Kevin Kilbane believes David Moyes remains committed to creating an Everton side that is both successful and attractive to watch, and that the manager's reputation for safety-first football is unfair.
During his first spell in charge, Moyes steered the Blues to nine top-eight finishes, including their highest ever Premier League placing of fourth. Kilbane, who made 121 appearances for Everton, scoring five goals, after being signed by Moyes in 2003, points to the combination of Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar on the left wing as proof of the Scot's desire to play swashbuckling football.
Kilbane's first-hand experience
Speaking courtesy of BetBrain, Kilbane told the ECHO: "David is tough, very tough at times. I always had a great relationship with him because I knew him from when I was 15 or 16, so I was a boy and he helped nurture me through my career to an extent as well."
He added: "He was always on the end of the phone for me, even when I was at West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland prior to coming back to work under him. So, I knew what sort of person he was as I kind of knew him personally before he became my manager anyway and that was something unique and I have so much respect for him."
Kilbane continued: "He can be tough, but you've also got a manager that is willing and open to sit down and have a hard conversation with someone. If you've got something that you need to express to him and it is something that he doesn't agree with, he'll take things on board and will listen to the person himself that sat there in front of him."
Building a team to watch
Reflecting on the team Moyes built, Kilbane said: "I just found him very honest all the time. I probably wouldn't have had a better man-manager than him in my career. But I think on the coaching field was where he excelled from my perspective. Everyone can see Everton, how well organised they are at times and how difficult they are to play against."
He noted: "However, I always remember, during my time at Everton and when I left, the team that he built up. Watching Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar down the left and Seamus Coleman on the other side, the class that he'd constructed from having these strong fundamentals and the mentality of do not lose."
Kilbane added: "That's pretty much what he's always had. But he ended up building a team over a period of time that was as good to watch as any Premier League side during the couple of seasons that he had those players."
Adapting across generations
Moyes has gone from being the Premier League's youngest manager when he first arrived at Goodison Park as a 38-year-old in 2002 to the division's elder statesman now in charge at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Kilbane believes working effectively with players of a different generation is no mean feat.
He said: "I think the flair going forwards is an often-overlooked quality of David Moyes as a manager. I think he has always probably gone into a situation where he's been doing a little bit of firefighting: don't lose games, stay in matches, get results, which he is as good as anybody at getting a job done in that respect."
Kilbane added: "But as I said before, over time, he's always been able to manage a way where he can get flair players because essentially, that's what he likes, that type of football. He's got the fundamentals, right, which he knows that you need, but ultimately David Moyes is a manager that likes the players that can go and open up games."
When it comes to Premier League games managed, Moyes (764) sits third on the all-time list. His current contract at Everton expires at the end of this season, and he is 46 matches behind fellow Glaswegian Alex Ferguson in second spot and 64 behind leader Arsene Wenger. Kilbane thinks his old mentor is far from finished.
He said: "I don't think he is ready to leave the dugout for a while yet and I think he's got too much to give. Look where we've been over the last 10 years and the rollercoaster ride that it has been following Everton."
Kilbane concluded: "I believe he's ready to start now to create a team that could be a little bit more expansive over the next few years. I believe that's what his aim is and I'm sure he would say that. I've not heard him saying it person, but knowing him, I know that's what he would want to do. He wants to create a side that is obviously competitive, it has to be competitive under him because that's what he demands but I also believe he wants a team that reflects his mentality of playing open, attacking football."
