Everton are in the same position and have the same points against top teams as last Christmas... so why is Moyes' time at Goodison being dismissed and rewritten?



Turns out it was all an accident. Eight top 7 finishes in eleven years in charge, European football, an FA Cup Final, the total stabilisation and improvement of a club working on limited resources.

One giant fluke, the lot of it.



Let's the ignore the potential David Moyes saw in Phil Jagielka (£4million from Sheffield United), Leighton Baines (£5million from Wigan), Mikel Arteta (£2million from Real Sociedad), Tim Howard (3million from Manchester United), Sylvain Distin (£5million from Portsmouth) and Steven Pienaar (2million from Borussia Dortmund).



Consistent: Moyes achieved much at Everton, and his record earned him the United job

The times: Moyes got Everton into an FA Cup final in 2009, and into the Champions League qualification stages in 2005

Let's ignore that Everton made a profit in the summer transfer window for his last five years in charge yet still never dropped below 8th place.

All a stroke of luck. For David Moyes was never much cop as Everton manager. Says so on the forums. Screams so on Twitter.

In an act of quite baffling collective revisionism, the football world appears to have wilfully disregarded the last decade and focused only on the enchanting change since the arrival of Roberto Martinez.

It's a whole new world, we are told. Everton are more expressive, more confident, readier than ever to go toe-to-toe with the big boys.

It is a far cry from that ghastly Moyes era, where it was the hoof, the whole hoof and nothing but the hoof. Where Moyes was such a tactical ignoramus that he ordered only long balls and knockdowns, where Everton fans were trapped in a long-ball hell of Moyes' own creation.

By contrast, they are now treated only to tika-taka and liquid football on this exciting, new Spanish-infused adventure with Roberto Martinez.

Like-for-like: Roberto Martinez has continued from Moyes' work, but their record this term is similar to last

Coleman goals: The Toffees defender celebrates his stunning strike

This is the diatribe, now here's the reality.

On Christmas Day this year, Everton will be 5th, level on points with the 4th placed team Chelsea.

On Christmas Day last year, Everton were 5th, level on points with the 4th placed team Arsenal.

By Christmas Day this year, Everton have beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford, drawn with Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal, defeated Chelsea at Goodison and lost at Manchester City. 9 points out of 18.

By Christmas Day last year, Everton had beaten Manchester United (admittedly at Goodison Park but in mitigation, last season's United were a stronger force), defeated Tottenham, drawn with Liverpool and Arsenal, lost against Chelsea at Goodison but drew at Manchester City. 9 points out of 18.

By Christmas Day this year, Everton have scored 29 goals, one less than last season, although they have admittedly played one fewer game.

Not just yet: Martinez insists it is far too early to talk Everton up as title contenders

But do remember that David Moyes was working without a striker of outstanding potential such as Romelu Lukaku.

So while it is true that Moyes was at times pragmatic during his time with Everton, to dismiss it as kick and rush, as though the Scot represented the lovechild of John Beck and Tony Pulis, is utter nonsense.

Indeed, anybody that watched Everton last season will know that Moyes had moulded them into an enterprising side, playing with width, at a high tempo and a certain flair in the final third.

Around this time last year, Victor Anichebe scored a superb team goal at Newcastle. It was a patient, measured, studied build-up, playing out from the back. Distin to Baines, clipped into Jelavic on the halfway line, cushioned into Pienaar, dinked into Fellaini, who set Jelavic free on the left, who crossed low for Anichebe to score.

Surprise package: Everton's presence in the top four would have been predicted by few in the summer

That is just one example. There are plenty more. Kevin Mirallas' goal at home to West Ham; Baines flying down the left, low pass into Fellaini, on for Pienaar, teed up for Mirallas, who slotted home.

So, it appears that certain observers - for this outlook surely cannot be universal - appear to have short memories.

Just seven months ago, Evertonians stood as one to applaud and offer gratitude to their outgoing manager in his final match at Goodison Park.

EVERTON V THE TOP CLUBS - HOW IT COMPARES TO LAST TERM

Everton fixtures v rivals before New Year under David Moyes last season:

9 points out of 18

Everton 1-0 Manchester United Everton 2-2 Liverpool Everton 1-2 Chelsea Manchester City 1-1 Everton Everton 2-1 Tottenham Everton 1-1 Arsenal

Everton fixtures v rivals before New Year under Roberto Martinez this season:

9 points out of 18

Manchester United 0-1 Everton Everton 3-3 Liverpool Everton 1-0 Chelsea Manchester City 3-1 Everton Everton 0-0 Tottenham Arsenal 1-1 Everton



On a visit by Moyes to the Cambridge Union in the following days, lifelong Everton fans travelled down from Merseyside. One broke down in tears when thanking Moyes for restoring pride, professionalism and dignity to the club and local community.

The reasons for the souring of relations are self-evident. Moyes went back to Everton for a couple of players and he said some clumsy things in his pursuit of Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines.

It has not helped Moyes' cause, too, that while Manchester United have struggled since his coronation, Everton have continued to succeed in his absence.

Back then: Evertonians heralded Moyes as one of their greatest managers

This is not to take away from Roberto Martinez, for as we are seeing at Old Trafford, it is not straightforward to continue and build on the smart work of a long-standing manager.

And for all the similarity in league position, the major difference this season is that Everton are just 2 points off top, compared to 12 points on Christmas Day last year.

Bargains: Moyes brought in Mikel Arteta (above) for £2million, and Phil Jagielka (below) for just £4million

Yet that owes as much to veritable lack of consistency of any leading side; even with Everton's improvement this season, they would still have found themselves 8 points behind Manchester United this time last year.

Martinez is not naive, he will know that much of the success of this season can be owed to what Moyes had already established: most notably an excellent defence, with Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin and Tim Howard forming a Bermuda Triangle for opposing strikers.



He is seeing the fruit of Moyes' smart development of Seamus Coleman, loaned out to Blackpool and then played at both full-back and on the wing.

Moyes' patience with Ross Barkley, resisting interest from Chelsea and Tottenham, and not exposing him before he was absolutely ready for the top flight, has also been overlooked.