David Moyes should be handed a new contract beyond next season, that’s the clear verdict from Everton reporter Chris Beesley after the Scot’s remarkable turnaround .
The 62 year old has transformed the Toffees since returning, with back to back wins over Newcastle and Burnley lifting them to EIGHTH in the table . Now the calls for stability are growing.
THE MOYES CASE
“I think they should do,” Beesley said on the Royal Blue podcast when asked about extending Moyes’ deal beyond next season.
“You had that scenario with Sean Dyche, obviously a very different personality going into the final year of his contract and it became an issue. I think at the moment, given the incredible progress, I’d certainly like to see that.”
The stats back it up. Moyes has taken a team fighting relegation and made them comfortable mid table. He’s done it before. He’s doing it again.
“As I’ve said on here on many occasions, you could argue that he’s probably the only man in the modern era that has shown he can manage Everton successfully on a long term basis. My only gripe is that he’s 62, I wish he was 42.”
TROPHY OR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE?
When asked the big hypothetical, Champions League qualification or an FA Cup win, Beesley didn’t hesitate.
“An FA Cup win. A trophy, they need to win a trophy. They’re on the longest trophy drought in the club’s entire history. For me, football is all about those moments, the glory days, the day out.”
Then the killer point: “At derby matches, Liverpool fans sing: ‘You haven’t won a trophy since 1995.’ They don’t sing: ‘You haven’t qualified for the Champions League since 2005.’ That’s the only way you’re going to stop that. There’s a whole generation of Evertonians who have grown up without winning a trophy.”
He’s right. Silverware changes everything.
THE HILL DICKINSON LOVE
Beesley was also asked about the best feature of the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. His answer? Location.
“It’s now part of the city’s landscape, the waterfront skyline. I live in New Brighton, when you look across, and I see it most days. If Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Hill Dickinson Stadium were both in the same place, Spurs’ is the best in terms of specifications, but because of where it is, that’s what makes Hill Dickinson Stadium the best in the country.”
He also praised architect Dan Meis: “Everything is set up for it being an incredible football stadium going forwards. Hopefully it brings the best aspects of Goodison, but in a modern setting in terms of the intimacy and the way it’s so tight with the stands.”
MISSING GOODISON
The one thing he misses about the old place? “It’s certainly not the pillars. It’s the atmosphere but a lot of that will come with Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“Those nights when Goodison was really rocking, those real special moments in terms of the crowd. There are always going to be teething problems and some fans aren’t sat next to the same people after many years of being used to their spec.”
THE VERDICT
Moyes deserves a new deal. The stadium is a masterpiece. And Evertonians just want a trophy.
After decades of hurt, that’s not too much to ask.
