David Moyes responds when Alan Shearer tells him what he makes of Farhad Moshiri at Everton
The downward spiral at Everton is the opposite to the growth West Ham have had under former Toffees boss David Moyes says Alan Shearer.
The Hammers manager nearly returned to Goodison, but is instead in a second spell at the London Stadium, with the club’s league and European success a far cry from Frank Lampard’s relegation-threatened side.
As part of a wide-ranging interview with Moyes for The Athletic today (25 March), Shearer says: “I look at the contrast between his Everton team – hungry, super-fit, aggressive, so hard-working – and the Everton team I’ve seen under a succession of managers under Farhad Moshiri’s ownership.
“And it strikes me that this is pretty much the opposite of the transformation West Ham have undergone under David’s management.
“These days it’s West Ham who are cited as an example for other teams to follow and Everton where we find ourselves questioning the spirit and the sense of direction.”
When asked if he is saddened by the Toffees current plight Moyes said: “Yes, because Everton has always been close (to my heart) and always will be.
“They’ve spent an awful lot of money and it feels as if it hasn’t really taken on.
“I’m disappointed for Everton, but ultimately at the moment my job is at West Ham.”
Shearer adds: “David says he was “very, very close” to returning to Everton at one stage… it seems fair to say Everton’s loss has been West Ham’s gain.”
What might have been
The Toffees could not help losing their long-time manager in 2013 when he was hand-picked to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
That is one of the few major negatives over the recent history of the club that can’t be parked at the door of Farhad Moshiri.
If the Scot was still in charge when the owner took over then perhaps the lurch from one manager to another would not have occurred though.
Lampard, still a relatively unproven coach, is currently trying to rescue the club from a first Premier League relegation in their history.
It won’t please fans to see pundit Shearer dismissing the fortitude of their players, but most won’t argue.
The wasted money is certainly something would never have happened on Moyes’ watch.
Granted, he never had it during his reign, but his frugality in east London, arguably to a fault at times, shows that was not the reason.
The 58-year-old has his faults, but the fact he picked out the money issue certainly suggests the major financial struggles at the club now wouldn’t have happened if they had brought him back.
And judging by West Ham’s progress, nor would the relegation battle.
In other Everton news, Kevin Campbell isn’t even interested in criticising Jordan Pickford when others are so poor.
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