James Garner said the ambition showcased by David Moyes and the performances at the start of this season have started to create belief that Everton are doing more than just surviving
David Moyes, Harrison Armstrong and James Garner celebrate Everton's victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
David Moyes, Harrison Armstrong and James Garner celebrate Everton's victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
James Garner still replays the moment in his mind. Sun shining. Full house. The ball rolling into his path. A perfect strike. A bulging net. The roar of 50,000 supporters.
It was the type of goal he, like millions of others, spent his childhood trying to pull off, wheeling away in celebration to the sound of the internal commentator screaming his name as though it was beamed live on TV. This one was.
Remembering his 'special' strike in Everton's first competitive match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Garner said: “I don’t think people talk about how good a feeling scoring a goal is at any level of football, but then you put the context into it – 50-odd thousand people, it wasn’t just a tap-in but a screamer… it’s literally the stuff you do when you’re on the playground or playing on the streets with your mates as a kid.
“You’d create a situation like that and scream your name out as you hit it like a commentator. To live out a moment like that was surreal, really. It’s special. I want more of those now.”
It was a goal that sealed a perfect start to a new life for the Blues at their new home and a core memory that will never be forgotten by a fanbase finally able to dream of a better future after years of struggle.
The second goal in the 2-0 win over Brighton, it also kick-started the campaign of a player who is also hoping his fortunes have changed, and of a team that had disappointed days earlier in the season-opening defeat at Leeds United.
The prospect of another false dawn felt frustratingly real after that miserable Monday night at Elland Road. But then came Brighton and the wins that followed over Mansfield Town and Wolves that created a surge of momentum the likes of which has not been felt at Everton in August in years.
The Blues returned with a goalless draw against Aston Villa at the weekend and that it was a result that caused disappointment only served to show the progress made since David Moyes returned to the club in January, losing his first game to the same opposition after inheriting a team in a desperate relegation battle he swiftly pulled them away from.
Garner has not been at Everton through all the troubles of the last few years - he missed the initial descent into relegation strife that ended with a famous, survival-clinching comeback win against Crystal Palace under Frank Lampard.
He has seen a lot, though, signing the following the summer as part of an effort to consign the previous season’s fight to a one-off blip.
Another gruelling battle followed though, then a season in which points deductions created further Championship jeopardy before last season, when Moyes’ intervention proved crucial and the foundation for the optimism now being enjoyed was laid.
Looking back, the 24-year-old told Everton club media: “My first three years here have been pretty tough, overall. I’ve had a couple injuries which were tough to come through at the time. Then the wider situation at the club for a lot of the time has been quite negative and it’s always hard to thrive in that environment, so I’m happy to be where I am now – everything is looking positive with the club, the new stadium, the fans.
“I’m hoping this is the start of a much more positive year with us all looking forward. I’m hoping I can thrive in what is a much more positive situation. I feel like the first few games have shown that. I'm playing with a little bit more confidence, a little bit more freedom and I want it to carry that on for the rest of the season.
“Of course, there will be tough moments but I want to keep feeling that positivity and I know I’ll do everything I can to help contribute to that.”
The nine new team-mates that arrived over the summer have helped raise hopes for this season. Garner hopes the attacking prowess of the likes of Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Tyler Dibling will unleash a skillset he has previously been unable to utilise.
With Everton’s plight having been one of survival since he joined in the summer of 2022 his focus has been on defending at all costs. There has been little time for possession-based football and little encouragement for him to find the clever through balls to forward runners that he showed he was capable of with his stunning assist to Beto in the win over Leicester City earlier this year.
Garner said: “It’s been great having the new lads in because as a midfielder, having that quality ahead of me so I can make those passes, so I can risk the ball a little bit more, is massive. Maybe in the past two years we've been a little bit safer and more direct at times, but now we’ve got the quality to be a bit more thought out.
“I feel like we risk the ball a little bit more in the right areas. We trust each other, trust in the ability of each other. We’ve brought in four or five players who are really good technically and that’s really important for the team and also for me as an individual because it lifts the level and it helps me if I want to be adding more assists to my game.”
For all his ability on the ball, it is his versatility that has been relied upon so far this season. With injuries on the left of the defence, Garner has started three of the four Premier League matches at left back - a position he had not played before the defeat at Leeds.
Yet despite that, he is pleased with his start to the campaign and has received the backing of his manager too, Moyes pushing his name forward for England contention - which is the ultimate goal of a player who rose through the youth international ranks and was part of the team that won the 2023 European Championships at Under-21s level.
Moyes, like Garner, is driven by ambition and there is a real belief that he can push the team forward this year.
The former Manchester United and Nottingham Forest midfielder said: “He said to us on day one that he’s not come here to take over a team that’s fighting against relegation – he said it again on day one of pre-season. He sets high standards and we know where we want to be.
“We’ve got a few more faces in over the summer and with the quality we have in the squad now, we all agree with the manager – if you want to achieve big things, then you’ve got to set your standards and your goals high.
“I think you can see it in us. There is a mentality shift. We’re playing with more confidence, going into games thinking how we are going to take all three points, it’s not just surviving.”