DAVID MOYES has warned Everton that Sheffield United’s rapid descent into League One provides a salutary lesson of what can happen “if you don’t do things correctly”.
Everton entertain Danny Wilson’s side in the League Cup tonight with serious problems on and off the pitch at Goodison Park. Barclays Bank has capped the club’s overdraft at €28.5 million for the coming season, resulting in Moyes being unable to make one addition to his squad this summer and all monies raised being handed to the club’s creditors.
On the playing side, Everton opened their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 home defeat by the newcomers Queens Park Rangers on Saturday and head into the second-round tie with injury doubts over Tim Cahill, Louis Saha and Jermaine Beckford.
Moyes has so far resisted an approach from Arsenal for Phil Jagielka and said he does not have to conduct a fire sale of major talent to safeguard Everton’s future. However, ahead of facing a club who operated in the Premier League only four years ago, he admitted Everton must heed the lessons of Sheffield United’s demise.
“This is a difficult tie, a really difficult tie,” the Everton manager said. “They are a big club in their own right, they are playing with confidence and passing the ball well, they will bring decent support with them, and they will see it as an opportunity. But it also shows you what can happen. You can be a big club, but if you don’t do things correctly and don’t do things right you can find yourself in League One. It wasn’t too long ago that they were in the Premier League, so that shows that if you don’t do things correctly you can get yourself in trouble.
“Sheffield United are a big club with a big fan base from a big city, so it can be that things go quite quickly wrong. I am sure they didn’t plan it to go that way.”
Moyes did not say whether it was the chairman Bill Kenwright’s failure to attract new investment, pressure from the banks, or both, that raised parallels with Sheffield United. But he did identify the players at his disposal as the principal reason why Everton should avoid a similar fate.
He added: “I think we have a good enough squad to make sure we are healthy enough. I think we have a good group of players and I would expect them to come together. Everton have been in the top flight for as long as anyone, but we have to be aware that we need to keep working hard.
“I said that first of all this season we need to get to 40 points and then push on from there. I think between 10 and 14 clubs in the Premier League will be saying the same.”
Guardian Service
