David Moyes should be the manager that leads Everton into the move from Goodison Park to their new state-of-the-art home on Bramley-Moore Dock next season, former Toffees' midfielder Kevin Kilbane has exclusively told Sports Mole.
Since his return to the Goodison dugout last month, Moyes has already strung together three successive Premier League wins, making Everton the first club outside the top eight to achieve that feat this season.
Those wins have already moved Everton nine points clear of the drop zone, with relegation fears being eased massively since the return of Moyes as manager, replacing Sean Dyche.
Having played under Moyes at Everton between 2003 and 2006, Kilbane has talked up his former manager's suitability for the role, and why he should be the man to take them forward in the long term.
When questioned on what Moyes can bring to the Everton dressing room, Kilbane told Sports Mole: "David Moyes is a top manager. You only have to look at his league finishes with West Ham to know what a brilliant job he did there.
"At Everton he performed so well for the club, securing European Football, and looking at his time at West Ham, he won the Conference League, which is a massive achievement.
"He is a good man manager, he is super passionate and he is a manager you want to play for and well up there with one of the best managers I have worked under for sure."
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Kilbane adamant Everton should stick with Moyes
Asked whether the new Everton owners should target a 'sexier' name and style of play in the long term, or whether Moyes is a viable solution to their recent problems, Kilbane backed his former manager.
"Why not [Moyes]? You look at what a great job he did at Everton before, which led him to Manchester United."
While not winning a major honour in his 11-year stint at Everton, Moyes achieved numerous top-six finishes, and even broke into the often stringently-guarded top four in the 2004-05 season.
The Scot also came the closest to ending Everton's long wait for a trophy, falling just short in the FA Cup final in 2009, a stage they have not reached in any cup competition since.
"Going into the new stadium is a massive step for Everton. He can aim high and make Everton compete in the top half of the division, which looking at Everton's performances over a number of years, will be a brilliant job." Kilbane continued.
It is clear for all to see that Everton have fallen a long way since Moyes left the club, qualifying for Europe just twice in the 12 years since he departed for Man United.
The Goodison Park faithful have also had to endure two nail-biting battles against relegation, which could have put a dampener on the opening of their new stadium, had they been playing down in the Championship.
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Kilbane makes bold claim about Moyes
Moyes's style of play is met with derision by some onlookers, and even among fans of his former club West Ham, but Kilbane is adamant that few managers could do as good a job with Everton at present than him.
"Why look for a sexier name when David Moyes is one of the best managers in the game and he knows the club so well?
"Everton have made the mistake with some managers, so stick with Moyes and he can bring good times back," Kilbane insisted.
Having a popular figure in the dugout is important at a club like Everton, with supporters who are closely knit, highly expectant, and hugely emotional.
A number of Everton's managers in the post-Moyes era have left under a cloud, and are still spoken of in negative terms to this day, such as Rafael Benitez for obvious reasons, as well as Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, and to some extent Dyche, who were all not overly popular with the fans, due to their demeanor, and their perceived lack of interest in connecting with the fanbase.
Some of Moyes's comments after he left the club, and his pursuit of Everton's key players once he had gone to Man United left a slightly sour taste, but he has been welcomed back with open arms, illustrating just how popular he was, and how much of a connection he had with the supporters.
Kevin Kilbane was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of Netbet Online Casino.
Andrew Delaney
