Moyes' Programme Notes For Man City Visit

Good afternoon and welcome back to Goodison Park for what is another tough fixture in a run of difficult games. 

But while the fixture list has been challenging, our performances in those games have been good.

We returned from Nottingham Forest last Saturday with a great result following another really good performance. The three points we collected still doesn’t mathematically confirm Premier League football next season but the league table looks much better than it did a few months ago.

We gave a really strong performance at the City Ground, with many of the players performing as well as they have done since my arrival.

It might have taken us to 90-plus minutes before we got our goal but on the day I thought we thoroughly deserved the victory.

Even if we hadn’t won, the performance showed we are making progress and the players are improving. 

We hope we can keep it going.

I mentioned after the game in my media interviews that I have been hugely impressed by Forest this season. 

To go from 17th to challenging for the Champions League and reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup is a wonderful turnaround and it’s the kind of progress we have to aspire towards next season.

We experienced a similar kind of turnaround here in my first spell when we went from 17th to fourth, while at West Ham we were able to experience similar improvements.

I believe it can happen. We may not be able to take giant steps forward but it doesn’t mean to say we won’t be out there trying to be as competitive as we possibly can be at the top end of the table.

We are now starting to get people back fit and available and that’s giving me more options.

Considering where we found ourselves in early January with so many injuries, things are looking much better. 

Last Saturday, for example, we were able to bring on Beto, Dwight and Charly, and all had an influence in helping us to win the match.

Since I’ve been here we’ve not had that luxury but we are now finally starting to get everybody fit and available again.

We’ll need all the players today when we come up against a side as strong as Manchester City.

We are welcoming Pep, his staff and his players to Goodison Park one last time.

It has always been a tough fixture over many years, even more so in recent times because of the quality Manchester City have at their disposal, but it is a fixture we always look forward to.

We have acquitted ourselves well here against Arsenal and Liverpool in recent home games and we go into this match against another quality opponent, and hopefully can show similar form.

We also welcome back some of the team from our wonderful 1984/85 squad today. Over the years I have come to know many of those players and I think it is great that the Club continues to remember and celebrate their achievements.

We hope in time we can put a team together which can make new memories which will be celebrated in years to come at our new stadium.

Before then, I must say that while we have always had great support at Goodison, the backing we get on our travels is just as impressive. The scene behind the goal when we scored that late winner last Saturday was something that will stay with me for a long time.

We never take that support for granted. We know we have to earn it with our performances, but we are enormously grateful for that backing.

We will leave Goodison after today’s game knowing our 133-year tenure here will soon come to an end. For generations of Evertonians, Goodison will soon be no more and we want to finish as strongly as we possibly can here.

So get right behind the team and support us in what will be a very tough game.

David