ECHOES OF EVERTON AT HAPPY HAMMERS
THERE’S been a whiff of happy nostalgia in David Moyes’s office of late. It’s lost on neither the West Ham manager nor his assistant, Alan Irvine, that this is not the first time they have pulled good things out of muck. There is an encouraging precedent for what they have salvaged and hope to achieve at the London Stadium, and it is found 16 years in the past at Everton. From 17th place in 2004 to fourth in 2005 — it was the season Moyes made his name. Tomorrow their current side, who survived in 16th last season, could go into the top four if they beat Crystal Palace. Given they have now won five in a row and are in the FA Cup fifth round after crushing Doncaster
4-0, they are good value for it. No smart money would be wagered on them staying in the top four if they do get there, but that is an unfair conversation. The scale of the resurrection under Moyes has been immense, and quite possibly the best managerial feat of the campaign so far. Irvine spoke in his place and brought up the Everton parallel after the Doncaster win was earned via goals from Pablo Fornals, Andriy Yarmolenko, an Andy Butler own goal and a debut strike from Oladapo Afolayan. ‘That would be absolutely brilliant if we could get into that top four,’ Irvine said. ‘If we continue to work in the way that we have been doing, then who knows what can happen from there? I was part of the backroom staff at Everton when we managed to get fourth and it would be lovely if we could get into that position again. It is something that is due to an awful lot of hard work. ‘Nobody expected it at Everton and that is similar to now. When you have come into a team who have been fighting at the wrong end of the table, which we did with Everton, the first thing is get to a position where you are not looking over your shoulder and worried about the bottom of the league. ‘We are almost in that position now and the sooner you are, the sooner you can start resetting the goals.’