• Home
  • Everton
  • Patience; It’s not perfect but it was never going to be
Everton Fulham Premier League David Moyes

Patience; It’s not perfect but it was never going to be

Nov 10, 2025 — 9 min read
Patience; It’s not perfect but it was never going to be
The second coming of David Moyes

The great T.S. Eliot wrote that that April was the cruellest month. William Shakespeare warned us to beware the ides of March. Yet somehow, as the blues were being pummelled and punished, bewitched and bewildered, outfought and outrun in the northeast of the country last Monday night, some Everton supporters began to think that March or April with Moyes at the helm was looking unlikely and for some, untenable.

Instead, it appeared that in the cold November rain, at least metaphorically speaking, hearts were changing. For some, the knives were out, the writing was on the wall and audibly, at least online, the questions were being asked; is this version of Everton beyond the capabilities of David Moyes?

Pushing opinions on fans has become the world of the podcast or the norm on fan tv; however, every fan is entitled to formulate an opinion; every fan is allowed to change their opinions and every fan has the right to air such opinions within reason. The season ticket holders and those lucky enough to get away tickets (or unlucky enough over the past twenty years in some of the darker away performances) always have the advantage of seeing what us mere mortals on the armchairs don’t see. They see what Moyes sees; they see the player runs, the non-runs, the body language, the lack of movement and every minimal facet of the performance.

It is why I bow to their views on matches and tactics; they simply see more. I listen with interest to Radio Merseyside’s post match phone ins as John from Old Swan or Pete from Maghull bemoan another limp performance navigating traffic as they soldier back home, fed up and down and out. I  read with interest those on the fan sites who have been to the games thus can give great insights into what is happening on the pitch. I do not hold the view that the ‘we go the game’ brigade have any more authority however on the overall club, the running of the club or on Moyes and his team selection than Brad from Baltimore or Anita from Adelaide. So here is mine.

In short, the criticism of Moyes is a little premature and perhaps a little unfair. Is he making mistakes? Yes. Is his inflexibility and rigidity infuriating? Of course. Does he procrastinate? Always. However, what is new? This should not be a surprise to us fans who lived through the first coming of Moyes. He is simply now an older, greyer and more stubborn version of what he always was. That fans are suddenly surprised is the surprise. We knew what we were getting when Moyes returned.

West Ham fans I know and work with say what we always said-’ that’s Moyes for you’-and they had less experience of Moyes than we did. In reality, not much has changed. Moyes is perhaps a victim of timing in that this version of Everton has changed. The board and former owner, a key Moyes ally, are gone. Goodison, in all its glory and wonderful, at times iconic memories, is gone. Searching down the back of the metaphorical sofa and looking for the Arteta money is now said in jest as opposed to reality.

The Americans have landed; money is being spent; we are buying young, talented players, some coveted across the top five leagues. We have the best stadium in England. Season ticket waiting lists are growing. Now we expect. Now we want success. We always have done- we are Everton- but now we really expect success. Now we see no room for excuses. Now we will not accept misguided substitutions or puzzling tactics. For some, Moyes is simply not the man to lead this transition and Moyes is not the man to take us forward.

Moyes makes it difficult at times to back and champion him. His team selections are predictable. His subs appear, like in Sunday league, pre-planned regardless of the score. What makes it more difficult for fans to accept now is that for once, we appear at least on the surface to have options. Apart from the striking issue- in which Moyes has hardly covered himself in glory- we have better options than at any time since arguably Martinez in his first season. Better options does not necessarily equate to having 25 brilliant players. But it does equate to a manger who should be able to change games, who should be able to pick players with a ‘horses for courses’ mind-set, who should be able to play players for the betterment of the team even if- as in James Garner’s case- they would prefer to play elsewhere.

Where fans must be fair and open-minded is the understanding that we do not know what is happening at Finch Farm. Now that the leaks are gone- or at least appear to be coming out less and less- we simply do not know what is happening on the fields of Halewood. We also are not aware of players personal circumstances and how this may be impacting them in how they train and in how the play. We are also not privy to what the players are actually being asked to do and whether they are simply not executing the plans once they cross the white line.

In short, we have won four games this season. It took until January last season for us to win four and Moyes was the man in the dug-out for that win against Spurs in one of the last great days at The Old Lady. We have lost to teams that- and saying this brings back painful, sickening echoes of the man I blame as much as Bill Kenwright in Farhad Moshiri- supporters of other clubs and pundits alike expected us to lose to; City, Liverpool and Spurs.

But then Moyes has always lost to big teams, especially away. Leeds on the opening night was a nothing match decided by a nothing penalty in what was a flat, nothing performance. We currently sit 13th. It is acceptable for where we want to be and where we want to go? No. Is it at the very least understandable given he has only been in in situ since January and the squad has had a pretty drastic overhaul? Maybe.

However, as aforementioned, he does not help himself. The continuous selection of Jake O Brien at right back was as mystifying as it was infuriating. It is not Moyes’ fault that Nathan Patterson cannot stay fit and cannot defend; it is also not Moyes fault that Seamus Coleman is no longer the marauding, rampaging full back he was in Moyes ‘days of yore or in the halcyon days of Martinez’s first season. Both Coleman and O Brien stifled a start studded Portugal side in Portugal in September, only losing to a late, undeserved winner. Both were outstanding.

Neither have been picked in these positions since for Everton despite clear issues, particularly at right back. O Brien came in last season, did a job that at the time was what was required and showed that he could be an astute signing. However, he is a centre-back. And whilst Moyes trots out the old ‘Lescott’ analogy, it did not hide what we fans were watching every week; O Brien is not a full back.

Tarkowski, leadership aside, has struggled yet O Brien has not been given the nod at any stage over Tarkowski, mainly due to Tarkowski being captain. The midfield is unbalanced. KDH is not a ten, never has been and never will be a ten. Yet he continually ignores some pretty average performances and plays him at ten. The Gana/Garner ‘axis’ has worked sporadically, too sporadically, and we simply get out ran and out muscled by sides like Spurs and Sunderland. When he decided to finally bite the bullet and change up both the defence and midfield against Fulham, we looked far more assured and far more balanced. Fans are asking why it took so long and frankly, it is hard to find an answer.

The nadir for most fans and their dissatisfaction with Moyes was the Dwight McNeil substitution at Sunderland. It took me back to a game I attended at Carrow Road many moons ago in his first spell. We led 2-1 and he brought on Shane Duffy to go three centre-halves with twenty minutes remaining against a Norwich side there for the taking. We conceded an equaliser by sitting deep and allowing the carthorses’ carthorse Grant Holt to equalise.  I told anyone who would listen- man, woman or child- on the train back to London Liverpool Street that Moyes had taken us as far as he could and it was time for change. I also told any poor unfortunate soul on a tube beside me on the way back from the Wembley semi-final in 2012 something similar. So I have been there, where some fans are now. I get it.

Whilst the brilliant, loyal away fans- and I firmly believe that travelling blues are the best fans alongside Celtic in Britain- chanted the Charlie Alcaraz song which reverberated through the Stadium of Light but also through this writer’s TV, Moyes inexplicably went for a player who quite frankly looked unfit at best, disinterested at worst and apathetic in reality. He has done for an extended period of time, especially since the previous manager left the club. He lost his first three balls, pulled out of a 50/50 tackle within minutes and spent more time hiding and running away from the ball than actually helping to stem the tide for a side being swamped and swarmed over.

To have a 35-million-pound winger- with Moyes at pains to remind fans that is no longer expensive (sorry Davey, it is, for us, it is)- sat in a warm jacket and to give the diminutive Argentinian seven minutes cannot ever be explained away. His cold stare and blunt ‘Dwight trained well this week’ has fooled no one and instead led to unhelpful and potentially damaging online rumours that the other two must not be training hard enough to earn minutes. For the record, I am 44 and would outrun, out muscle and out anything else Dwight McNeil can do; I do not want to turn this into a witch hunt but why bring on a player than clearly has thrown the towel in and by effort and body language alone, doesn’t want to be here.

I like Moyes. I respect Moyes. I firmly believe that Moyers gives every ounce of energy he has to make this team and this club better. Moyes came in last season when I as a fan was probably at my lowest ebb supporting the blues and that goes back to 1989. We have had some dark days but the last days of Dyche (it pains me to even type his name) cannot and should not be forgotten. Moyes has come in, given us some sense of identity back and has done enough to convince me that we will not be looking at West Ham or Leeds United results at Easter.

Moyes is here for a short time, not a long time. Somewhat selfishly, he may not be looking at the 18-24-month development of a Dibling or a Barry. There is a manager out there to take this side forward, to develop the young, talented players that Moyes does not currently want to take chance on. But just remember what the last decade has been like. It does not excuse everything Moyes does nor should it. But I would take Moyes in a heartbeat over the narcissistic Dutchman, lucky enough to have Lukaku in his side, the delusion of Martinez, the inexperience of Silva at the time, the ‘jolly-up’ that became the reign of Lampard, the inexplicable appointment of a man who once called us a small club, the farcical short but expensive reign of a man more narcissistic than Koeman and the dull, dreary and demoralising ‘stewardship’ of a man who I simply cannot name twice in one article.

Moyes will get us out of the Wasteland that we have drifted into for many, many seasons now. It may not be much better than this as the season pans out. It is however better than the previous five seasons combined in his short spell already. There is another ‘big summer for Everton’ type window in eight months’ time. Whether Moyes is trusted as the man to lead this will depend very much on the next 27 games.

Axel says it best;  ‘little patience, yeah, need a little patience, yeah, just a little patience, yeah, some more patience, yeah’

Published by
A Blues Brother
A Blues Brother
Passionate Blues fan since Wembley 1989. Feel blessed to have chosen EFC.The struggles make us stronger.Love Scousers and love the city #UTFT
You might also like
Great! Next, complete checkout for full access to Pure Football.
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
You've successfully subscribed to Pure Football.
Success! Your account is fully activated, you now have access to all content.
Success! Your billing info has been updated.
Your billing was not updated.