Sean Graham
David Moyes has one or two reasons to smile these days, not only did he celebrate his 46th birthday recently, but he has guided his Everton team to this season’s FA Cup final where the millionaires of Chelsea await. Moyes has reason for confidence too with his Everton showing in the 0-0 at Stamford Bridge that they can compete with Guus Hiddink’s men. Everton’s cup run has already proven what they can do to so called ‘bigger’ sides, having dumped out Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United on the way to Wembley..
David Moyes is entering his eighth year as manager of Everton Football Club, and as each and every year passes the Scotsman is growing into one of the Premier League’s brightest and most talented managers. Moyes has had to deal with a budget that is not anywhere near the level many of his league rivals enjoy, but is that what makes the man so good?
Maybe it is the fact that he enjoys a good working relationship with his chairman Bill Kenwright, who claims that his manager is the best in the world. If Everton do go on to lift the FA Cup and guarantee their place in Europe, Moyes will be given legendary status among the long suffering Evertonians who share their chairman and manager’s passion and desire for success.
As a player, David Moyes played as a centre-back for one half of the Old Firm in Glasgow before going on to play for Cambridge United, Bristol City, Shrewsbury Town, Dunfermline Athletic, Hamilton and Preston North End before going on to manage the club.
Being at a club the size of Celtic and being involved with a club that breeds a winning mentality must have rubbed off and stood him in good stead as he moved to the other clubs in his playing career.
Moyes played under Billy McNeill his time at Celtic and as well as both being central defenders who better to have for advice and to look up to than the first British man to captain a side to a European Cup victory, when Celtic beat Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon.
The Everton boss has continued to learn throughout his career and it is no wonder that he is being taken notice of on both sides of the border and beyond.
Moyes has spent most of his career looking at the possibility of going into management, taking his coaching badges at the age of just 22, and compiling files on various managers and their tactics and techniques.
When he finished playing at Preston the natural progression was to take a position as a coach at that same club. Then came a spell as assistant manager, and finally Moyes was appointed Preston’s boss in 1998.
The club avoided relegation that season and under Moyes they went on to reach the playoffs just missing out on promotion.
This disappointment just made this determined young Scot even more eager to take the club to success and this he did, guiding them to the Division Two title and promotion to Division One.
This was a fantastic achievement but he was to go one better when he guided his Preston squad to the playoffs in Division One with mostly the same group of players.
The team lost the playoffs and then soon after they lost their manager as Everton came calling, deciding Moyes was the man for them after they had parted company with fellow Scot Walter Smith.
Before taking the job, Moyes spoke at great length with his predecessor and Smith gave his former employers a glowing reference.
David Moyes became the new manager of Everton on 14th March 2002, and in his first press conference he became an instant hit with the Evertonians:
“I am from a city (Glasgow) that is not unlike Liverpool. I am joining the people’s football club. The majority of people you meet on the street are Everton fans. It is a fantastic opportunity, something you dream about. I said “yes” right away as it is such a big club.”
David Moyes got off to a dream start as Everton manager winning his first game 2-1 and a string of good results saw them safe from relegation.
He knew that this was a massive club and he had a massive job on his hands but he almost guided them to UEFA Cup football, only missing out on the last day of the season as they finished seventh, but Moyes was given the LMA Manager of the year.
The following season did not go as well with a points total of 39, the lowest total in the club’s history, but they did avoid relegation.
After the disappointment of the previous season, David Moyes was to bring in one of the club’s best pieces of business on the transfer front when he brought Tim Cahill from Millwall. Cahill is a player who has grown into one of the best modern day players to pull on an Everton shirt.
The club possibly surpassed all expectations that season when they qualified for the Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, Everton got the worst possible draw when they were paired together with Villarreal, and they were unlucky to go out. Things got even worse as they were also dumped out of the UEFA Cup, losing heavily to Dinamo Bucharest, and their league form really suffered with an eventual eleventh place finish.
The following season the club had an improved campaign and UEFA Cup football was secured with a sixth placed finish, and some more shrewd moves in the transfer market followed as Joleon Lescott and Tim Howard were brought in.
As David Moyes and Everton rolled into their sixth year together the consistency was starting to show, and the yearly improvement and quest for a trophy was so nearly ended as a respectable fifth place was secured and a semi-final of the Carling Cup were reached, only losing out to Chelsea. Europe proved a happy hunting ground too as the last 16 of the UEFA Cup was achieved, with Everton going out on penalties to Fiorentina, a game they came so close to winning after being 2-0 down from the first leg they fought back to level the tie, only to lose out on the heartbreak of penalty kicks.
The Everton support and manager knew that the club were on the right road now, and despite the fact that the club may not be blessed with the riches of some of their rivals, they have a chairman who would bleed blue blood if he cut his little finger!
Kenwright and his board have given David Moyes the funds when they can and as well as bringing in various players like Joseph Yobo, Mikel Arteta, Phil Neville, Tim Cahill, Tim Howard and Louis Saha to name but a few, the club have also broken their transfer record with the signings of James Beattie (now Stoke City), Andrew Johnson (now Fulham), Yakubu and Marouane Fellaini, who cost a huge £15M.
The turn of fortunes under David Moyes is even more unbelievable this season as the Blues have had to do without a recognised striker, and the loss of many key players including Arteta and Yakubu for most of the season.
The Everton manager has had to deal with many things at his football club including the sale of one of its prised assets in Wayne Rooney, but he has always handled himself as a model professional to his players, it is no wonder that his small squad would run through a brick wall for the man.
It has taken time but Moyes’ Premier League record has improved over the years and getting to a Carling Cup semi-final and the last 16 of a European competition is nothing short of remarkable progression for Everton.
Some may Everton getting to their first FA Cup final since 1995 has been a long time coming, and they would be right.
David Moyes himself would tell you that his record in the FA Cup has not been the greatest, losing in previous seasons against Shrewsbury, Fulham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Blackburn, but that is all behind them now as they look forward to their trip to Wembley.
There cannot be many managers or many teams or fans of other clubs that would deny that Everton and their hard working boss David Moyes deserve success. And success is surely coming their way in the future. What the manager, the players, the chairman and most of all the long suffering Evertonians want is to see Phil Neville lifting the FA Cup on 30th May. With David Moyes doing the planning they have every chance.
