Moyes, tempering expectations, and the Everton elephants in the room | OneFootball

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The summer is supposed to be a time of optimism. Memories of last season’s shortcomings are getting further in the rear-view mirror, while transfer talk, despite being in large parts fabrication, does provide a bubble of excitement.

Everton are yet to act this summer, andcomments from David Moyes this week have done little to offer encouragement. If the extent of the Everton manager’s ambition is to match Brentford and Bournemouth, the club has the wrong man in charge.

​

That’s not to disrespect either of those clubs. Each have maximised their resources, bought well, turned profits, and impressed while doing so.Bournemouth will play European football next season, something Everton haven’t done for almost a decade.

​

If Moyes meant to follow those basic principles, few would grumble.

​

But it’s impossible to avoid the feeling that this, instead, was a tempering of expectations. For so long, Everton have plodded along contentedly with underdog status.

​

‘Happily dissatisfied’ after a crumbled challenge for European football is a world away from ‘nothing but the best is good enough’.

​

Moyes has contributed to a culture where pride is taken from participation and near misses. His comments this week did not feel like a message to the owners. Some, eternal optimists and Moyes supporters, have suggested the Scot purposely stoked the furore of supporters in a bid to push The Friedkins into action.

I, for one, am not buying that.

​

Whether it’s been trickled down from the top or instead from the man himself, it feels like a deliberate ploy to water down transfer disappointment ahead of time.

​

It’s another mixed message. Everton have gone from projecting plans for ‘world-class players for a world-class stadium’, to naming ‘Moneyball’ recruitment models as the plan.

​

The latter completely ignores the fact that, as things stand, neither club nor manager are suited to that model. Only four teams have won more top-flight titles than the Toffees, and one of those was propelled to such status by state-funded backing. This is not a fanbase that would be content with a steady stream of top talents heading for the exit door each summer, and neither should it be.

​

Moyes, meanwhile, has faced regular criticism for his treatment of young talent. It's an unmissable elephant in the room.

​

Remember Adam Aznou? The exciting Moroccan teenager who spent the season ‘developing’ on the sidelines. What about Tyler Dibling? Talked up as one of England’s most gifted talents, but the proud owner of just four league starts.

​

Where is the evidence that would persuade up-and-coming talent that Everton is an ideal environment to progress?

​

Moyes may feel he is simply being a realist, though that is somewhat ignorant to a fanbase that understands the club's circumstances. No one is more aware than the supporters of a three-decade trophy drought or the financial challenges to end it. Few are demanding success right now.

But, at the very least, can there be some signs of ambition? Preempting excuses solidifies a culture of mediocrity that desperately needs a reset.

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

Jim Bennings 1 Posted 21/06/2026 at 12:50:44

Moyes has always downplayed things, nothing ever happened in the past to suggest otherwise.

I'm not saying this is particularly anything he should be hated for, it's just who he is, he enjoys the underdog tag and I think it was ok when he first took the job way back in 2002, he said the right things then and he was largely untested and a unknown quantity at Premier League level plus after the malaise of the Walter Smith era we were happy to have a bouncy punchy younger man at the helm.

However we are now in 2026, a long way down the line and Moyes is now a 63 year old tried and tested long in the tooth veteran, exposed so we know his every flaw and strength and likewise.

Saying something like this in 2026 just after we have moved to a new stadium that we need try and emulate but not necessarily will achieve the likes of Bournemouth and Brentford is thoroughly depressing.

The silence from owners is no longer a surprise, I doubt these will even own the club in 12 months time so you could say, they aren't really even interested one way or another.

Moyes must know his job is pretty much safe here for another year anyway.

Derek Thomas 3 Posted 21/06/2026 at 13:35:23

They should sack him while he's over there and handy to reach

Kevin Naylor 4 Posted 21/06/2026 at 13:37:38

Every club will be looking forward to the start of the season except us. If we get the players in we are expecting and some of our better ones get sold, Moyes will be gone before the first derby imo.

Mark Taylor 5 Posted 21/06/2026 at 14:11:35

Jim,

That's an interesting perspective. You think Friedkin is just going to 'flip' us? Is that just a gut feel or do you see any evidence?

John Collins 6 Posted 21/06/2026 at 14:14:01

Leveraged buy out by the looks of it. I'm losing confidence in TFG daily.