Everton are a club seemingly in limbo...each season, they appear to stand in between European qualification and mid-table mediocrity. The reasons for this are because, if you believe what you read, they are desperately short of money. Their chairman Bill Kenwright has had the club up for sale for several years now, but no (suitable) offer has been forthcoming. Why? Nobody, other than presumably Kenwright, knows. But this eternal stalemate has raised very serious questions about the future of the club's outstanding manager, David Moyes.
Moyes has received almost universial credit for the job he has done at Everton, where he persistently squeezes blood out of a stone year after year, ensuring the Toffees consistently finish in the top ten, despite having one of the thinnest squads in the division. He does this through shrewd acquisitions in the transfer market and tactical acuteness (34 goals conceded this season). Naturally, it is fair to presume that his work at Goodison Park over the past 10 years will have caught the eye of one or two Premier League chairmen. There has been speculation that Moyes is of some interest to Tottenham Hotspur and possibly even Chelsea, two clubs that can offer far greater financial windfall than he will be afforded at his current club.
However, to presume that a lack of money is a sufficient reason for Moyes turning his back on a club where he has built his reputation is short-sighted, especially considering that Everton, as previously stated, are a club in limbo. They are not down and out, they sit 7th in the Premier League table (above their wealthier neighbours) and will this Saturday partake in an FA Cup semi-final, 3 years after they took on Chelsea in the final. If they were teetering on the brink of relegation, then perhaps there would be more reason to believe that Moyes was in need of a move elsewhere. But they aren't, rather, they're doing this season what they do everywhere...over-performing. It's plausible to believe that this will be the case next season, and the season after that.
As you will have noted in my previous posts, I am a big believer in hindsight. It is a trait rarely applied to football, mainly because of the omnipresence of money in the game and, of course, the irrational nature of football supporters (myself included). Take the 'Blue Army' protests at Everton this season, for example. The aim of this movement is to force Bill Kenwright to relinquish control of the club, presumably to the highest bidder. Considering it was not long ago that George Gillet and Tom Hicks were almost single-handingly destroying Liverpool, a club situated the other side of Stanley Park, you'd think the blue half of the Mersey would have more sense. The transfer of ownership of a Premier League club is a delicate matter, one that, more often that not, ends in disaster. Just take a trip to Fratton Park for proof.
Kenwright seems to be committed to selling the club to somebody who fits his ideal of an Everton owner...someone who has the club's long-term interest at heart, and not somebody who is determined to make a quick buck off the back of irrational promises and high-profile signings. He should be applauded for that, not lambasted. I would wager that one of the main reasons Moyes has stayed put as long as he has is due to the relationship he has with his chairman, though of course I may be wrong. But let us indulge in some fantasy football for just a second...
What if Everton were bought out, by a wealthy investor who is determined to implement a long-term strategy, a la Manchester City, to make them a dominate Premier League force? What if the new board retain the previous owner's devout trust in Moyes, and give him the transfer kitty he has desired for so long? What if the manager is then able to add top-class international players to play alongside the ones he already has? Suddenly, things don't look so bleak...Everton would be the force they have threatened to be for so long.
Obviously, this is pure guesswork...the club may not be sold for some time, and Moyes may well choose to end his tenure this summer. But there is certainly a convincing argument for him to stay, just a little while longer. After all, nobody knows what the future may bring...
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