Chaos at Everton: Can David Moyes’ return revive the club’s fortunes?
Plus: we took a trip to the UK’s first floating sauna
Hello, readers — it’s Shannon here. I hope you’ve had a fabulous weekend.
In case you missed it, we published Laurence’s cracking piece on the darts boom in Merseyside this past Saturday, leading one reader to comment on X: “One of the great things about The Post is that it writes compellingly about subjects in which one has next to no interest.” I have to admit that before editing Laurence’s story I, too, didn’t care at all about darts, and now I can’t stop watching videos of Liverpool-born Stephen ‘the Bullet’ Bunting hyping up his fans to David Guetta’s “Titanium” on TikTok...
The Post
On with today’s edition, which includes our big story on Everton’s changing of the guard, great things to do this week, and my review of one of Liverpool’s hottest new attractions: Princes Dock’s floating sauna. Based on reader feedback – thanks so much again to those of you who filled out our survey – we’re changing things up a little with our Monday editions this year, and we’re hoping to include more reviews and miniature features each week. Got a recommendation for a quirky bar, museum attraction or new restaurant for us to try? What about a person or group of people doing great work in their community deserving of a shoutout? Email me on shannon@millmediaco.uk with your top tips.
The big story: Everton have shown Sean Dyche the door. Can the returning David Moyes revive the club’s fortunes?
Top line: They say the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If that extends to institutions, Everton must be certifiable. For the 11th time in nine years, the football club has sacked their manager after a poor string of results and a breakdown in relations with the fanbase.
Context: This time, Sean Dyche was the victim – although that’s a strong word considering the payout he’ll likely receive. Dyche and his coaching staff parted company with Everton last Thursday after a torrid last calendar year for the Toffees, who endured winless months in January, February, March, August, and November, and only won one game apiece in May, September, October, and December. 2025 is the swansong for Everton’s 133-year-old Goodison Park stadium, but with the team one point off the relegation zone, without a manager or seemingly a long-term plan, now there’s a genuine fear the fans will soon be saying goodbye to Premier League football, too.
That lack of a blueprint is perhaps what’s most concerning – and infuriating – for the Goodison Park faithful. His replacement, David Moyes, previously Everton manager from 2002 to 2013, is an attempt to finally correct that. Under his stewardship, Everton played a defensively responsible, smash-mouth “Dogs of War” kind of game reminiscent of Joe Royle’s short but successful tenure in the 90s. Moyes’s intransigent style brought stability, and respectable 4th and 5th-place finishes in the “Sky Four” era.
His successor, Roberto Martinez, aimed to emulate the earlier “School of Science” Everton of the 1960s, when the club were known as innovators priding themselves on cutting-edge methods. Martinez’s interpretation of this involved building on Moyes’ defence with technically-skilled, high-passing attacks. This, too, worked for a while, earning the club their highest Premier League total of 72 points in the 2013-2014 season, until the Spaniard’s experimental tendencies took them too far from his predecessor’s foundations.
Since then, each permanent Everton appointee has looked like a reaction against the one before. Ronald Koeman, seen as a no-nonsense disciplinarian to correct Martinez’s dreamier approach, came next. Koeman was at least perceived as a technician, his Dutch-Catalan background somewhat complimentary with Martinez’s possession-focused approach. But after a spending spree on sub-standard players that the club has arguably never recovered from, Koeman was replaced by Sam Allardyce, perceived as perhaps the epitome of a back-to-basics, defence-first English manager. Sacked, it seemed, for playing an unfashionable style, Allardyce gave way to Marco Silva, who it was hoped would bring a bold and exciting edge back to Everton’s play.
And so on. The consequence of this chopping and changing was that each new manager had to work with players signed and coached with his predecessor’s preferred strategy in mind – until, of course, the money dried up, the club sanctioned with points deductions for spending beyond their means under Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). The fans were left watching an on-pitch mismatch that pleased nobody but enterprising opponents keen to take advantage of Everton’s lack of identity or purpose.
Moyes managed Everton for eleven years. Since his departure, the club has appointed 13 temporary and permanent successors. He, too, has had his ups and downs – sacked from his subsequent three jobs, which included taking then-reigning league champions Manchester United to 7th place and suffering the sting of relegation with Sunderland. Though Moyes could point to mitigating circumstances in both cases, the fear for a while must have been that the predominance of high-pressing, high-possession football in the modern game had rendered his safety-first philosophy obsolete. But his second tenure at West Ham United yielded the Europa Conference League trophy, his first silverware and the Hammers' first for 43 years.
That Moyes’s first reign is now seen as a halcyon era indicates how bad it’s been since. From 2002 to 2013, Everton won no trophies, reached only one final, and endured a torrid record against the top sides, seldom beating Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or local rivals Liverpool at Goodison Park and never away from home. His “what we get, we keep” credo frustrated supporters and arguably cost the team in big matches, such as the 2009 FA Cup final versus Chelsea or the 2012 semi-final against Liverpool, where in both cases Moyes’ teams failed to build on their early success and opening goals and fell to 2-1 defeats.
Our take: The Friedkin Group, the club’s new owners, will surely know there’s more wrong with the club than who sits in the dugout. PSR still dangles over Everton like a Damoclean sword. Serious questions must be asked about every facet of the club’s structure. Seeking to press the reset button by re-appointing a previous manager should only be the first step in a years-long process of interrogation and correction.
But if Moyes has already disproven the adage that you should never go back, and if he can replicate his over-achievement with West Ham, leading Everton to the top-half of the table and bringing silverware to the new Bramley Moore stadium, this will all look like a superb decision by Friedkin. Right now, the fans would just take Premier League safety, and football that isn’t as anaemic as Everton’s has been lately. Not for the first time, David Moyes has his work cut out.
Your Post briefing
Metro mayor Steve Rotheram has announced he will commission an investigation into travel disruption which saw train services suspended last week, leaving passengers stranded in stations across Merseyside. Taking to X after a day of cancellations, Rotheram said the chaos came despite "repeated assurances" from Merseyrail and Network Rail that they had "robust Winter plans in place". "I have commissioned an independent and rapid review into this week's disruption,” he said. “Public transport is about people, and it must work for them — no excuses." His remarks had a mixed reception online, with some pointing out that this isn’t the first time he has made promises like this, suggesting he is ultimately accountable for the failures in the region. “You going to stand in the mirror and give yourself a good talking to Steve? The buck stops with you!” one user wrote. “These are your "state of the art" trains that, quite frankly, are useless. The problems are down to you, so don't try to deflect the blame,” wrote another. We’re working on a story about the travel disruption last week, and the overall efficiency of transport in the region. If you were left stuck due to the cancellations last week, or have any thoughts on why this chaos keeps happening, drop Shannon an email on shannon@millmediaco.uk.
Can we request a drumroll, please? The name of the first Mersey Ferry to be built in over six decades has finally been revealed: The Royal Daffodil. The boat, which cost around £26 million to create, is the sixth Mersey Ferry of its kind to hold that name, and is being built over in Birkenhead. It’s expected to be ready for service in the summer of next year.
Hobo Kiosk in the Baltic Triangle has been named one of the best bars in Europe. The quirky pub on Bridgewater Street has long been a favourite watering hole of The Post — with Abi paying the place a visit when she first relocated here in 2023. In its assessment, the European Bar Guide gave Hobo Kiosk a score of 8.8/10, describing it as "unique with a distinctive identity and character, a basement bar with local beers and fabulous hospitality". Speaking to The Echo over the weekend, co-owner Delia Brady-Jacobs said “it's nice to be recognised as an interesting pub to hang out in.” “So often, when you see lists of places that people are told to go and investigate, they tend to be quite large establishments — or even ones which are found in several cities. To have somewhere small like us is great. And it also confirms that what we’re doing is okay and that people really like it."
And good news for biodiversity across Merseyside as Sefton Council begins talks to rejuvenate the borough’s natural environment. Since 1989, Sefton’s wildlife has continually depleted, leading to the local extinction of nearly 40 species of plants and animals. Last week, the local authority’s cabinet agreed to approve details of a draft plan to help recover nature in the area, identifying Sefton’s main priorities — including mapping the borough’s existing habitats and working to reverse the decline of biodiversity. In response to the announcement, Steve Rotheram, metro mayor of Liverpool City Region, said “these fragile ecosystems need to be protected more than ever”. "How fantastic would it be, for example, to see our famous red squirrel population growing again?" he added.
Mini-review: Steaming away our sorrows on Princes Dock
Last Thursday, my wonderful colleague Abi treated me to an evening at Liverpool’s new floating sauna – the first of its kind in the UK – for a belated birthday celebration. I’d been meaning to check out Wyld ever since it opened last year. We ambled our way up from Post HQ on Albert Dock to Princes Parade, where we changed into our swimming costumes and joined about a dozen others in the glorious little sauna, which faces floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. It’s a wonderful view, especially at night, when lights from the surrounding buildings dance joyfully on the water.
I’d had every intention of getting sweaty in the sauna then diving into the docks afterwards, but since we were visiting during last week’s cold snap, I ended up chickening out. My mistake was sticking my big toe in the water; the icy freeze felt paralysing. I should have done what other, braver spa-goers did, which is just jump on in without preamble.
Luckily for me, the docks aren’t your only cool-down options; there are four ice baths in descending temperatures (to me, they all felt exactly the same: F*CKING COLD) on the pleasant outdoor deck overlooking the water. I managed a few dunks in one of them, though I could only withstand it for 30 seconds; I was super impressed with Abi, who withstood an even colder bath for a full minute. But the reward when heading back into the warmth of the sauna was immediate; that sudden change in temperature felt incredible.
I was pleasantly surprised by how affordable an hour’s session is: Abi paid £12.50 each for our Thursday evening session (thanks again, Abi!) but weekday sessions in the mornings and afternoons can go for as little as £7. More than worth it for a cleansing reset. If I had any complaints, it would be that the outdoor showers at the end of our sessions were warm, but not hot; our attendant told us afterward that the hot water can sometimes run out by the end of the day. Nevertheless, I got a big kick out of showering outside on the docks in two degree weather.
One of the best parts that I wasn’t expecting? How nice it was to chat with strangers for an hour, all of us robbed of the chance to avoid eye contact with each other by getting buried in our phones. We encouraged each other to try the ice plunges, celebrated those of us who were brave enough to get into the docks, swapped tips about our favourite bars in the city and movies to see that weekend. Just a lovely, relaxing, human experience. I’ll definitely be back.
You can book a session at Wyld here. Have any thoughts about a cool restaurant, event or experience we should check out for next week? Let us know at shannon@millmediaco.uk.
Post Picks
🏰On Tuesday, Buildings archaeologist Dr James Wright gets to the bottom of castle spiral staircases, ancient pubs and other classic myths across the city. His talk is being hosted by World of Glass in St Helens, and begins at 7pm. Tickets here.
🪴On Thursday, Planty Haus hosts a session all about houseplant care over at Maggie May’s. Tickets cost £15 and include a £5 voucher towards any of the plants on sale during the session. Details available here.
🎨Over the weekend, Kavin @ Kabannas hosts a Paint and Sip event, based around the Japanese landmark Mount Fuji. Doors open at 7pm on Saturday with all materials provided. Find out more here.
🎹What would it be like to imagine the music of J.S.Bach, Claude Debussy or Franz Schubert on the marimba? Find out at St George’s Hall on Saturday with a performance of the classics exclusively on the marimba. It runs from 6pm until 7.30pm. Grab a ticket here.
Recommended reads
The Guardian spoke with voters in Liverpool Riverside and Tottenham – two constituencies with large black communities as well as black MPs – where Labour’s vote share dropped by more than 20 points during last year’s election. Their resounding message? “I haven’t seen any change.”
Over at our sister publication, the Manchester Mill, our founder Joshi Herrmann revisited the many months he spent reporting in 2020 and 2021 on a man called Raja Miah, and his successful campaign to take out a series of Oldham’s council leaders at the ballot box. Miah had also waged a remorseless information war to persuade people in the town that the authorities had concealed an epidemic of grooming from them. Now that Elon Musk has weighed in on the Oldham grooming scandal, Joshi argues that this week’s controversy can be traced back to a vicious online campaign that has terrified politicians – but struggled to substantiate its claims.
And in another of Mill Media’s publications – our newest title, The Londoner – Andrew Kersley digs into the cult-like church taking over London, and its concerning links to Labour politicians. The UCKG has been accused of conducting conversion therapy, controlling members’ lives, and coercing people to donate their life savings – and they have a branch here in Liverpool, too.
