"Survival First"

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GrandOldTeam

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David Moyes claims Everton are planning no further ahead than securing their Premier League status, with top-flight survival their priority.

The Toffees have moved into mid-table over recent weeks and are only seven points worse off than Newcastle, who made a flying start to the season.

It appears as though a top-six challenge may be beyond them, but they are handily positioned to try and match their seventh-place finish from 2010/11.

Moyes, though, insists talk of top-half challenges can wait for now, with the club needing to double their tally and get to the 40-point mark before they can start setting loftier targets.

He said: "I can only look at our games and I am only looking to, first of all, get 40 points. Once I have got 40 points I will see what I can do after that.

"That has got to be the target for us just now and make sure we are not at the wrong end of the table."

Everton's next outing takes them to Sunderland on Boxing Day, and Moyes will be looking for his side to build on a welcome 1-0 victory over Swansea in their final fixture before Christmas.

Kick-start

Pressed on whether that result could represent a turning point in the Toffees' season, Moyes said: "I just see it as three vital points.

"The game was really tight and there wasn't a great deal in it.

"I thought we had the best of it and deserved to win the game, but there have been other games where teams have had one chance in the second half and it could have gone in.

"I thought we had chances in the first half and could have gone in one or two up and you could have been saying it was a more comfortable victory.

"But for us the games have been tight, so I don't know if it will kick-start anything at all. We won a couple of games a few weeks ago and we thought that might be the case.

"We have now got three away out of the next four games and that is tough. There is no point me saying this is the start and then finding we can't back it up."

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7393323/?

What do you all think of the survival first messages being pushed my Moyes, and the Club?

It's fair to say even his biggest fans, myself included, are becoming withered with our manager. Granted, we're only poor old Everton, and we're incredibly fortunate to have a manager of David Moyes' standing - or at least that's what the media have rammed down our throat for years, but should he be again almost publicly belittling us and telling the world (and indeed potential transfer targets like Ever Banega who has just told the world he'll only join a Club offering a super project) that we're amongst the relegation fodder?

Where's the logic in this?

While asking that very question, where's the logic in scowling on the prospect of the Swansea result spearing a good run of form? Heaven forbid any ambition.

Where's the logic on casting doubt on whether his confidence devoid team can back up any of his positive words?

Where's the logic in, point blank telling the media prior the Chelsea game that he can't see us even looking like scoring? Even Sharpy couldn't condone that.

Back when he arrived in 2002, we couldn't afford to look any further ahead than securing survival.

His job, through his own constant admission, is to raise expectations;

At the end of the game Everton's fans chanted "we're going to win the league" and Moyes refused to rule out that possibility.
"We were all singing it in the bath," he joked. "It's a manager's job to raise expectations. If we can keep this going a bit longer then who knows what can happen."

What's going on then?

Nearly ten years on, is our squad not any better than what it was then? - If it is better, then why is our manager's expectations the same as what it was on day one?

The easy answer is to point a finger at the board - but I don't think our manager is paid the money he is, and is in a privileged position as he is to be so defeatist and dare I say, cowardly?
 

If he says "we're pushing for Europe" he'll be criticised as being unrealistic.

"if he says we're looking after survival first" he'll be criticised as being unambitious or worse portrayed by some as "negative".

Frankly he's had to sell a load of players off and hasn't been able to replace them. So at the moment realism is the best thing for everyone. We've been struggling to score, and that dented confidence.

The lack of finances means our peaks are shorter and are troughs deeper in terms of form. Because more money means you can adjust and have flexibility to keep the team peaking for longer by bringing in players when you need to!



Its time he had some proper backing. From a different board at EFC. One focused on infrastructure and making the club financially self sufficient to back the manager.
 

He's been forced into that by having to shed 6 maybe 8 players and only being able to bring two in on loan and one out of contract.

Would you be saying anything else in terms of ambition then?
 
He's got no ambition anymore. To be fair to him he's had that knocked out of him by the board who failed to get investment at two crucial moments in his tenure when we could have gone to the next level.

My gripe with Moyes is that he's now more part of the off-field con-trick: selling assets off and keeping his mouth shut for the sake of his wages. He's part of the problem now.
 
If that's genuine realism - then the protest groups can sign me up.

All depends on who he's allowed to bring in in January and if the current board et al. try on the sly not to sign anyone, even shedding more and basically taking the p**s.

There is no real excuse for us not being able to sign players this January between funds taken in, and costs saved over the past 6 months.
 
He's got no ambition anymore. To be fair to him he's had that knocked out of him by the board who failed to get investment at two crucial moments in his tenure when we could have gone to the next level.

My gripe with Moyes is that he's now more part of the off-field con-trick: selling assets off and keeping his mouth shut for the sake of his wages. He's part of the problem now.

Is he hell as like.
 
All depends on

No it doesn't. It doesn't depend on anything. If our manager is openly telling the world that avoiding relegation is his number 1 target - then there's something desperately wrong.

But then, I think the squad we have is underperforming - and still, I wouldn't consider us relegation fodder. I think most would agree.

No matter how incredibly fortunate we are to have David Moyes managing little Everton, he shouldn't be allowed to rest on his laurels and be making statements like "Avoiding relegation is our ultimate aim" and "I can't see us looking like scoring against Chelsea", should he?

It's a simple one. Should David Moyes be telling world football that we're candidates for relegation?
 

No it doesn't. It doesn't depend on anything. If our manager is openly telling the world that avoiding relegation is his number 1 target - then there's something desperately wrong.

But then, I think the squad we have is underperforming - and still, I wouldn't consider us relegation fodder. I think most would agree.

No matter how incredibly fortunate we are to have David Moyes managing little Everton, he shouldn't be allowed to rest on his laurels and be making statements like "Avoiding relegation is our ultimate aim" and "I can't see us looking like scoring against Chelsea", should he?

It's a simple one. Should David Moyes be telling world football that we're candidates for relegation?

Is it though?

Our two most creative players sold. With one brought in on loan. We're still fairly unbalanced as a result and I said in the summer we could have done with two wingers one on each flank. Plus I do think we need to be looking at a goal scorer (at least someone short term until Vellios is truly ready to lead a line).


You're also confusing an aim - at this present moment in time - before January, with an "ultimate aim" forever.

Simply because I doubt he knows 100% on which players he's going to be able to get in in January. Therefore despite what Davek would have you believe it's a dig at the board.

i.e. with the current restrictions placed on him/squad.

Something Davek doesn't do. SUBTLETY.
 
You're also confusing an aim - at this present moment in time - before January, with an "ultimate aim" forever.

I'm not.

Here he is , back in August, saying the same thing, that we are relegation contenders.

Simply because I doubt he knows 100% on which players he's going to be able to get in in January. Therefore despite what Davek would have you believe it's a dig at the board.

Well mate, if things are really that grim, it's time to go beyond a subtle dig - it's time he rattled the cage of the tools in our boardroom.
 
I'm not.

Here he is , back in August, saying the same thing, that we are relegation contenders.



Well mate, if things are really that grim, it's time to go beyond a subtle dig - it's time he rattled the cage of the tools in our boardroom.

If you're going to win a war not just a battle against an enemy who outnumbers you and has superior firepower - you've got to use guerrilla tactics.

Its called "shaping the battlefield". You out manoeuvre your enemy. You DO NOT go for a direct confrontation unless you know 100% you'll get what you want.

You don't just go in their with a sledge hammer. You nibble away at the board with subtle statements which ring in their ears.

Your move Bill. Your move...
 

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