2025/26 David Moyes

[windymiller]

People said before the game ‘if we play like we did v Chelsea this lot won’t stand a chance’ but everyone knew we wouldn’t play that way. The Tifo, the bus arrival, the atmosphere all on point by the fans and then straight away it settles into the usual pattern of us just shuffling across the pitch dropping deeper and deeper as a poor Liverpool team are allowed to get a load of early touches and grow in confidence.

Every single derby.

So often the blame for our travails is put at the feet of the fans but by all accounts yesterday was a perfect opportunity to deal with that rabble and yet we once again found a way to lose against them. The management and playing staff at this club have an inferiority complex when it comes to that lot. Someone needs to shake it out of them. I'm fed up of losing to them even when they're rubbish.

 

[davek]

What infuriates me is even some of our worst Everton teams used to be able to rough them up a bit. It’s supposed to be our highest intensity game of the season yet when I watch us in derbies now we lower our game by a good few levels.

I could half accept this when it was Klopp’s team around 18/19 and they had a team of absolute athletes who pretty much ran all over everyone. The Koeman Goodison derby was a good example, first half McCarthy stayed with them and we had a tight first half, he got injured and Barry came on then we couldn’t get near them resulting in the late goal.

The team yesterday had Wirtz who can barely get above jogging speed, Isak who is immobile, Salah can’t run past anyone anymore, and Van Dijk and Robertson have lost all their pace. And they still made it look like men vs boys. Garner Gueye KDH chasing shadows around.

Even the most rudimentary football manager can set up a team to go out and smash the opposition around a bit and put them off their rhythm. Wolves did it against them, Burnley did, Christ even Plymouth did it.

We make it look like it would take a divine act of god for us to knock one of them off the ball in midfield.

It’s absolutely embarrassing. I don’t care what people say about ‘we played well’. From the first minute we kicked the ball to them and every player just got into a low/mid block and started shuffling sideways across the pitch getting nowhere near them. Then when we do get it instead of playing forward we go back straight away and then just booted it back to them.

We accepted inferiority from the first minute whereas any derby pre 2000 the first few minutes would have been an absolute war for the ball with body liners being thrown around.

We just bent over for them.

I was thinking the same earlier. Moyes in his first spell lost a lot of derbies but we also won 4 by being a physical team. Cahill and the rest of them took no prisoners and handed a few reducers out before the cards were shown and we had a little bit of pace and we're more direct.

I think the difference is in Moyes now. The last three derbies since he returned we've tried to remain 'calmer' and carry the ball a lot to them - I dont want a return to direct play, but in a derby and especially at home in that atmosphere we needed the blue touch paper lit with a meaty challenge or two and really force that lot to think whether they fancied a fight yesterday.

 

[davek]

Carsley would be a bold appointment, he’s got a decent mentality. He’d probably be my first choice if it had to be an ex player. I don’t think TFG will go that route though.

Forgot about him yeah. He's another who knows how to get a derby won.

 

[davek]

As much as I love Baines he's not managerial material in my opinion. He's not assertive enough to be a manager

Based on what?

You dont have to be running round like a headless chicken. A cool heading a derby in the dugout can be an advantage. That doesn't mean he cant also be demanding in the dressing room.

 

[Juissi]

David Moyes is a decent gaffer, no doubt, but let’s not kid ourselves, he’s nowhere near a top-five Premier League manager. He’s got his strengths: sets teams up well defensively, squeezes everything he can out of the players, and knows how to grind out results when he’s the underdog. Fair play, he’s proven he can get results on a shoestring. There’s a bit of an old-school vibe about his teams too. But if you’re expecting slick, possession-heavy football, you’re watching the wrong manager. His biggest issues are the lack of tactical flexibility and a tendency to play it too safe.

With Moyes, you’re pretty much guaranteed a comfortable mid-table finish. The real question is what the club actually wants. Is there ambition, is there money to improve the squad, and are there genuinely better options out there? With the current squad, it’s hard to see anyone doing massively better anyway.

 

[Rollo Tomassi]

I don't think Moyes is that bothered about losing derbies.

Like Arsenal, City, Utd, he's sees those clubs in a league of their own.

He hopes they'll have a really bad day (which they did yday imo) and we perform above ourselves and (very) occasionally that happens.

Knife to gunfight innit.

I bet you if he managed Celtic he wouldn't get away with such a dismal record in derbies and he wouldn't dare say the things he has about the opposition either.

 

[Marcus Kendall]

Based on what?

You dont have to be running round like a headless chicken. A cool heading a derby in the dugout can be an advantage. That doesn't mean he cant also be demanding in the dressing room.

Based on his shyness as a player. I think coaching players he's fine with as he has technical knowledge to impart but being a boss in front of strong personalities I don't think would suit his character. Highly subjective I know Davek and an opinion based on a hunch

 

[PITA]

That'd have some credibility if they hadn't been beaten by Palace, Brentford, Forest, B'mouth. Wolves and Brighton.

We've lost to Brentford, Bournemouth and Wolves as well as Leeds and Spurs.

 

[brittcop1]

I bet you if he managed Celtic he wouldn't get away with such a dismal record in derbies and he wouldn't dare say the things he has about the opposition either.

100%

 

[GoldenToffee]

Never get anywhere with Moyes and his defence-first mindset.

Perfect if you just want to avoid relegation and have a flirtation with the outer European slots when multiple teams are underperforming (Newcastle, Spurs, heck even big-spenders Forest), but how many times this season has he gone into games clearly wanting to take a 0-0, even against crap opposition?

How many times has he hung the team out to dry by leaving clearly knackered players on for far too long or quite often for the full 90 minutes?

Let's not forget, HE signed off on ALL transfers. The multiple failures from last summer are on him.

January frightened the life out of me when it was clear the owners were not willing to invest in the squad and give a genuine European push a go.

Their last chance for me is this summer—huge investment needed.

 

[Gilbert..]

Everton must have lost. Just having a quick scroll through all i can see is this little orange blob on every page that hasnt been there for weeks.
Yawn.

 

[PITA]

3 wins 10 draws 25 defeats against them since he first joined us... and that doesnt even include the semi final.
You do begin to wonder why is he so afraid of them.

Including cup games I reckon that he has managed in derbies on 29 occasions. Where have your numbers come from?

 

[matty1878]

Everton must have lost. Just having a quick scroll through all i can see is this little orange blob on every page that hasnt been there for weeks.
Yawn.

he’s loving it it makes me sick

 

[davek]

Based on his shyness as a player. I think coaching players he's fine with as he has technical knowledge to impart but being a boss in front of strong personalities I don't think would suit his character. Highly subjective I know Davek and an opinion based on a hunch

I didnlt notice that when he was running round all the news agencies telling them tales about Martinez.

There's a snide ruthlessness about Baines, make no mistake about that.

 

[COYBL25]

Everton must have lost. Just having a quick scroll through all i can see is this little orange blob on every page that hasnt been there for weeks.
Yawn.

Don’t worry, he’ll disappear again next time we win.