm every single day.
If Angus Kinnear were smart, he would step well away from the “happily dissatisfied” miscommunication. It is fine to tell fans we are “dissatisfied”. Reflecting what our true objectives should be as Everton Football Club.
We need to see in everything that the club does: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum is firmly being progressed. Today was the time for harsh truths and pointed criticism. Next we need to see a reaction and the club aggressively showing that, indeed, nothing but the best is good enough.
Supplemental
Everton Football Club has Nine (9) League Titles, Five (5) FA Cups and One (1) Cup Winners Cup
Why is this fact not on clear display at Hill Dickinson Stadium?
There is one tremendous banner displaying this fact associated with the club motto. The club should be displaying this fact, proudly.
Reader Responses
Selected thoughts from readers20/06/2026 20:16:13
Look at what Palace achieved over a twelve month period. Going into next season, they are again in Europe.
Smaller budgets than us, smaller stadium, smaller reputation, no great narrative around the club or any great sense of favouritism towards them from the greater footballing world.
Yet, a proper mindset, proper recruitment,proper manager. Three trophies in twelve months and European football again next season.
Several clubs saw the fruits of their consistent and sensible labour over recent years with the increased number of European places on offer last season. Everton did what we always do in recent decades, made a mess of things.
20/06/2026 20:58:38
I speak alot about the narrative surrounding the club. When you see, hear and read Moyes' comments iver the year, we have definitely feed into it rather than try to challenge or.change it. Palace in twelve short months have changed their narrative.
I came across as vert sharp in my posts on the article the about the Burnley case. But I do think we have been the authors of our own downfall in so many ways. Accepting mediocrity has been a big part of that.
20/06/2026 23:00:05
Moyes’ modus operandi has never changed. In a 28 year managerial career, he has always punched downwards. He managed for many to get away with it by and large in his first spell with us, the “plucky Everton on a shoestring punching above their weight” image, yet when it came to the crunch, big away games, Anfield derbies, cup semi finals, he always bottled it. That’s what he is. A loser.
Man Utd exposed that to the wider football world on a humiliating scale when he jumped ship. He took over a club that had won 4 titles in Ferguson’s last 7 years in charge, 11 points clear the previous season, and what did Moyes do? Talked about United every week like they were mid table fodder. Saying Man City were a team to aspire to be, constantly dampening down expectations. He got absolutely humiliated worldwide and ruthlessly binned off within months.
Sunderland. After ONE game he said the season was going to be a struggle. They went on to be relegated at a distance, having packed the squad with his 34+ year old Everton mates.
West Ham. Morale at an all time high, won the Conference League. Time to push on from there right? No. Expectations rose, and he could not handle it. The football was horrific, and the West Ham fans could not wait to get him out. Now admittedly, it looks pretty silly now, but they weren’t to know that Lopetegui and Potter were going to follow him and implement possession football with a slow, technically deficient squad.
Now, to us. In pre season last summer, Moyes said to a crowd of American fan groups and vloggers that “Europe should be the aim and I see no reason why we can’t achieve it.” That was in pre season. He was the one who first floated the expectation of Europe. Every time we had a big away win, Utd, Villa, Newcastle, or beat Chelsea 3-0, Europe was what came out of his mouth. And then suddenly, his arse fell out. He absolutely bottled the derby. Lose deservedly to West Ham. Shipping goals left right and centre, Keane and Tarkowski hapless, O’Brien out of his depth. Not a single change. 15 goals conceded in 6 games, and not a single change to that back 4. Suddenly Moyes pivots back to “well we’re not ready. We’ve made progress” etc. Why? Because he had crumbled yet again under the expectations that he himself had created.
Always the loser. Always the underdog. Always the plucky little guy constantly working with a handicap against him. It’s negative, small time bollocks and people are beginning in large numbers to see right through him. The fans saw Sunderland go from League 1 to the Europa League in 3 years. 16 players signed last season. A manager in Le Bris that was managing in the Prem for the first time, finishing above us. Brentford, with a rookie, finishing above us. Bournemouth, improving having lost 6 of their best players that summer and Semenyo, playing direct, fast, exciting football.
Moyes has already yesterday started dumbing down expectations. That’s what this season will be. He will promise the barest minimum and elevate himself to messianic status if we finish anywhere above 12th. He’s a disgrace to the club and needs to go.
20/06/2026 23:18:58
There has only ever been one constant in my life. I was 4 when I went to Goodison for the first time, I was a mad Evertonian even before that. I have witnessed the good, bad and ugly. The anger that first took me to Toffeeweb twenty odd years ago, crooks, chancers, incompetants, fuckwits and losers. I have seen greats, seen good men ridiculed, poor men praised.
Yet never would I believe, expect or condone a CEO of our club admitting he was " Happily dissatisfied " patronizing prat.
Mark, every word in your rant is justified and Darren, John Moores would sack the whole bloody lot. New owners who care not a jot about who we are, where we come from or what we expect. When their waffle stops there is only money as their incentive. I look forward to the day when a copy of the profit and loss sheet will have pride and place proudly exhibited in an empty trophy room.
To our happily dissatisfied CEO, I would say this. Your not wanted at this club because it's just another job to you. Its a pay packet, it wont last mate. You have the arrogance to tell us you are happy with the way things are? Sod off.
You know, what hurts more than anything, more than Kenwright, Moshiri, Moyes, the multitude of managers with poor ideas and bad players? It's not even the pain, anguish and humiliation of a corrupt Premier League, it's when I see polls of fans happy with the status quo, condemning other for holding the club to standards to a motto we once believed in. Rationalizing expectations, believing their own excuses for failure.
I know exactly what Tony Abraham feels when he buys a season ticket he can't bring himself to use, a love of a club were a silent owner and it's incumbent CEO are "happily dissatisfied" because I'm not, you should not be either. Because I am "Unhappily Dissatisfied"
The first season promised so much, new stadium, new owners, new beginning. But we carried over the culture Jerome talks of, a manager who had done his job, would have been thanked for doing so, but they kept him in place and that was a significant mistake of monumental proportions. We have just been hit by a PL again for loss of chance. We'll, we experience that every game with David Moyes. We don't need status quo, stability or a rudderless exec.
One day, one day, the city will raise the roof in praise of a trophy, like we had long forgotten it could do. Fuck stability.
21/06/2026 06:08:51
What you have outlined is something I have been aware of since the second Moyes era began: the gradual lowering of expectations around what Everton should achieve.
The initial optimism came because players seemed freed from Dycheball and the attack looked quicker, particularly with Lindstrøm in his natural position. But after his injury, Everton simply drifted to 13th. There was hope Moyes had learned from his experiences elsewhere, but this second spell has not even matched his first.
A collapse from fifth to thirteenth is now being presented as something Evertonians should be "happily dissatisfied" with. Yet supporters have every right to be concerned, especially with questions over recruitment, PSR constraints and the lack of opportunities given to younger players.
You're right that we should never accept attempts to lower expectations and condition the fanbase not to demand progress. My fear is that we are about to see the return of "Austerity Dave", from the USA and I already find that prospect deeply depressing.
Thank you for bringing this critical point to the attention of fans.
21/06/2026 06:51:51
"I don't know if a club like Everton can make big huge strides, but we have seen how the likes of Bournemouth and Brentford are doing so there is no reason we all shouldn't have those ambitions to try and at least match those clubs and how they go about it."
-David Moyes speaking to Jimmy White.
I would sack him for that statement.
21/06/2026 09:22:03
My reading of Moyes’s latest comments is that he is giving the fans two messages.
Firstly he is as ever dampening expectations so that he can look good if he slightly overachieves.
Secondly he is saying to the fan base that he cannot sign the likes of perhaps Harry Wilson, Nathan Ake, Jarod Bowen and other expensive EPL experienced players to immediately boost Everton’s position into the top half. 9th-10th say.
I think he is saying the Everton and by that he means TFG are taking a long term view and will only sign younger players who can improve over two to three seasons (by being played, well coached and or loaned out) and then either resign for us on longer contracts or be sold for profit. The 3Bs model.
Moyes doesn’t like this model as the onus is placed on him, his ageing coaching cronies and his tactical skills.
Glasner for me please.
21/06/2026 09:23:10
Jerome. I watched that too. If that is his sum total of aspirations for this club he needs sacking on the spot. That is not acceptable, he may think it, may even believe it, but he cannot say it. What player in their right mind would come to Everton with the hope that we can be as good as Brentford, Brighton or Bournemouth? What player currently coming through the ranks thinks that's the best they can be?
What does he consider a huge stride then? By finishing higher than those clubs? Thats it? A top half table finish is his objective?
His mindset might be pragmatic, but it shows everything we already knew about David Moyes. He overstepped the mark with those comments, Bill Kenwright and he were like a pair of gloves, Bill didn't care about who he upset in the fanbase, neither does Moyes. He has to go. To think TFG have handed the keys to the kingdom to build a team. At what point will he lose the dressing room?
Change will only happen when it hurts TFG pockets.
Appalling comment.
21/06/2026 09:58:43
Christine#9
Marks article is completely justified by those comments from Moyes.I am surprised he would be so bare faced to set attempt the agenda as Dan#8 has outlined in Mid June.
Moyes is trying to ensure he is going to the end of contract and get a extension to it.Itnis trying to do this not by progressing Everton , but by reducing Everton to suit his limited ability.
21/06/2026 10:28:39
Hello Jerome, I wrote this article over a week ago and prior to David Moyes latest comments. It had a delayed publication due to the PSR damages case news. I read your article "TFG Have Mistaken Stability for Progress. And the Finch Farm Culture Will Defeat Them Too" URL: https://evertonia.com/submissions/46069.html
Although you focused more on technical specifics, you too talked about "culture" and in the comments people talked about "mentality". I would say we are very aligned in terms of independently raising concerns about the mentality and cultural issues at or within/surrounding - the club.
This article was to highlight that if things were as they should be, there is no way we would have only won one game in 9 in the final two months of the season and be overtaken by Sunderland AFC. The misstatement by Angus Kinnear was another example of that. (Angus Kinnear, who I think has just genuinuely misread the fanbase with that phrase and who has been badly advised by the EFC Comms Team, who would have been in on the programme notes prior to publication). This was then compounded with Moyes going on the Wayne Rooney Show. That was a terrible appearance. Totally ill thought out and ill conceived - who cares at Everton and in the fanbase about that Rooney sale from 2004? The Rooney sale has been absolutely done to death. It was just patronising rubbish to Everton FC and it's fans. I'm at the point I will no longer be patronised. The EFC Comms Team deserve severe criticism for it. Because they facilitated it. It has been one misstep after another from them. It seems like they are trying to tell us what to think and play down expectations constantly, rather than reflecting the true Everton "brand". How can we generate brand value from that if they are an incoherent mess?
For me, this is about issuing a correction to the club and people in it - including David Moyes. No one is going to accept people just going through the motions. I feel like 2025/2026 season was another year of our lives wasted on top of two decades of the disgraceful Kewnright regime. People in the wider fanbase didn't realise what that regime was until latter years. Myself included. Whilst I was a massive critic of Blue Union at the time in 2010's. Partly because of a small number of people in it misrepresenting them via their online behaviour, which I will not go into. It gave me the wrong impression of a wider group of people. I recognise now I was completely and wilfully misled by the club of the Kenwright regime. It clear to me now there were a good % of very good people in Blue Union not like that small element. People like Dave Kelly - who we all know spends enormous time voluteering for EFC and people on Merseyside generally. He is a top guy and I see him every game virtually. People like him, who were 100% "on the level" and who were giving warnings about what was going on for the right reasons. Well they say converts are the greatest believers and why I am fully onboard and recognise what the main good people in Blue Union were saying then and I believe it now. Seeing what happened was why I protested with AllTogetherNow (and via the formerly "27 years campaign"). This was where I was stood by Merseyside Police on Goodison Road videoing the protests because of fear that the Kenwright regime would try and present it as violent when it was nothing of the sort.
The point of raising this, is we did not protest to see our club state "happily dissatisfied" or these other misstatements or project a club that isn't aligned with our high performance values - that the club motto espouses. We have moved from Goodison to a larger Bramley Moore Dock stadium and yet more advance excuses are forthcoming from David Moyes. Just not on.
I think David Moyes is totally misreading the Everton fanbase. He seems to think it is the 2000s/2010s and that we will all just sit "happy clapping" and the EFC Comms Team seem to think that is all their job entails. Despite our tickets going up massively and with the club and local media (esp. The ECHO such as Chris Beesley publishing relentless formulaic Moyes puff pieces. Yes Chris we recognise what you are doing) trying to convince us this is the best that we can achieve and we are lucky to have David Moyes and "stability" is great and all that is necessary. Sunderland AFC prove this is utter rubbish. Crystal Palace and Aston Villa do too.
It just is not good enough and why the fanbase must enforce cultural change to get them back to the "NSNO" philosophy of relentless striving for high performance. That is the "Everton" brand and one that we can get brand value growth from, in sponsorships and media coverage.
Angus Kinnear should have said to people and communicated directly: it was not good enough and we must improve and improvements will be made. Instead they (the EFC Comms Team) yet again try and be too clever for their own good. For me, I am giving Angus Kinnear permission to put a rocket under a number of people at Everton. But also reminding him and the Friedkins that this club has a fanbase and high performance culture that predates Kenwright and Moyes. One that the fanbase is eager to get back to. That is where they will get brand value growth. Not this wallowing in mediocrity and "plucky little Everton".
One thing I do know. I am not alone in my views and that there must be improvements at Everton to mentality and culture. I am not going to shut up until there is and we see the high performance level and ethos our club was founded upon.
21/06/2026 10:35:29
What are my thoughts, what does this statement tell us about David Moyes?
Is he having a go at the owners? Is he having a go at the recruitment team? Is he letting us down before the players have even started pre-season?
The owners worry me, they worry me because they are happy to bump along with David Moyes, and they worry me more because they have never tried to get involved at a club, who have a saying that has come from many ex-players, about ONCE EVERTON HAS TOUCHED THEM.
Moyes, has never truly got Everton, imo, and I don’t know if it’s because he got free reign under a disastrous charlatan, but whatever the reason, I genuinely don’t believe he understands Everton Football Club.
A new stadium with 50.000 Evertonians, and he puts us in the same bracket as three clubs who were all playing the lower leagues when he first left Everton, thirteen years ago. I just can’t wait for him to leave again.
21/06/2026 11:26:01
Im really not certain what it will take for TFG to act on the clubs management and direction.
It might take another relegation scrape to wake them up, sadly that is quite possible with the current squad and manager, and it is, importantly, totally avoidable.
If we are in the mire at Xmas the shit hits the fan then.
If we are midtable we will have to endure more utter bollocks from the manager.
If we want to be competitive, entertaining, attractive to watch and play for, if we want success as a sporting team and thriving business, then Moyes has to go, he will never deliver that.
Sooner the better.
21/06/2026 11:37:21
Sunderland’s newish owners have spent 5 year building to this point. They have built up a good squad of players capable of playing high tempo Champions League style football. They have pace and mobility on the flanks, at Centre back and good footballing players in midfield. They have done this - no surprise - by NOT buying ready made Premier League players. Sunderland are not messing about either. In the 5 years since Moshiri pulled the plug on our finances - Sunderland have invested €140(+) more than us in their playing squad. They will keep going too.
I see talk in the thread about how we should demonstrate ambition by signing the likes of Wilson, Bowen and Ake. Sunderland. The three Bs clubs, Palace etc etc would be delighted if we were to do that.
I think a lot of fans still believe you can have a good summer - buying a couple of steady pros, a glamorous name who just needs a new start, promoting someone from the u21s etc and with a decent manager it all comes together like it did in the 1980s. Unfortunately that is nothing like how it now works (if it ever did).
When Martinez transformed the club (briefly) he had some serious talent at his disposal including a striker who would probably cost about £75m in today’s market. He also saw the value in full backs as a key to attacking play.
The reality is that we have to a spend a lot of money and spend it well to keep up with some very well run smaller clubs.
I know it is unwitting, but when I see fans talk of the likes of Dibling as a big money signing - and last years €129m transfer spend as a lot of money - and insisting on playing players from the u21s - I think that is the very definition of accepting mediocrity and a small club persona. The game has moved on.
Moyes is only here for another season anyway.
21/06/2026 11:46:11
Moyes' recent remarks make you wonder if the owners have grilled him at all over how the season finished.
His remarks don't sound in the least bit contrite or shamefaced. They don't show any hint of I must do better as a manager, that next season must be better than last season, that there should and must be an improvement of performance all round.
Potentially losing out on £41m from failing to qualify for Europe, a failure in a season when it was harder not to qualify, should rattle any owner. Considering what figures they have sunk into the club, the owners should be livid.
There is no reason not to think that the nine English clubs in Europe won't be successful next season. Will that widen the gap even further, both financially and on the pitch if the owners stick with Moyes, or don't put pressure on him. That is a question I would be asking myself if I was the owners.
I think that Moyes knows he is on to a winner, at least for the next twelve months. The thing is, if Moyes, his coaching staff, and the playing squad keep the mentality they finished last season with, results next season may usher him out the door. A genuine threat of relegation, and I think there might be, is the only thing that may force the onwers' hand.
21/06/2026 12:21:47
The comment that told me everything I needed to know about how he truly regards us as a fanbase and the club is when he was asked after the Spurs game if he understood why the fans were frustrated with how the season ended and he dismissively said he didn’t “at all”. He should’ve been sacked that Monday morning afterwards.
21/06/2026 14:07:01
this is a story with a lot of different moving parts. Periods of grace are granted to projects trying to get off the ground, allowances are made, instant judgments are frowned upon.
But we are now 18 months into the Friedkin project and to paraphrase Jeff Goldblum, I"m feeling alarmed here.
We now know a lot more of their MO at Roma, and it aint good. Taking a club from fifth to the CL places once in six years along with five different managers aint great. they clearly don't understand football (to contrast painfully with the yanks over at Liverpool).
[deep breath]. They have also said, in eighteen months, not one fucking word to the fanbase. Not one visit. At this point, as people, we can say this lot are absolute arseholes. the one thing they have managed to do with expertise is refinance the club's debt. Well, thanks a million. Note, not getting rid of the debt, no no, restructuring it.
Kinnear is their spokesman. And he's levels below the requirement. Somebody who whilst a bit stupid himself, talks down to his audience.
We can say now after 12 months that the recruitment was a bit of a disaster. We had a ropey squad to begin with (one not invested in for five years) but despite over a hundred million spent, only one player managed to get in the team! Leaving us with two crap fullbacks and Tarks and Keane as first choice all season.
And then we come to the season itself. Fine as far as I was concerned until the last two months, when we went from CL candidates to relegation form. The good vibe is gone, Ndiaye is hawking himself around the World Cup, KDH is clearly unhappy, its' all urned to shit remarkably fast. And no explanation. at all. Are the fans entitled to feel frustrated? No, said the manager, caught en route to his podcast with Wayne Rooney to discuss his hilarious transfer to Man United. Oh, how we laughed.
From saying the right thing for over a year, Moyes in the last two months has done nothing but rile the fanbase. And now he's at the World Cup for a month, when we can all see the club is in dire straits. And from that vantage point he is still stinking the place out. I was trying to come up with reasons for him saying 'Everton can't make big strides', (maybe it's code to tell the fans we've got not much from the owners), but taking this with Moyes other behaviour it's starting to just look like a V sign.
21/06/2026 15:29:27
What an excellent article Mark. I’d actually penned something on similar lines, but without your depth and analysis.
Having just read David Moyes comments I spat my cornflakes out. I couldn’t believe it. ‘I don’t know if Everton can ……achieve the ambitions of the likes of Bournemouth and Brentford’. This is the ultimate insult in my book.
I had previously thought the most ridiculous and condemning comment was, ‘We had a good season until the last month.’ Someone on TW responded brilliantly to this statement with, ‘Apart from that, how was the play Mrs Lincoln?’
It’s no wonder highly promising ambitious youngsters are jumping ship. No wonder our most skilful player is touting for a move. No wonder it’s hard to attract quality players to our Everton. No wonder I have zero interest in next season.
Such lack of ambition is soul destroying and must filter through the whole of Finch Farm. Jeremy Shields is dead right regarding the culture there and it’s shifting to some of our supporters who meekly nod in agreement.
If this is who we have become, then It’s time we scrapped our NSNO motto, because it means nothing now. Let’s get something new. What’s Latin for, ‘Aspiring for the Mediocre’?
I absolutely hate this mindset for the club so many of us have known as being the best in English football. A team we ‘crowed’ and deliriously shouted to the rest of the country, ‘What’s our name?’.
I admire more Newcastles’s Chief Executive who’s five year plan is to see the Magpies being the top club in the world! Balmy? Yes, but at least it’s reaching out for something wondrous. I’d rather be laughed at for that than for the pitiful visionless entity we have become.
21/06/2026 16:06:53
The irony is back when we were a top 7,8 club we used to mock clubs like West Brom and Palace that literally would exist purely to be safe by April. “Imagine supporting a club that has nothing whatsoever to play for.” Well ladies and gents, we are now that club. As long as we don’t go down and as long as it appears that we’re “competing” that’s fine.
21/06/2026 16:13:39
I watched the World cup last nigh. One of the guests was Thomas Frank.
Now there'x a thought. I won' jusge the Dane' time at Tottenham as he walked into a ship wreck of a club. What he acheived at Brenford was more than impressive.
21/06/2026 16:56:23
I am 100% confident we could swap Moyes for Frank and our performance over the season would not be better. I’m not a fan of Moyes. But I’m being honest. Frank succeeded as being part of an extremely professional set up at a club which took years to build (based on a similar model adopted by the owners in Denmark). They also invested heavily in the playing squad. In the same way I do not believe Keith Andrews is a quality manager, I do not believe Thomas Frank is a quality manager. He was just a good fit for an incredibly well run club. We are not yet a well run club and we do not have a well assembled squad set up for Thomas Frank’s tactics.
And Thomas Frank had next to nothing to do with assembling that squad too. That is done by way of outstanding data analytics which find under valued players and also, critically, determined a development t path for those players (eg what they did with Mbeump).
By strange coincidence, I expect we’ll find it fairly easy to find decent managers when we too have outstanding data analytics etc, club ops and plenty of money to spend.
21/06/2026 17:24:45
Robert your views are always well thought out and objective.
Although we all want our club restored to its former glories and not living in the shadows of the other lot there is a lot to do to achieve that and just changing Moyes out will not achieve that.
I agree with you totally that it should mainly be about the quality of the players and the synergy of the squad and spending 100m on a few players is like putting lipstick on a pig.
We need a revolution not an evolution but I fear that is not what TFG want especially with how little interest they are showing in the club.
21/06/2026 18:42:58
Mark#11
Thanks Mark, you've touched on something important: the danger of lowering expectations until mediocrity is accepted as success.
Ambition and realism are not mutually exclusive. Missing Europe, dropping from fifth to thirteenth and losing revenue all mattered and should not be brushed aside.
Supporters are right to reject the "plucky little Everton" mentality. A new stadium, greater revenues and wealthy owners do not guarantee success, but they should encourage ambition.
My concern is that this mindset goes deeper than David Moyes. Managers change, but the same culture remains. That's why I keep returning to the wider structures around the club.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum should mean more than a slogan. Stability without ambition becomes managed decline, and I still see little evidence of a clear football strategy.Like Kevin I think Kinnear is weak.
If younger players and long-term planning are the answer, then that needs to be stated and followed consistently. Rivals are already doing it successfully.
Moyes's comparisons with Bournemouth and Brentford were depressing. Everton should aim to surpass those clubs, not simply match them.
Supporters are not demanding miracles; they are demanding direction. I still see caution and preservation where I would rather see leadership and ambition.
I was shocked ( appalled like Christine)by Moyes's comments and wanted to restate my main point: he should not be rewarded with a new contract if progress is replaced by lowered expectations. Tony#12 knows what I mean.
Mark I am glad you listed the previous call outs, it is good to be reminded, the journey continues.Great and timely article.
21/06/2026 20:08:24
It's like watching a train crash in slow motion on a continuous loop. The reality for me is we know what's going to happen because we've seen it before.
I feel someone needs to shake Friedkin and give him a slap to wake him up. He is giving Moyes Carte Blanc to build a squad, one that will be around for the next 3 -5 years. One built with HIS ethos of playing. That's time and money wasted until someone else has to come in and rebuild.
This is my biggest problem, continuing with Moyes will mean years before we recover after he is gone. Mid table languishing with not a trophy in sight. Mediocrity. Ambitionless Mediocrity.
Comments by Moyes are not reality for other clubs so why should it be for us?
21/06/2026 21:42:52
I was getting told by someone today that the club, want to sign George, but he doesn’t want to sign because he his worried he might not get enough game time and Moyes, would sooner sign Harry Wilson, because he his already ready and proven at EPL level.
Nothing wrong with experience and Wilson, is a very good player but, he his not long off being thirty years of age.
If this is true then it means that the people in charge of recruitment are simply not aligned, especially when you look at a few of last summer’s signings.
22/06/2026 01:20:25
Sir David Moyes?
Amongst the vilification of David Moyes and his shortcomings I’m hearing from a source inside the House of Commons that they’re giving serious thought to giving him a knighthood for his contribution to football and managing over 700 matches in the premier league. He already has an OBE
22/06/2026 07:19:08
Tony #25
Everton's become a career trap for young players—they leave quickly. But last summer was a mess: Moyes begged for veterans while £140m had just gone on kids. TFG, burned by Roma's spending, refused to offer big wages to 30-year-olds. Moyes leaked his frustration to the press constantly; the board should have shut him down. Hiring a win-now manager for a youth project was the real error.
---
Harry #26
I'd refuse a gong myself, but I've seen the process. People lobbied me to nominate them—they all got rejected. The committees check tax, background, and actual community impact beyond their day job. If you don't pass those, no sponsor saves you. Donors slip through sometimes, but the vetting is tougher than critics admit.That is my understanding of the processm
22/06/2026 10:24:26
@ Harry Hockley #26
I realise this may have been sarcasm on your part using the term "vilification". But we know that some in the fanbase cannot understand what legitimate criticism is and always view it as "vilification". It then turns into appeals to loyalty rather than the fundamentals. Some in the fanbase view everything through an emotive, emotional lens and that is something the Kenwright regime took advantage of. Criticising Moyes for the performance level seen and not achieving European qualification is fully justified criticism.
Step away from that term "vilification". This is not that. It is wanting changes. There are cultural issues at the club. It should be evident to everyone. Why on earth is David Moyes talking the club down? This week wasn't the first occasion. He's constantly trying to play down expectations. It damages our brand perception as a club and thus damages our brand value. Which we want to increase to get sponsors and commercial revenues higher to strengthen the club.
Frankly it is David Moyes, that needs to rise to our expectations. Angus Kinnear also made a misstatement with "happily dissatisfied". The EFC Communications Team who would have been reviewing such an important communique clearly are incompetent. Based on this. They have used needlessly complex language which created yet another issue and damage to our perception.
As for Moyes going on the Rooney Show. That should have gotten people sacked, in my view within the EFC Comms Team. I have no doubt that they turned down other interview requests from the media to send him on there which was just a stupid thing to do. I find it extremely annoying. They keep missing open goals and making a complete hash of things needlessly and making errors they shouldn't be making.
As implied and stated in the article. Don't treat the Everton fanbase as idiots. Talk directly to them. Tell them if mistakes are made or when objectives are not met and explain clearly what is going to be done about it. Don't promise a "strategic review" and then pages upon pages of waffle like the previous CEO (Denise "best in the business" Barrett-Baxendale) did via local media puff pieces with the self-titled ex "Chairman" then using player trading involvement as a mechanism to cynically try and get himself personal popularity.
Give some serious objectives publicly - which are clear and to the point that the Everton fanbase can buy into.
As an illustration:
1. We intend to make European Football our minimum objective for the 2026/2027 season 2. We intend to strengthen key positions at full back, on both sides of the pitch that will generate maximum benefit to our team 3. We intend to acquire targets of opportunity in the forthcoming transfer window in key areas such as in the forward and wing positions 4. If player trading is required, we intend to take advantage of that if other clubs meet our player valuations. If they do not we will not make those transfers 5. We intend to go hard for the domestic cup competitions this season and our player recruitment strategy is to this end along with future European football per our priority #1. 6. Our intentions align to the club ethos: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, and returning Everton Football Club to the top echelons of world football.
You see how much easier it is to communciate when you state objectives to people clearly? Without waffle? If people in the club are unwilling to state the club's objectives and intentions like this that is moral cowardice and another sign of incompetence. These people either improve their performance levels or they leave the club and we bring in people that will perform.
That is performance management in action and a corporate culture aligned with "nothing but the best is good enough" ethos
22/06/2026 10:28:12
This is a thread of significant quality even by the standards usually expected from this site with excellent contributions from supporters who have a lifetime of emotional investment in Everton.
I have found it uplifting that many of us still require the club to live by the standards of its motto and history, despite the many contributions of the mediocre, charlatan and incompetent's of the last thirty years to somehow dumb down expectation, alter the narrative and standing of the club within football. Sadly they have succeeded with many, with the media now lapping up David Moyes comments as some form of gospel mantra rather than challenging him on how any Everton manager could make such uttering.
Lyndon - this thread ought to be collated and sent directly to Everton FC, any contact within TFG and any other party that have any leverage to wrestle such notions about Everton out of the daily language and culture we seem to have shrouded ourselves in. John Moores famous comments were from another era but remain a signal as to how any owner should act - in our particular case, doing something about it would include many if not all of the suggestions by the article and contributions to this thread. What a contribution to some form of restoration to previous values that would make.
22/06/2026 13:12:09
Ken, good post, I know I have been banging on about leadership of late, or the lack of it to be precise, but the very fear I had in Moyes return, how ever welcome at the time, was that it came with a caveat, that it was very short term.
Alas it was not to be and in recent times we have seen a manager talk down hopes and aspirations.
I want to make myself perfectly clear. That is not and never has been his job. It should be spelt out to him that how successful Everton Football Club are is directly impacted on any comments he makes. It is not his place to water down the aspirations of this club. Is he speaking such with the express ok from the CEO or owner? I doubt it.
This is the David Moyes of old, walked hand in hand with a chairman who was only too glad for him to field the questions. They sang from the same hymn sheet.
Those days have gone, football has changed, thankfully. A new owner with their own style, their own leadership, one that I very much doubt is comfortable in a manager telling them, publicly what he thinks success will be.
It won't have gone unnoticed, along with a happily dissatisfied CEO, both should be on the end of a couple of short, terse telephone calls putting them in their place.
At least one would think so. As comments like that directly impact player recruitment and squad retainment, which then flow on to fan frustration and commercial impacts such as sponsors. Are any of them happy hearing the managers comments? Surely they want their brands pushed across Europe?
All in all a very Typically disappointing set of comments following on from a season that promised alot but in reality failed to deliver.
22/06/2026 13:45:39
Christine - I am afraid that the Everton we or most of us want is not the Everton TFG seem to want.
TFG has shown no willingness so far to intervene in a CEO who appears to me be a 'rinse and repeat' of Robert Elstone and a manager who suits such purpose.
TFG has offered nothing to respond to the end of season run of form or lack of.
I cannot understand why if you own something or are in charge of it, you do not want the best but we know this manager has never thought that way and it appears sadly once again the CEO and ownership agree.
As you say - dissappointing.
22/06/2026 16:35:18
Christine # 30, you are spot on by the way - Moyes should not be talking this way in public interviews. It’s disrespectful to the fans. TFG are so quiet it’s hard to know what they think. Obviously the lunatic at Forest sacked Nuno Espirito Santos for complaining etc. TFG are more measured than that by the looks of things. I expect they are annoyed but also recognise there is only another season with Moyes and do not see paying the manager off as a good use of money (especially with the £40m payment to Burnley looming).
It is incredibly frustrating but I’ve made the (unpopular) point a few times now that Moyes has taken decent sides into Europe before and could well do so next season. With a fit Branthwaite and Grealish he might well have got a very poor squad into Europe last season.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed through to the end of the transfer window.
22/06/2026 18:03:19
The Friedkin Group is allowing this because their priorities are financial and operational, not emotional. They successfully stabilized the club's debt and secured the new stadium, which they view as massive achievements regardless of league position. Missing Europe costs revenue, but avoiding relegation and protecting Premier League status matters far more to the club's valuation.
David Moyes is ideal for this phase: he guarantees safety, demands little spending, and publicly lowers expectations, giving ownership an excuse not to invest heavily. He is a low-risk caretaker running down his contract while they build internal structures behind the scenes.
Their silence toward fans is calculated. They avoid promises they cannot keep and let Moyes absorb media scrutiny. They do not view his comments as fireable offenses, just pragmatic realism.
Most importantly, their experience at Roma taught them that spending heavily and changing managers frequently does not guarantee success. At Everton, they are doing the opposite: avoiding risk, avoiding churn, and prioritizing stability. As long as the club stays in the Premier League and the stadium generates revenue, they have no financial incentive to disrupt a model that protects their investment.
But Everton's Final Accounts for 24/25 showed that though they had achieved Financial stability, the Football side was not sustainable.The squad is ageing, young players are not being developed or integrated, and expensive signings from last summer are not getting game time. This means the club is not generating sellable assets, which is how modern clubs fund reinvestment. When the accounts show losses and the squad has no transfer value, the financial model collapses regardless of stadium revenue and other asset revenue.
If TFG understand the numbers, which you would expect they do, then their current inaction is either calculated self-interest or a catastrophic miscalculation.
A bit of good old Crisis Management could be on the horizon, like Roma.Welcome to Everton Houston.
23/06/2026 11:05:24
Jerome # 33 - I agree with a lot of the sentiment but a few issues.
We didn’t make any expensive signings last summer. Only a poor / small club would view £35m Dibling as an expensive signing. In this market an expensive signing starts at about £70m and goes up to about £140m. Lukaku would have cost at least £70m in today’s money.
Selling and developing players for resale is part of how modern clubs fund investment in the playing squad. For big clubs this is almost all done through the loan system rather than the first team (and / or big young talents gaining reputation in youth internationals). Liverpool have been the most successful at this in recent years. I also think developing young talent in our first team purely for resale is highly unpopular amongst fans. Even Brighton have now moved to a model where they are loaning players out in decent numbers (including to other Premier League clubs).
It’s absolute the right way to go but we have a long way to go before we’re in that position. We’d need to recruit very heavily between ages 14 to 17 to enable that.
I thought (but might be wrong) that TFG were more focussed initially on advertising, sponsorship and TV revenue globally (and presumably shirt sales in China etc).
23/06/2026 12:56:02
Aye, Robert. However, it's still a large chunk of our transfer kitty spent on a player who has barely left the subs bench - & all while we need a decent right back for the first XI.
23/06/2026 13:16:10
Robert#44
I think we’re broadly in agreement on the long-term direction. My original point was more about stability and the fact that we currently have around £140 million worth of young potential that isn’t really being utilised, which stands out compared with what we generally see across the league.
I appreciate that you’ve spent a huge amount of time researching prospects in the UK, Europe and South America, so you have a much broader understanding of how clubs develop and trade talent. I’m not suggesting we should turn the first team into a shop window, as I agree that supporters wouldn’t accept that.
My point is simply that there’s a balance to be struck. Greater stability and better use of the young talent we already have could help us move towards the sort of model you describe, even if we’re still some way from being able to operate like Liverpool or Brighton.
A article comparing the Player trading policies of Premier League Clubs against Finances is a Paul the Esk task and I do not have the knowledge you have. It would take me months.
23/06/2026 13:50:38
I agree with that Dennis - and RB was, for me, the priority position even last summer. Hopefully it gets sorted quickly this summer. There are a lot of very good options.
It is, however, about 20 years since £35m was a big transfer fee. We were spending more on than on players 10 years ago . In today’s money fees for the likes of Sigurdsson might be more like £80m. Richarlison much the same. Forest have just turned down £120m for Elliot Anderson.
We’re so far behind in spending these sound like astronomical sums now but they’re not really. Surely NSNO demands we at least try to keep up?
23/06/2026 14:37:25
Robert, Lukaku cast £27m to sign on a permanent basis. Imagine what that fee would be now.
Times have indeed moved on. Lukaku was first team ready. 27m would buy you Armstrong now.
23/06/2026 15:58:02
Yes Kieran - I think that £27m probably equates to about £85m to £100m in today’s money. A James Beattie would probably cost about £70m.
23/06/2026 17:42:06
Oooh - Beattie or Barry - which one's the bigger misfit for Everton?
23/06/2026 18:23:42
Beattie or Barry, Dennis? Definitely Beattie.
I’d choose dear old Rod Belfitt over Barry. And he’s 85.
24/06/2026 10:26:56
I forecast that this pre-season would see us being inactive and we would scramble for some has-beens or prospects as deadline day approaches. No doubt we will be inactive until the World Cup is finished. We will start the season with a thin squad and weak links, hoping that we'll do some business before the window shuts. The same problems persist season after season. We still don't have a decent right back and our left back isn't good enough but is given a new contract. We have the slowest team in the Premier League and we have very little goal threat. We're still reliant on players like Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko and Gueye who are no longer good enough. Our scouts still seem to only be able to recruit players that we have all heard of whereas Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth consistently unearth gems.
If money is tight and we cannot recruit beyond the Premier League then why not go and get Wilson from Fulham who is a free agent? He would improve us straight off on a free transfer and would surely see Everton as a step up. Instead he'll go to Leeds United who were a Championship team just over a year ago whilst we dither over whether to sign George.
I was a fan of Moyes coming back and offering us stability but is that the sum of our ambition now; simply to remain a Premier League club?
If so, what is the point anymore?
24/06/2026 11:35:50
Funnily enough Robert, I got a text off one of my mate’s at half time last night asking me what I thought of Elliot Anderson.
My reply was that I think he’s a decent player, but I also think he takes too many touches and seems to slow the game down at the wrong time sometimes.
I thought about it a little bit more and if I’m being honest, I personally wouldn’t swap James Garner, for Elliot Anderson.
24/06/2026 12:04:12
Well whatever we think of these players Tony, the market sees Wharton and Anderson as £100m (+) players destined for a move to a Champions League club. Garner is not considered to be of the same quality.
That said, if we end the summer with a midfield trio of Hackney, Garner and KDH I’d be pleased. Pribably the best balance since we had Barry, McCarthy and Barkley.
Craig # 42, we will get a RB. We just will. The chances of Chelsea’s Acheampong have improved too after they seem to have sealed a deal for Palestra from Atalanta. Acheampong is a very classy player.
24/06/2026 14:55:37
It was only one game but I enjoyed Garner, playing with Rohl and Armstrong, at Villa, Robert, because we looked balanced and they all complimented each other’s game that day.
24/06/2026 22:17:41
In Sept Moyes said that Everton did not need a right back.If Patterson puts in a performance in the USA, there may be a vacancy. He is starting against Brazil. He will then have had three games in the World Cup.He played in three games for Everton last season.I thought he did ok in those three games.
25/06/2026 09:37:09
Patterson has been at the club years and not impressed any manager in that period. To me, it is a very "small club mindset" to keep clinging to the idea that he's going to come good. Playing for Scotland is not an indicator of quality. They are ranked by FIFA behind the likes of Canada, Algeria, Egypt, Australia, Iran - and more or less neck and neck with Panama.
We are a Premier League club - so we should behave like one. If you see us as a big club, you should hope we buy 2 new RBs this summer - and hope that Patterson is shipped out on loan to Rangers or Sheff Utd etc (because it's unlikely anyone will be prepared to pay a fee for someone who has a track record of failure at Premier League level).
20/07/2026 10:00:26
The mere mention of the phrase "plucky little Everton" is cringeworthy, just as was his infamous comment about taking a knife to a gunfight.
Moyes is a born loser, who continuously belittes Evertonians & plays down expectations. His fear of all things Livepool FC infuriates me.
His recent comments bleating about not being able to compete in the same city as the red cousins was downright insulting.
I became disilusioned with him first time around & never wanted him back. is a busted flush & should go now & take the Scotland job.
Replace him wth the return of Carlo "the Don" Ancelotti.
Unlikely until the Friedkins wake up & smell the coffee, I fear that they are trapped in their comfort zone & Moyes will see out the remaining year of his contract.
Moyes out!!!
20/07/2026 13:01:12
Danny (48) A couple of points re your response above. One of the few criticisms I have of TFG, is that they don't communicate very well, so we don't know exactly what they truly think of Moyes do we?
Are they content do let him provide 'stability' or will they let him wonder off into the wilderness once his contract ends at the end of this season?
I presume your comments re Carlo coming back were just you being funny. Carlo would be here simply as a way of continuing his very lucrative income stream, then be off as soon as one of Europe's big boys came along.
Tell me you were not being serious?
20/07/2026 18:14:11
Not sure where to include this comment but after all our frustrations maybe a bit of lighthearted news will be good for us all. So the new Prime Minister commenced his duties today and there amongst the well wishers was our ex star player Peter Reid, who was warmly welcomed by the PM.
He must have been invited, and clearly the PM takes his football seriously, unfortunately neither Peter or the PM will improve performance on the pitch but it's nice to know we have got some influence in high places. You never know maybe Andy will do a Trump and reverse our red cards, let's hope he has better luck than his predecessor.
28/07/2026 08:56:33
Moyes to Scotland national team! Perfect fit...crap team and a crap manager. If it happens I might even get religion. He will bury this club in mediocrity if not stopped.
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20/06/2026 17:47:28
A depressingly accurate piece, Mark.
This club has forgotten who and what it is. Respectability seems to he the sole ambition of key people like Moyes and Kinnear.
We cannot even dream of climbing back up the mountain while they are happy to set up camp where we are.
The most depressing aspect of all this is the way some fans have had their expectation managed. I just don't see the sort of anger Moyes's latest uttering's would have provoked in the past.
Sir John Moores would have sacked him on the spot.