2025/26 David Moyes

[DualityNSNO]

Plenty did mate, hence the jokes about Dixon and Patterson. Our squad/bench was often so incredibly poor, we had nothing.

Coincidentally, watched Forest yesterday, they made 2 subs at half time. Dont think he ever did that at us.

Moyes has the same problem now compared to other teams - but nowhere near as bad as it was - because we spent a club record amount in the summer. Half of them are sat on the bench.

We also had JOB who wasn't even given a runout, but that's beside the point now as it's long gone.

I'm not surprised he had players to make 2 subs at HT, given they've spent half a billion on the squad and have/had a hilarious amount of players on the books. Still lost and relied on set pieces and "someboydy, do something!" - luckily he has a few of those so it'll likely work out at some point (and probably against us).

Moyes' problems with playing new (and especially younger) players is nothing new in itself though, we knew what we were getting with him on that front. Dibling is frustratingly nowhere to be found, but we get to marvel at the brilliance of McNeil for some reason - classic Moyes selections. We'll probably see him during the AFCON or in an injury crisis (and "he won't be ready" as he's not played), but to expect him to cement a place in the team would be completely out of character for our Davey.

 

[DualityNSNO]

Sounds like he wants the Newcastle job if ever it comes up!

I also want to fall upwards into a job like that

 

[Lanolin]

Haha those idiots!

No one's ever argued against the squad being light - Dyche picked things that didn't work and kept picking them, not giving any option a chance, which was always the criticism, and there's no need to move this specific goalpost for some reason.

It's the same principle now though isn't it? This time last year people were incredulous that we weren't picking Jesper Lindstom - a loan who was clearly brought in as a last minute squad filler and is now just a month away from going three entire years without scoring a competitive goal - but now seem happy enough saying that Tyler Dibling (a £35m+ signing by this manager) and Dwight McNeil, a proven PL player who has previously been seen as one of our best attacking options, don't count as proper options. Not playing O'Brien or Beto was supposedly scandalous too, but fast forward 12 months and O'Brien still finds himself behind Keane in the pecking order and has shown why he wasn't used at right back earlier, and Beto can't get in ahead of a bloke who is heading into Christmas having not even managed a shot on target.

 

[Swartzy]

It's the same principle now though isn't it? This time last year people were incredulous that we weren't picking Jesper Lindstom - a loan who was clearly brought in as a last minute squad filler and is now just a month away from going three entire years without scoring a competitive goal - but now seem happy enough saying that Tyler Dibling (a £35m+ signing by this manager) and Dwight McNeil, a proven PL player who has previously been seen as one of our best attacking options, don't count as proper options. Not playing O'Brien or Beto was supposedly scandalous too, but fast forward 12 months and O'Brien still finds himself behind Keane in the pecking order and has shown why he wasn't used at right back earlier, and Beto can't get in ahead of a bloke who is heading into Christmas having not even managed a shot on target.

He did get the ball in the net, but i think it was more that the goal got in the way of where the ball was heading.

 

[Efcjake]

It's the same principle now though isn't it? This time last year people were incredulous that we weren't picking Jesper Lindstom - a loan who was clearly brought in as a last minute squad filler and is now just a month away from going three entire years without scoring a competitive goal - but now seem happy enough saying that Tyler Dibling (a £35m+ signing by this manager) and Dwight McNeil, a proven PL player who has previously been seen as one of our best attacking options, don't count as proper options. Not playing O'Brien or Beto was supposedly scandalous too, but fast forward 12 months and O'Brien still finds himself behind Keane in the pecking order and has shown why he wasn't used at right back earlier, and Beto can't get in ahead of a bloke who is heading into Christmas having not even managed a shot on target.

Don't know about this not with any certainty. How much is it preferring Keane over JOB and how much of it is the fact that we don't have any right back we can trust?

Not playing Beto was scandalous when DCL had hit 20 matches without scoring and still was starting every week. Beto has stopped scoring now so there's no difference between him and Barry.

 

[Lanolin]

Don't know about this not with any certainty. How much is it preferring Keane over JOB and how much of it is the fact that we don't have any right back we can trust?

Not playing Beto was scandalous when DCL had hit 20 matches without scoring and still was starting every week. Beto has stopped scoring now so there's no difference between him and Barry.

BUT BUT BUT. Come on, O'Brien was dropped for Garner and Keane kept his place. He hasn't been picked at centre half when we've had other options in any league game since Moyes took over, it's ridiculous to say we don't know because we absolutely do. Is Beto scoring less now than he was when DCL was playing? Certainly not to any noticeable extent. It's the same thing, it's a bit embarrassing to pretend otherwise.

 

[Efcjake]

BUT BUT BUT. Come on, O'Brien was dropped for Garner and Keane kept his place. He hasn't been picked at centre half when we've had other options in any league game since Moyes took over, it's ridiculous to say we don't know because we absolutely do.

Keane kept his place because he hasn't done anything to lose it. I don't think it necessarily means he's now seen as first choice to play centre back over JOB. You're basing it on match when JOB was dropped, presumably for form but it might have just been he was up all night with his young baby. We don't know.

All those matches you say he wasn't picked for centre half we also haven't had any other right back to choose from beyond a one legged Coleman and the invisible kid himself Patterson. Moyes has had no options but to play JOB at right back or moving Garner there and considerably weakening the midfield.

Is Beto scoring less now than he was when DCL was playing? Certainly not to any noticeable extent. It's the same thing, it's a bit embarrassing to pretend otherwise.

Beto isn't scoring any less or more but the point there was that Dyche was persisting with a striker that hadn't scored in 20 consecutive matches.

That striker, whoever it was, had to be dropped for someone else.

What's embarrassing is pretending that didn't need to happen.

 

[kiss the crest]

Today's press conference, Moyes is a bit annoyed that he is being questioned on his comments after Newcastle and doesn't like the questions that Guilia Bould asked, he seemed to close her down quickly and basically say it is what it is.

Dyche beat Newcastle 3-0 with lesser player than we have now.

Moyes needs to change his mentality quickly otherwise he will be hounded out.

This is what i hated last time he was in charge, kept saying plucky Everton and knife to a gun fight etc.

I am bored

 

[Lanolin]

Keane kept his place because he hasn't done anything to lose it. I don't think it necessarily means he's now seen as first choice to play centre back over JOB. You're basing it on match when JOB was dropped, presumably for form but it might have just been he was up all night with his young baby. We don't know.

All those matches you say he wasn't picked for centre half we also haven't had any other right back to choose from beyond a one legged Coleman and the invisible kid himself Patterson. Moyes has had no options but to play JOB at right back or moving Garner there and considerably weakening the midfield.



Beto isn't scoring any less or more but the point there was that Dyche was persisting with a striker that hadn't scored in 20 consecutive matches.

That striker, whoever it was, had to be dropped for someone else.

What's embarrassing is pretending that didn't need to happen.

I'm not pretending it didn't need to happen? I'm saying it's just the same thing now not that Dyche was 'right'. The fact is Beto isn't very good, he isn't now and he wasn't then. There was of course an argument that we should drop DCL for him just to see if he had a bit more luck (in much the same way as you could say the same now about Barry who hasn't managed a shot on target in 15 competitive games for the club (or about 5 friendlies) and who's only scored 4 goals in 2025, but in both cases it would just be a shot in the dark not a change that is likely to have a positive effect. The point isn't that either Moyes or Dyche is right or wrong, it's that the options aren't good enough. They weren't last year but people pretended they were, they aren't this year but people are more accepting of it.

Keane is just blatantly ahead of O'Brien in the pecking order and pretending otherwise is weird. Saying 'he's got no option other than the 2 right backs who've been on the bench or the one in midfield who he has actually moved to play there both from the start and during games' is daft. If he wanted to play O'Brien at right back he could, but he doesn't. That's not a criticism or an attempt at a gotcha or anything, it's just stating a pretty obvious fact.

 

[Nymzee]

Today's press conference, Moyes is a bit annoyed that he is being questioned on his comments after Newcastle and doesn't like the questions that Guilia Bould asked, he seemed to close her down quickly and basically say it is what it is.

Dyche beat Newcastle 3-0 with lesser player than we have now.

Moyes needs to change his mentality quickly otherwise he will be hounded out.

This is what i hated last time he was in charge, kept saying plucky Everton and knife to a gun fight etc.

I am bored

Erm, Moyes beat Newcastle away last season...

 

[leslad]

Erm, Moyes beat Newcastle away last season...

not necessarily arguing with you (you may well agree with me if so soz), but if he beat Newcastle last season, why make the comments he has made this time around? especially when our squad seems better this year.