The Moyes Dilemma: Stick or Twist?

With David Moyes' contract situation at Everton yet to be resolved, and off-field ownership drama dominating the immediate future of the club, will the Scottish manager decide to stick or twist? What are the chances of him remaining at Goodison?

Approaching 11 years in charge at Goodison Park, David Moyes has yet to face the greatest dilemma of his managerial career. The question is one of loyalty versus personal ambition, risk against surety, control opposed to cash.

When, in the spring of 2002, the virtually unknown David Moyes, a young, raw, steely-eyed Scot, accepted an offer to take the hot-seat at Goodison Park, very few if any could have envisaged his rise to one of the most respected managers in the Premier League and beyond.

His stock has risen, it has never been higher, and with a contract yet to be signed, David Moyes could walk away from Everton Football Club this summer as a free agent.

In his time in charge at Everton, Moyes has spent a derisory £2.42m net a season. This paltry amount is made even more incredible given not only the astronomical amounts of money expeded by his peers but also his Premier League record of achievement since 2002. On this relative shoestring budget, Moyes has driven Everton to eight top 10 Premier League finishes, including two 5th places and his greatest achievement to date, breaking the glass ceiling of the 'top four' in 2004-05.

Whilst a large number of Evertonians accurately point to the chronic lack of financial support from Chairman Bill Kenwright and his board of directors, who openly admit they are unable to deliver anything more, Moyes himself has been loath to criticize his paymasters.

Currently, Moyes' Everton find themselves in 6th place, 6 points behind Tottenham in 4th and despite a trend bucking strong start to the season, supporters are once again finding themselves pointing towards the paucity of financial backing in the January transfer window that would allow Moyes, and his team, a real shot at the promised land of Champions League football.

What Moyes has received from his Chairman, and what certainly has to be a key factor in his reticence to complain about the lack of clout afforded him in the transfer market, is full, unequivocal backing in the running of football matters at the club. The state-of-the-art training facility, Finch Farm, whilst not actually owned by Everton Football Club, has the meticulous David Moyes' fingerprints all over it.

Moyes has the say on transfer targets, renewing of player contracts, pre-season schedules and tours and the last word on the myriad of day-to-day decisions taken at the 4th most successful club in English football history. And there, in a nutshell, is the difficulty he will have to face when considering his next move.

David Moyes has cultivated an iron-willed, no-nonsense reputation, founded on authority and dignity. Attributes that would surely clash with cash rich, high profile personalities running football clubs on impulse.

Arguably, there is no other comparable or bigger football club in Europe where Moyes could expect to have so much power, such complete control over footballing matters than he does at Everton. Yet, in this modern age of money-talks football, Premier League and European titles can no longer be won with a sprinkling of talent, copious amounts of hard work and painstaking diligence alone.

And it is these sort of titles, the undeniably ambitious Moyes must be looking to add to his managerial CV. Within the next few months, Moyes has a huge decision to make, a choice that will not only have professional and personal consequences for himself but also far reaching ramifications for Everton Football Club, the club that gave him his big break and for an owner he has become publically loyal to. However, if Bill Kenwright's decade long, 24/7 search for investment continues to flounder, Moyes' hand may well be forced.

After nigh on 11 highly impressive but ultimately trophy-less seasons, there can surely be no room for sentiment for a man seemingly as driven and fiercely ambitious as David Moyes and unless the club quickly find themselves able
to compete financially with their rivals, there can inevitably be no big titles, no real glory for Moyes at Everton.

Loyalty or ambition? Surety or risk?

David Moyes must decide whether to stick or twist. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Evertonians wait with baited breath.

Moyes Stats:

Everton: Games 503 W 211 D 135 L 157 Win % 41.95

Premier League Finishes (full season):

2002-03: 7th
2003-04: 17th
2004-05: 4th
2005-06: 11th
2006-07: 6th
2007-08: 5th
2008-09: 5th
2009-10: 8th
2010-11: 7th
2011-12: 7th

[caption id="attachment_371" align="aligncenter" width="500"] David Moyes: Time To Move On?[/caption]

Everton F.C. Talk Is Not Cheap

Whilst the annual madness that is the summer transfer window yet again chokes the hope out of Evertonians, the latest installment of a continuing spat between a recently formed supporters group and current CEO Robert Elstone has flown somewhat under the radar.

In short, Evertonians For Change would still like to talk and our egg chasing CEO is having none of it. The reasons given are apparently twofold; firstly Mr Elstone accused Evertonians For Change of "openly seeking to disrupt Club events and having the ousting of the current Board of Directors as one of its explicit aims." Both of these accusations have since been denied by the group.  

Secondly and once again according to Mr Elstone, "the Club works hard on all aspects of communication ensuring we reach as many fans as we can, in a variety of different ways. We are confident our dialogue is open and transparent, our engagement with fans is representative and our agendas are relevant. We believe we do a good job."

CEO

As is par for the course with most things EFC, a view from a safe distance displays a pro-active club, one that seeks both a meaningful and earnest club/supporter relationship. As the man says; "dialogue is open and transparent, our engagement with fans is representative and our agendas are relevant."

Yes, a quick scratch of the surface reveals numerous initiatives in which the club strive to meet the demands of interested supporters. Within the last twelve months alone there has been a roadshow, a fan's forum and an exclusive Fans Conference. The club has been mobilised to reach out to supporters, doing their bit to ensure an openness and transparency not seen since the banning of AGMs and EGMs.

I mean we are only the fans, giving up our very hard-earned money and time and as many an Evertonian will tell you; a professional football club and private company such as Everton FC are simply under no obligation to communicate with its loyal supporters.

Well, actually they'd be wrong. It turns out those supporters who felt a manipulative edge to the rather clandestine and secretive, recently implemented fans forum, fans conference and roadshow had it right all along. Not only will Everton FC be required to communicate with supporters, refusal to do so will see the club failing to meet the UEFA licensing requirements and the occurrence of  penalties this football club could ill afford.

From UEFA: Under Article 35 of the new UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, clubs will have the obligation to appoint a Supporters Liason Officer (SLO) to ensure a proper and constructive dialogue between a club and its fans.

The SLO concept, which has been under consideration for some time, has gained full approval from the national associations represented in the UEFA Club Licensing Committee and has been drawn up with the strong cooperation of Supporters Direct.

Supporter liaison officers at clubs already exist in a limited number of European countries and primarily help improve the dialogue between the fans and the clubs they follow. Most importantly, SLOs must be credible with supporters, and therefore should have experience with, and contacts to, the networks in the club's fan base.

They inform supporters about relevant decisions made by the club's management board and, in the other direction, communicate the needs of the fans to the board.

With the scrapping of AGMs and EGMs the current board of directors have left themselves exempt, excluded, unchecked, unaccountable and totally closed to any meaningful scrutiny and whilst on the one hand, the current CEO paints a very rosy picture of openness and transparency, his disdainful refusal to talk to a genuine and organised group of Evertonians tells its own enlightening story.

Whether the new UEFA article will carry enough weight to force Everton FC to do away with the current veil of secrecy remains to be seen but instead of going through the motions perhaps Mr Elstone will feel the need to address the real concerns of Evertonians before he is obligated to do so by the governing body of European football.

Right, have we signed anyone yet..............