David Moyes must quit to save his reputation

Tony Cascarino

Everton don't normally have any reason to be grateful to Liverpool, but they should feel thankful that their rivals are struggling so much that their own problems are largely going unnoticed.

What's happened to the team that finished fifth in the Barclays Premier League in the past two seasons, the side that was probably the toughest to play against because of their hard work, spirit, organisation and enthusiasm for getting stuck in and doing the ugly stuff? The side that was flying last year even without any forwards, and reached the FA Cup Final?

They lost tamely to Benfica in the Europa League last night - the same opponents who thumped them 5-0 in Portugal a couple of weeks ago. Then there was that 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Arsenal on the opening day of the season. It's so unlike David Moyes's side to be such whipping boys. They haven't won since October 10.

Yes, there have been injury problems. Mikel Arteta being sidelined is a massive blow. The bench was full of teenagers last night. But that doesn't excuse so many indifferent or poor performances and results. What's happened to Jo, for example?

The squad's inability to cope with absences is a sign that it's not big enough or good enough. And is that acceptable for a club that have earnt big money from selling Joleon Lescott and that, in most years, seem to profit from their transfers?

Moyes is careful and won't bring in players for the sake of it but for a club of their size, Everton aren't financially competitive at all. They don't pay big wages by the standards of leading Premier League clubs and the situation doesn't seem likely to change soon. Bill Kenwright, the chairman, appears keen to sell the club but it doesn't look like there's any serious interest. And the dream of a new stadium is not close to reality.

Basically, Everton are a club treading water, but sooner rather than later they're going to start to sink. I don't see any progress, only the probability of decline. Because while Everton stay much the same, their rivals are improving. What's the club's best-case scenario without going on a massive spending spree?

Finishing fifth every year. But Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are richer, more talented, more ambitious and growing. Everton are falling behind those three. So they're looking at slipping to eighth place.

Then factor in the new money and momentum at Sunderland and even perhaps Birmingham City, and Everton could be overtaken by those two as well in the coming years. Everton are on a path to mid-table obscurity unless something drastic happens. That means they will struggle to attract leading players and have to sell the quality ones they do have. And they'll fall farther behind.

Moyes, the manager, has overachieved and done brilliantly but his reputation will decline if Everton have a mediocre few years. He has been linked with bigger things but will lose any opportunity to become the manager of a top four club if he doesn't leave Goodison Park soon. Because he's not going to realise that ambition with Everton.

Comments

[Anto]

Quote: "What's happened to Jo, for example?"

Tony, Jo was never any good.
Arteta and Pienaar are both missed hugely at the moment for creativity. We're missing our captain for leadership. On top of that we have lost our central defence from last season (Jagielka has not returned yet from injury).

On top of those injurues, we were unable to field either Neill or Heitinga.

What I'm saying Tony is, before you start trying to bring the controversy and drama you love tio Everton, maybe have a better think about what is really going on.

[christian leigh]

Good, i hope he does leave! he is tactically inept, coaches hoofball... our squad is easily good enough to challenge for 5th place. He wasted £15m on that carthorse fellaini too

[what?]

Moyes will never manage a top four club, they wouldn't tolerate his dire style of 'football'.

[Dave]

Moyes appears to be building for the long-term at Everton, but he's being held back by the Everton fans' opposition to all realistic new stadium plans. The sustainable way to get to fourth is to come fifth regularly, and Everton are the favourites of the clubs who aren't Man City to manage that for a third year running, even given their poor start to the season. The longer they continue to be the best-placed chasers, the easier it is for Moyes to attract quality players to the club, and the closer they get to closing the gap and coming 4th.

[Rupert Coghlan]

When I saw the headline, I just knew it would be Tony Cascarino writing this. Bit disappointed to say the least.

I don't see why people use 'Overachieve' as a negative these days. Isn't overachieving about beating expectations and perfoming above your targets? Or is it about - 'their squad is less expensive than theirs, they must be lucky and overachieved?' Ooh, they've overachieved again this season, lets wait for them to hit a poor run and have a dig.

We can't win - when we perform solidly for 3 years running, get to the FA Cup Final, we've overachieved, whilst the likes of Villa, Spurs, City are seen as these knights in shining armour, for spending lots of cash and 'threatening to break the top four'. Why not have a poke at Villa, Spurs or City Cascarino? They've spent much more in net spend and achieved much less in the last 3 years...

Moyes total net spend in 7 years - £3.5m per season.

We know very well our board needs to either move on, or come up with the cash. We've known that for about 5 years. It hasn't happened. And we don't need Tony Cascarino of all people (!) to tell us this.

I for one hope we turn things around this season, and finish above the likes of Villa, Spurs and City once again. Here's to overachieving - certainly beats underachieving.

[Strewth]

Its a marriage of mutual inconvenience - in our parlous financial position we can't attract much better than Moyes and given his continuing limitations as a manager he will never do better than us.

[Jack]

I think it is premature to write Everton's obituary just yet. Every year they seem to start poorly/indifferently, every year we hear the same old "they don't have the money or the depth to finish fifth" and then low-and-behold they finish fifth!

In truth given the money Man City and Tottenham have been spending makes it harder to see them keep pace, and they have looked distinctly average recently, though Tottenham and Man City have also slowed somewhat. This may be the year when reality bites at Everton a bit, when Moyes' miracles aren't quite so miraculous, but thats a prediction that's been wrong numerous times.

[PB]

You make some fair points, Tony. Mainly because the Boards of clubs have little imagination or guts. Any half-decent club would benefit from hiring Moyes - but they won't. They'll look instead, for the next Mourinho.

Really, any club which operates within a budget (i.e. responsibly) will do well to hire coaches like Moyes and Allardyce. They may not produce a nice style of football, but they get more out of the players than one would imagine.

I'm no fan of Allardyce, but I do believe that firing him was a bad move on NUFC's part.

Moyes is too proud to be a No.2 to Fergie, but it might just take that kind of downwards step to get the big gig.

[Beamer]

Well said Adrian. With precious little funding and no taint of dubuious transfer dealings we continue to get up the noses of shallow pundits. Cascarino is just another addition to the ex-player pundocracy whose staggering lack of insight about the game beggar belief.

[Dave]

Rupert> Good point. If Everton have overachieved for the past few years, then this is just a reversion to expected levels - and Tony's criticising Moyes for not performing as well as expected. Bizarre.

[Stevo. P]

Tony has played at the highest level for club and country and to say he has a 'staggering lack of insight about the game' beggars MY belief.

No one is denying Moyes is an excellent manager, but can not take Everton any further without investment.

Moyes should jump ship before it sinks!

[Rhys Jaggar]

I suspect Moyes would have to go abroad if he resigns from Everton. There won't be jobs going at City, Spurs or Villa in the near future. Nor at Sunderland. Arsenal, Chelsea aren't on the radar. And replacing Rafa with Moyes might be tricky! That just leaves MUFC, who I suspect will go for a big name after SAF.

So, he might need to 'do a McLaren' and go to something like a Feyenoord, a Benfica, an IFK Gothenburg or the like. Win some silverware overseas and then come back for a shot at the big time.

[Chris]

Tony as a Liverpool fan I was shocked at your 'not fit to wear the shirt' column a few weeks back, and now this? I think you need to go back to see a physio about all these knee jerk reactions you've been having. Don't you remember it took Sir Alex Ferguson 7 years to win his first League title with United... god help them if you'd been the chairman! Stop writing this dross mate, it's getting old!

[Ollie]

Tony

You seem to say that Moyes' reputation will fall with Everton's decline, then go on to list genuine mitigating circumstances that are out of his control which have contributed to Everton appearing to fall behind.

If Everton drop behind Villa, Spurs, City, Brum, Sunderland then it won't be because Moyes becomes a bad manager over night, but because the other clubs out spend him.

And, as is typical with people in football, you appear to be ignoring the greatest indicator that you are wrong - how many teams have outspent Everton in the 7 years Moyes has been in charge, but still ended up below them in the table?

It's November, Everton have an excellent squad, which when fit can beat anyone on the day. It is far too early to be writing them and their manager off.

[A]

As a reds fan even I have to say Give Moyes a break, hes done a good job on his resources.

[Gary]

Tony

I have to say this is complete an utter rubbush, I'd like to see how Mun U or any other club would get on having 11 first team players out.

[Chris]

Tony, quite apart from this whole piece being an appalling piece of reactionary nonsense, the main point you completely miss is that it is Moyes who has put Everton in this mess. For pretty much the whole of his tenure we have been crying out for pace, creativity and the ability to beat a man. He stumbled upon Arteta by chance and Pienaar has been a revelation but it's simply not enough. In the last 3 years he has spent big money on the likes of Bilyaletdinov, Fellaini and Heitinga when every single Everton fan knows we need pace and inventiveness to allow us to break fast and create openings. Benfica showed us exactly how it's done last night and I am seriously worried that Moyes has missed his big chance by wasting the Lescott money.

[Rich Carter]

Yes, Moyes should quit. The moment things go against you in life, it is best to give up.

It is still early in the season, Everton will be fine. Forget the Europa League, it is of less importance than the Carling Cup.

The best comment was 'not won since October 10th'!! Gosh, that was months ago then.

Have you considered joining Talksport, Tony? You are good at creating artificial debates.

[Andy B]

So David Moyes is stock is so high yet he still hasn't won anything. I love the guy and think what he has achieved is fantastic, but as per previous comments, non of the 'bigger' clubs are about to get a new manager. Why build a team over seven years that is finally capable of winning something to quit?

If I was Moyes I would stay, win the FA Cup, win the Europe League and leave for a bigger job when they come along a proven winner.

The presumption that because Birmingham and Sunderland have more money they are going to overtake us is incredibly naive, and goes against everything that has happened over the previous five years.

[Adam]

Do Zola next week, this is great stuff!

[peter dilworth]

What nonsense Tony,see how Liverpool struggle without Gerrard and Torres, Arsenal without Fabregas and Van Persie and Chelsea without Drogba and Essien even Utd have stuttered without Ronaldo and Rooney now times that by 4 ,thats the magnitude of Evertons efforts this season and the back end of last season .Give credit where its due and stop trying to create sensationalist debate.

[ChelC]

Poor form Tony. Unless you have an axe to grind with someone at Everton. They need investment in their squad to kick on and have done for the past five years or so. But Moyes is highly regarded precisely because of that. You made some very obvious points about them needing to invest etc but beyond that, your article reads like a gratuitous attack on a club who are doing well in dealing with the financial realities they face. You lost a bit of respect from me for this one.

[bluedixie]

Can someone, anyone, please remind me which club(s) Tony Cascarino has propelled to the top of the Premier League ? I'm not holding my breath !

[steve]

you have to laugh at these articles, show me an evereton fan that wants moyes out... every club can go through bad form, yes we don't have a full squad, but moyes is putting out hi8s best eleven.. we are a club with history and spirit, and its why the fans won't listen to this rubish, in moyes we trust...

[dave bush]

Spurs, Villa and others may get ahead of Everton, but for the last three years they havn't managed it. Before righting Everton off, lets see how the league table finishes...again.

[al bingleton]

"Yes, there have been injury problems. Mikel Arteta being sidelined is a massive blow. The bench was full of teenagers last night. But that doesn't excuse so many indifferent or poor performances and results"
er...... yea it does.

[DD]

Wait till the new year when, Arteta, Jags, Piennar are all fit then maybe pass some judgement.

[Mick]

Moyes, like 99% of all English coaches, is a proponent of the 'long-ball' style of football. Physicality taking precedence over technique. Blood and thunder mindset over tactical proficiency.

He is limited.

I wonder when the British managers will realise the football they teach is stuck in the 1960s.

Look how Benfica tore Everton apart because, fundamentally, these foreign teams know how to pass the ball around on the floor with control.

[Hobgoblin]

I'm not an Everton fan but Moyes has had to contend with a horrific injury situation and has probably done as well as could be expected under the circumstances. Everton are the artisans of the Prem, not attractive to watch but effective. It's a great credit to Moyes that Everton have in recent years been so successful (in relative terms). I could be wrong but Moyes might have found his niche at Everton - would he be able handle unlimited transfer funds? Sometimes managers are better when they have to make do and mend. He's certainly been an astute purchaser of players at the bottom end of the market but would he be such a success if money was no object? I bet he wishes he could find out.

[AndyH]

These stories come out every once in a while, usually while Everton are in a poor run of form under Moyes. I wouldn't be surprised if this is an attempt by Moyes' advisors to begin to engineer his eventual move away from Goodison whilst still leaving him as an fans idol at the club.

Rooney tried it when he left Everton, citing Moyes as being involved in pushing him out of a club that he never wanted to leave, so Rooney could leave with his status as a God at Everton intact. The high court settled that one in Moyes' favour.

Moyes stock is relatively high and he must want to cash in on that either through a big contract at another club or with silverware at another club.

The longer he manages however, people will cotton on to the fact that he is not the brightest tactical manager in sending a team out or when changes during the game are needed. Something all top managers have in their locker. Moyes is a throw back to the 80's style of Manager - all blood and guts, hard tackles and lumping the ball in the box. His one and only tactic is getting his players to fall over in the opposition's half when the faintest of challenges comes in. From the resultant free kick, the box is loaded with blue shirts and it is tossed in for a scramble. Arteta & Cahill being the obvious master exponents of such a ploy.

Top managers are streets ahead of this one dimensional style that will only take you so far.

[Richard]

When I read this sort of nonsense about Moyes being the next man u manager etc it does make me chuckle.
A few hard facts to consider.

1. No tactics.
2. No plan b when things are going pear shaped.
3. No football.
4. NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE.

Every team in the world has to cope with injuries so that does'nt wash. Whilst I agree he has done very well on limited resources, the above facts remain. To play 4-5-1 at home to the likes of Stoke etc is a disgrace, as was the performance against Benfica. Celtic maybe, but a top four club in this country? DONT MAKE ME LAUGH!

David Moyes needs to qiut to save the reputation of our club.

[Matt]

Gordon Brown was in the north-west on Thursday and gave his backing to the blues ahead of the Benfica clash.

End of.