David Moyes: It takes time to build squad

Dec 3 2007 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

Roy Keane and David Moyes

DAVID MOYES has conceded that Everton’s signings will always be put under more scrutiny – because he doesn’t have as much money to spend as his rivals.

The Everton manager has broken the club transfer record three times in the past three years in an attempt to establish them as one of the top clubs outside the so-called ‘big four’.

But despite Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Portsmouth extending their unbeaten run to eight games, Moyes’s men are ninth in the Premier League.

And he reckons the intense battle to regain the European qualifying place he led Everton to last season sums up the increased competition that extra investment in rival clubs has generated.

“I’ve been saying for a few weeks, I think it will be as hard to get into the top 10 of the Premier League this year as maybe it has been to get into the top four in the past,” said Moyes.

“Blackburn, Villa, West Ham, Portsmouth, Everton, Manchester City are all doing well so it will be really tough. I think a lot of it has to do with money as well. A lot of those clubs have big investors and backers which helps to raise standards.

“We’ve bought big by our standards, but in the main we’re one of the sides that doesn’t have that. We always try and compete and I think we have done in the last three or four seasons but there’s not much margin for error. Definitely.

“All our signings are scrutinised because any money we spend has to be done carefully. We have made signings which haven’t been very good, but you show me a manager who hasn’t.

“You make signings and you do them for all the right reasons. I think we’ve made some good ones and the players are showing that.”

Moyes’s recent big-money buys have highlighted his eye for a good deal, with Andrew Johnson and Joleon Lescott both excelling in their debut seasons at the club last year.

While the latest record buy Yakubu, who was subdued on his return to Fratton Park, went into the game on a run of four goals in five games which suggested he is well on the way to repaying the £11.25million Everton paid Middlesbrough for him in August. But despite the need to spend wisely, Moyes insists he is happy with the gradual building of a squad rather than the instability and added pressure caused by frantic spending sprees.

“You can go and throw your money at it like some clubs have done, but we have done it differently,” the Scot added. “We’ve tried to build year by year, but as you can see by the sackings going about a lot of clubs don’t allow that to happen. We have had a plan in place for a long time now about how we want Everton to go forward. The board have backed me on that and we have gradually improved.

“The club are really good. They give everything they can and in return I try and get the best out of the players and get the best results.”

Following the 7-1 victory over Sunderland a week earlier, Saturday was more of a day for defences as Portsmouth and Everton cancelled each other out in a frustrating stalemate.

But that allowed Moyes to heap more praise on Lescott, who was influential in hardly allowing Premier League top scorer Benjani a kick all afternoon.

“Today I thought he was top drawer, he really was,” said Moyes. “I said before he can play centre-half and he can play left-back, and there are very few players today who can do that. To have a left-footed centre-back who can also play left-back is one of the things we’re always looking for in the game. You have to remember we got him out of the Championship not more than a year ago. Sol Campbell is a terrific defender and I thought their two defenders played very well, and probably both teams’ centre-halves were the pick today.”