To cynics, Everton’s lofty league place is extra a consequence of a lower-quality Premier (*30*). As somebody who took his first job in the high flight in 2002, how does Moyes reply to that suggestion?
“There is so much football to watch on TV that I wonder if it means we don’t look forward to seeing as many games as we did years ago,” he suggests.
“I personally don’t see any drop in standards. The games are so tight across the entire Premier League. Wolves are a good example. They’re the bottom side, but you can’t tell me any side is genuinely looking forward to playing Wolves at the moment.
“Everyone can beat everyone. We lost narrowly at Arsenal in a nip-and-tuck game, but it could have gone either way.
“I get the point that there may be some aspects which do not seem so high in quality – there was a phase when everyone wanted to play from the back and more coaches realised they can beat a high press by going long.
“But I also think if every team played the same way we would all be bored. There was a time as a coach or when you started out that you might look at how Wimbledon used to play and think how are you going to deal with all those long balls. And then it changed to Manchester City and you’re thinking how you’re going to get the ball at all.
“You can get negativity as a coach whether you are one way or another. A middle ground, where you will pass from the back sometimes and go long others, is the best way to utilise what you have. There are fewer coaches now who are completely long or what you might call ‘tippy-tappy’.”
‘I want to bring through more Scouse boys’
One side of the trendy recreation which does concern Moyes is academy soccer and the improvement pathway, particularly near house, the place he’s intent on including an area heartbeat to his aspect, a core of Evertonian grit and expertise.
“You look at a country like France, and the players there get a chance to play in the first team much earlier because a lot of the clubs do not have the money for lots of transfers,” he says.
“You know yourself that playing with great players helps you become a better player. You had it at Liverpool, I did at Celtic. And then you need a lucky break here and there to give you the chance to break through.
“I definitely want to bring through more Scouse boys. It is disappointing we’ve not had a bundle like Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley and Jack Rodwell coming through in recent years. Our academy has to be built back up.”
And what does the native aspect – the Scouse heartbeat – convey to a membership like Everton? His response nods to subsequent weekend’s Merseyside derby.
“I used to say to my players: ‘You watch that f—— Carragher and Gerrard, they’ll be kicking us in the first 30 seconds!’” he says, laughing.
