David Moyes was dealt an unfair hand by The Friedkin Group (TFG) at the end of this summer's transfer window, but he is the best man for Everton in such circumstances, according to one of his former players.
Although TFG performed a dramatic U-turn on plans to sell home-grown teenager Harrison Armstrong, who was set to join Nottingham Forest for £40million before fans threatened to riot, they still pocketed over £100million on deadline day. The club sold its most creative talent Iliman Ndiaye, last season's top scorer Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson, while Adam Aznou was loaned out.
Following the late collapse of the purchase of USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun from Monaco, Everton were left with a first-team squad of 18 outfield players containing just one striker, one left-back and one right-back. On October 9, the Blues' Houston-based owners announced the club was up for sale, less than 22 months after completing their takeover of Farhad Moshiri's 99.5% controlling stake.
Unbeaten run and recent form
Despite this chaotic backdrop, Moyes steered his side to an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions from the start of the season. Although this was followed by consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal, Everton have now gone into the second international break on the back of three straight wins, the last of which, 3-1 over Coventry City, moved them up to fifth in the Premier League table on Friday night.
Kevin Kilbane, who made 121 appearances for Everton, scoring five goals, after being signed by Moyes in 2003, told the ECHO: “He was dealt an unfair hand by The Friedkin Group at the end of the summer transfer window, absolutely. He won't say it and that's the thing, he knows it but he won't say it.”
Kilbane added: “He's the sort of manager and sort of person that can just get on with it. He recognises that I've been dealt this hand and I've got to deal with this group of players and I've got to get the best out of them. He did it with us with a smaller squad. The game has changed with the physicality, so he knows he needs a broader squad but, he's dealt with it.”
Approaching a club record
Having already overhauled the number of games taken charge by Everton's most successful manager Howard Kendall across his three spells at the helm (542), Moyes has now drawn level with another two-time League Champion and FA Cup-winning boss, Harry Catterick (592). He is set to break the record and hold it in his own right when the Blues go to Brentford for their next fixture on November 23.
Kilbane said: “For him to be mentioned in the same breath as those two is incredible. I had the pleasure of meeting Howard Kendall a few times and sat down with him and knowing what he means to Evertonians.”
He continued: “Obviously, Harry Catterick was way before my time, but I grew up under watching Howard Kendall's side when I was a kid. So, for him to do that is phenomenal. Given how he came into the club just before I arrived at Everton and the pressure that he was under and the success that he had probably immediately, then his second season that didn't quite go too well. Obviously, I was around then, so it was a unique time.”
Kilbane concluded: “David played a huge part in my whole career from when I was a kid, so I'm delighted for him. I think he'll say I'm just looking to try to win a game and get on with things. He'll think about it maybe when he does finish his career and when he's maybe sat having a drink somewhere, chilling out somewhere or going to a game. He'll reflect and realise what he has achieved at Everton because he's had so much of an influence over so many players' careers. I still speak to people like Leon Osman regularly, to Tim Cahill, Lee Carsley, Steve Watson and David Weir, all these sorts of lads that I would have been around and we all know what he did for us, and we all know the respect that we've all got for him.”
