Everton announced the signing of David Moyes after their FA Cup victory against Peterborough. For many fans of the team, the return of a legend to coach the team is exactly what this team needed, but for others, it seems like an attempt by this club to return to the past rather than look towards the future.

“The fan base is a little bit split; Moyes is, in my view, a solid choice for Everton’s current predicament,” James Boyman, host and analyst of The Blue Frontier, said. “He’s a beloved figure among Everton fans. He’d unite the fan base, and I think he has shown that he’s capable in a relegation fight.”

In some ways, Moyes is similar to Sean Dyche in that he’s not necessarily looking to control possession, but unlike Dyche, he’ll be looking to take more risks. 

“He’s not going to go quite as direct as Sean Dyche. He’s going to look to play through the lines a little bit more, but he is also going to look to more aggressively counter-attack (other teams),” Boyman said. “That (playstyle) will help Everton, especially if we get a couple more players to create more goals from open play, just getting teams on the back foot, using our pace, pushing guys forward”

In terms of emotional significance, this appointment could have a positive effect on the morale of fans and players alike do to the romanticism of the context in which Moyes has been brought in. 

“Some of my co-hosts on my podcast, namely Ryan (Williams), are not necessarily romantics about Everton,” Boyman shared. “But I think there’s a certain romanticism of seeing David Moyes return, the manager who gave Everton their last period of Premier League success and stability return for Goodison’s final matches.”

Feelings aside, Moyes has come in to keep Everton outside the relegation zone, something Dyche has barely done this season. If Moyes can take advantage of the talent that is so obviously present in the squad plus some key additions, James believes that there should be no reason for Everton to finish in the relegation zone by the season’s end. 

“It’s as simple as making a couple of smart acquisitions in the window, be that through loan signings or a couple of permanent (ones). Moyes has, throughout his career, managed guys from all over and has recruited from all over. So I think that gives Everton a lot of flexibility in the loan market, a much broader market to dip into, and I think that bodes well for some of the business that we might be able to do,” Boyman said. “The key is to bring in a couple of guys and then use the guys you have more effectively, which Dyches just wasn’t doing.”

In Goodison Park’s last season, Everton’s survival this season is paramount to the future of this club. Keeping the club elevated would be a fitting way to wrap up this era of Everton’s history, one that has been shrouded in darkness for so long but with light finally showing up at the end of the tunnel. 

“I do think with a few small tweaks, with a few additions, I think Everton are comfortably safe, and that has to be the first and foremost priority,” Boyman said. “See Everton safe. Send out Goodison on a high note, and move into the new stadium next year with a ton of squad turnover and the ability to spend a lot of money with the amount of wages that we’ll see off the books.”