England and Everton veteran Gareth Barry believes the Blues boss should be in the running for manager of the year
10:49, 07 Apr 2026Updated 15:04, 07 Apr 2026
Everton manager David Moyes during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool. Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Gareth Barry believes David Moyes has been one of the top performing managers of the season.
The former Everton midfielder said he had no doubt Moyes would achieve the job he was initially hired for and steer the club away from a relegation fight when he joined in January 2025.
But he conceded he had been surprised by what the Scot had achieved this season so far, navigating a squad overhaul and stadium move to leave the Blues on the cusp of Europe with seven games to go.
Barry said he feared the transition from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium would be a traumatic one. While there have been issues – Everton went seven home matches without a win over the winter months – those results have not held the side back from a campaign of real progress.
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There is hope a breakthrough has been achieved, too, with Everton having won the last two matches on the Liverpool waterfront.
Reflecting on the season so far Barry, who made more than 150 appearances for Everton, told Boyle Sports, who offer the latest football odds, that Moyes and Brentford boss Keith Andrews – Moyes’ next opponent in the dugout – deserve credit.
He said: “I wasn’t surprised last season when David Moyes obviously did the job and kept them up and steadied the ship, finishing the season strong.
“I thought this season could be a bit tricky with the new ground. You know, seeing at Spurs how tricky it is for them and other teams when they do move into a new stadium, especially from Goodison Park, which has sort of kept them up in a few seasons gone by.
“But he’s adapted to that. The home form hasn’t been as good as the away form, which I sort of expected because it’s tricky going to that new stadium and the fans settling in.
“Given the position they found themselves in and the performances away from home this season, he definitely should be talked about as one of the best managers of the year. Him and Keith Andrews, again, who’s done an incredible job for me at Brentford.
“His first season in the job and to be where they are, having lost a couple of big players as well, is fantastic too.”
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