Everton boss David Moyes on the issue of referee abuse and the injuries to Dominic Calvert Lewin and Oriol Mangala ahead of their Premier League clash with Leicester
Finch Farm, Liverpool, UK
Finch Farm, Liverpool, UK
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00:00Oh, my God.
00:02Hi!
00:04No problem.
00:06I'll get the message.
00:08That was you.
00:10Hey, who was that?
00:12Hey.
00:14Can we find whoever that was, Joycey?
00:18How are you, Vinnie?
00:20Was that you who locked that door?
00:22I was just wondering, do you get phantom pain ten minutes late?
00:24Yeah, well, you can add them.
00:26LAUGHTER
00:28Andy, I should say.
00:32Good afternoon, everyone, welcome to our pre-match press conference,
00:35we'll start off with Vinnie from Sky.
00:37David, just wanted to start on the abuse suffered,
00:40or that's been highlighted, suffered by referees at the moment as well,
00:43particularly highlighted by what Michael Oliver's had to deal with
00:46on social media as well,
00:48just wondering what responsibility is there for players, coaches,
00:51even the media as well, to set the right example?
00:54Oh, well, it's a disgrace that any of the referees would come for any criticism,
00:59because they do an incredible job.
01:03I believe that we've got the best group of referees there is in Europe,
01:06I've always thought that, I've had a chance to work in Spain
01:09and I still think that the referees over here are the best ones there is.
01:13And, you know, it's terrible that people would do that,
01:17but we're in a world, sadly, where, you know,
01:19whether it be referees or football managers or football players,
01:22you know, it can happen.
01:24But I have to say that I think the referees,
01:26and Michael Oliver especially, has been an excellent referee over the years,
01:29and still is.
01:30For yourselves, how do you weigh up the positivity of two wins on the bounce
01:33against the injury suffered by Mangala and Dominic Calvert-Lewis?
01:37Well, it's an incredible big blow to us, because to lose two players,
01:41but the one thing that did come out of it is we took three points out of the game,
01:45which was the real positive from the game,
01:47but the blow was to lose the two players for quite a long period.
01:51But we have to go on, you know, that's what happens.
01:55Football clubs do get injuries, and you have to find other ways of getting results
01:59and players stepping up and showing what they can do.
02:02Any clearer idea of a timescale for Dominic?
02:05And will Mangala go back, or will he stay with you?
02:08I believe that Mangala will go back.
02:11I think we're waiting for the surgeon to clear it,
02:14and I think it will be operated on in France, as far as I know.
02:20Dom isn't as bad. Dom doesn't need any surgery.
02:24He's been checked, so from that point of view, it's not a good injury,
02:29but it's maybe not quite as bad as we first feared when we got it.
02:32So from that point of view, we're hoping that that might not be as long
02:36as maybe first expected.
02:38So hope that he will play again this season?
02:40Absolutely, yeah.
02:41With Mangala then, and that loan, does that enable you,
02:44or make it a little bit easier to move in terms of the transfer market,
02:48and then bring another player in?
02:49I think what it means is we probably have even more reasons
02:53that we need to bring in some players, which we know, so we're not...
02:57It's not that we don't do that, but we know that it's just so difficult
03:01to get maybe players in that we want.
03:04But overall, we're really sad for both players,
03:08really sad for Mangala, who actually the action was nothing.
03:12It was pretty much near the end of the game,
03:1480 minutes round about that time, or 75 minutes.
03:17So it was really sad that it happened, and he's been very good
03:22in the games we've played as well, and I've been pleased with him.
03:25So disappointed for the boy.
03:26Obviously, you're speaking a lot to Kevin Thirlwell,
03:28so I just wonder how confident you are of adding to the squad now?
03:32Confident at the moment has become difficult,
03:34because it's certainly not for the want of trying, let me tell you.
03:38So I know behind the scenes, and for all the Evertonians,
03:41we're really out there trying to find things that we can bring in.
03:45But undoubtedly, we're still hampered with PSR.
03:48I'm really jealous of watching a lot of teams who can maybe
03:51attempt to go for a lot of players at expensive prices at the moment.
03:54We're not quite there, but we don't want to get ourselves
03:57in a position we've been in before with points deductions, etc.
04:01So we have to be really mindful of what we do,
04:04and all I can say is I hope the supporters all understand that
04:07and go with us.
04:09We hope to bring in some players, but maybe it's not the ones
04:13which, if we really had the money, we'd be trying to do.
04:16And again this weekend, you have to go with what you've got.
04:18I just wonder how pivotal...
04:20One game obviously doesn't make a season,
04:22but how pivotal do you feel this one game,
04:24given the respective positions of the two sides could be
04:26to the aims that you had when you came in?
04:28I get that, but the last thing our players need is any more pressure on them.
04:31They've worked under so much pressure recently.
04:34They're just beginning to get a lot of belief back in it.
04:37We need the supporters to look at it that way.
04:39I think Leicester have improved recently,
04:42and I think they look as if they're playing better.
04:45I hope that we can get another good result.
04:48It would be really important.
04:50But I'm not going to load up the pressure on our players at the moment.
04:53I'm going to try and keep them as calm as I can
04:55and hope that the crowd get right behind them and support them
04:58and give us everything we need.
05:00I know you had a feel for the club anyway,
05:02but you were at the Everton in the Community showcase the other day as well.
05:05I just wonder how much that reinforced the feel that you had for the place.
05:10There's one thing I've always thought about Everton.
05:12I think it's got community running through its veins.
05:15I think it does unbelievably good work in the area.
05:18But I said at the time as well,
05:20I think people should never forget the good work that football clubs do in communities.
05:25It's not just Everton. I've had a chance to see it at West Ham as well.
05:28I think they try and give an awful lot back in.
05:31There's so many people who put time and effort in.
05:35As we said, there's a lot of people who get criticism, maybe on social media,
05:39but there's an awful lot of people behind the scenes doing good work in communities
05:44where there's a lot of deprivation at times at the moment
05:47and some people struggling with different aspects.
05:51I think that Everton do a brilliant job.
05:53Just finally from me, David, a couple of things to check.
05:55Dwight McNeil, any update? Has he had surgery yet?
05:58And Chimitty as well, any further timescales?
06:00Dwight's had a minor surgery.
06:03I've just spoke to him as I walked into the press conference.
06:06It was the first I'd seen him, actually. He's back in the building.
06:09So hopefully this will be sorting out his injury,
06:15which was a little bit difficult to diagnose.
06:18But hopefully this will help him get him back.
06:21And Chimitty?
06:22Chimitty's back on the grass today.
06:25I'm getting told maybe three to four weeks we might have a chance of getting him back.
06:30But obviously that's him.
06:32I think his first day was back today and he was out with the physios.
06:36Thanks, Vinny. We'll go to Eileen at Premier League production.
06:38Hi, David.
06:39You mentioned the pressure that the players were playing under,
06:42particularly around the start of the year and through the first half of the season.
06:45Illiman and Jai spoke this week about the impact that you've had since coming in,
06:49saying a lot has changed in a short space of time.
06:52Do you feel you've had to make big changes,
06:54particularly when it's come to instilling resilience and mentality in the squad?
06:58No, I think this squad have come through incredible times.
07:02If you look at the last couple of years regarding being at the wrong end of the table,
07:06I think they've done great to make sure that they were a Premier League club.
07:10So I've got no doubt they've got that in them.
07:14I think the changes we're trying to make is can we improve on different little bits,
07:19things which maybe they've felt as if they've been missing themselves, the players.
07:22But I think the players deserve the credit.
07:25The players have really adapted very quickly.
07:27We've started to feel as if we might make a few more chances.
07:31Obviously, we're losing Dom at the moment, which is a blow to us.
07:35But I actually think that there's been a lot of positives.
07:39But last week against Brighton, we had to show a lot of the stuff
07:42which has been ingrained in the players here over the years.
07:44They're hard to beat, hard to play against, don't make it easy,
07:47which is a great thing to have.
07:49In terms of seeing games out, like you, of course, have done in the last two games,
07:53particularly against Brighton.
07:54How much is that necessary as a solid foundation for building the squad on
07:58and how much encouragement does that give you for the rest of the season?
08:01Well, I've always thought that the best teams have the best defence, mainly.
08:04And I think that you've got to have a good defence to make sure
08:07that you're always in a good position to win games.
08:11Us winning the game last week was probably down to a really good rear-guard
08:14defensive performance.
08:16So we're going to have to do that, but still try and make more chances,
08:20more opportunities to score.
08:22We got three against Tottenham in the last home game,
08:25so the idea would be to try and see if we can do something similar.
08:28And not just creating chances, but converting them as well.
08:31Three of the five players with the most shots and chances combined
08:35without registering a goal and assist in the Premier League
08:37are Everton players, particularly with Dominic now sidelined.
08:40How important is it that those players now step up and convert the chances?
08:44Absolutely.
08:45I don't think we're necessarily the side at the moment
08:48who's going to be making bundles of chances.
08:50We've done quite a few though.
08:52I have to say against Tottenham we made a lot of chances,
08:54more than the three that we've done.
08:56Even against Aston Villa we had a couple of opportunities in that game as well.
08:59So we have to try and find a way of keeping making the opportunities.
09:02But I take your point, yeah, we do.
09:04Everybody needs to step up.
09:06We need to look to see if we can score some more goals from set pieces.
09:09We need to look to see if we can score them in open play as well.
09:11So let's hope we can do that.
09:14Thanks, Alan. We'll go to Julia.
09:17Hi, David.
09:19Hi there.
09:20I just wondered if you could explain a little bit more
09:22about just the complexities of working in a January transfer window
09:26and with PSR because this club has had PSR highlighted
09:30over the last couple of years.
09:32Has it surprised you how difficult it makes it to operate?
09:35Yeah, I've got to say I've been really surprised
09:40in the way it's restricting the football club here.
09:44Everton's a huge football club and it should be competing
09:48with many of the big clubs in the country here.
09:54And hopefully spending in a way where it's right
09:57and challenging for the big players which are out there and available.
10:01There's not that many in January to be honest.
10:03And I think that I'm just beginning to see it myself.
10:06I'm just beginning to look at it and say I understand a little bit more about the PSR.
10:11We've still got a little bit of work to do with that.
10:13It's hindering us maybe going and being what does David Moyes really want
10:20and what do I really want to bring to Everton just now
10:23is not really what I can do.
10:26But I know that I have to find a way of getting players in
10:29who will hopefully contribute in some way.
10:35But as a manager you always want to sign the best players you possibly can.
10:38I want to sign people who I think the supporters will be excited by
10:41and would love to come and see.
10:45Just at the moment we're all just a little bit hindered with what's been left over.
10:49But we're nearly there.
10:51We've got good new owners in who I feel will change that.
10:55But maybe not until the summer.
10:57With that said then, if you can't do any business because of those regulations that are in place
11:02do you feel this squad has got enough in it to stay up in the Premier League?
11:07Well I hope so.
11:09We're going to have to work at it.
11:10Our last two results would suggest that we've done quite well.
11:14But I'm not daft enough to get carried away on that.
11:16I know that it used to be 40 points it was I think to stay up.
11:20I don't think it'll need as much as that this year.
11:23But I certainly know that we're going to have to win quite a few more games
11:26in the run-in to make it happen.
11:28So I hope the squad's strong enough if we don't get Emdy.
11:33But in a way I'm still saying I would like to bring a couple of players in if we can.
11:37And it might just be people who can help me try and make sure in case we've picked up any more injuries.
11:44Because once we get January out the way that's it.
11:46We can't do any more.
11:48And on that note, the good news this week is you've had Tim Iribuddin back into training as well.
11:53James Garner came off the bench last week.
11:55So you're getting bodies back.
11:56Is Tim someone that can possibly feature in the squad this weekend?
12:00He could do, yeah.
12:01And he may well do because we've not got so many about.
12:04But from what I'm seeing I think Tim needs a good bit of training at the moment.
12:08I think he's just coming back and I think he'll need a week or two more
12:13before I would probably think that he'd be ready for the real action.
12:17And with the fact that strikers are low, they're difficult to come by in January as well.
12:22Michael Keane has been used in the past up front.
12:24Is he somebody that you would consider putting up front?
12:27And how difficult is it?
12:28He's really a defender.
12:29Do you think changing that position for him?
12:33Well, let's be fair, he's not a centre forward.
12:35But everybody seems to tell me that he's always done quite well.
12:40I remember him from years ago and he played very well for Burnley before he came here as well.
12:44When he was at United I had him for a while.
12:47So I do think that we're probably looking, we're going to try anything.
12:53We're going to need everybody to try and be adaptable, flexible
12:57and see what possibilities we've got.
13:00It's not the first thought in my mind, but I might need it.
13:12Hi David, just a quick one.
13:14You've spoken about the difficulty with transfers in terms of what's available to you.
13:19Can you quantify how much of a compromise you're looking at having to make in terms of level?
13:27Well, I understand the position.
13:29I've come to other football clubs in a position similar to this and built on it
13:33and found a way and tried to improve the level of the players and the quality.
13:37And recruitment will always be the most important thing, I think,
13:40for most football managers anywhere, trying to recruit correctly.
13:45I think that this football club should be buying in a market
13:51where we can compete and challenge other teams.
13:54At the moment we're not in that buyer's market, I don't feel.
13:57I've got to say this market in general is a bad market, if we're being honest.
14:01What's happening, I think there's only been maybe 11 or 12 deals.
14:05Maybe today it may have changed, but I think it's been a slow market.
14:10I think overall I can see now why maybe the last few years at Everton it's been so difficult.
14:16The people who've had to work under the restrictions have done a remarkable job
14:21because it's not good when you see other teams buying a lot of top players
14:26and you're saying you can't get involved in trying to get in the action really
14:30because it's just outwith our reach.
14:33But I'm quite confident with the new owners coming in in the summer
14:36and we get cleared off it, then we'll hopefully start to get a bit closer to being able to challenge.
14:41Is there any benefit in the short term to taking a gamble with a player
14:46who maybe you might not think would be good enough?
14:50Or is it just a question?
14:52Well, that's really the question.
14:55I think that we probably may have to do that.
14:57We may have to take some players.
15:01But there again, you're saying, well, don't waste your money.
15:06So whatever you do, it could be right or wrong, wherever you go.
15:10It's not easy when you're asking the questions, I don't mean that,
15:15but it's easy, whatever we do, if it doesn't work, you should say,
15:18well, they shouldn't have done it, they should have done the other.
15:20But when you're sitting in the position, you have to make a decision of one of them.
15:24My feeling is that we need to bring in some players
15:27and we need to probably add something to the squad rather than not.
15:30So my aim is in the next two or three days, whatever we've got left,
15:34is to try and make sure that we bring something else in.
15:37I hope that it will have an impact on the team if possible.
15:43Thanks, Kyle. Any further questions in the open section before we move on?
15:47No? OK, thank you.
15:49Thank you. Cheers, thank you.