2025/26 David Moyes

[John from Bootle]

Aznou cost £3m less that Truffert who Moyes turned down in January 2025

It happens. I'd bet truffert is on significantly higher wages.

Anyway, you want us to adopt a strategy like Brighton etc. I've heard it all before mate. They're not the first time to have a good spell due to good good buying and selling. It weren't so long ago it was Southampton and Wolves who were supposedly the models to follow in that regard. How's that worked out for them? I don't want us to buy players to sell on voluntarily. We'll encounter enough players who are doing the business who actually force a move, let's not actively be trying just to make a trading profit on anybody and everybody though because I've yet to see it work for any club over a really long period.

 

[hallamblue]

I don't get your point here????. Are you saying that all we needed to have a decent balanced squad this season was 4 or 5 players? We needed more than that, but was always gonna be difficult with a budget of £100 odd million. And it's not even true anyway. Who are the 4 or 5 new players who haven't been used? Not every transfer works out. I think the only one who's probably a complete write off going forward is Aznou, and he cost less than a decent championship player.

You said we needed 4 or 5 new players and I pointed out that we bought new players and the manager hasn't used them, so it's probably cheaper to get a new manager.

 

[John from Bootle]

You said we needed 4 or 5 new players and I pointed out that we bought new players and the manager hasn't used them, so it's probably cheaper to get a new manager.

Yes we need 4 or 5 new players going forward. Last season we needed 10. Progress. It's not a difficult concept is it? And again who are the 4 or5 players he bought that haven't been used? In an ideal world, every transfer works out. In the real world, it generally doesn't happen. That's why overhauling a squad that needs 10 new players is much more difficult than overhauling a squad that needs 4 or 5.

 

[Eggs]

I'm sure I read that negative teams with no clear plan and the inability to change tactics or make effective substitutions don't win many home games.

…..I went to the Palace home game earlier this season when we were getting beat at half-time. Moyes made a number of changes at the break and turned that one around

 

[DayL08]

It happens. I'd bet truffert is on significantly higher wages.

Anyway, you want us to adopt a strategy like Brighton etc. I've heard it all before mate. They're not the first time to have a good spell due to good good buying and selling. It weren't so long ago it was Southampton and Wolves who were supposedly the models to follow in that regard. How's that worked out for them? I don't want us to buy players to sell on voluntarily. We'll encounter enough players who are doing the business who actually force a move, let's not actively be trying just to make a trading profit on anybody and everybody though because I've yet to see it work for any club over a really long period.

Who cares what wages he’s on if he’s a good player. It will be much less than most of our squad

The players we are developing should be for our team first and foremost. But
naturally players like Ndiaye will play well and want to move to bigger clubs. Happens to every team.

As you say we are bigger than those other clubs so as we progress hopefully more want to stay like they are at Villa.

 

[Blue peter]

….but it’s not ‘flatline stability’, we’ve clearly progressed under Moyes. He’s only had one summer window and inherited a squad used to relegation battles. What you assume is that we won’t progress again next season.

Time will tell.

I think the progression was clear last season under him but not so much this season. There is the ‘eye test’ which I think is borne out by some the stats (admittedly season not yet done) but…

49 points (last season 48)
Position 10th which could go up or down (last season 13th)
Goals scored 46 (last season 42)
Goals against 42 (last season 44)
Goals Difference 0 (last season -2)
Av possession 43% (last season 41%)

He has better midfield / attacking players in Grealish and KDH, whilst was weakened through Branthwaite’s absence. I’m not sure that the progress people speak of has actually been there is any meaningful way given how marginal that comparative stats are.

 

[Curtis]

…..I went to the Palace home game earlier this season when we were getting beat at half-time. Moyes made a number of changes at the break and we won that one.

Why did he have to make changes at the break eggs? Because he set us up incorrectly and we were getting beat that was a rare occurrence of him making changes and the only reason he did it was that we were so woeful. He never makes positive changes to influence the game it's always a reaction

 

[John from Bootle]

Who cares what wages he’s on if he’s a good player.

Farhad Moshiri likes this. We have a budget that we have to stick to mate.

Brighton et al, don't have a strategy of selling players only if they force a move. It's their model to sell at a decent profit whenever possible. I'm glad you agree that we shouldn't be following their example.

 

[Blue peter]

There’s also a portion of the fanbase who think because we haven’t flirted with relegation for the first time in like a decade, and we spent a bit of money last summer (but still not making up for the negative net spend in the previous years and 10 players to replace), we should now be winning things and for some reason think changing managers will make that happen.

Yeah, we could do a palace, win an fa cup out the blue, play in the lowest tier of European football against the doldrums of Europe and win that. We would love that. Would be incredible.

But if we then just go back to mid table obscurity like they have and will continue to do with as little chance as they ever did of winning another trophy, then it feels a bit pointless.

Is it not sensible to build to a point where we can then challenge for trophies consistently?

Is one trophy now and then nothing for a decade or more, better than 3/4/5 years of building (hopefully with European games etc) and the opportunity for trophies every year?

One trophy now is better than anything. We’ve been building and surviving for 30 years so winning a trophy regardless of how long until the next one is not pointless.

 

[Eggs]

Why did he have to make changes at the break eggs? Because he set us up incorrectly and we were getting beat that was a rare occurrence of him making changes and the only reason he did it was that we were so woeful. He never makes positive changes to influence the game it's always a reaction

….if I remember rightly, he started Dibling and Barry which was seen as positive, maybe played Ndiaye in the no10 that many on here suggested. Dibling and Barry hooked at HT, Ndiaye switched back to the wing with Alcaraz and Beto coming on to change the game.

 

[DayL08]

Well Palace haven't really progressed at all. They'll finish 12th, again. Brilliant work.

We're not Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford or Palace. We're a much bigger club. Why on earth would you want us to adopt a strategy that smaller clubs do to finish mid table every season.

Accusations of bottling it are just lazy. Be honest now, you have no idea. Some would just say we've fell a bit short because we're still not actually a very good team.

we have quite clearly bottled it. Are we worse than Brighton, Brentford or Bournemouth

After Chelsea a lot of Moyes out fans said that he should get another year if he gets Europe even though they were disappointed by the lack of development of the younger players. Europe would have been worth it. Now we have players who have wasted a year of development and no Europe

A lot said if we can beat a poor Liverpool team then maybe we are wrong and Moyes has changed. We didn’t

We got 3 points out of 15 when the league opened up and was there for the taking.

Moyes is what he is. A good but limited manager.

 

[John from Bootle]

we have quite clearly bottled it. Are we worse than Brighton, Brentford or Bournemouth

After Chelsea a lot of Moyes out fans said that he should get another year if he gets Europe even though they were disappointed by the lack of development of the younger players. Europe would have been worth it. Now we have players who have wasted a year of development and no Europe

A lot said if we can beat a poor Liverpool team then maybe we are wrong and Moyes has changed. We didn’t

We got 3 points out of 15 when the league opened up and was there for the taking.

Moyes is what he is. A good but limited manager.

I think they all have more rounded squads than us, yes.

 

[DayL08]

Farhad Moshiri likes this. We have a budget that we have to stick to mate.

Brighton et al, don't have a strategy of selling players only if they force a move. It's their model to sell at a decent profit whenever possible. I'm glad you agree that we shouldn't be following their example.

What a stupid comment. Truffert must be on what £40k a week. Much less than the contracts just given to players like Keane by Moyes

I assume you think Moyes should get a new contract - say 3 years. Do you think he’ll win a trophy in that time.

 

[John from Bootle]

What a stupid comment. Truffert must be on what £40k a week. Much less than the contracts just given to players like Keane by Moyes

I assume you think Moyes should get a new contract - say 3 years. Do you think he’ll win a trophy in that time.

It's not a stupid comment at all. The budget we used for Aznou is clearly less than what it would have cost for Truffert. Moyes obviously made the decision that he felt he could rely on Myko for this season, and we needed to sure up other positions. Correct decision? Impossible to say, tbh, it's what ifs. I think people underestimate how bare this squad was in the summer. We were down to 12 senior players. That would have been 10 players if we'd not retained Gana and Keane, neither of whom cost a transfer fee, obvs.

 

[DayL08]

It's not a stupid comment at all. The budget we used for Aznou is clearly less than what it would have cost for Truffert. Moyes obviously made the decision that he felt he could rely on Myko for this season, and we needed to sure up other positions. Correct decision? Impossible to say, tbh, it's what ifs. I think people underestimate how bare this squad was in the summer. We were down to 12 senior players. That would have been 10 players if we'd not retained Gana and Keane, neither of whom cost a transfer fee, obvs.

An extra £20k a week max that Truffert is getting over Aznou is not affecting our budget. If Moyes thought than Myko and OBrien were the way to go at full back then that’s an indictment in itself.

Do you think Moyes should get a new contract and, if so, do you think he will win a trophy in that time

Glasner is available and is on the verge of his third major trophy in 4 years. Is that not a better way to go.

As you note we are a much bigger club than Palace so should have no problem getting him to come if we show him our ambition.