Moyes-Doctrine: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum - the eternal challenge to Evertonians

The difference to previous manager's eras being a coherent strategy for making the team compete using experienced pros obtained at the right price, whilst bringing in flair and quality players and using the youth system as far as possible.

The Betrayal
The emergence of Wayne Rooney at Everton gave a brief glimmer of hope for significant progress at Everton thanks to some performances that belied the rebuilding progress had only just begun. After some trials and tribulations, in the summer of 2004, Wayne Rooney left to much upheaval amongst Everton supporters whom felt that the future had left to go up the East-Lancs road. Of great difficulty for Evertonians was who Rooney left to go to, equally was his behaviour before and after his departure towards the club he supposedly supported.
Moyes has been proved to be right to allow Rooney to leave, a disruption to the team, with an ego to match, of questionable integrity - his antics at the Gwladys Street and Park Ends in his returns to Goodison (Everton the club that brought him to attention) culminated in his badge kissing behaviour this season. Its now general agreement amongst Evertonians that Rooney is expunged from Everton history for his shameful, traitorous, disgraceful lack of respect for the institution and the supporters that helped create his profile. How many other players have returned to the club who's youth system they passed through, they supposedly supported, the city they originate from and acted in that fashion? Very few. Rooney may has well of blasphemed by urinating on the statue of Dixie Dean. For this reason he'd never be truly welcomed back.
Evertonians have since welcomed young players such as James Vaughn, Dan Gosling, Jack Rodwell, Anichebe, Baxter and others into the Everton fold, the relationship between manager-player-fans may not be completely smooth, but all are better characters for Everton FC, than the betrayer who left.

That Season We Won't Forget 2004/2005
With the departure of Rooney, Everton were in some quarters as good a buried. Apparently divided (Evertonians are never divided even though they disagree on things), many supporters from other clubs made Everton a favourite to be relegated - thanks to their "crap players and a crap club".
Everton's players, David Moyes and the supporters felt differently on the matter, with a string of victories and performances where Everton won game after game, with a Kopite team faltering under their Frenchmen, an Everton victory thanks to the legend Duncan Ferguson over Manchester United, Everton finished in 4th position qualifying for European football and defying everyone. This also marked the arrival of playmaker Mikel Arteta on loan, a player who's been a crucial first step for improving the technical ability of the side. The other was the arrival of Tim Cahill, who's ability in the box defies gravity.
This has since become Everton's theme, we play better the harder we are pressed and the closer we are pushed against the wall. A theme of Moyes' side is that they never give up fighting, because with time Moyes' rebuilding plans progressed, the side began to grow stronger and stronger.

Disappointment because Europe came too soon
Everyone remembers Everton's return to European football in both the champions league and UEFA Cup.The less said the better, other than that both came too soon based on the budgets and players available for Moyes to change the side for Europe.
Moyes had to re-adapt the side longer term to play in multiple competitions, that require different styles of play and constrained by the budgets he had simply couldn't do that in the time frame allowed.
However, the 2007/2008 season was the one where progress again was seen, with Everton unbeaten in the UEFA Cup until the knockout stages, Everton were only knocked out on a penalty shoot out in scenes that no one can forget, in one of the best games and atmosphere's the younger Evertonians can remember, many weren't born in the Cup Winner Cup glory days. However, the experience was gained, additional players and changes by Moyes this season included Phil Jagielka and Steven Pienaar coming into the club, and proving again Moyes knows how to improve players. Alongside performances from Lescott, Carsley and Yakubu - Everton look a technically competent side, fashioned to play in a number of different ways and able to attack teams away from home.

The Re-emergence of the Giant
Everton FC unlike the early 2000's are a team that can now compete, both technically and physically. Despite the turmoil at the start of the current season over David Moyes' 5 year contract, budgets and fan anger regarding progress on both, Moyes brought in his new assistant Steve Round and although a terrible time was had initially, things looked to come right as Moyes did his usual and ground out improvements in form over the season, even in the face of terrible season long injuries to Yakubu and Mikel Arteta that weakened a squad smaller than many other clubs. On several occasions Moyes has found a formation and selection where things begin to fit together. Again the players must rise to this challenge, even in the face of injuries to key players.
Everton look to be able to compete with clubs and dominate other sides under the correct conditions, on Everton's day they can beat anyone. This was proven against the not-so-local Kopite neighbours, despite defeat in our reorganising period, Everton went to Anfield twice in a week and drew twice, to the point that the Spanish manager bemoaned Everton parking their bus on the pitch, simply because his mercenaries didn't get it their own way. Such moaning is typically called BITTERNESS.
Bringing his side to Goodison, and after 118 minutes of hard fought Merseyside derby action, Everton prevailed - as they should - when Moyes youngster Dan Gosling put the Kopites out of the FA Cup. Bullens Road's away section cleared in under 3 minutes in Gosling's own version of Operation Goodison Exercise. Whilst Evertonians left the ground singing, happy and feeling satisfied that justice had again been done, the natural state of things on Merseyside had been shown - even if ITV Sport missed it.
Everton continued through their injury crises after crises - showing the spirit Everton expect, in the motto Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. Two key men to thank for his are Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka - both have played out of their skins this season for the cause, both are key men who've kept us competitive, knocking Aston Villa, Middlesborough out of the FA Cup as EFC do it the hard way, and not the Kopite way.

Going Forward Together
Despite a defeat to Portsmouth, where it was apparent Everton missed the man who's come in to make the difference, Tim Cahill - Everton's fortunes as usual are to be decided in the next few months.
Everton make a trip to Wembley, the first Merseyside club to go to the new Wembley to face the Betrayer's club - Manchester United. Everton are also hot on the heals of Aston Villa and Arsenal for Champions League football, both of whom Everton have battered and still not won this season at times, although justice will out in the end. As a club, Moyes has made us competitive with teams of much higher budget. He's done this using skill, experience and by bringing in players that want to play for Evertonians, and getting rid of questionable characters.
The team is defined by friendships like Tim Cahill's and Mikel Arteta's. By characters like Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott. By the determination of Tim Howard, the flair of Pienaar and Arteta and the experienced head helping the youth players achieve - in Phil Neville. The youngsters have taken up the mantle and have done the job - summed up by Rodwell's words "Just to play for Everton is an honour".
This is the team that Moyes built.
This is the Everton where anything really is possible if everyone sticks together.
The challenge Moyes has, along with the supporters is remembering the motto of the club, and living up to it. Its an eternal challenge, Moyes has got us competing with the best. We've knocked the so-called "best" out already. Now its time to do so again, and do so every season.
To do this we should continue as we are, improving off the field also - as this is critical. Whilst again bringing in the correct players.
Players like Jo, saying what its like at Everton are a good advert for the club and its supporters. It was not un-noticed that reports in Portugal from a certain player who we were linked with in the summer 2008, commented how players would like to play for Everton. Let that sort of news get around Europe, so Moyes can have his pick of players, whilst we continue to have a cornerstone of locally developed talent. This is what Evertonians expect.
The prestige is back because Everton are competitive. Its up to us to make sure this continues.