Tony Cottee: Moyes has what it takes to keep Everton up
BACK TO THE FUTURE AT EVERTON WITH MOYES
David Moyes has a huge job ahead of him in trying to turn around Everton.
Under Sean Dyche, the club has experienced a lot of short-term firefighting. He managed to tighten them up defensively but that’s been to the detriment of scoring goals, which is a big problem.
If you don’t score goals in the Premier League, then you quickly find yourself pulled into a relegation battle. That’s why Dyche has left and the club has turned back to Moyes to try to put things right.
His track record at the club speaks for itself and the fans love him. He did a great job at West Ham and I was sad to see him leave.
Moyes has a very simple task ahead of him: to keep Everton in the Premier League at all costs.
I was up on Merseyside recently and drove past their stunning new stadium. If that’s packed to the brim with 50,000 Evertonians the place will be jumping – but first they have to avoid dropping into the Championship.
MOYES IS THE RIGHT MAN FOR A RELEGATION SCRAP
Other clubs are in more immediate danger, but there’s no doubt about it – Everton are in a relegation battle.
Some managers thrive in those situations and, luckily, Moyes is one of them. He’ll go into the club, motivate the players, stabilise the results and keep Everton in the Premier League for next season.
Everton and the Friedkin Group have sent a strong message by giving Moyes a two-and-a-half-year contract.
The Everton players know that Moyes is here to stay and you need to perform to keep this club in the Premier League.
Had they handed Moyes a contract until the end of the season, some of the players on long-term contracts may not have given their all this year.
Everyone at the club knows that Moyes is in charge for the foreseeable future and will take them into the new stadium.
Stability is one of the most important factors at a football club. You can’t have volatility and expect to see success, so giving the manager a decent contract is a good move.
EVERTON NEED GOALS IF THEY’RE GOING TO TURN ROUND THEIR FORM
The priority for Everton in the January transfer window has to be a striker.
Whether it’s a loan or a permanent move, they need a player who will score the goals they need to stay in the Premier League. I don’t know how much money Moyes has been given, so it may be that a loan is the only realistic option.
Luckily, there are plenty of strikers out there looking to prove themselves who would relish a loan move to Everton.
That said, players already at the club could be doing more. Someone like Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Beto can both score goals but they could do with being more clinical. What’s needed is a player to grab this season by the scruff of the neck and score the goals that win Everton games . I loved my time at Everton and was a goalscorer – so I know how difficult it can be – but if you’re a striker then that’s your job. You can expect to be replaced if you don’t do that job.
It takes only one decent performance for the goals to flow throughout the team. If that doesn’t change, they won’t win football matches, and relegation is a real possibility.
EVERTON NEED A BETTER BALANCE BETWEEN EXPERIENCE AND NEW TALENT
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the subject of a lot of January transfer rumours. He's struggled with injuries and he's out of contract but he still has the potential to be an excellent Premier League striker.
If Everton is offered £10 million or £20 million in this transfer window, then it will be hard to refuse. If he stays at the club, he should be looking to prove a point by scoring enough goals to secure a new contract.
There aren't many clubs bigger than Everton but Moyes must be convinced that Calvert-Lewin can rediscover his talent before he's offered a new contract. If the manager doesn't think that's possible, they'll try to get as much for him as possible in this transfer window.
Everton's experienced squad will be up for a fight over the rest of the season but you can't keep relying on players in their thirties to do all the work. The club needs to strike a better balance between experience and new talent.