Everton must find new Moyes
So given all this what strategy should the club adopt if they do decide they have to move on again?
Given that they can’t attract the top coaches with well-established reputations, in a sense I think what Everton need is to find a 2019 version of David Moyes. He arrived at Goodison Park when the club was struggling back in March 2002.
Circumstances were a little bit similar to today. I remember back then the Blues had been through several mangers without making any real progress for a number of seasons.
Also at that time the Toffees were owned by a relatively wealthy individual who was attempting to use that money to quickly turn around the club’s on-field fortunes whilst also trying to build a new stadium.
First the late, great Howard Kendall came back for his third spell to try and re-kindle past glories. Of course it didn’t work and then the club turned to Walter Smith who had enjoyed great success with Rangers in Scotland.
Despite his past achievements and a relatively considerable amount of money being spent on players, again he couldn’t bring success back to Goodison Park.
So, as the Blues faced possible relegation in that 2001-02 season, Chairman Bill Kenwright pulled the trigger on Smith and brought in a virtually unknown manager then at Preston North End – Moyes.
He kept the Blues up and then slowly but surely began to transform the team’s fortunes. So much so that eventually Everton were regularly finishing in the top eight and even top six, despite a chronic lack of money.
Perhaps most enjoyably, Moyes’s side even finished above Liverpool on three or four occasions, including memorably when the side ended up fourth and qualified for the Champions League in 2004-05.
His style, particularly at first, was very much based on solid defence, great organisation and hard work. Gradually though he improved the football and grafted onto his sides more quality players like Steven Piennar, Leighton Baines and Mikel Arteta.
It wasn’t always pretty to watch but it functioned well at a time when many other higher-profile coaches like Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez were actually playing in a similar way.
Obviously the game has changed since then. Today the emphasis is much more on possession and high-energy pressing and attacking football.
The issue though rather than style or attacking intent, is that Moyes brought discipline, structure, identity and consistency to his Everton teams. These all seem to be missing at the moment.
So who might be that new version of Moyes? One manager I am increasingly impressed by is Norwich City’s Daniel Farke.
He’s not quite the relative unknown Moyes was its true, but the German coach wasn’t a headline-grabbing name either when he took over at Carrow Road.
He has had a transformative effect in sleepy East Anglia since then. He lifted Norwich out of the Championship in just over a year, winning the title in fine style last season.
Farke’s team often play a very high-intensity, pressing and attacking game, which is much in-vogue in the Premier League and he resembles his countryman Jurgen Klopp’s passionate attitude and approach in many ways.
Might he be able to emulate Klopp’s achievements, (however much it sticks in the craw to admit it), if given the right resources at a wealthier more established club like… Everton?
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Even though they are attack-minded, Norwich are also a pretty well-organised side at the back. It’s true that Norwich lost again last weekend away to Crystal Palace.
However these kinds of results are not unexpected with a very low-budget side that is trying to bridge that gap to the Premier League.
Given the relative lack of squad depth at his disposal, injury problems and some tough early games, it’s not surprising they have come unstuck sometimes.
It will be interesting to see how this season unfolds and whether Farke can emulate his compatriot Wagner, and keep the Canaries up while still playing the same kind of expansive football.