Everton won’t play a game on Boxing Day this season thanks to the ever-changing landscape of the Premier League – and that is a shame given how strong David Moyes’ record has been on this day as Everton boss.
Everton are on the road over the next few days, with a short trip to fellow northern side Burnley coming on December 27, while an away trip to Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest is on the horizon on December 30.
And although the Toffees will be the favourites as they play Brentford and Wolves at home at the turn of the new year, positive results will be required against Burnley and Forest to keep themselves in the European hunt in the Premier League table.
However, it’s a shame that Everton don’t play on Boxing Day this time around – with the Toffees having a strong record under Scottish boss David Moyes in his time at the helm in his first spell.
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Everton’s record under David Moyes on Boxing Day is admirable
David Moyes has managed Everton in 10 Boxing Day fixtures in the Premier League – and the Toffees have had a lot of Christmas joy under their Scottish boss.
Starting out with a 1-1 draw away at Birmingham City in his first Boxing Day clash as Toffees boss, Moyes had to wait another year for success after the festive period as his side fell 3-2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the 2003-04 campaign.
Finally earning himself a Christmas present in 2004 as his side downed Manchester City 2-1 at Goodison Park, Moyes’ heaviest defeat on Boxing Day came in a 4-0 thrashing at Aston Villa the following year – but from there, he never lost again on that day prior to his move to Manchester United in 2013.
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A 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough was followed by a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in 2007, before he finally did one better against ‘Boro in a 1-0 away win in 2008.
Another draw against North East opposition in 2009 came away at Sunderland, whilst a postponed game due to a huge winter freeze meant that the record of unbeaten games was extended by a year.
Another 1-1 draw against Sunderland occurred in 2011, and Moyes signed off his Boxing Day results with a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic in 2012.
Overall, it’s a record of just two defeats in 10 for Moyes on this day as Everton boss, with four wins and four draws – a solid record to go off.
Everton boss David Moyes will be hoping to qualify for Europe for the fifth time on Merseyside
A solid start for the Toffees this season has seen them firmly in the European hunt.
Moyes’ first full campaign as Everton boss saw them fall short on the final day of the Premier League season for a UEFA Cup spot, but he avenged that two years later with a fourth-placed finish in the 2004-05 campaign, making the Champions League qualifying rounds.
A one-year hiatus then saw the Toffees embark on three consecutive campaigns on the continent after three successive top six finishes, reaching the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup and the round of 32 in the then-rebranded Europa League.
Everton have only had two European campaigns since, and are now on their longest run without competing in Europe since Moyes joined all those years ago in March 2002. He’ll be hoping to change the tide and get the Toffees back to where they belong with four winnable fixtures over the turn of the New Year.
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