A fantastic read from Tim Rich taken from the telegraph;
----------------------------------------
Not since Winston Churchill promised nothing but blood, sweat and tears - which were the kind of attributes that always went down well with David Moyes - had there been a maiden speech like it. On arriving at Goodison Park to replace the exhausted regime of Walter Smith, Moyes proclaimed it: "The people's club; because I have always believed that the people on the streets of Liverpool support Everton."
In his first game among his people, Everton scored within 30 seconds to trigger a victory sealed by Duncan Ferguson. If anyone who left Goodison Park that March afternoon was to be told that Moyes would render Everton effectively relegation proof, qualify them for the Champions League and finish above Liverpool for the first time since Derek Hatton ran the city, they would have thought the blue Shankly was among them. This month Moyes celebrates his fifth anniversary on Merseyside, placing him behind only Harry Catterick and Howard Kendall among Everton's modern managers.
And yet his last appearance at Goodison saw the man they called "The Moyesiah" denied more than three times by his own supporters, who aimed match programmes in his general direction. The fact that this same evening, the one which saw Everton howled off at home to Tottenham, witnessed Liverpool's astonishing comeback in the Nou Camp is perhaps not a coincidence but it signified something wider.
For those on the Gwladys End who believe that Moyes' time is up it is pointless arguing that this is astonishing ingratitude. "You don't go to Goodison every week," they will argue. "The football's boring, the chairman has produced no investment. The club is drifting." You cannot lecture people on gratitude when they pay £30 they can ill afford and your view from the press box is free.
It has been too often Moyes' misfortune to be overshadowed by events at Anfield at precisely the wrong moments. In 2005, when he took Everton above Liverpool and qualified for the Champions League, Rafael Benitez responded by winning the European Cup in arguably the greatest final that competition had seen. It was a competition Everton then failed to qualify for and, as a triumph, it proved horribly short lived.
In all other respects, Moyes has admirably fulfilled what George Graham described as a manager's brief. Your first task, he once said, is usually to salvage a club, which because it's easy to identify what has gone wrong, is actually relatively simple, although Alan Curbishley may beg to differ. Then, you turn them into a mid-table side (harder) and then a top-six club (very difficult). Despite accusations that he finds it hard to make up his mind about a player, Johnson, Cahill, Arteta, Lescott, Neville and Howard are a fine core to any squad. There have been victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United; there are two manager-of-the-year trophies to go home to.
And yet something is missing, perhaps the same kind of something that made Kevin Keegan submit his resignation from Manchester City two years ago this month; the realisation that the scenery was not going to change, that he had taken the club as far as he was likely to. It happened to Curbishley at Charlton and his chairman, Bill Kenwright, must wonder if it will happen to Moyes. If Everton want a few more anniversaries, they need to back their manager with money and vision.
[imga=left]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/graphics/2007/03/02/sfntal02.jpg[/imga]A few years ago they had the vision but not the money. Had the club found £30 million in 2002, they would probably be building Goodison on the Water now, a vast, beautiful arena on the King's Dock that would have slotted into one of the most famous waterfronts in the world.
Thirty million was their share of the investment on a vision which would have given Everton something it has seldom possessed; genuine glamour. But in 2002, Everton were a struggling bottom-third club whose relegation was likely sooner rather than later. Had Moyes arrived two years before, £30million might not have seemed such a towering sum. The problem with Moyes is not that he has stayed too long but that he came too late.
----------------------------------------
View and Discuss this article with Evertonian's across the globe in our forums.
----------------------------------------
Not since Winston Churchill promised nothing but blood, sweat and tears - which were the kind of attributes that always went down well with David Moyes - had there been a maiden speech like it. On arriving at Goodison Park to replace the exhausted regime of Walter Smith, Moyes proclaimed it: "The people's club; because I have always believed that the people on the streets of Liverpool support Everton."
In his first game among his people, Everton scored within 30 seconds to trigger a victory sealed by Duncan Ferguson. If anyone who left Goodison Park that March afternoon was to be told that Moyes would render Everton effectively relegation proof, qualify them for the Champions League and finish above Liverpool for the first time since Derek Hatton ran the city, they would have thought the blue Shankly was among them. This month Moyes celebrates his fifth anniversary on Merseyside, placing him behind only Harry Catterick and Howard Kendall among Everton's modern managers.
And yet his last appearance at Goodison saw the man they called "The Moyesiah" denied more than three times by his own supporters, who aimed match programmes in his general direction. The fact that this same evening, the one which saw Everton howled off at home to Tottenham, witnessed Liverpool's astonishing comeback in the Nou Camp is perhaps not a coincidence but it signified something wider.
For those on the Gwladys End who believe that Moyes' time is up it is pointless arguing that this is astonishing ingratitude. "You don't go to Goodison every week," they will argue. "The football's boring, the chairman has produced no investment. The club is drifting." You cannot lecture people on gratitude when they pay £30 they can ill afford and your view from the press box is free.
It has been too often Moyes' misfortune to be overshadowed by events at Anfield at precisely the wrong moments. In 2005, when he took Everton above Liverpool and qualified for the Champions League, Rafael Benitez responded by winning the European Cup in arguably the greatest final that competition had seen. It was a competition Everton then failed to qualify for and, as a triumph, it proved horribly short lived.
In all other respects, Moyes has admirably fulfilled what George Graham described as a manager's brief. Your first task, he once said, is usually to salvage a club, which because it's easy to identify what has gone wrong, is actually relatively simple, although Alan Curbishley may beg to differ. Then, you turn them into a mid-table side (harder) and then a top-six club (very difficult). Despite accusations that he finds it hard to make up his mind about a player, Johnson, Cahill, Arteta, Lescott, Neville and Howard are a fine core to any squad. There have been victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United; there are two manager-of-the-year trophies to go home to.
And yet something is missing, perhaps the same kind of something that made Kevin Keegan submit his resignation from Manchester City two years ago this month; the realisation that the scenery was not going to change, that he had taken the club as far as he was likely to. It happened to Curbishley at Charlton and his chairman, Bill Kenwright, must wonder if it will happen to Moyes. If Everton want a few more anniversaries, they need to back their manager with money and vision.
[imga=left]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/graphics/2007/03/02/sfntal02.jpg[/imga]A few years ago they had the vision but not the money. Had the club found £30 million in 2002, they would probably be building Goodison on the Water now, a vast, beautiful arena on the King's Dock that would have slotted into one of the most famous waterfronts in the world.
Thirty million was their share of the investment on a vision which would have given Everton something it has seldom possessed; genuine glamour. But in 2002, Everton were a struggling bottom-third club whose relegation was likely sooner rather than later. Had Moyes arrived two years before, £30million might not have seemed such a towering sum. The problem with Moyes is not that he has stayed too long but that he came too late.
----------------------------------------
View and Discuss this article with Evertonian's across the globe in our forums.