Everton vs Fulham preview - Moyes reflects on nine Goodison years - 7M sport

Everton vs Fulham preview - Moyes reflects on nine Goodison years



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Posted Saturday, March 19, 2011 by PA

Manager David Moyes insists he is still driven to succeed at Everton after celebrating nine years in charge this week.

The Scot is desperately awaiting his first trophy since taking over at Goodison Park but stressed he is determined to go on and win some silverware, even if that means annoying some fans who maybe think a change at the top will bring a change in fortune.

By a quirk of coincidence Fulham are the visitors as they were for his first match in charge on March 16, 2002 when he began his Toffees career with a 2-1 win.

But Moyes will not waste any time on reminiscing on his past as the third longest-serving manager behind good friend Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

"It is not fashionable to be a manager for nine years, it is fashionable to change it around and get someone in a bit more trendy," said the manager, who is looking to extend the club's 62-year unbeaten record at home to the Cottagers.

"I don't think that tends to be the case and the most successful clubs have had longevity with their managers.

"Some people will get a bit fed up and think it is time for the manager to go but I feel it is time to kick on and get better.

"I am always driving myself to get more. Even if I had won the league two times I would be saying I wanted to win it three times so the fact I have not done any of that means I want to try to win something.

"But it has to be looked on as a success to stay in a job in the Premier League for that amount of time but it is not just down to me it is down to the players and a really stable board of directors, unlike a lot we see around the country.

"I work hard to stay in my job, I don't take it for granted and I have to keep working hard else someone else will be there to take my place.

"My ambition is to take Everton as far as I can, I would like to win something."

Despite not winning a trophy there have been a number of high points for Moyes.

However, he is still grateful to David Unsworth for getting his Everton career off to the ideal start.

"I was nervous because I was a young manager coming into the Premier League and we were not in the best position in the table," he recalled of his first game.

"I was hoping to get off to a good start and it was more than that because David Unsworth scored after about 30 seconds.

"Highlights since then would have to be qualifying for the Champions League, even if we didn't make the group stage, and also the years we qualified for the Europa League.

"There was also beating Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final - there have been lots of good times but as always I think the best is yet to come."

Mark Hughes believes he can achieve more at Fulham than he did with Blackburn.

Cottagers boss Hughes helped Rovers reach two FA Cup semi-finals and qualify for Europe twice during his near four years in charge at Ewood Park.

But despite arguably not having the same financial resources at Fulham, Hughes reckons he inherited a better group of players than those he took over at Blackburn six and a half years ago.

He said: "I feel that there's certainly the capacity to do a similar job here and, obviously, I've come in at a better level because the group of players here is better technically than the one I inherited at Blackburn.

"Why can't we achieve regular top-10 positions in the Premier League and, on certain occasions, who knows? Maybe we can push for sixth position, fifth position.

"In terms of achievement, given the resources this club has, it reflects greatly on everybody involved."

After a difficult start to life at Fulham, Hughes has managed to stabilise the club in mid-table in the Barclays Premier League with nine matches remaining.

And despite being seven points behind sixth-placed Liverpool, Europe currently beckons for Fulham through the Fair Play League.

"I think it's ourselves and Chelsea in the top two positions at the moment," said Hughes, who took charge after the Cottagers reached last season's Europa League final.

"Chelsea almost certainly will qualify for Europe through other avenues, so we're in the mix for that.

"Given the club's had a fantastic taste for European football in recent times, we'd love to get it back.



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