Well we all knew it was coming, light follows day and all that. We’re off to see “Super David Moyes”, now back firmly embedded in his spiritual home at Everton - Celtic notwithstanding.
Everton obviously knew "exactly what they needed". Moyes has returned to Goodison Park - for a few months that is, before they shift to their new riverside berth at Bramley Dock - and saved them from relegation. He’s good at such things, he saved us twice I recall.
But he doesn’t have “Bowen in attack” or, come to that, “Zouma at the back” - the latter still coining it in Saudi Arabia, although he may well have Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal soon if you believe all that "informed sources" stuff. Up to you.
Let’s hope our travelling fans greet the old fella with respect on Saturday when we all meet up again for the Premier League clash. He hasn’t really had the chance to say farewell. You know, our most successful manager in 30 years who won us a European trophy, our first for 60 years.
I always felt, despite all the nastiness heaped on Moyes towards the end of his second spell as West Ham manager, that it was the away support, and in particular the thousands who enjoyed those three years of away trips, who appreciated him most.
That night in Lyon will live with us all, when he walked back onto the pitch to thank the fans after that magical 3-0 victory. Those were the days.
History overtakes everything eventually, his time came to an end and I’ve no intention of dragging up the old arguments about why and how, we should be past all that by now, although there still seems to be some sad individuals on YouTube who won’t let it go.
It’s over, move on. But don’t forget the good times and what he and his staff did for West Ham in those three years in Europe and that never-to-be-forgotten night in Prague when Moyes did that silly dance down the touchline as Jarrod Bowen raced on to Lucas Paqueta’s dream pass to clinch the European Conference title.
Whatever went wrong after that for Moyes and West Ham, you can’t take that moment away from us or him.
Now let’s get the next bit out of the way, because there will now this week be all sorts of statistics and analysis comparing Moyes’ first few games back Everton and Graham Potter’s more fractious opening games in the West Ham hot seat, vacated eight months ago by Moyes.
It’s too easy these days to be led by statistics, which don’t always prove anything. Potter, after the dismal home defeat by Newcastle, has nine games in charge, won three and drawn one taking 10 points from an available 24. And we are safe from the drop.
Moyes’ return to Everton has been more dramatic. Four wins, four draws from his first ten games, dramatic draws with Liverpool, Manchester United and a win over Spurs, has seen him take 16 points from 24 and be unbeaten in the last eight league games. And the Toffees are safe too.
I’m pleased for Moyes, more so because I worked with him in media for a decade in Liverpool. You get to see at close quarters how a manager works. Constantly in the top eight, European qualification, I sense he is more a legend at Goodison than he was at our place.
He’ll be asked constantly this week about his time at West Ham. He’ll trot out all the usual stuff, his thanks to the board for their support, his thanks to the fans and how much he enjoyed life at West Ham. And he’ll be hell bent on guiding Everton to victory.
For Potter, it’s not exactly the same sort of victory lap that Moyes is on at the moment, but I’m astonished at the amount of stick that West Ham’s head coach is being subjected to. It’s just nine games, people.
He inherited a fractured squad not of his own choosing, five previous managers plus David Sullivan had their parts to play, as well as a technical director who lasted less than six months.
We were broken in spirit and conceding at least two goals a game. In the previous nine matches to Potter taking over, we conceded 20. In Potter’s nine games its 11 goals against. Sorting out the defence was his one and only first objective.
Now he finds himself having to apologise to fans for not doing everything quicker. Sometimes you can’t make this stuff up.
He’s hit on a back five and a functional if not adventurous three-man midfield of James Ward-Prowse, Soucek and Edson Alvarez. And he’s not had a fit striker since he arrived. What do people expect?
He also has a squad who know there are big changes coming in the summer. We are constantly told we are broke and any incoming transfers will have to be funded by sales. Nothing new about that, then.
There are seven highly promising youngsters to have their futures sorted, and that includes the clearly unfit Evan Ferguson. Potter may want him next season but £60m is laughable. And if anyone thinks we can draft half a dozen youngsters into our squad and stay in the Premier League, they are living in cloud cuckoo land.
Lewis Orford is still 18 and needs a season on loan somewhere while Ollie Scarles looks as if he’s cemented his place in the senior squad. However a decision has to be taken on 22 year-old Freddie Potts, who has one year left on his contract and Portsmouth want him back for another season.
He’s done well there, we all saw his excellent performance on TV against Leeds last weekend, but is Potter going to include him in his squad where he may well get less than half of the 27 games he’s played for Pompey this term? The lad has understandably said he wants regular games next season.
Kaelan Casey is 21 in October, and spent all season on the fringes of the first team, while Callum Marshall is 21 in November and has done well on loan at Huddersfield. Though again, is he going to get many games if Potter buys an experienced striker?
George Earthy is 21 in September and has one year remaining on his contract. He’s been involved in 25 games at Bristol City, many from the bench. He’ll want regular games too next term. These are all tough decisions for Potter, and I’d expect more lads to go out on loan next term.
Michail Antonio, Coufal, Aaron Cresswell, Danny Ings and Lukasz Fabianski can all go for free in the summer while Emerson, Carlos Soler, Guido Rodriguez, Andy Irving, Max Cornet, Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme could all be surplus to requirements, while bringing very little money into the club other than the end of some expensive contracts.
Mo Kudus will bring in big money, Dinos Mavropanos less so and Potter seems to want to keep Nayef Aguard, so where does the big money come from for the big refit that is needed? It’s going to be a very disruptive summer, it looks like Antonio and Cresswell will get new deals, you can’t strip a squad to the bone and start again at this level.
So we go to Everton with plenty going on in the background and the need for a good result to boost some confidence and keep the fans onside. Did you see the quantity of empty seats clearly on show for the Newcastle game? Food for thought, that.
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