Aston Villa star hails Everton’s steady progress

Jun 17 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

EVERTON have been heralded as a shining example to the rest of the Premier League on how to challenge the ‘big four’ by Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker.

David Moyes’s side are the only club outside the top flight’s regular Champions League competitors of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to finish in the top four during the last five seasons.

Everton memorably secured fourth spot in May 2005, above their neighbours who went on to win the Champions League later that month and have also finished sixth and fifth over the past two years.

The consistency and gradual building under Moyes is in stark contrast to Everton’s previous struggles in the Premier League era when they finished in the top half of the table only once in a decade before the Scot’s arrival from Preston North End in 2002 – finishing sixth in Joe Royle’s only full campaign in 1996.

Reo-Coker attracted Moyes’s interest during his final season at West Ham United before opting to join Villa last summer. Despite a strong finish to the season from the Midlanders, Everton held out to secure fifth place and a UEFA Cup spot ahead of Martin O’Neill’s side last season and Reo-Coker admitted that his Villa team-mates see Everton as an example to follow.

He said: “Look at Everton. All credit to David Moyes, but how long has he been building there? A very long time.

“Next year will be the manager’s third year and we had a chance of overtaking them for fifth spot until the final game.”

Despite captain Gareth Barry’s desire to join Liverpool in search of Champions League football, Villa are hoping to join Everton – who maintained a place in the top four for several months last season – in closing the gap on ‘the big four.’ Everton’s charge into the top four in 2004/05 came on the back of star player Wayne Rooney’s departure and Reo-Coker hopes that Villa’s progress, using the ‘Everton model’ can continue next season.

He said: “You look at where we are now and what we could do, we have to have reality and it was a good season.

“For any team not in the top four, it’s a building process.

“You’re not going to get the guaranteed quick fix to get into the top four.”

Meanwhile, Poland midfielder Mariusz Lewandowski, believed to be one of the players on David Moyes’s radar at this summer’s European Championship finals, has declared that he would welcome a move to the Premier League.

Moyes is looking for a top class holding midfielder to replace the steadying influence of Lee Carsley after the veteran Irish international joined Birmingham City.

Lewandowski, who has spent the last seven years in the Ukrainian League with Shakhtar Donetsk, has told reporters in his native Poland that he is “looking for a new place to play” after the finals in Austria and Switzerland.