‘So the whispers are true. All those confided comments about Goodison's fortunes being in hugely capable hands moved from the realm of conjecture to conviction on Saturday.
Moyes' Everton, a group of players transformed from the last, limp days of Walter Smith, had overcome the champions.Following this coming-of-age performance by Moyes' team, there will be calls for someone still young enough to be playing to be shielded from the limelight. Moyes' precious capacity for motivating well-paid men needs nurturing by the wise board of directors at Everton. There is a fire within Moyes and burn-out is a risk but there is also something about this granite-strength Scot that signals a competitive streak echoing that of Sir Alex Ferguson's.
Amid all the understandable euphoria flowing from
Wayne Rooney's lightning strike past David Seaman, Moyes' remarkable impact on Everton has been slightly overlooked. There is a hunger about the side, a relentless commitment to compete that reflects the manager's.If Rooney was at, say, Manchester City, one would fear for his steady development. Not under Moyes at Everton. The lesson of Moyes' short time in the manager's office at Goodison is that desire and constant application is everything. Again following in Ferguson's footsteps, Moyes earned little real praise during his playing days and is hardly likely to tolerate any player believing his own publicity now.’