David Moyes, Everton and Identity - Why it Matters
In an interview with Everton’s official club channels, published earlier this week, Jarrad Branthwaite said: “I think that Everton identity is something the manager – David Moyes – has really ...
David Moyes, Everton and Identity - Why it Matters In an interview with Everton’s official club channels, published earlier this week, Jarrad Branthwaite said : “I think that Everton identity is something the manager – David Moyes – has really brought back to the club. “He’s been brilliant with me and not only me, the rest of the dressing room as well. He knows what this club means to people, he knows what it takes to be successful and he gives us confidence to go out there and play.
” When news broke last week that Everton were preparing to offer Moyes a new deal, there was plenty of division within the fanbase. For some reason, there always is when it comes to Moyes. Yes, he can be frustrating — there are areas in which Moyes will probably, forever, frustrate.
He will always tend to trust older players over younger ones, at least at first, and new signings, unless they already come with that Premier League experience and proven quality (for example, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish), have to earn his trust. At times, it feels like that process takes far too long. So, when you throw in that the new signings Everton have brought in across recent windows have predominantly been younger players, then it is probably fair to ask some questions.
Yet in every other aspect, Moyes has elevated the club, and — as Branthwaite lays out — the players are buying in. This isn’t a piece about whether Everton should offer Moyes a new deal or not. But it is a piece about why that Everton identity, which Moyes knows how to tap into, matters so much.