Man City 2-0 Everton - Moyes goes into a gunfight with a knife | English Premier League 2011-12
- 10 years ago
Manchester City's game with Everton on Saturday is a battle between the Premier League's "haves" and "have nots", a meeting of contrasts between a club and a manager with riches almost beyond compare in football terms and another with no cash at their disposal.
Everton have made a habit of getting under City's skin in recent years and have a fine record on their visits to what is now Etihad Stadium.
It will be tough for them to maintain that sequence but you know David Moyes and his players will fancy their chances.
Moyes and his City counterpart Roberto Mancini are both dealing with different kind of pressures, but I know which type is preferable.
Mancini is accompanied by huge expectation because of the money he is able to spend, but the big advantage is that it is all in his hands.
He has the money to compete for the world's best players and if one signing doesn't work out he can always buy someone else.
Moyes does not have money and yet, perfectly understandably given their history, Everton and their supporters still have certain expectations of their own.
They expect to be in the top 10 at least and pushing towards the top six. And yet Moyes has to meet these demands without cash to bring in big names or to work the markets.
If, say, Wigan simply stay up with no money then Roberto Martinez is a genius. Moyes has to work within that same financial framework and keep Everton well inside that top 10.
The fact that he does it pretty much every season is a measure of his quality as a manager.
The problem is that supporters - and this is their right as they pay their money, back the club and always turn up in their numbers at Goodison Park - want to see new blood and fresh faces.
Moyes has tried, even when losing players such as Mikel Arteta, to get right back to basics and foster a team spirit that says "we're all in this together".
This is the message you regularly hear from his team, including Tim Cahill recently.
It is obvious how important having b
Everton have made a habit of getting under City's skin in recent years and have a fine record on their visits to what is now Etihad Stadium.
It will be tough for them to maintain that sequence but you know David Moyes and his players will fancy their chances.
Moyes and his City counterpart Roberto Mancini are both dealing with different kind of pressures, but I know which type is preferable.
Mancini is accompanied by huge expectation because of the money he is able to spend, but the big advantage is that it is all in his hands.
He has the money to compete for the world's best players and if one signing doesn't work out he can always buy someone else.
Moyes does not have money and yet, perfectly understandably given their history, Everton and their supporters still have certain expectations of their own.
They expect to be in the top 10 at least and pushing towards the top six. And yet Moyes has to meet these demands without cash to bring in big names or to work the markets.
If, say, Wigan simply stay up with no money then Roberto Martinez is a genius. Moyes has to work within that same financial framework and keep Everton well inside that top 10.
The fact that he does it pretty much every season is a measure of his quality as a manager.
The problem is that supporters - and this is their right as they pay their money, back the club and always turn up in their numbers at Goodison Park - want to see new blood and fresh faces.
Moyes has tried, even when losing players such as Mikel Arteta, to get right back to basics and foster a team spirit that says "we're all in this together".
This is the message you regularly hear from his team, including Tim Cahill recently.
It is obvious how important having b