Flash back to May 2005. Everton had just finished fourth in the Premier League and in doing so, ensured Champions League football the following campaign.
David Moyes and his squad had broken the “big-four” monopoly and although the two-legged qualifier which followed against Villarreal may have been ultimately lost, Everton had shown a huge signal of intent to the rest of the league and had built a solid platform to build on.
Flash forward to the present day and it is pounds, shillings and pence which are a more prominent subject of discussion. While it is understandable that a team such as Everton would fail to qualify for Europe’s most prestigious tournament year upon year, you would at least expect some progress after such a feat.
When they finished fourth seven years ago, it is fair to say they had a squad that included a modest amount of talent. Since that high point, numerous players have come and gone for mega-money moves, without significant reinvestment. The likes of Joleon Lescott, Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar have all departed in recent seasons much to the disgruntlement of Toffees’ supporters.
Speaking of supporters, crowds at Goodison have been dwindling. During the recent defeat to Bolton, barely 29,000 turned up and this combined with protests against the board regarding the non-investment have undoubtedly affected Moyes and his players.
Of course, the financial situation at Goodison does Moyes no favours. Recent acquisitions in the transfer market have been restricted to free transfers and loans. This comes as quite a surprise, given the fact that over £24m was recouped from the sale of Lescott, and half of that banked from Arteta’s departure to Arsenal.
Such is the disarray regarding available funds at the club, that there is even a mock-style website which counts down the time elapsed since the chequebook was last dusted off by Bill Kenwright (incidentally it is well over two years since Diniyar Bilyaletdinov signed).
Moyes’ dealings in the market are glaringly restricted, but there is no excuse for the last transfer window’s business. The potent attacking quartet of Yakubu, Jermaine Beckford, Arteta and James Vaughan were all allowed to depart Merseyside, with just two players brought in as replacements (ironically on loan).
All in all, it is a pretty miserable time to be connected with the club. Of the few quality players they still have on the books, even they seem to be struggling. Tim Cahill, the Australian who has built a reputation on scoring key goals, has failed to find the net for Everton since December 2010, which just highlights the struggles the club has.
Their form this season has been alarming to say the least; Defeats at home to the likes of QPR, Stoke and Bolton have done nothing to quell the fear on the blue half of Merseyside and there is no doubt those dealings in August have some part to play.
The way things are going, it would be no surprise to see Moyes depart the club in the near future, despite his undoubted loyalty. Too many restrictions will eventually get to anybody, and Moyes will be no different.
