The Now-Irrelevant 2024/25 Relegation Battle (Without Everton!)


formerly manx toffee said:
Has taken those goals well though Dave. We are not just lumping it up to him we are trying to play him in which suits him.

With back to goal his second touch is still a tackle
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I've been a fan of his since he arrived. Stevie Wonder could see he needed one on ones with defenders and quick balls into him / in front of him to be effective.
 
Amw79 said:
Hope this is the case, of course. And agree 100% about the importance of this summer.

But I’m not expecting to go from fearing relegation year in, year out to be pushing into CL places next year.

It says a lot about my mental state, that a season where we’re just middling about between 8th and 12th, and we get a few great games to watch in BM would be ace from my point of view.
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I think with what we'll need to spend this summer, we should be comfortable.

That'll, along with a new stadium will bring new ambition and mentality to the club.

I've been the biggest misery arse with relegation worries for years on here - it's always been about adding some pace and attacking threat, and we'll surely be able to do that this summer in a way we've not been able to for 3-4 years.

For me, yesterdays result closed the door on relegation. Onwards and upwards.
 
davek said:
The Grand Old Duke of York manager.

As said: fans will inevitably end up hating his ambitionless view of Everton.

He's already multiple times since coming back here underlined he thinks Everton are a club that wont be going anywhere fast.

We have new owners with cash and a fantastic new stadium but he'll be a massive wet blanket thrown on top of it.

Moyes has stepped in and done a job and revived his Everton credibility. He should take that and run at the end of the season because that's as good as it'll get for him.
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I suspect your analysis will eventually be borne out.

I don't want Moyes back - but he has done amazingly well to get us safe already. If he can avoid going on a six match winless run before the end of the season, he's in the box seat to start the rebuild. Unless the Friedkins have a pre-contract deal with somebody like Carlo Ancelotti, then I doubt they'll upset a feelgood factor by turning to their next-big-thing-hipster manager of choice. Of course, that is all predicated on there still being a feelgood factor come the end of April. Things can change quickly and the April fixture list is forbidding.

But yes, the issue I see is we do not need Kenwrightism - which Moyes represents - at a time when the club has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purge the past and build a new entity, one of standards and ambition. If the experienced Moyes is able to embrace that, then fine. If the younger Moyes of his first tenure is backed financially and still fails to win occasionally at the top clubs, then you're going to be proven correct.

In the end, we're asking if Moyes, with serious backing, can get us a trophy or occasional wins at the top clubs while getting us back into the top six or seven. It's a big task for any manager. I'm pretty sure he can get us top 10 and perhaps even into Europe over a few years. But I have big doubts he can push upwards of that - and would be worried the time taken to get into that position will see the Friedkins lose a bit of interest. That said, you can't run before you can walk, so I think we are indeed "stuck" with Moyes as things stand.

They key for me now, however, is not the manager. It's the owners. It's their ambition that will largely dictate how far we can go under Moyes or any other manager. A big summer is essential. Moyes has to be on board with that - and I don't want to hear any excuses about not spending money if it is there. We need a massive overhaul. Yes, that comes with challenges. But if the money is provided and Moyes is up for that, that's fine for me. If the money is provided and he starts going back to his comfort zone of only bringing in two or three, then we've already missed our window. A huge overhaul is needed. Is it 12 players out of contract? If Moyes cannot bring himself to embrace that, he's the wrong man.
 

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Amw79 said:
First time round, think everyone got a bit fed up, as we were a regular 6th place team, and we all wanted to push on, and break into the CL places, and the fact that we didn’t, and he probably talked us down a bit, felt like a lack of ambition.

What I’d give for that ambition and sense of optimism now.
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No. That's just purgatory.

If Moyes can get us to 6th, then he MUST be challenged with getting us a pot and a CL place. THESE are the standards any manager of this club - assuming he is financially-backed - MUST be held to.

Ambition is not 12th, 7th, 6th, 8th, 6th, 7th...

Ambition is to win cups, win derbies, win at Arsenal or Chelsea every so often, get into Europe, get into the CL, win the league.

If the Friedkins are serious owners, these will be the things they will demand. If they are simply Kenwright with a ten-gallon hat, then the "old" ambition of Blue Bill will quickly resurface with the old Moyes as its acceptable face.

He MUST be backed, and he MUST build a serious "elite" team if he is. He said he wanted to see elite players in our elite new stadium. Over to the Friedkins, first and foremost, now.
 
Tell you what, looking at the table now,
I think we could realistically look at Brentford, possibly Brighton as Teams to be finishing above this season.

If we managed that it'd literally be Bournemouth and Fulham having their best seasons in years, villa with their champions league benefits and the so called sky teams ahead of us....

Not bad for a so called terrible squad with no money
 

I know you season ticket holders went through a living hell, however, Dyche in December with those 3 nil-nil draws gave Moyes a platform. If he hadn't have left we would still be bottom 4. The owners should be applauded. Kenwright would have kept Dyche gambling on a one game shoot out at Goodison to make him publicity and relevance. We'll done Moyes and thank you for Wednesday.
 

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