David Moyes pulled no punches in his first meeting with Everton’s players since making a stunning return as manager, over 11 years after first departing Goodison Park. The 61-year-old Scot, back for a second stint in charge of the Toffees, made it abundantly clear that he expects a vast improvement from a squad that has managed a meager three Premier League wins all season.
“I’ve told the players today: ‘I’m not coming here to manage a team at the bottom of the league,'” Moyes declared in his first press conference since being unveiled on a two-and-a-half-year contract. “I’m coming to manage a team that’s going to be fighting and challenging.”
A Stern Warning for Underperforming Players
Moyes, never one to mince words, put Everton’s players on notice that their current level of performance is unacceptable. The former West Ham boss insisted that the squad “had better turn up” and prove they can handle the intensity of playing at a fierce arena like Goodison Park.
The players have to play their part now and show they can handle it. Goodison can be a very fierce arena and they have to go on stage and put on a big act. They have to perform.
David Moyes
Rebuilding Everton for the Long-Term
Beyond just avoiding relegation, Moyes has been tasked by Everton’s new owners, The Friedkin Group, with laying the foundations for long-term success. The aim is to steer the club in the right direction and position them to thrive in their planned new stadium in the coming years.
“I’ve got to make sure that when we walk out of Goodison and lock the door for the final time, we can all walk down to the new stadium in the right position,” Moyes explained, envisioning a bright blue future for the Toffees.
Reunited with Familiar Faces
To aid in this rebuilding project, Moyes will be flanked by a coaching team featuring some familiar faces from his first spell at Everton. Seasoned assistants Alan Irvine and Billy McKinlay are back in the fold, along with former Toffees defender Leighton Baines.
This reunited group will need to hit the ground running, with a colossal Merseyside derby against rivals Liverpool looming on the horizon in February. But first, Moyes’ men must take care of business against Aston Villa in his first match back in the Goodison dugout.
A Feeling of Unfinished Business
For Moyes, this unexpected return to Everton, where he previously managed for 11 years between 2002 and 2013, represents a chance to pick up where he left off and reignite the club. Despite holding talks over a potential Goodison comeback on “three or four” previous occasions, the timing never quite aligned – until now.
I always had a hope and an inkling that someone would get me back. I wanted to come back and I really wanted to go to the games but I didn’t want to sit in the crowd and have everyone saying I was there because I wanted the job.
David Moyes
Now, with a chance to write a new chapter in his Everton story, Moyes is determined to “regenerate the club” and guide them into an exciting new era. For long-suffering Evertonians desperate to turn the page on this nightmarish season, the sight of a reenergized Moyes back in the technical area could be just the spark required to reignite their Premier League campaign.
